Sheds at the Port

122 x 106 cms 1997

$1250 Sold

An acquaintance saw my work and said she would love to see a painting by me of the sheds at Port Adelaide. In my naivety I assumed this was a sort of commission but when I showed her the work she said, 'How nice, perhaps the local council will buy it,' so I took it into the Greenhill Gallery. It was then selected for the front cover of the Adelaide Review, where it was seen by Jeffrey Smart at his home in Tuscany.

He subsequently sent me two postcards.

My work is constantly compared to Jeffrey Smart's as if it matters. (The only thing that matters is the painting itself.) But, in fact, I rarely look at other people's work, and never his as, if I did, I would then inevitably find myself avoiding just those compositional aspects that are similar. The work must as honest and direct a response between the artist, the subject and the canvas as is possible.