Tap Project

This photo was only captured for the memory of the night... what happened that night after this shot is known by anyone but us!


Recently I have been thinking about focusing my paintings on underground city life in Sydney. As opposed to the focus on bourgeois society of the classical paintings, I am simply interested the ones that who grew up in the streets, the ones who gets drunk with a slice of bread, the ones who fight, the ones who piss the traffic off, the ones make love in the middle of the day, the ones who throw up on the street, the ones who wake up in middle of nowhere, the ones who scream, the ones who bite, the ones who fart, the ones who make peace and fuck, the ones who gets high, the ones who wont get scared when faced with a gun, the ones who use the gun, the ones who get the feeling of a cold steel bar...  
no more Madonna painting with the baby Christ, it is now the time to paint the outcast lovechild of a prostitute..

we will meet soon for our own sacrifice!!!

Real Refuses - The Democratic Archibald 2012
After long hours of work, sweat and tears, finally I finished my Archibald painting. I am truely satisfied with the end result; but apparently the judges of the Archibald are not thinking the same way.. as my painting did not made into the Archibald 2012 this year.
I was deeply disappointed with the result.. and shut myself down for a few days... I did not want to talk to people, I did not want to give my comments on the Archibald finalist, yet alone the winner..
then, people started to ask about Real Refuses.. when is it?, are you going to be in the show this year too? As I was the winner of the last year's show, I was a bit reluctant to put my painting into Refuses this year.. but people kept asking and said they want to see the painting exhibited.. So I deceided to put my painting into the show again.. that was the last of the submission period...When I arrived at the gallery, I have to admit I was shocked by the quality and the number of the works on the wall. What a great difference from last year to this year.  

Yet, I got the First Prize of the Real Refuses 2012.. Two years in a row.

18-06-2012 We'll be in Istanbul OPEN YOUR HEART I'M COMING HOME

Archibald Portrait Prize 2012 - Bille Brown in a Turkish Bath

I am entering a portrait of Bille Brown in a Turkish bath to participate in the upcoming Archibald Prize. I am hoping to surprise the viewers with our choice of composition as I have painted Bille in a way never seen before!
After learning that his interest in Sufi poetry, great knowledge of Ottoman history, and his mystic background, I felt that painting Bill in a Turkish Bath would be fantastic.  I was amazed to learn that he studied Sufi Poetry and story telling in Turkey. He knew Haji Firouz, Mullah Nasreddin, Sohrab and Rustam. What else could i have asked!!! I was extremely excited with the idea of taking him to a Turkish Bath to paint.  A well known Australian Shakespearean actor in a Turkish bath!
I was not sure if he would agree on this choice, but when Bille heard my idea, he was delighted with the thought of having a nice Turkish bath..   
The next challenge was finding a Turkish Bath in Sydney, but luckily there happened to be one. 
Of all the sittings, we have decided on this composition. I believe it reflects the gentle nature of my Great Bille with his delightful sense of humor. 
Thank you Bille,

MARDI GRAS PREPARATIONS...!!!

 

We got together  to decide on what we are going to wear ,which songs we are going to play and 

how we are going to dance ....

Fishtank

A million cups of coffee, endless wet days, a number of nervous breakdowns, a few sedatives, a pinch of insomnia...and finally another painting is finished. I am overwhelmed. I dont have much appetite.. let the sun shine a little bit.
Which song I listened most? Was it a song by Eleni Karaindrou or Tom Waits? I can't remember. My memory was always weak anyhow. I suppose I am forgetful; but I cant forget the thing I want to forget most. I am hungry now. Let's go.
What are we having for lunch?
-fish and chips
I think we should have some meat
-grilled fish at Balmain
Forget the lunch, lets go for an holiday. I missed packing my suitcase.
-are we going to have some wine with the fish?
We will eat meat, you can have a beer.
-chicken then.
We should go to Bangkok
-Padthai then
Did you pay the rent of the studio?
-I can cook something at home
......
..
.

The Girl in the Red Dress - Alena Kurajdova

I was having a cup of coffee with Melodi in Berkelouw's Paddington Bookshop and Cafe, enjoying a delicious lemon pie and browsing the classical paintings in a book Melodi found.. and There she was, the girl in red dress. She was just sitting in front of us,and reading a book, enjoying her time there as we were; She was reminding a very classical composition, as if she was coming into life from an Ingres work.
You know what happened next. We asked her if she would be interested in posing for me for a portrait.
A couple of days later she contacted us and she would be happy to pose for me.

We immediately started to work. I will add these paintings in short time, but as of now all I can offer is a picture taken with her while we were having a cup of coffee after a long session. We very having a hot debate over the compositions as she is also from the art world

 

Picasso:All About the Colour Blue

As you all know, Picasso Exhibiton is in Sydney. I was invited to make a presentation and deliver a speech about Picasso in the New Acropolis, a philosophy school based in CBD.   As some of you might know, I have a broken English. Thus, I was very honoured when I got this invitation. Althought they know how my English is, they still wanted me to deliver the speech. I still asked for a translator to be ready there (just in case). Luckily everything went so smoothly...
My presentation focused on Picasso's blue period, as it is my favourite period of Picasso.

Visit to National gallery of Australia Canberra

Following a week of full rain and no sun shine, I was feeling very depressed in Sydney. The weekend came at last, but still no luck, the weather forecast was not promising at all. We decided to hit the road and visit the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, where the Renaissance Exhibition was running.
I also had the chance to see one of my favourite masters, Lucian Freud

 

My Studio

Recently, I have been working on four paintings at the same time. The second one from the left is the work I am going to put in Archibald Prize 2012, the portrait of Bille Brown.. Wait and see how it will look like!!!

Open Studio> Ciao