The Percivals 2026

THE PERCIVALS 2026

Published on the occasion of 23 May – 30 August 2026

Galleries team

Jo Lankester

THE PERCIVALS 2026

Publisher

Galleries, Townsville City Council

PO Box 1268

Townsville QLD 4810

Australia

galleries@townsville.qld.gov.au

© Galleries, Townsville City Council, and the respective artists and/or authors 2026

ISBN: 978-0-949461-66-7

Publication design

Taylah Thompson McLeod

Publication editor

Evie Franzidis

Organised by

Townsville City Galleries

Acting Galleries Director and Senior Exhibitions and Collections Officer

Veerle Janssens Collection Management Officer

Michael Favot Exhibitions Officer

Zoe Seitis Exhibitions Officer

Chloe Lausen Curatorial Assistant

Jonathan Brown Senior Education and Programs Officer

Ashleigh Peters Education and Programs Officer

Erin O’Shannessy Education and Programs Officer

Tanya Tanner Senior Public Art Officer

Steve Bonanno Public Art Officer

Blake Collis Customer Service Officer

Jade James Customer Service Officer

Emma Murphy Customer Service Officer

Taylor Sopronick Gallery Assistant

Kirsten Browning Gallery Assistant

Claire Marsh Gallery Assistant

Sue Drummond Team Leader Business Support

Miles Robertson Business Support Officer

Dariene Guerreiro Business Support Officer

Front cover

Geordie Gem WILLIAMSON

White Noise – OCD With Yasmin Arkinstall [detail] 2025

Portrait of Yasmin Arkinstall

Oil on stretched linen

167.6 x 182.8 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

Back cover

Brett CANÉT-GIBSON

Riverson Robbins [detail] 2026

Portrait of Riverson Robbins

Digital photographic print

90 x 60 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

Perc Tucker Regional Gallery

Cnr Denham and Flinders St

Townsville QLD 4810

Tue – Fri, 10am – 5pm

Sat – Sun, 10am – 1pm

(07) 4727 9011

galleries@townsville.qld.gov.au whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au

Townsville City Galleries

TownsvilleCityGalleries

Acknowledgement

Townsville City Council acknowledges the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun, Bindal, Gugu Badhun and Nywaigi as the Traditional Owners of this land. We pay our respects to their cultures, their ancestors and their Elders, past, present and all future generations.

FOREWORD

Townsville City Galleries is delighted to present The Percivals 2026, an exhibition that brings together 122 outstanding artworks across three categories: painting, photography, and the depiction of animals. This year’s finalists represent an extraordinary breadth of vision, skill, and storytelling, and we are honoured to showcase their work.

Since its inception in 2007, the Percival Portrait Painting Prize has continued to grow in ambition and reputation, and is now widely recognised as Northern Australia’s premier portrait prize. The Percivals highlights remarkable talent from our region and across Queensland, while also attracting exceptional artists from around Australia.

The realisation of this exhibition is made possible through the efforts and dedication of many. We extend our sincere thanks to our preselection judges, judging panel, and all artists who have contributed their creativity and passion to this year’s exhibition. We are also grateful to the Townsville City Galleries staff, Council staff, and everyone whose efforts helped bring The Percivals to life.

This publication aims to highlight the creativity and skill of the artists featured. As the artform of portraiture continues to evolve, we hope these works inspire future artists to experiment and contribute their own perspectives.

Jo Lankester

Acting Galleries Director, Townsville City Galleries

A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

It is my privilege to welcome you to The Percivals, an exhibition that has, over many years, become one of Australia’s most respected celebrations of portraiture. Each edition of The Percivals reaffirms our city’s commitment to the arts, and it is an honour to continue this proud tradition.

This year’s exhibition once again brings together the Percival Portrait Painting Prize, the Percival Photographic Portrait Prize, and the Percival Animal Portrait Prize. These three prizes reflect the breadth of contemporary portraiture and the many ways that artists capture identity, character, and connection.

In 2026, we received an exceptional 388 submissions. This remarkable response speaks to the national standing The Percivals has earned, and highlights Townsville’s reputation as the arts and culture capital of tropical North Queensland. Over the years, our city has worked to build a vibrant cultural landscape, and Council remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering a region where creativity is supported, celebrated, and shared.

We are fortunate to have had an esteemed selection panel guiding the shortlisting process, continuing the tradition of rigorous and thoughtful selection that The Percivals are known for. This year, our overall painting prize judge is Sasha Grishin AM, FAHA, Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University, and our overall photographic prize judge is Serena Bentley, Senior Curator at the National Portrait Gallery. We extend our appreciation to all judges for their expertise and for their role in awarding the $40,000 painting prize and the $10,000 photographic prize.

To the artists whose works have been selected for exhibition, I offer my congratulations. I encourage residents and visitors to experience this outstanding exhibition and to support the talented artists who contribute to the creative life of our city.

Nick Dametto Mayor of Townsville

AWARD CATEGORIES

Percival Portrait Painting Prize

$40,000 (acquisitive)

Percival Photographic Portrait Prize

$10,000 (acquisitive)

Percival Animal Portrait Prize

$1,000 (non-acquisitive)

People’s Choice Award, Painting

$1,000

People’s Choice Award, Photographic

$1,000

SELECTION PANEL MEMBERS

Painting Prize Panel

Francoise Lane

Francoise Lane is a descendant of the Meriam and Kaurareg peoples of Zenadth Kes. She lives and works on Yidinji Country (Gordonvale, Far North Queensland). As a multidisciplinary artist, curator and designer, Francoise’s creative practice straddles the intersection of art and design, drawing upon her family’s cultural values of respecting and caring for land, sea, kin and community. She holds a Bachelor of Built Environment (Interior Design) from QUT, and is co-founder and co-director of Indij Architecture and Design, which brings Indigenous design values into built environment projects. Francoise was Artistic Director of Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (2022–24), and was a judge for the Brisbane Portrait Prize in 2024 and 2025.

John McPhee

John McPhee worked in Australian art museums for 25 years, among them the National Gallery of Australia (1980–92), and the National Gallery of Victoria (1992–96). In 1997, he established a private art consultancy in Sydney, working with public galleries to develop policy and strategic plans and assisting in the curatorship of private and corporate collections.

He has authored books on colonial painters John Glover and Joseph Lycett, Red Cedar in Australia, and The Painted Portrait Photograph in Tasmania 1850–1900, respectively. His other publications include books about Australian art, decorative art, and folk and popular arts, as well as numerous articles in magazines and journals. As an art critic, he specialises in writing about contemporary art, the decorative arts, design, and museum exhibitions.

Christine Clark

Christine Clark is Director, Curatorial and Collections at Museum of Brisbane. Christine has held curatorial and management roles at various institutions, including the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), Australian National University, and the Queensland Art Gallery.

While at the NPG, she was part of the collaborative team that implemented the National Photographic Portrait Prize, Digital Portrait Award, and the Darling Portrait Prize. Christine has curated numerous projects emphasising cross-cultural intersections and retelling national and shared histories, including several exhibitions that have toured nationally. Christine had the privilege of growing up on Bindal and Juru traditional lands of the Burdekin and maintains a strong connection to North Queensland and the creative life of the region.

Photographic Prize Panel

John Blessas

John Blessas is a Photographic Society of Queensland (PSQ) Accredited Judge based in Mackay. While he initially worked as an electrician, John plainly states: “I have always been a photographer. After an accident, I had time on my hands and joined a couple of camera clubs. WOW! That opened my eyes to a different world.” Since 2014, John has been working as a PSQ Accredited Judge and for a while was the Chair of the PSQ Judges Executive. His judging philosophy, as he says, “is to see the point of view of the author of the work” and to remember: “don’t be locked in by ‘rules and traditions’”.

