THE 2018 Archibald Prize will bring its roadshow gallery of winning portraiture to the Glasshouse on August 24.
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Prestigious and at times controversial, the Archibald is Australia’s foremost portraiture prize and over the years it has become a who’s who of Australian culture – from politicians to celebrities, sporting heroes to artists.
First awarded in 1921, it was judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW and awarded to the best portrait painting.
The Archibald Prize awards $100,000 prize money to the winning artist.
The regional tour will be on display in Port Macquarie until October 7 at the Glasshouse.
Featured artist Jonathan Dalton, originally from Dublin, Ireland, said it has been a remarkable experience to tour with the Archibald.
“I first got into the arts I was a photographer but I quickly picked up a paintbrush and haven’t looked back since,” Mr Dalton said.
“The process to enter the Archibald Prize is quite simple but you need to be a permanent resident of Australia so this has been the first time I was able to enter.
“For me it has all been a bit crazy thing – in the best possible way – because I really only took up painting full time 10 years ago and now look where I am.”
Mr Dalton said when he first started painting he would do a little bit of everything, but painting people is his forte describing his style as realism.
“When you first start out you are getting a feel for what you like so I painted everything from landscapes to still-life to portraits but soon after it was obvious that painting people was my passion,” he said.
“I think as humans we are curious by nature, everyone loves people watching and from that I wanted to create paintings that were as real as possible.
“I hope when people see my painting they are stopped by how real it looks, and then when they stop and really look at it, they question the people in it and think about their expressions.”
He said the hype around the Archibald Prize as a whole is something he has never seen before.
“It is incredible – I can’t get over how much enthusiasm and excitement there is for the Archibald.
“Everywhere it goes people swarm to come and see the portraits which is fantastic.
“I have lived all over the world and I don’t think anything compares to the hype surrounding the Archibald.
“There is so much fascination around the Archibald; so many different artists with different styles and personalities and it engages people with the arts and painting.”
While the Archibald Prize tour is in town, Mr Dalton is giving an artist talk at the Glasshouse on August 23 at 11am.
“The artist talk will be a chance for people to ask me questions about how I go about my work and to go into a bit of detail about what I do and why.”
Bookings are essential so contact the Glasshouse for more information.