Art can be like a backdrop for a stage play - it looks real but don't look behind it. Or like the Wizard of Oz behind the theatrical curtain that hides what is real.

Any artist who has rubbed out a pencil line or reworked paint has likewise been hiding something.

An artwork’s title can also be less than forthcoming either because it's vague or it wants you to think something that isn't quite true.

So I took the opposite approach for my Archibald Prize entry which was delivered last Friday to the Art Gallery Of NSW - and pulled the throttle to ‘super honest’ with my title. It was probably the longest in Archibald history and the first to feature a sponsor.

I'll show you the complete work shortly and explain it but in the meantime here is the most honest (and longest) title for an Archibald Prize work ever (with thanks to FrameShop.com.au):

What is a person?

It sounds simple but quickly becomes difficult to answer (like an onion with layers booby trapped to thwart anyone who tries to peel it).

If you believe the mood of our age, inanimate objects become personal and alive when a brand is stitched to it. Take a Nike shoes for example.

Nike is energetic, inspiring, aspiring, perspiring and a friend to the outcast dreamer. Nameless objects are cold and unfeeling but engraved with a logo and moniker they become as real as you and I. What better way to capture a distinguished person for 2016 than to paint a shoe that is really a person we all know named ‘Nike’?

What do you, reader of my thoughts? Should I paint a Nike shoe?

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.

In the future, 10 years from today, the work of a lone stranger, persevering feverishly by candlelit as a social outcast will bring to the world a device that we will all own in a way we can't possibly imagine today.

That distinguished person is a stranger in our midst.

What if I painted that distinguished stranger who has changed the course of history but we don't realise it yet?

It's a statement about the future being created underneath our noses and an encouragement to encourage others and seed your imagination. Think of the scientists Alfred Wegener or Gregor Johann Mendel, or reclusive 20th century artist Henry Darger or the 19th century poet Emily Dickinson. Their distinguishment was known only in hindsight. My painting would be a note to the future's distinguished. Maybe one of them is reading this now?

To you - the reader of my thoughts - should I paint a stranger? 

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.

What is the quintessence of a person and how can it be captured like an imp, bottled and poured onto a painting surface?

A black turtle neck says 'Steve Jobs', harem pants say 'M.C Hammer' and a bejewelled white glove says Michael Jackson. Can a car do the same, I wonder?

If I painted a portrait of someone as a car - the symbol of modern life - it would surely be radical indeed. If so, what would this orange one say?  

To you - the reader of my thoughts - should I and who would it be? 

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.

Hello there friend.

If we’ve not met, my name is Oscar Finch. I’m an artist who hides in plain sight to capture unnoticed strangers and objects then imagines their tales.

Last year I shared my quest ‘How to Win the Archibald Prize’.

I would have won but for the judges picking someone else. But there was a secret I'd been keeping: the Archibald Prize isn't really a prize. It's a raison d'être - a reason for being - each year for the 900 or so artists who enter.

What was my master plan to win? I analysed all previous winners to identify common traits and gaps to be a pioneer (oil on a rectangle canvas is common, as too is an artist as subject, likewise impressionist styling).

What did I learn from my 85 day odyssey and how will it help me win this year? A few things.

• Standing out amongst the swath of 900 artworks is vital. You could stand out by drawing a hairy green chicken but standing out for a good reason is more helpful. Without standing out you’re an autumn leaf tramped underfoot.
• If you’re no Monet or Picasso don’t try to out-paint someone who is. You’ll need another weapon so...
• Have a big, bold breathtakingly idea that screams.
• The Archibald is an art prize in the art world for the art world. As I swanned around the Archibald Prize opening last year I realised the obvious. It’s an inner circle so to win you need to find a way into the inner circle (and therefore the judges).
• What this means is you don't need a million people to care about your artwork maybe just one or two or three.
• Frame your artwork (unless it’s as tall as the ceiling). It might be little realised but a frame is kind of a shibboleth that you’re part of the inner artworld circle.
• Have a plan for your artwork when you don’t win (something more useful than a room divider or garage filler). On the flip side use the Prize as an excuse to do something you always wanted to (meet your pop culture hero by painting them or yell a message to the world).  Here’s the secret: everyone who does this is a winner before the winner is announced.
• Finish your work with a week to spare (unless your liked midnight study cramming as a high schooler).

I'm going to do all of these things and a few more. And I have until 24th June to do them and I'll be sharing my journey. I've called it:

Wish me luck.

Oscar

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.