Abstractions
A portrait of my dear friend, Dee Smart. Born in Adelaide, Dee moved to Melbourne to attend the Victorian College of the Arts ballet school. She then studied acting in Sydney and went on to enjoy a successful career in film and television. Homebound with her firstborn daughter 15 years ago, she picked up her first paintbrush. We first met as finalists in the 2017 Archibald Prize, and our connection was instant! Dee is currently undergoing a personal renaissance, and I used layered abstraction and realism to capture the balance of her strength and vulnerability. A week after this portrait was completed Dee was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Looking back, she feels she instinctively knew something was wrong when she held her hand over her bladder. Dee is now in remission.
2020 Portia Geach Memorial Award, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2020 Story Tellers, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne, Australia