Fran McFadzen

Since retiring, Fran McFadzen has been able to focus more on her hobby of photography, building on her pictures of family, holidays, and travel. She began to compete in international and national photography competitions, going on to collect more than 500 acceptances and awards, and her work has been featured in Australian photographic publications. She soon found herself helping others achieve their photographic goals, and she is committed to helping others on their photographic journey.

As a resident of Yeppoon, Fran is a member of the Keppel Coast Camera Club, and President of the Rockhampton Photography Club. At the state level, she is a PSQ Accredited Judge, PSQ webmaster, and a PSQ committee member. Fran is always happy to help mentor others in competition involvement, as she strongly believes that this hones one’s photography skills and gives one an incentive to improve further.

Tracey Heathwood

Tracey Heathwood has worked in the regional arts sector in Queensland for more than 20 years, including positions with Flying Arts Inc., Artspace Mackay, Crossroad Arts Inc. and Mackay Regional Council. Her appointment as Director of Artspace Mackay in January 2018 saw her return to regional galleries after working as a freelance curator, project manager, and arts consultant.

In her role as Director, Tracey leads a team of professional gallery staff in providing a high-quality community facility; an inspirational exhibition program; a growing, relevant art collection; and engaging public programs. Tracey holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts in Fine Art from the Queensland College of Art and is a practicing printmaker.

PERCIVAL PRIZE JUDGES

Painting Prize Judge

Photographic Prize Judge

Sasha Grishin

Sasha Grishin AM, FAHA, is the author of more than 30 books on art, including Australian Art: A History, and served as the senior art critic for The Canberra Times from 1977 to 2023. He is an Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University, Canberra, and has served as Guest Curator at the National Gallery of Victoria and the State Library of Victoria. Sasha is an approved valuer for the Arts Cultural Gifts Program of the Australian Government’s Department of Communications and the Arts.

Serena Bentley

Serena Bentley is Senior Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra. A curator and art writer with over 20 years’ experience across Aotearoa and Australia, she has held curatorial positions at ACMI, the National Gallery of Victoria, and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, and worked with leading commercial galleries in Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland.

Animal Prize Judge

Ron McBurnie

Ron McBurnie is an artist and educator whose creative practice spans over 40 years and includes painting, drawing, printmaking, and artists’ books. His work relates strongly to his local North Queensland environment, but residencies in other places have always been crucial to the artist’s development. Residencies have been held at Artspace Mackay (2020/21); Tweed Regional Gallery, NSW (2020); Alayrac, France (four since 2009); Carleton College, Minnesota (2006); Frans Masereel Centrum, Belgium (2004, 2011); Australian National University, Canberra (six since 2001); the National Art School, Sydney (2010, 2011); and the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris (1991/92).

Ron has held over 30 solo and touring exhibitions and participated in over 100 group exhibitions. He has received numerous awards and grants, including the Fremantle Print Prize, and an Australia Council overseas studio grant at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris.

Ron’s work is represented in many collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, National Library of Australia, and Parliament House, most Australian state galleries, many regional galleries, and private collections.

PAINTING FINALISTS

Linda ARMSTRONG

Under the Milky Way [detail] 2026

Portrait of Camille Armstrong Newby

Oil on canvas

46 x 61 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

The painting is inspired by the song “Under the Milky Way” by Australian band The Church. The sitter, Camille Armstrong Newby, is an army wife, and has recently moved to her third city in five years. The lyrics of the song suggest an unknown future, which she ponders over at different times. For example, the lyrics that inspired the painting include “And it’s something quite peculiar. Something shimmering and white. It leads you here despite your destination. Wish I knew what you were looking for. Might have known what you would find. Under the Milky Way tonight.” Camille has to accept her decision committing to a transient army life. I’ve tried to give her an expression of uncertainty but also wonderment as her life will always have challenges.

About the artist

Linda Armstrong is a retired teacher-librarian based in Townsville. She has completed numerous TAFE art courses over the last 30 years and has been attending private art classes since 2020. Through these classes, she has learned life drawing and the oil painting techniques practiced by the Renaissance masters, including glazing, verdaccio, and sfumato.

Christine BAKER

Self portrait as a shape shifter [detail] 2026

Self-portrait

Acrylic on canvas

45 x 35 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

In this painting, I use acrylic paint in an intuitive and figurative way to create layers of mood and emotion, as well as an evolving sense of place and time. Dad grew up along the Frankland River, Western Australia, with many cousins who liked to go fishing. When I was a kid, I overheard my dad saying that Aunt Rose would get very upset if fish were caught by the full moon, as she said they were shape shifters from the little people.

As an adult, I have thought about shape shifting from a psychological point of view, where I harden up if threatened but soften up to people who need empathy. I find similarities between Aunt Rose’s telling of cultural stories and myself painting.

About the artist

Christine Baker is a Western Australian artist who is passionate about nurturing creativity and individual ideas in the minds of future artists: a former TAFE lecturer, she now is a volunteer teacher for children aged 9 to 13 years. A lover of vivid colour, her influences range from Ken Done to Georges Seurat.

Christine’s work has appeared in several painting and sculpture prize shows, including The Percivals (2024), the Bunbury Southwest Art Now (2018, 2020), City of Busselton Art Award (2015, 2019), and Albany Sculpture in the Harbour (2017), among others.

Monica BATISTE

The Young Musician [detail] 2024

Portrait of Solomon Batiste Oil on canvas

100 x 70 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

As I watched my grandson Solomon playing his ukulele, I thought about the time it takes musicians to perfect their craft, and how artists persevere against all odds to express themselves in a myriad of ways.

In this portrait, Solomon is playing his ukulele as the family dog runs around and around. In the background is his fishing rod and the misty morning of the peninsula we live on.

Through this work, I am honouring a boy, his music, and his dog.

About the artist

Monica Batiste is a professional artist based in Redcliffe, Queensland, who specialises in figurative portraits using oils. Her style has a traditional flavour with a contemporary feel. Monica has studied with some of Australia’s best artists in Sydney and Brisbane, and has been shortlisted for several art awards, participated in many art exhibitions, and has paintings in private collections. She facilitates life drawing and painting classes from her home-based studio.

Donna BENINGFIELD

Warria [detail] 2025

Portrait of Peter Warria

Acrylic on canvas

121 x 91 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Peter Warria is a Goemulaig man from Mabuiag Island in the Torres Straits, who lives in Townsville. Legally known as Peter Utromu, he has chosen to honour his mother by carrying her Torres Strait name. While he no longer has contact with his father, he acknowledges and respects his Papua New Guinean heritage. Peter holds close the memory of his late mother, embracing her culture, traditions and carries the star of peace in his soul.

In a past life, he was a Kiribati Elder held in great regard by his people. In this life, he mentors many young people through his professional work and his passion for rugby coaching. Aged only 33, he wears the gravitas of an Elder as he contemplates his purpose in life. He has experienced profound trauma, yet he grounds himself in the sand, ready and able to share his wisdom and love with the world.

About the artist

Since graduating from TAFE in 2006, Townsvillebased artist Donna Beningfield has held 14 solo exhibitions featuring over 100 portraits in different styles, mediums, and concept development, as well as having been a finalist in The Percivals on 10 occasions since it began in 2007. Through her daily practice, she has come to believe that it is not enough to simply paint someone as you see them. She says: “I continue to push boundaries, to develop new and exciting ways to work with people that encompass many different strategies. Lately, I have been encouraging people to express their emotions through marks which I transcribe onto the canvas.”

Donna is inspired by the work of fellow Australian artists Rick Amor, Judy Cassab, and Heather Betts, whose treatment of the subject and themes of isolation, loneliness and the struggle to understand the human predicament implicit in their work resonates with her own.

