Dear Judges of the Archibald Prize, Love Oscar (and all entrants)

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Dear Judges of the Archibald Prize,

I hope you don't mind that I'm writing?

It's just that I know as a three time entrant that the Archibald Prize is sometimes a mystery surrounded by a labyrinth in an unfamiliar maze and I'd like your help. Of course, judging is a difficult job, after all there are nearly 900 works that are mostly oils of unfamiliar faces varying in quality. It can’t be easy.

That’s why this year I tried to make your job a little easier by using the maverick materials of paper and ink (gigantic paper in one case and a gigantically wide Japanese Album notebook in the other - more on that in a second).

You may even have read my words (the Japanese Album 'A to Z of the Archibald').

If you recall my works I succeeded in a small way by being noticeable.

If not, please accept for apologies for failing to captivate you.

I’m writing with a simple request that I’d be ever so grateful if you can help with.

I couldn't help but notice you didn't select me as a finalist this year. That's okay, truly (after all, winning at a contest isn't always the point). I wonder if you might shed some light on what you thought of my paintings?

It would be so helpful for next time.

(After all sometimes for any artist it can feel like we’re Dorothy and judges are the Wizard of Oz behind a great big curtain).

Perhaps I could be so bold as to go a small step further and ask you to imagine something.

Van Gogh and Monet for example were both well acquainted with rejection in their lifetime but acclaimed later. Of course, its not a fair comparison but imagine if my work were to be recognised and praised in 10 or 20 or 50 years, I wonder what you think might be said?

I’ve drawn an imaginary book from the future called 'Australia's Greatest Art' below, written a few sentences (see Sidney Nolan on the left for an example and myself on the right) with blank spaces to make it easier for your simple words of encouragement (it’s my way of clinging onto hope - the great fuel of any artist’s endurance).

Thank you taking the time to hear from me.

Kindly, Oscar

P.S - If you’re a judge I'd love for you to email me. If you know a judge I’d be ever so grateful if you could get this letter to them!

Here is a list of the judges:

Mr Guido Belgiorno-Nettis
Mr Mark Nelson 
Mr Geoff Ainsworth
Mr Khadim Ali
Mrs Ashley Dawson-Damer
Professor S Bruce Dowton 
Ms Samantha Meers
Ms Gretel Packer
Mr Ben Quilty
Mr Andrew Roberts
Ms Eleonora Triguboff

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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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