Lecturer’s portrait shortlisted for national prize
Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
A painting by an Avondale lecturer of the subject of one of Australia’s most publicised legal cases is shortlisted for the world’s richest portrait prize.
Andy Collis paints his portrait of Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton.
Credit: Aaron Bellette.
Andy Collis’ portrait of Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton is one of 216 entries selected as semi-finalists for the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. The winner of the prize receives $150,000.
Portraits selected as semi-finalists are featured online before the judges select 30 to hang as finalists. “Fingers crossed,” says Andy, “I hope it’ll be hung, but even if it isn’t, it gives the portrait much more kudos to have been selected this far.”
Judges also shortlisted a portrait Andy painted of his daughter, Annie-Rose, as a semi-finalist for the prize this past year. “I guess [being shortlisted for consecutive semi-finals is] some kind of affirmation that you’re on the right track,” says Andy.
Both portraits form part of Andy’s doctoral thesis, The human touch? What is the value of the artist–sitter relationship to contemporary portrait painting?, in which he argues that to achieve authenticity artists must spend time with their subjects.