David BONGIORNO

Built This Way [detail] 2025

Portrait of Karl S. Williams Oil on canvas

90 x 60 cm

Image courtesy of Richard Muldoon.

About the artwork

Karl S. Williams is a consummate musician renowned for his emotionally charged lyrics and powerful voice. Winner of the GCMA Artist of the Year (2015) and Queensland Music Awards (2018, 2020), he commands stages across Queensland with his unforgettable performances.

Embracing traditional atelier techniques, I painted Karl freehand to maintain an authentic, painterly quality. Using refined old-world methods and the impassioned impasto of energetic strokes, I wanted his quiet presence to command the viewer’s attention from across the room.

I have painted Karl’s ‘holy man’ countenance purposefully as it belies the raw passion of his live performance, capturing the man behind the music. Bathed in dramatic light and positioned close to the picture plane, Karl becomes a commanding presence. His eyes follow the viewer while simultaneously drawing the viewer back to meet his gaze and see his honesty.

About the artist

David Bongiorno is an award-winning figurative artist working in Maleny, Queensland. His work explores the inherent beauty in form and movement, capturing the underlying psyche of physical expression through figurative artworks, portraiture and self-portraiture, and the imposed meaning of objects through still life. He cites influences from the Renaissance to the early 20th century across painting, photography, and design.

Selected achievements include the Performing Arts and Music Prize winner, Brisbane Portrait Prize (2025), Highly Commended at the Lethbridge $20,000 Small Scale Art Award (2024), Highly Commended at the Waterbrook Drawing Prize (2023), and Emerging Wearable Artist Winner at the Australian Wearable Art Festival (2022).

Scott BRETON

Two Mirrors’ Worth of Doubt [detail] 2025

Self-portrait

Oil on aluminium composite material

60 x 90 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This double self-portrait was painted entirely from life, using two mirrors facing one another. I wanted to be able to observe myself from both a second- and third-person perspective, and to offer the viewer an insight into the tension arising from these two resulting versions of me. I also enjoyed the weird spatial relationships that emerged with the reflected surface of the second mirror and the relationships of the figures.

It seems fairly universal to experience significant doubt at some point during the process of creating nearly every artwork—or, in fact, any long-term project. I would like to think that this picture can offer some comfort and camaraderie for anyone feeling this, and encourage them to stagger on. I have long been moved by this compassionate quality in Rembrandt’s Self-portrait as the Apostle Paul (1661) and hoped to emulate this in my own small way.

About the artist

Scott Breton is a Brisbane-based painter and sculptor with a long history of drawing the model from life. As such, his work emphasises gesture, vitality, and interiority across both figurative and landscape subjects. Scott predominantly uses traditional media and hopes to contribute to continuing the relevance of the rich and diverse Old Masters approach and ethos to a contemporary audience.

Barbara CHESHIRE

Safe in my Arms [detail] 2025

Portrait of Dr Jakob Hayes Oil on canvas

183 x 122 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait is of Dr Jakob Hayes working in his Wulguru Vet Clinic, Townsville. Through discussions, he explained to me that his whole approach to life was inspired from something his father told him: “Do something in life where you can make a difference in the community.” I saw examples of this quote repeatedly through his caring, gentle attitude with his customers and the distressed animals he treats.

About the artist

Townsville-based artist Dr Barbara Cheshire has many qualifications in art and education, including a PhD from James Cook University. As well as acting as a mentor in teaching portraiture and serving on several arts committees, Barbara has been a finalist in many art awards (including the Percival Portrait Painting Prize on several occasions), and has participated in exhibitions throughout Townsville and Brisbane.

Elena CHURILOVA

Bubble Time – Time Bubble [detail] 2026

Portrait of Victor Churilov

Watercolours on Arches paper

36 x 54 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This painting is a poetic meditation on the fluidity of identity, time and space. Blowing iridescent, fragile bubbles becomes a symbol of capturing fleeting moments. My hope is that the painting evokes joy, curiosity, and introspection in the viewer.

Its title alludes to the quantum principle that knowing the exact time of an event renders its spatial location uncertain, and vice versa. The work celebrates the playful chaos of existence, where time is not linear, identity is not singular, personality is not fixed, and every breath might give rise to a new bubble—that is, a new world.

About the artist

Elena Churilova is an established artist who spent 16 years living in Central Queensland before relocating to Brisbane. Her distinct lyrical style can be described as magic realism, blending reality with fantasy. Elena believes that good art emerges from the partnership of strong technical skill and a compelling idea. Working across multiple mediums—oils, pastel, and watercolour—she moves beyond purely representational techniques.

Elena has won numerous art prizes both in Queensland and nationwide, and she has been a finalist in many prominent art awards across Australia. She regularly exhibits her work in regional galleries.

Elena CHURILOVA

Smartphonisation, or Gateway to Inner Reality [detail] 2026

Portrait of Victor Churilov

Watercolours on Arches paper

76 x 40 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This work doesn’t condemn the phone; rather, it reveals its power to reshape perception and, in doing so, invites us to reconsider our identities. The smartphone becomes a portal into another world: it reframes the street as a stage, the surrounding creatures as an audience, and an action as myth. Reality bends as ibises and a dingo (which could just as easily be a stray dog) become totem animals to transformation, suggesting that even the overlooked can be elevated through the phone’s curated gaze. The fragmented, elusive handwritten text beneath the feet echoes themes of partial truths and layered perception. The painting suggests that identity can be fluid: the person in the selfie is both subject and object, both real and imagined, both performer and observer.

About the artist

Elena Churilova is an established artist who spent 16 years living in Central Queensland before relocating to Brisbane. Her distinct lyrical style can be described as magic realism, blending reality with fantasy. Elena believes that good art emerges from the partnership of strong technical skill and a compelling idea. Working across multiple mediums—oils, pastel, and watercolour—she moves beyond purely representational techniques.

Elena has won numerous art prizes both in Queensland and nationwide, and she has been a finalist in many prominent art awards across Australia. She regularly exhibits her work in regional galleries.

Anne COPELAND

What a Surprise! [detail] 2025

Self-portrait

Acrylic on canvas

80 x 80 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I decided to do a self-portrait as a new experience after a friend encouraged me. It came as a surprise to have such fun. Wrinkles and grey hair come along as we age. Good and bad news also come along, but there is always going to be something colorful and joyful around us.

About the artist

Queensland-based artist Anne Copeland has been making art for about 20 years, working in watercolour, acrylic, oil and pastels. She also has a Diploma of Therapeutic Art, and has been active in community organisations involved with promoting art, working as a treasurer and chairperson.

Katherine CORNWALL

Washing Teddy in Annandale [detail] 2026

Portrait of Carlo Monaldo Leopardi di San Leopardo

Oil on plywood

200 x 75.5 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

The sitter was selected as a member of our community with German and Italian heritage, who has committed to a life in Townsville. I chose to depict Carlo’s home life, within the typically bright days and humid weather that we experience. Washing his dog in the garden, with a hard-rubbish pile near the clothes-line, Carlo forms a rich contribution to my world here.

About the artist

Kathy Cornwall was born in Fiji and later moved to Townsville, earning her Bachelor of Visual Arts from James Cook University in 2005. Kathy has curated and exhibited locally and internationally. She experiences the natural world through observational response. Painted shapes and organic linework permeate layers of her painting, while drypoint, linocut, ceramics and wooden forms also feature in her practice. Also a musician and a poet, Kathy has an original album recording Shiny Dirt, and earned a Bachelor of Professional and Creative Writing at Deakin University. Her poems engage with philosophy and the environment.

