Archibald Prize Portrait Project
Since February 2024, my friend Lexi and I have been working on portraits to enter into the Archibald Prize. On Tuesday 30 April we dropped our finished babies off at the Art Gallery of NSW. This is us within the fabled packing room.
Left: Me with my portrait in the packing room. Right: Lexi with her portrait in the packing room.
Lexi (@art.by.lexi) is an incredibly talented artist and her portrait of me is beautiful. She wanted to draw on soft, nostalgic colours and textures to capture my brightness and warmth. We had several sittings together and it was magical to watch her at work.
Left: My self portrait. Right: A portrait of me by Lexi Keelan.
My portrait is inspired by the tarot, in particular the card I draw most often: The Hermit. I was interested in exploring my space and my belongings as an extension of self and including objects that have a special resonance for me and that represent important connections in my life.
I love how these two portraits each reveal such different aspects of myself but are united by their vibrancy, magic and depth. We had such a fun time on this project, talking, painting and drinking tea, that we have decided to make it a yearly tradition.
Check out the finalists for this year's Archibald Prize below.
