The Artists Behind the Eyes…(Part 2)

In yesterday’s post, we went on a bit of a tour through the Archibald Prize Finalists for 2018 zooming in on the eyes, while expressing concern about the lack of eye-contact in our screen-based world.

Since I wanted to stitch the eyes together in what might be called a collage, I wasn’t able to attribute the eyes to the artist or their subject. Since this was going to be quite an extensive process, I decided to do it here in a separate post.

I should also point out that some of the eyes I photographed were not part of the Archibald, and were in the general admission part of the gallery. So, don’t be surprised to see Picasso on the list.

I’d be interested to hear what you think of the eyes, and if you’ve visited the Archibald, which were your favourites. Did you concur with this year’s winner? Or, even the Packer’s Prize? My personal favourite has to be Amber Boardman, Self-care exhaustion. Personally, I haven’t experienced self-care exhaustion of late, and like most of us, are experiencing more of a self-care deficit. I found this funny, a bit unnerving. I also wonder what might happen if you mix a glass of red with your green smoothie…especially if the blender falls into the bath while it’s running.  It could be deadly. I’d like to encourage you to check out her website. There are some interesting interviews.

Before I leave you to it, I just want to let you know that the featured image is Robert Hannaford’s Robert Hannaford self portrait.

Best wishes,

Rowena

Amber Boardman, Self-care exhaustion

The figure in the portrait is Jade, who is a fictitious character and alter ego of Boardman’s.

Pablo Picasso, Femme allongee sur un canape (Dora Maar) 1939.

Amber Boardman, Self-care exhaustion

 

Anne Midleton. Guy (actor Guy Pearce)

 

Nicholas Harding, Treatment, day 49 (sorbolene soak)

Oliver Freeman, The Legendary Tina Bursill, Young Archie 13-15 Year Olds

Del Kathryn Barton, Self-Portrait with studio wife.

Harvey Heazlewood, The Dreamer, Young Archie 5-8 year olds.

Maya Butler de Castro, Self-Portrait with animals, Young Archie Finalist 5-8 year olds.

Angela Tiatia, Study for a Self-Portrait.

Tom Polo, I once thought I’d do anything for you (Joan).

William Mackinnon, The Long Apprenticeship.

Paul Jackson, Alison Whyte, a mother of the renaissance

Yvette Coppersmith: Self-Portrait, after George Lambert – Winner Archibald Prize 2018.

Mirra Whale, Don

Kirsty Neilson, Anxiety Still at 30.

Robert Malherbe, Michael Reid

Euan Macleod, Guy at Jamberoo

Benjamin Aitken, Natasha

Loribelle Spirovski, Villains Always Get the Best Lines.  Subject: Actor, Nicholas Hope.

Noel Thurgate: Elizabeth Cummings in her studio at Wedderburn, 1974 and 2018.

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John Hoppner, Madame Hilligsberg c 1790 – 95.

Hayley Steel, Sempre, Age 17 Young Archie Finalist.

Jessica Thompson, Claire, Young Archie Finalist aged 17.

Guy Maestri, The fourth week of parenthood (self-portrait)

Francis Odlum, Finley Making Funny Faces, Young Archie 13-15 years

Meii You, Daddy With His Chicken, Age 6 Honourable Mention.

 

 

Self-Portraint in Rainbow Paint. Day 5: Five Photos Five Stories.

It looks like Mister reinterpreted what it means to paint yourself and painted on himself instead.

Actually, this shot was taken in the lead up to Christmas 2005 when we were1 making Christmas cards to send to the family. For his first Christmas, we’d pretty much stuck with footprints but it looks like we became a lot more ambitious for his second Christmas. You can see paint all over the paper as well as the boy. Howeever, even though it was so incredibly messy and it felt like I hasd to scrub out the entire house by the time we’d made it through the bath, we had a fabulous time taking creative self-expression to new heights.It also reminds me of the value of letting creativity run its course and actually flow rather than being caugyht up in being neat or having the perfect child. A child who sits perfectly still and colours in instead of painting themselves, the table the floor and even the bathtub as “Operation Scrub” goes into full swing.

Too often, we put on the brakes. Lock our child up in a cage. Force them into a mold.

Love that paint job!

Believe me! It is very tempting. It is so much easier thasn allowing them to be themselves! I’m not just talking about cleaning up the mess here or all those trips to Emergency patching up the scapes. I’m also talking about managing a non-conformist and all that means when it comes to interacting with other kids, parents, teachers and just about anyone. It would be so much easier for them all if we could just run kids through a factory to a set of “standards” but easy doesn’t stretch our horizons or challenge our thinking. It doesn’t give us texture, colour. Indeed, there wouldn’t be any rainbows anymore because we’d love all those beautiful colours without that mix of sun and rain.

I’m guity of this myself. I remember the first timew Mister mixed the different playdoh colours together that I almost had a heart attack. There his was squeezing those beautiful rainbow colours through his little fingers when I heard this chastising voice from somewhere in my deeply repressed past: “Do not mix the colours”. Playdoh was considered expensive when I was a kid and something of a luxury and we all knows what ultimately happens when all those rainbow colourss mix together for too long. They turn “poo brown”.

Seeing this photo also reminds me how long it’s been since we’ve done paintiing at home. I even enjoy doing a bit of painting myself but got a bit turned off by all the cleaning up afterwards and what with trying to keep up with writing, photography and playing my violin, it’s been awhile.

That’s about to change. I think we’re well and truly overdue for a paint date.

I was nominated by Geoff Le Pard fromTanGental for the Five Photos Five Stories blog Share: http://geofflepard.com/2015/06/10/five-photos-five-stories-day-two/

I would like to nominate Eli from Coach Daddy at https://coachdaddyblog.wordpress.com/ We met through the April Blogging A-Z Challenge and I thought he might enjoy another one.

The rules of the Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge are:

1) Post a photo each day for five consecutive days.
2) Attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or a short paragraph. It’s entirely up to the individual.
3) Nominate another blogger to carry on the challenge. Your nominee is free to accept or decline the invitation. This is fun, not a command performance!

xx Rowena