Denise Leigh CROSS

Renewed Beginnings [detail] 2025

Portrait of Denise Leigh Cross and Veronica Mckenzie

Acrylic on canvas

120 x 90 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Renewed Beginnings responds to the once lingering effects of the traumatic loss of my childhood relationship between myself and my biological mother. In the complexity of the tapestry woven together, my mother and I share our past. The broken threads in this tapestry have helped shape me, building within me a resilience, enabling me to keep going. The road ahead wasn’t always straight; pathways move upwards and downwards with twists and turns. A different story unfolded to what was originally intended, exuded through symbolism and metaphorical imagery, both implicitly and explicitly. The patterns within the tapestry may have shifted and changed but still create something stunning and breathtakingly beautiful. I sit here now afresh with the knowledge that beauty can still arise from imperfections; renewed beginnings lie before us as mother and daughter.

About the artist

Denise Cross has been a secondary art teacher within Brisbane, Townsville and Bangkok over 26 years. Having previously completed a Bachelor of Fine Art and Master of Education, she is progressively working towards a Master in Visual Art at Queensland College of Art and Design, Griffith University. Her teaching has always been accompanied by a personal art practice, and Denise has been selected as a finalist for highly competitive art competitions (among them the Percival Portrait Painting Prize, 2018; Brisbane Portrait Awards, 2023; Brisbane Portrait Awards, 2024; Salon des Refusés, 2024; Redlands Art Awards, 2024; and QLD Figurative, 2026). She has also regularly held solo and group exhibitions within Queensland and Bangkok.

Jennifer D’ARCY

Mark the Midwife [detail] 2024

Portrait of Mark Beaves

Oil on canvas

91 x 122 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait was made to acknowledge the quiet responsibility carried by those who work to keep babies safe. Mark Beaves is shown against a projected fetal heart rate tracing. The data moves across his body, suggesting how deeply his professional role is embedded in who he is, while his calm, open stance reflects the steadiness required in moments of clinical uncertainty.

I am a midwife, and Mark is my manager. He has managed the Fetal Surveillance Education Program since its inception in 2003. I selected Mark because of his lasting contribution to maternal and fetal health and his influence on my own practice. Through education and mentorship, he has empowered thousands of clinicians to recognise risk and act with confidence. Having worked with Mark for over a decade, I wanted this portrait to honour his legacy and the unseen labour, vigilance, and compassion that underpin the safe delivery of a child.

About the artist

Jennifer D’Arcy is a Melbourne-based midwife and artist who has made art from an early age. She studied drawing, painting, and sculpture at Monash University and is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, where she completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts with First Class Honours. Portraiture is central to Jennifer’s multidisciplinary practice, unified by strong representational detail and expressive use of colour.

Her work is grounded in observation and focuses on the human experience, particularly responsibility, care, and psychological presence. Through portraiture, she explores how identity is shaped by lived experience and quiet, defining moments. Jennifer has exhibited nationally and internationally, and recently completed a summer residency at the New York Academy of Art. She has been a finalist in the Salon des Refusés, the Lester Prize, the Darling Portrait Prize, and the National Emerging Art Prize.

Josh DEANE

Uncle Darren, from the Darkness to Light [detail] 2025

Portrait of Uncle Darren

Acrylic and synthetic polymer paint on pine board

120 x 80 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This artwork is a deeply personal portrait intended to celebrate the life of my Uncle Darren, who has become a vital role model over the last five years.

I chose him due to his profound journey ‘from darkness to light’. Though his past included time in the justice system, his story offered me silent guidance to avoid a similar path, anchoring a deep, honest bond. The portrait was compelled by my Uncle’s recent health struggles and my desire to dismantle his self-doubt and past regrets.

Ultimately, the piece is a gift to show immense pride and to acknowledge the beautiful, loving soul and source of unconditional support he has become, transferring the healing power of art back to him.

About the artist

Josh Deane (Joshua-Deane Gower) is an awardwinning emerging Palawa (Trawlwoolway) artist and designer from Naarm/Melbourne. His bold, narrativerich practice is multidisciplinary, encompassing contemporary painting, photography, mural art, and textile design, all dedicated to translating his cultural heritage and personal journey.

He is highly engaged in the public realm, holding multiple exhibitions and activations with local government, including the City of Melbourne (e.g., the NAIDOC Week installation Crackle of the Cockatoos at Library at the Dock) and Stonnington Council. The latter supported his significant public art exhibition, Wings of Wonder, which promoted conservation and cultural understanding.

His recent accolades include being a Koorie Heritage Trust Award Winner (2023, 2024), Kinaway Indigenous Creative of the Year (2023), and a Finalist in the Flanagan Art Prize (2025) and Wyndham Art Prize (2026).

Thomas DELOHERY

On the way up. Actor Ryan Corr [detail] 2025

Portrait of Ryan Corr

Acrylic on canvas

120 x 90 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I have wanted to paint Australian actor Ryan Corr since I saw his performance in The Water Diviner (2014) opposite Russell Crowe. I live with PTSD, which is why I was so taken by Ryan’s role and the depth he added to it. In person, Ryan is lovely and accommodating, nothing seemed to be a bother. It was fascinating to hear Ryan talk about the rigours he has to go through to get a role. I couldn’t get over how amazing his eyes were close up. I knew as I was drawing him in person that I wasn’t going to stop at just one portrait of him.

About the artist

Irish-born artist Thomas Delohery moved to Victoria in 2010, and lives in Ballarat. He has been a finalist twice in the Lester Prize as well as a finalist in the Percival Portrait Painting Prize, the M-16 Drawing Prize, SBS Portrait Prize, the Collie Art Prize, the Shirley Hannan Art Award, the Hornsby Art Prize, the MAP Portrait Prize, the Doyles Art Award, the Du Rietz Art Awards, and the Maldon Portrait Prize. He has held 45 solo exhibitions and participated in 36 group shows.

Leanne EMMITT

In Your Image [detail] 2026

Portrait of Patricia Emmitt Oil on board

30.5 x 30.5 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Infrequent contact creates a snapshot-like experience of someone’s life, with fragmented moments separated by time and the inevitability of change. On a recent visit to my family home in Perth, I experienced the jarring nature of this sporadic connection. Changes in my absence had forced a shift in gear, and as a result, the time shared with my family was uncharacteristically still.

What started as a study in form, colour, and likeness became an insight into the humanness of my mother, and a recognition of myself in her image—not in terms of a physical likeness, but in our shared mortality.

About the artist

Leanne Emmitt was born in Western Australia, and completed a Bachelor of Fine Art with Honours, majoring in printmaking, at Curtin University of Technology, in 1996. A move to Queensland in 2015 ignited her interest in themes of transformation and belonging, and through paint and print, she has been exploring this new physical, spiritual and cultural environment. Her painted studies of cane fields and portraits of local residents reflect a desire both to record the local landscape and to find her place within it. Leanne has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions within Australia, receiving awards for landscape and portraiture painting.

Esther ERLICH

HALT [detail] 2025

Self-portrait

Acrylic paint and medium on canvas

122 x 122 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I place myself at the centre of a target—not by choice but by truth. The work is a response to a world where identity is politicised and presence is perceived as provocation.

This portrait is not an invitation but a boundary… It is me saying, “I see the aim and I stand here.”

About the artist

Painting faces is Victoria-based artist Esther Erlich’s passion, whether they be actual or conjured subjects. Exhibiting her work since 1983, she has had 51 solo exhibitions and participated in 72 group shows.

Esther has been shortlisted four times for the Archibald Prize, and has won the Archibald People’s Choice Award, as well as the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. She has also been a finalist in the Darling Portrait Prize, Portia Geach Award, Dobell Prize, Sunshine Coast Art Prize and Woollahra Sculpture Award, to name a few.

