Last time I shared what I learnt about trying to win the Archibald Prize.
I need to stand out amongst the 900 other works with a big, bold idea lest I be trampled underfoot like autumn leaves.
My first idea is this: to paint one of the homeless men I see on George Street in Sydney.
Why? I'm moved with compassion as I walk past them each day and wonder how they got there. No young boy envisions that future.
But there is a problem. The Archibald Prize is: for ‘the best portrait 'preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia during the 12 months preceding’.
Is a homeless man distinguished (or more likely unnoticed)? I wonder whether they were once distinguished or in an alternate history if they would be renowned for an invention we all now carry. Or maybe they are distinguished because they cause others, like me, to think more deeply about the fragility of life.
It would be a radical outcome to win (and an unnoticed person has never been the winner’s subject).
To you - the reader of my thoughts - what do you think? Should I paint a homeless man?
P.S - I'd love to send you my updates, just go here.
You can see my Archibald Journey here and my other creations and art here.