Friday, October 16, 2009

Archibald Portrait Prize Submission – Mark One!

2009 was my first attempt at submitting a piece into the coveted and highly respected Archibald Portrait Prize run by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Having left it too late to find an appropriate candidate ("An Australian citizen renowned in the Arts, Sciences or Letters"), I chose to use myself as the subject. This unfortunately was an inappropriate choice as I am not yet a "renowned" person within the Australian Arts community… yet.

Although unsuccessful in being short-listed this time, it was a fantastic exercise to paint to a large scale and hit a tight deadline. I'm really pleased with the final result - I think the way I've painted my hands is beautiful.

Inspired by 2008 Archibald Prize winner Del Kathryn Barton, I chose to paint what I was personally most passionate about.: drawing, painting, my friends and my family.