Anthony FITZSIMMONS

The Framer [detail] 2026

Portrait of Geoffrey Jensen

Oil on cradled board

51 x 41 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

For this portrait, it was my wish to acknowledge and create a visual record of a person of significance both to the broader Townsville community and the arts in particular. Geoff Jensen ran a successful framing business in Townsville for many years and was well respected in his field. His framing business regularly received work from the Armed Forces, sporting teams, and others for both conventional and more involved custom work for medal and uniform displays of a high standard. He has also been active in The National Trust and Townsville Museum.

I have shown Geoff at work making a picture frame.

About the artist

Townsville-based artist Anthony Fitzsimmons has participated in the Percival Portrait Painting Prize on many occasions. He terms his method ‘occupational portraiture’, as he depicts portrait subjects in their workplace. Most of these portraits include a focus on the subject’s hands.

Anthony has had two major exhibitions in Townsville and has participated in an overseas arts residency, and a Townsville arts residency. He has developed and conducted art workshops at James Cook University, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts, and Queensland Museum Tropics Townsville, in addition to several pop-up studios. His artworks are held in Australian and overseas collections.

Cutler FOOTWAY

Person With Painting #1 – Robin Forster [detail] 2024–25

Portrait of Robin Forster

Acrylic on canvas

150 x 100 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

My friend and colleague Robin Forster is a noted London-based photo-artist with a long-standing interest in the history, geography and especially the coastal profiles of North Queensland as charted by 18th and 19th century travellers. Despite his several visits to the Burdekin River delta, Forster has never photographed or witnessed the characteristic cane fires of the region. In this portrait, by way of gentle compensation, I have posed him against a representation of one of my own Burdekin cane fire paintings. More significantly, this is an image of a man entering, and reflecting upon, his midlife years. He looks forward, not fearfully, but with a sober awareness of the arc of time and the passing of youth. The fictive flames behind him have the aspect of an aura, possibly a halo, a spiritual connotation that allows the canvas to be viewed as a quasi-religious icon.

About the artist

Cutler Footway is the painterly persona of Bruce James, former national art critic, historian, and broadcaster. Footway lives and works in his hometown of Ayr in the Burdekin Delta district south of Townsville. Footway has been the subject of three recent solo museum surveys—at Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Perc Tucker Regional Art Gallery and Rockhampton Museum of Art, all of which house examples of his work. He was awarded the Percival Portrait Painting Prize in 2020. His work shows influences of European Mannerism and PostImpressionism, along with a deep loyalty to Australian mid-century Modernism. The Surrealist compositions of the artist-critic James Gleeson are also echoed in his practice.

Sophie FRESHWATER

1:22 AM [detail] 2024

Portrait of David Slater

Watercolour, gouache and acrylic

76 x 56 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

The sitter is my partner David, a long-standing ER nurse in one of Australia’s major hospitals. His work is essential to the fabric of our community, yet it unfolds largely out of sight, in the charged quiet of emergency rooms and the long corridors of night shift. This portrait is an attempt to honour that unseen labour—the resilience, vigilance, and quiet endurance—that accumulates over years of caring for others.

David rarely speaks about the toll his work takes. He carries it with a kind of steady humility, never complaining, never seeking recognition. But it lingers in the subtle language of his expression, the softened posture after a run of night shifts, the weight behind his gaze, the fatigue that never fully dissipates. In painting him, I wanted to make visible what is so often invisible: the emotional imprint of service, compassion, and unspoken sacrifice.

About the artist

Sophie Freshwater is a Naarm/Melbourne-based artist working across portraiture and representational art. After graduating from Victoria College Prahran, she spent several years as a graphic designer before returning to fine art in 2019. Working in oils, watercolour, and drawing, she creates portraits that tell quiet human stories and foster an emotional connection between sitter and viewer. Her practice often juxtaposes unexpected objects and symbols to highlight social and environmental concerns. Alongside her portraiture, she has developed a series centred on endangered Australian bird species, reflecting a growing national urgency around biodiversity loss. Sophie also advocates for the welfare of domesticated animals, including dogs, that enter refuge care.

She has been a finalist in national art prizes, including the Portia Geach, the Smallacombe Portrait Prize, the Art Edit self-represented artist prize, and a semifinalist in the Moran Prize. Her first solo exhibition, held recently at Mario’s in Fitzroy, sold out.

Ben FUOG

Gilded Pearl 2026

Portrait of Tonya Guild

Acrylic on canvas

120 x 40 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Tonya Guild has owned and managed ‘The Surfy’ bar and bistro in Port Douglas for 15 years. It’s a North Queensland institution and so is Tonya. An extremely humble woman, she is renowned for her generosity across the community, so much so that her daughter and son have lost count of how many ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ they have, given Tonya’s propensity to take people in and love them as her own. Tonya’s dedication to helping those in need is endless. She donates time and funds to the SLSC, football clubs, and schools with no want for recognition; and is a former QWCA secretary and cancer survivor, who bravely battled it out quietly, not wanting to cause others concern. Beyond all of that, she is simply a kind, beautiful and hilarious woman. It was an honour to paint her and a pleasure to get to know her.

About the artist

Ben Fuog is a multifaceted artist who lives between Melbourne and Athens, Greece. He has exhibited in both places extensively as well as elsewhere. He has been a finalist in a number of prizes, including the Blake Prize and the Percival Portrait Painting Prize, and a semi-finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize.

Donna GIBB

The Old Man and the Sea [detail] 2026

Portrait of Don McGrath

Acrylic and oil on canvas

100 x 80 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I grew up on the side of Castle Hill in Townsville. I also spent many hours sailing with my dad Don McGrath on Cleveland Bay and followed in his footsteps by starting my career working in television on the Strand. I encouraged him to enter The Percivals (which he has). When visiting him recently, he showed me his progress and explained the narrative of his artwork. I had the thought: I’m going to paint him painting himself and enter The Percivals as well—how marvelous would it be if both father and daughter were in the finals together? I enjoyed dad telling me stories about his life as he captured his memories on canvas and I captured them in my heart. Dad is an old sea dog and was part of the inaugural Cruising Yacht Club formed in Townsville in 1966.

About the artist

Donna Gibb has always drawn and painted. As well as doing art at Townsville Grammar School, she was fortunate to have lessons from local art legend, the late Denis Hardy, and has been a professional artist for 25 years. With her work held in collections around the world, she has been a finalist in The Glover Prize, the Brisbane Portrait Prize, John Villiers Outback Prize, National Equine art prize, the Clayton Utz Art Prize, the Gallipoli Art Prize, the Brisbane Rotary Art Prize, and various other awards. She has been awarded the People’s Choice in the ANL National Maritime Prize and the RQAS Members Art Prize.

In May 2026, Donna is representing Australia by exhibiting at the Clio Art Fair in Manhattan during New York Art Week.

Samantha GROENESTYN

Eggs (Saint Agatha) 2025

Self-portrait

Oil on linen

97 x 38 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Saint Agatha is doubly wounded. Punished for resisting a man’s cruelty, for centuries she has been painted demurely, presenting her delectable wounds for the delight of voyeurs.

But if Saint Agatha could paint herself, she’d show her quiet resolve as she makes sacrifices for a future she takes responsibility for, whatever life dishes out.

My agency is twofold. I cook my own eggs; I give you a taste of what it’s like to serve up your own fate.

About the artist

Dutch-Australian artist Samantha Groenestyn grew up in cyclone country, Far North Queensland. She left Innisfail’s rain-drenched canefields to train as a philosopher and painter in Brisbane, Edinburgh, and Vienna. A Salon des Refusés finalist (2024, 2025), winner of The Agency Still Life Prize Bowral (2025) and Highly Commended in the Clayton Utz Award (2024), her work is anchored in vital, rhythmic drawing.

