'Face of Australia' - Finalist in Gallery 7 Art Prize

Wow, thank you Gallery 7 for accepting my painting of Nelly Patterson as a finalist in the Gallery7's Art Prize. (A Northern Rivers new local art prize)

When I heard about this art prize, I initially planned to enter a needle-felted landscape of an Eagle's Eyeveiw of the Byron coast with Wullumbini (Mt Warning) in the background. Then as I began to finally finish this still unfinished work, I realised the size restrictions of 40x40cm was much smaller than I had realised. I still think in inches not centimetres. (D'uh)

Changing my plans, I began work on a needlefelted version of an acrylic painting of a friend in memory of his recently departed son. As the date for submission approached I trialled this work in a frame, and wasn't fully happy with the effect, and hadn't fully completed it, so left it on the back burner, as you do.

So with two uncompleted textile paintings, and the date due, I framed up my portrait of Nelly, that I painted from a wonderful photo someone took of her at the Byron Bay Writer's Festival launch of the 'Our Way Stories book, complied by Dale Roberts. This photo, far surpassed any I had attempted taking of Nelly, for the purpose of a portrait, and it was while I was working on it that I saw, in the shape of her hair under the first part of her beanie, (one of mine), the two sides of our country and her blue & green cardigan, we'd found in a local opp shop for a dollar, looked like the Earth, with her rising up strong.

So fitting, for one of the most senior law women of the country, who is one of the First Nation people, actively working toward a 'new way now'. A New Way, for the whole country to come together, honouring the Old Ways, bringing about Change from the 'government way' since colonisation, and learning and governing together, in a New Way Now.

I decided to call it 'Face of Australia', and added the Top End and Tassie, in dots. Taking me back to my twenties when I did many a pen and ink drawing, purely in micro-dots, with a Rotring Pen. Very meditative, let me tell you. Why all the blue ? You may ask. These vibrant shades of blue, have been my 'go to' colours that I crave, that I intuitively knew and felt I needed for my healing and energy these past 10 plus years. They are also very important to Nelly and feature in her 'New Way Now' painting, that she painted 10 plus years ago, also.

This is now one of a series of portraits I have been working on, slowly, as the spirits dictate.

Above: Nelly's large paintings 'New Way Now' and Tjukurpa Pulka Coming Together Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Atila (Mt Conner) all the surrounding Communities and all the Spirits (Ancestors)

Below is a print, that the spirits directed me to get printed as a postcard, for the purpose of raising funds to assist Nelly meet the costs of travel, natural pain medicine, and the furthering of her life's work. If you would like to contribute we would be most grateful ....... I will also list some of our collaborative creations which are now for sale/donation in my online shop on this wixsite.

#NellyPatterson #FaceofAustralia #Gallery7