When losing is not losing (and actually winning) the Archibald Prize

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You probably weren’t aware, but I'm listed as an artist on the Art Gallery Of NSW website. Truly. Here it is...

How did that happen? I'll tell you in a moment.

Firstly, late last week finalists for the 2015 Archibald Prize were announced and they featured the glaring omission of a certain gigantic piece of paper masterpiece. I was grateful for the many kind commiserations but there is the secret I've been keeping. The Archibald isn't really a prize (so I didn't really lose). It's a rede d'être - a reason for being - for a few months each year for the 900 or so artists who enter.

The snare is that to most it’s an art prize (which means all but one will lose year after year).

And contests have a mysterious life of their own: Bob Dylan lost out to a tap dancing act in his high school talent contest and folklore has it that Charlie Chaplin was a distant runner-up in a Charlie Chaplin contest.

My first Archibald entry was as a 19 year old which taught me this enduring truth. So when I delivered my entry last year I took note of the unnoticed hero of the Archibald Prize, Charlotte, without  whom entries could not have been taken and therefore awarding a prize impossible. I wrote a heartfelt thanks and sent it to her which unforeseen and unknown to me until recently led to my name being listed on the Art Gallery Of NSW website.

(And that you're reading this tale means I’ve already gained something special - a momentary occupation of your mind!).

I started this odyssey 3 months ago with this question: How can I to win the Archibald Prize? Truth is that the judges don’t announce the winner. Like the tap dancer who defeated Bob Dylan at the high school talent contest, she thought she’d won so too will this year's $100,000 prize winner. But it’s what Bob Dylan did next that determined the real winner.

Likewise, it’s what I do next. Keep watching (I’ve plans afoot as you read, so wish me luck).

(Here is Charlotte...and a closer look at the Art Gallery Of NSW website).

The complete series 'How to win the Archibald Prize'
Sign up for my newsletter to follow my adventures here (and for your chance to win my original art on a t-shirt or original print)

P.S - If you'd like an original print of my Archibald journey for $20 just go here.

Theme archibald, charlotte, unnoticed


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Frequently Asked Questions
What Others Are Asking...

These are the most common questions asked of Oscar.

Products

Why are your products so special?

Many products (including wall art and t-shirts) are made by combining stock art (you know, images you can buy on used on bad advertisements) to make pretty patterns that don't mean a lot.

Oscar’s works are original and interesting - all designed and crafted using his own hands onto real paper with his imagination, real pencils and ink. That’s what makes each piece like nothing else in the world.

What are the prints made of? Why are they such quality?

Each piece is printed onto the finest museum grade paper. Oscar chooses the Hahnemuhle brand because it feels and looks superb (if you’re interested it’s acid free and calcium carbonate buffered) plus it can last longer than 100 years!

The inking process is called giclée printing and is a high-quality way of getting ink onto the best paper.

id="size" Which size is right for me? A few helpful things to consider:

A4 is small and good for a small desk, kitchen or small wall like a corner.

A3 is medium and good for a larger desk, larger kitchen or moderate sized wall.

A2 a larger and really nice on a wall, behind a bed or desk, adorning a hallway or thoroughfare.

A1 a very large and a wonderful way to make an impact in a room, office, reception, thoroughfare or atrium. Pow.

Dimensions

A4 210 x 297 mm | 8.3 x 11.7 in
A3 297 x 420 mm | 11.7 x 16.5 in
A2 420 x 594 mm | 16.5 x 23.4 in
A1 594 x 841 mm | 23.4 x 33.1 in

Buying

Do you offer free worldwide shipping?

Oscar offers free shipping to anywhere in the world. The farthest flung so far is the Netherlands, United States and England but he’d love to go even further! (perhaps you’re from Nepal or Antarctica maybe?)

How can Oscar offer free shipping?

Well, Oscar loves free shipping and it’s worth what it costs him for radically happy customers!

Can I return and get a refund if I’m not 100% happy?

Yes! Of course. Oscar wants you to be radically happy and satisfied (that’s good business isn’t it? But also good humanness...). We’re convinced you will be! But if for whatever reason you’re not super happy please contact us and we’ll arrange a full refund as soon as humanly possible.

Oscar

Oscar is Award-Winning?

Yes. He’s entered and won art prizes including for a piece about a magical bus and its passengers and a 22 page piece Moleskin about a boy who woke up with a strange knowing one day. He was also featured in prominent publications for his work and journey to one of the world’s largest portrait prizes, The Archibald Prize.

But now he prefers to imagine and make to change the world.

What is Oscar’s life Mission?

Oscar mission is to change the world with a pencil, pens and beautiful paper so that his imaginative tales and creations can be found in rooms, offices, buses and wall facades in town and cities large and small - so people awe at the ordinary.

A billion people on earth would be nice :) A beloved collection of children’s books too (that Roald Dahl would be proud of). Oh, and a film trilogy...

But I’d love to start (if you don’t mind) with you today!

● Have another questions? Contact Oscar here and he'd love to answer it!

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