Baby GUERRILLA

‘The poetry of the Earth is never dead’ – Keats 2024

Portrait of Edwin Dentin

Oil on wood

120 x 120 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait celebrates the life and work of Edwin Dentin, now 102 years old. A talented musician, ferociously dedicated to the oboe, Edwin began with the RAAF band and was part of the Melbourne music scene for over 50 years, performing in the MSO and many other ensembles. His music also featured on an album of The Little River Band. Edwin’s passion for music extended to birdsong, always whistling to any nearby bird. The background of the artwork reflects Edwin’s beginnings.

In Edwin, I see the magic and alchemy of art: how it connects us to something far greater; how art is so often a love letter to the natural world and the landscape that surrounds us; how we make songs and paintings inspired by the power and mystery of art and creation. This same majestic presence fuelled generations of artists before us.

About the artist

Baby Guerrilla is an Australian/Cypriot artist who has completed large-scale murals throughout Australia, including at the Commonwealth Games in Townsville, Victoria Police, Swisse, Richmond Library, Geelong Council, Yarra Council, Whittlesea Council, Bendigo Council, Craft Victoria, the National Portrait Gallery and many more.

Since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2002, Baby Guerrilla has won or been shortlisted for various awards (including the Sulman Prize), and has exhibited widely in both solo and group shows. In 2025, she was the feature artist for the Benalla Street Art Festival, with a solo show at Benalla Art Gallery.

Manuel Moreno GUIRAO

As It Drains [detail] 2026

Portrait of Gerónimo

Oil on canvas

153 x 153 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This is a portrait of Gerónimo, a close friend and architect with whom I have shared ongoing conversations around a specific contemporary concern: the difficulty of measuring oneself constantly in relation to productivity. I chose Gerónimo because this tension forms a real part of his personal and professional experience. The work focuses on the moment in which that dynamic is interrupted—an instant of pause in which the body comes to rest and an awareness of accumulated time emerges. The scene takes place in a domestic bathroom, a private and unguarded space associated with moments of intimacy, where external performance falls away.

The gradual draining of the bathtub functions as a quiet register of this process: not as an emphatic symbolic gesture, but as an accumulation of small losses that only become visible when one stops to observe.

About the artist

Manuel Moreno Guirao is a Spanish-born painter based in Victoria whose work engages with figurative painting as a narrative space. His images are constructed through careful chromatic decisions, where colour operates as a structuring force rather than a descriptive one, shaping both form and mood.

His works often originate from studies made from life and are later reconfigured in the studio to expand the narrative and conceptual potential of each reference. Through subtle distortions and controlled dissonances, he builds atmospheres that carry meaning without relying on text, allowing the image to remain open, ambiguous, and psychologically charged.

Manuel has collaborated on public mural projects with universities and local councils, including QUT, Brisbane, and is a national prize winner in Spain. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions and commissioned by private collectors.

Sophie HANN

James in the ranges [detail] 2024

Portrait of James Patterson

Oil on wood

51 x 120 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This work depicts an intimate encounter between a young man and a magpie. The man appears lost in thought; likewise, the magpie seems in quiet contemplation. They sit in the cool light of early morning in the rugged, arid landscape of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. Like many young people in rural or remote areas, the young man contemplates his future. He is my nephew James. I have two sons the same age, and I think about their future and their connection to the land.

About the artist

Sophie Hann is a self-taught artist living and working on Kaurna Land, South Australia. For a semester, Sophie studied at the New York Studio School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture on a scholarship and received a Bachelor of Art from Flinders University.

Sophie has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Nancy Fairfax Artist Residency, the Art Gallery of New South Wales Dyason Bequest, three Create SA Grants, and the Ruth Tuck Travelling Scholarship. She has also been a finalist in major national prizes, including the Lester Prize, the National Emerging Artist Prize, the Doug Moran Portrait Prize, Hans Heysen Landscape Prize, the Portia Geach Memorial Award, the Shirley Hannah Portrait Prize and the Alice Bale Award. Sophie has had solo exhibitions in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Perth.

Emily HILL

Self Portrait in Watercolour [detail] 2026

Self-portrait

Watercolour on paper

48 x 35 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

My self-portrait was painted in the traditional way: an easel set up with a mirror positioned alongside it. I wanted to challenge myself and completely remove the need of a photograph. I chose to do a self-portrait to allow me the freedom to study myself closely without pressure. Working directly from life in watercolour is challenging, as it can be an unforgiving medium—too many changes can ruin a painting. To keep the freshness of the brush marks and to avoid overworking the image, I completed the portrait in a day.

About the artist

Emily Hill was born in Adelaide, but moved to Townsville in 2005. Specialising in ceramics and printmaking, she has been a finalist in many awards for several years running (including the Percival Portrait Painting Prize and the Townsville Art Society Awards), and has received awards for lithographs, linocuts and watercolours. She has held several solo exhibitions in Townsville and in Papua New Guinea.

Carole HOWLETT

The Mirrored Manoeuvre [detail] 2026

Self-portrait

Oil on canvas

91 x 60 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

My concept for this self-portrait stemmed from visiting the National Portrait Gallery in London early last year. On viewing the diverse renditions and approaches, I felt inspired to attempt my own portrait focusing on the play of light through my studio window. It was confronting and challenging to represent a simple and honest painting without much attention to detail, while also trying to pursue a likeness.

I chose to include the teapot as a nod to the painting by Harold Gillman in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. I was transfixed with this portrait, which included a tea set in the foreground, almost beckoning the viewer to linger. This painting spurred my interest in becoming an artist, and I always make a point to see it when I visit the UK.

About the artist

Carole Howlett gained her Diploma and BA (Hons) in Fine Art Painting in the UK during the late 1980s and early 1990s, before moving to Townsville. In the early 2000s, she completed numerous commissions, mostly for Terry O Toole, Art Collector, Tropical Architects.

In more recent years, she has won several Townsville Art Society Awards (including the Open Award 2021, 2023, 2024), and in 2025, she had a solo exhibition at The Drill Hall Studio titled Urban Angles, focusing on the urban landscape.

Adam

Ernest JAUCZIUS

‘Ko Terati toku ingoa’ (My name is Terati) [detail] 2025

Portrait of Gerry Terati Lyons

Acrylic on canvas

91.6 x 61 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Painting portraits isn’t an easy thing. I promise to capture a part of my chosen sitter beyond mere likeness, hopefully creating something that tells the story of their true self. Gerry Terati Lyons is a passionate advocate for indigenous music and proud Māori man who cherishes his whānau (family) and heritage. For decades, he’s worked tirelessly in Australian media to promote First Nations performers and singers.

G-man, as he’s known, has boundless energy and enthusiasm, whether he’s hosting a radio show, interviewing a musician or volunteering with Rotary. Gerry is genuine, committed to supporting homegrown artists and deeply connected to his New Zealand roots. My portrait of him was partly inspired by Goldie and Lindauer’s early paintings of Māori Elders, because Gerry’s mana (spiritual power), korowai (traditional cloak), and tiki (ancestral amulet) link directly to his culture and identity.

About the artist

Adam Jauczius is the son of a Lithuanian/German refugee, and learnt to paint with his mother and grandmother. He became a weather technician, which took him to outback Australia, where he began creating vivid landscapes and portraits. These were exhibited/sold at Gascoyne, Churchill, Perth and McKenzie Galleries, WA, and Hahndorf Academy, SA, before Adam moved to Norfolk Island.

Adam has now been depicting Norfolk’s unique beauty—in his vibrant, realistic style—for 20 years. His works have been displayed/sold at Guava Gallery, Rawson Hall and Norfolk Art. Inspired by Picasso’s idea that “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary”, Adam has recorded his life on canvas and paper. Artistic highlights include 11 solo exhibitions, illustrating two books, and opening his own gallery. Adam has also been a Doug Moran Prize semi-finalist (2021), a Percival Prize finalist (2022), and a Glover Prize finalist (2025, 2026).

