I took it on – Archibald Prize Entry 2019

I remember as a kid, my father instilling in me a desire to enter the Archibald. I often would find myself sketching faces and personalities in the paper or painting caricatures of famous footballers. It just came naturally to me.

Years on, now I am 33 and after 15 years of digital design and multimedia, I’ve rekindled my passion of drawing faces once again.

In January this year, I decided that this would be a year of following through on some unrealised dreams and goals. I guess I simply got tired of putting things on the shelf with the excuse of ‘I’m too busy’. So, with the encouraging words of my father going through my mind and with my wife cheering me on, I decided this was the year I would enter the Archibald!

With only 4 months to get this done, I had to act quick! After brainstorming some ideas with my wife, she suggested that I paint Tim Costello. My first though was, ‘How am I going to get access to such a distinguished person?!’ and even if I could, why would he give up his time for me to paint him? This is crazy!

It was late January and I had no subject locked in, no materials and to add to the challenge, I decided I would make this piece my first oil portrait…ever. I’d dabbled in oils a couple of times but only with landscapes and to take it even further, I decided to aim for a traditional finish.

It wasn’t long and with the help of a friend, I was sitting in a studio with Tim, sketching nervously while exchanging friendly conversation. We didn’t have long together for the sitting and photoshoot but what struck me the most was his down to earth nature, his clear passion for those in need and his keen interest in my life.

Once I got the canvas and sketch home, I was hit with the realisation that I only have a couple of months to make this painting happen! After a few hours YouTubing oil techniques, it was like a voice in my head told me just to go for it and stop questioning my own ability. I did exactly that.

With over 40 hours invested in this artwork, it was full of highs and lows. There were times I felt like quitting, starting again or throwing my brush… Then there were times I would stand back and question how I even pulled this thing off.

I remember with almost 2 hours to go, I was finishing my background. I was sleep deprived and knowing I was on the home straight I was moving a little faster than normal. My brush strokes were getting longer and faster. With a thick clump of blue on the end of one of my larger brushes, I somehow managed to slip and drop the brush, mid air… Instead of letting the brush fall to the floor, my reflexes kicked in and like a ninja, I tried to grab the brush. In one motion, I had clumsily grabbed, dropped and knocked the brush straight into Tim’s forehead, ending with the brush sliding right down his face. I wish I had a photo in hindsight but at the time I was frantically looking for a clean rag to fix my monumental error. Luckily his face was dry so the wet paint was not too hard to extract but my carpet was not so fortunate.

Even though I wasn’t rewarded with a prize this time around, the greatest win for me was the process. I took a risk, removed the excuses and actioned a childhood dream, got to meet a great, invested a lot of time and tackled a project I’d never done before… a first. I discovered a new skill and realised I actually love painting portraits and in oil! I took myself out of my comfort zone and forced myself into a situation where quitting wasn’t an option.

One thing I know is that this won’t be the last time…