The portrait of Indi MP Cathy McGowan, to be entered in this year’s Archibald Prize, was the most difficult piece Charles Sluga has ever painted.
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The Yackandandah artist unveiled his work on Monday evening in front of a crowd at the Sluga Gallery.
He said the challenge was not the subject herself, but the high level of difficulty of painting watercolour on a polypropylene plastic surface – if the paint was not dry when the canvass was raised up, it would slide right off.
Ms McGowan was in Yackandandah for the opening and was noticeably taken aback when the sheet was removed, revealing a 1.9m by 1.5m portrait of her at her most determined.
She immediately noted the eyes in the painting, a physical trait shared by many of the McGowan sisters.
“It’s certainly powerful, I wouldn’t mess with her either,” she said.
Sluga said he was happy with the result, as he did not want to portray the usual smiling politician image.
“It’s not a smiley face, I’m not going to say it looks pretty - it doesn’t - I wanted to try to show some determination,” he said.
“Cathy was so gracious with her time that she gave me and the freedom she gave me as an artist.
“There was no ‘you’ve got to make me look good’, that took the pressure off.”
The portrait – titled Nothing is what it seems – had none of Ms McGowan’s traditional orange, it instead focused on her hands, which symbolised both her love of gardening and the land, plus the way she talks and counts out the points she is making with her hands.
There was also a small reference to trains through a platform number in the background painted in the font used by Victoria’s rail system.
It will go to Sydney this week to be considered among hundreds of other entries for shortlisting in the Archibald Prize.
Ms McGowan said she was brave, but grateful to Mr Sluga for choosing her as a subject and helping to make Indi “one of the most artistic places in Australia”.
“I’m really hoping it showcases how magnificent regional artists are,” she said.