Dylan

JONES

Side By Side [detail] 2025

Portrait of Ross Booker and Wayne Talbot

Gouache on paper

110 x 100 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I have known Ross and Wayne for several years. Our friendship has grown over our regular Monday coffee catch ups with a group of local Brisbane/Meanjin artists. It was during one of these mornings that I asked if they would each sit for a portrait. My initial intention was to create two separate works; however, they encouraged me to paint a dual portrait of them as a couple, something I had never done before.

The work took several attempts, combining live sittings with collaged photographs I took of them together. Throughout the process, my aim was to capture not only their individual personalities, but also the deep, intrinsic connection they share. The soft palette and gentle gazes of the sitters reflect the love they have for one another, as well as the warmth and kindness they extend to those around them.

About the artist

Dylan Jones is a Brisbane/Meanjin artist, whose artworks vary in subject matter and medium, but have a shared interest in colour, composition, and the simplification of form. The imagery Dylan creates has a relationship to the history of art but more so to everyday life. Working from memory and with models in the studio, Dylan’s practice is inspired by a variety of people and places, all rendered with gestural and energetic marks.

Dylan has won and been a finalist in several prizes, with recent achievements including winning the Queensland Figurative Prize (2024), and being a finalist in the Brisbane Portrait Prize (2024, 2025), the Redlands Art Prize (2024), and the Queen’s Wharf Art Prize (2025).

Andrew LINKLATER

Tony. The listener 2026

Portrait of Tony Taylor Oil on canvas

150 x 100 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I have long been fascinated by Tony’s rare ability to really listen. People are drawn to him; most times, they are not seeking advice, just an understanding ear. I regard this as a special gift that not many people possess. This portrait aims to capture his empathy and approachable nature.

The close-up detail image is included to demonstrate my desire to provide sufficient information/detail for the viewer to complete the image themselves without creating a painting that tries to replicate a photographic image.

About the artist

Queensland-based artist Andrew Linklater took up painting in acrylics upon his retirement. Initially, he went to a number of local artists gatherings but quickly felt he needed to progress to the next level. One artist suggested it was time to take the next step and attend one of the ‘summer workshops’ in the USA, in which well-known teachers held ‘refresher classes’ for previous students, but would take outsiders, space permitting. Andrew was lucky enough to find a teacher who had been principal of the New York School of Art. As Andrew relays: “Over a number of summer workshops, he had me producing credible portraits alongside some of his chosen students. I’ve never looked back.”

Peter LIVINGSTON

Heading Home (Ode to Homer) [detail] 2026

Self-portrait

Oil on canvas

120 x 150 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This is a symbolic self-portrait pertinent to an older creative man still wrestling with the inevatible adversities that life brings.

I have taken Winslow Homer’s The Fog Warning (1885) and placed myself in the boat amid a turbulent sea with my beloved dog (referencing loyalty and devotion), the catch of two crayfish (referencing Jung’s Coniunctio and pursuit of individuation), the symbol of the Moon in the buoy and the Sun in the sunrise, with Cape Raoul (Port Arthur) in the distance as a reference to my convict links.

About the artist

Peter Livingston worked for Sunshine Coast TAFE as a facilitator of Cert IV and Diploma courses in Visual Arts for 20 years while continuing his own painting practice. An avid lover of art, he has travelled to many major galleries in Europe and the USA, and his works are imbued with Fauvist and Surrealist references. He has been a Blake Prize finalist and a Sulman Prize finalist (2014).

Hanbing LU

Derek and Derek [detail] 2024

Portrait of Derek Lamb

Watercolour on paper

56 x 76 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

The sitter, Derek Lamb, is an internationally recognised printer who has led The Officina Athelstane in Rockhampton since 2011. Renowned for his devotion to pre-digital letterpress methods, his work reflects a deep engagement with history and literature, and his books are held in the collections of Oxford, Cambridge, and the National Library of Ireland, among many others.

This double portrait presents Lamb in two personas— artist and miner—set within a mining landscape. Through precise watercolour and dry-brush techniques, I sought to capture the contrast between his creative idealism and the grounded realism of labour. This duality reflects both the balance in his life and his zodiac sign, Gemini, symbolising adaptability and the coexistence of art and toil.

About the artist

Hanbing Lu is an emerging artist living in Rockhampton and teaching at Central Queensland University. Born and raised in Shanghai, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Art Education and a master’s degree in Engineering. Educated in Western art while deeply influenced by Chinese philosophy and cultural history, her work bridges Eastern and Western traditions with insight and curiosity.

Hanbing’s creative voice explores the relationship between tradition and modernity, the dialogue between past and present, and the fusion of Eastern and Western techniques. The landscapes and cultural contrasts of Central Queensland have inspired her to develop a distinctive artistic language grounded in cross-cultural experience. Her practice spans oil painting, watercolour, digital art, and traditional Chinese art. Awards include the Bayton Award Runner-Up (2023), and she has had exhibitions at and has works held in the permanent collections of Rockhampton Museum of Art and Benevolent Living.

Penny MACLAREN

A Passionate man, Tim Jarvis AM Environmental scientist [detail] 2026

Portrait of Tim Jarvis AM

Oil on canvas

40 x 30 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Tim Jarvis AM has captivated many with his environmental achievements and enormous passion for the future of our planet. My admiration for his hands-on approach to change-making led me to choose him as my subject for this portrait. Tim is known for leading expeditions to some of the world’s most remote places, and in an effort to raise awareness of climate change, he climbed 29 mountains that still had glaciers.

In 2019, Tim founded The Forktree Project, involving restoring 54 hectares of degraded South Australian farmland, demonstrating the immense possibilities in terms of land regeneration, carbon offsetting, and biodiversity benefits. I hope to convey his passion, strength and determination here. The books are a nod to his extensive education and intelligence, and his jumper is the one he wore on his Shackleton expedition. The light on his face is symbolic of looking forward with hope.

About the artist

Penny MacLaren is a South Australian artist based in the Adelaide Hills. She has completed art training in both Australia and the UK, and worked as a senior art teacher for 25 years. Her artworks are largely realistic, most often portraits, landscapes, and wildlife. The artist says: “I enjoy capturing not only the likeness of people and animals, but also their character, patterns and idiosyncrasies. I convey these through a wide variety of drawing mediums, acrylic and oil paint.”

Penny has been a finalist in many national portrait awards as well as the international Inglis Equine Art Prize. She has won major awards in the Solar Art Prize in 2024 and 2025.

Andrew MATTHEWS

Angus MacSween [detail] 2026

Portrait of Angus MacSween

Oil on linen canvas panel

110 x 73 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Sixteen-year-old Angus MacSween is my grandson. He is wise beyond his years, with an insatiable curiosity and a fascination for quantum physics. Angus has a certain confidence combined with teenage vulnerability and sensitivity. On Christmas Day, I noticed him sitting on our kitchen bench-top; I was struck by his pose and by the side lighting. We reproduced the pose in my studio. The side lighting gives a casual feel to the portrait. I maintained soft edges throughout the painting to convey sensitivity.

About the artist

Australian-born Andrew Matthews studied classical drawing and painting at the Art Students League of New York. During the 1980s, Andrew painted portraits and taught drawing and painting at his own private art school in South Australia. He has written and illustrated 12 books, including Being Happy! and Follow Your Heart, which have sold over 8 million copies in 49 languages. He now lives in Trinity Beach, Far North Queensland, where he works in oil, charcoal, and watercolour.

