JOURNAL

Art

Painting Chanel

Earlier this year I announced I’d be painting Teach Us Consent founder and CEO, Chanel Contos. This work was completed and, in this post, I’m sharing the development of the piece. Upon accepting my request to paint Chanel’s portrait, the first step was to conduct a survey of what already existed of Chanel on the internet in public-facing and social media (Fig 1). This is because the portrait of Chanel, once completed, would initially be a public work. This is opposed to a work being privately commissioned. A portrait that is being seen by the public, in my opinion, is…

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Art

RISE UP trailer

I expect the short film will be from 6 to 10 minutes long. My integrity to the film remains steadfast and it will be as long as it needs to be. This trailer is very short but will provide audiences with some context and an appetite to view the film when it’s released. The RISE UP Keyframes We are used to seeing glamourous Hollywood actresses appearing so meticulous and composed. And although the character of Maya in RISE UP aspires to walk the red carpet amidst throngs of flashes, tragically, she is subjected to the most horrible of fates, sexual…

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Art

Teach. Us. Consent.

Painting Chanel Contos for the 2022 Archibald Prize Recently I had the great pleasure of catching up with Chanel Contos for breakfast and a photo shoot. Chanel will be my subject for this year’s Archibald Prize. Chanel broke news headlines in 2021 when her petition, Teach Us Consent, attracted over 44,000 signatures and 6,500 testimonies. Teach Us Consent is a movement founded by Chanel to provide earlier holistic consent and sex education in Australian schools. Her story has been featured in the New York Times, Vogue’s 21 Australian Women Who Defined 2021, and Marie Claire’s 2021 Women of the Year,…

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Art

Finding Beauty

6 minute read. In this article, I discuss how drawing helped me gain a more authentic and better understanding of what beauty is and what it means to me.I created this drawing inspired by a photoshoot I conducted with my model Anoush. I intended to make beautiful photographic images, and I felt we accomplished that. But I wasn’t sure what the pictures meant to me. It wasn’t until I reflected on drawing this image that I could objectify and express recognition of what was not immediately prevalent in the photos. Part 1 – Relationships and Intimacy You share intimacy with…

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Art

In The Frame: Emma Landis

Emma Landis is an art consultant and historian whose passion for art stokes the fires of Toronto and Ontario’s art scenes. We discuss art collecting, her research into Abstract Expressionist founding father Clyfford Still, and Emma’s unique gift of applying lessons of the past to the social issues of the present and future. In The Frame · In The Frame: Emma Landis Emma Landis is an art consultant and historian based in Toronto, Canada. She is a Ph.D. (ABD) in Art History & Visual Studies (University of Victoria), an MA in Visual Studies (Western University), and BAH in Art History…

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Art

In the Frame: Brett Moffatt

Award-winning artist Brett Moffatt takes listeners into the lives of artists, curators, models, writers, and performers. Brett shakes the conventional by going backstage, into the studios and dressing rooms of people we’d like to know and understand more. Learn how an acclaimed painter and photographer gets to know his subjects.In today’s episode, I am under the spotlight, reflecting on change, an art practice dedicated to service and an art empowered to effect social change.

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Art

On the Canvas: April 2021

Brett replaces the paintbrush for the microphone in this refreshing take on what’s muse worthy from the studio, providing the latest happenings through audio with pictures. Links discussed by Brett in this episode: In the FrameBrett Moffatt Art RegisterEventsInfo Recent Commissions “Early last year, I came across some of Bretts’ work. I was amazed at the detail and quality of his artistry. I immediately contacted him and asked if he would commission a very personally significant piece for someone special on my behalf. Upon final delivery, I was without words as Brett was able to capture the subject’s moment, significance,…

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Art

Olive Cotton Award

From 432 entries to 79 finalists. From 79 finalists, I made it to the top four of highly commended works in the Olive Cotton Award for photographic portraiture. Singled out by Gallery Director Susi Muddiman OAM as a work deserving special attention and from judge Marian Drew: “This is a beautiful portrait where the figure is poised at a crevasse in a stone cliff. Framed and statuesque, the world champion swimmer Cate Campbell, hands and feet cling gently to the rock face. It’s a seductive juxtaposition, full of implication.” Marian Drew There’s a magazine interview with myself coming up in…

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Art

Cate Campbell Portrait

I am very proud to announce that I have recently completed a portrait of world champion swimmer Cate Campbell (OAM). Cate and her younger sister Bronte represent a tour de force in Freestyle, of the short courses in world competitive swimming. As many can attain, Cate is not only an incredibly talented and disciplined athlete but one of the nicest and most genuine people I’ve met. How lucky was I when she said yes to posing for a portrait. I spent a morning in December 2016 with Cate discussing and shooting images for her portrait. We caught up again recently…

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