Guy MORGAN

Fiona Morgan, portrait of the artist’s wife in the gallery (Two Flappers) [detail] 2024

Portrait of Fiona Morgan

Oil and acrylic on canvas

81 x 40.5 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Over the years, Fiona and I have attended many memorable exhibitions, and on occasion have had the pleasure of seeing Margaret Preston’s Flapper (1925). Once was at the National Gallery of Australia in Know My Name, an exhibition celebrating the work of women artists and seeking to deepen understanding of their contribution to Australia’s cultural life.

I have always felt a strong synergy with Preston’s approach: reflecting the spirit of her time, she used the painting’s title to describe her sitter in a manner that was both complementary and descriptive. I like to think that this painting—my tribute to Fiona—is framed in a similar way.

About the artist

Kiama-based artist Guy Morgan has an eclectic art practice, but is best known for his work in portraiture. He appeared in the Archibald Prize (2013, 2015) and the Salon des Refusés (2017). Longlisted by the National Portrait Gallery in London for his entry in the 2025 Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award, his work has appeared in most of the major painting competitions in Australia, including the Percival Portrait Painting Prize. He has exhibited widely across Australia, and his work is held in private collections in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and Europe.

Guy holds a Master of Studio Arts (Painting) from Sydney College of the Arts and served on its Academic Board. Between 2017 and 2020, he was a Board Member of Arts Access Australia, the peak body for arts and disability in Australia. Guy currently teaches painting as part of the Pine Street Creative Tutor Panel for City of Sydney.

Dave MORRISSEY

My Brother, the cellist [detail] 2025

Portrait of Liam Morrissey

Acrylic on cardboard

74 x 52 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

My brother Liam started playing the cello at four years old. For more than 40 years, he has honed his craft to the point that he is not just a person who plays the cello, he is a cellist. His cello has taken him all around the world as part of his bohemian existence.

This portrait is my attempt at capturing a fraction of the magic that he delivers when he plays. I tried to capture the moment before he starts playing, where he picks up his cello and has a tiny pause. During this pause, he transforms from being his fun-loving self into an incredible artist.

About the artist

Dave Morrissey is a North Queensland artist based in Townsville. His roots in stencil art trace back to his youth; however, in recent years he has returned to the medium. His current body of work focuses on multilayered, hand-cut stencils using acrylic spray paint on canvas.

Dave has exhibited at Umbrella Studio and Murky Waters Studio, and was awarded the Golden Paintbrush for a work featured in Murky Waters’ Members Exhibition in 2025.

Elizabeth NELSON

Portrait of Artist Mark Dober [detail] 2024

Portrait of Mark Dober

Oil on canvas

92 x 81.5 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I selected to paint my husband Mark Dober because our lives as artists are deeply entwined and I feel comfortable painting in his presence over an extended period of time.

I painted Mark’s portrait from life. This meant many hours of sitting.

The word ‘portraiture’ derives from the Latin prōtrahō, which means to draw forth or bring to light. I have sought to portray Mark’s physical presence through an intense focus on the form, tones, colours, and textures of his face and figure set against a spare, light background.

Mark’s physical and psychological presence are reinforced by the centred composition and largerthan-life scale.

About the artist

Elizabeth Nelson is a painter based in Castlemaine, central Victoria. She has a Diploma of Visual Arts and PhD in History. She makes self-portraits and portraits from life in the studio. Her work has been shown in national prizes, including the Salon des Refusés, Lester Prize, Len Fox Painting Award, Percival Portrait Prize, Portia Geach Memorial Award, and Rick Amor Self Portrait Prize. She has held solo shows in Melbourne at C3 Contemporary Art Space, Gallerysmith Project Space and Red Gallery. She has undertaken residencies at BigCi, Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio at Tweed Regional Gallery, and Hill End.

Liam NUNAN

The Insomniac [detail] 2025

Self-portrait

Oil on board

51 x 40 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Self-portraits have become a regular and important part of my practice. They serve as a way to shake off inhibition and check in with myself.

This particular work was made during a time of extreme unrest.

I’ve never been a great sleeper, but over the past 18 months, ongoing health issues have led to long stretches of insomnia. Painting from life, with no clear end in mind and distraction as the only goal, this piece became my occasional midnight project— added to, scrubbed back, and reworked at different stages of sleeplessness.

Now that my health is restored and sleep has returned, it feels appropriate to accept this portrait as complete. In hindsight, I can appreciate its humour through its sheer intensity, and also recognise it as a reminder that even the worst moments eventually pass.

About the artist

Specialising in oils and working across still life, portraiture, figurative, and landscape painting, Liam Nunan paints from life, en plein air, and from his studio at Lennox St Studios in Newtown, Sydney. Before taking up painting in 2019, Liam enjoyed a successful career in theatre as an actor. With no formal tertiary art training, he is largely self-taught, channelling his love of theatre, storytelling, and character into his portraiture and figurative work.

Liam has won the Lester Prize (2019), the Brisbane Portrait Prize’s Packers Award (2022, 2023), and the Paddington Art Prize Becker Minty Award (2025). He has also been a finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, the Salon des Refusés, the Darling Portrait Prize, the Dobell Drawing Prize, and the Mosman Prize, among many others.

Liam NUNAN

Self portrait with airpod [detail] 2025

Self-portrait

Oil on canvas

76 x 40 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait is an ode to the solitary nature of painting. When I’m working towards a series or exhibition, it’s not uncommon for me to close myself off from the world. It’s not desirable or totally intentional; it just seems to work out that way. When I was starting out, those long periods of time were often a difficult and lonely experience, and admittedly not great for my mental health. But over time, I’ve begun to enjoy my own company and to appreciate the focus and isolation required of me for painting. This portrait was painted over two days in my studio, peering over my right shoulder into a mirror, accompanied by a constant soundtrack of music and podcasts.

About the artist

Specialising in oils and working across still life, portraiture, figurative, and landscape painting, Liam paints from life, en plein air, and from his studio at Lennox St Studios in Newtown, Sydney. Before taking up painting in 2019, Liam enjoyed a successful career in theatre as an actor. With no formal tertiary art training, he is largely self-taught, channelling his love of theatre, storytelling, and character into his portraiture and figurative work.

Liam has won the Lester Prize (2019), the Brisbane Portrait Prize’s Packers Award (2022, 2023), and the Paddington Art Prize Becker Minty Award (2025). He has also been a finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, the Salon des Refusés, the Darling Portrait Prize, the Dobell Drawing Prize, and the Mosman Prize, among many others.

Nick OFFER

Frank [detail] 2025

Portrait of Frank Sultana

Oil paint and ink on canvas

140 x 88 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I saw Frank Sultana nailing his brand of swampy blues at a couple of music festivals on the coast. He had a great self-contained presence and I thought to myself: Contact him. Paint him. He was kind enough to sit for me in my studio in ACT the next time he was performing there.

My intention was to incorporate a symbol of Frank’s playing in a functional rather than decorative way. I felt that using an amplifier as his perch would achieve this. Another intention was to echo the spread of Frank’s fingers in the folds of the blue sheet on the floor–hoping that this would convey a sense of the music emanating from ‘the source’.

About the artist

Nick Offer lives in Canberra and has a studio at the M16 Artspace. His work focuses on landscape, portraiture and figurative painting, often combining mixed media with traditional painting. In 2025, a large landscape painting was acquired by the ACT Legislative.

Recent exhibitions and award shows include Figurativas (2025) at the MEAM Museum in Barcelona, the Doyles Art Award (Landscape), Gold Coast (2024, First Prize), The National Contemporary Art Prize, Canberra (2023, 2024, Highly Commended both years), The Lethbridge Landscape Prize, Brisbane (2025, 2024, Highly Commended 2024), and the Percival Portrait Painting Prize (2024, Finalist).

Lori PENSINI

The Conversation – Secrets 2026

Self-portrait

Oil on raw linen

Diptych: 40 x 35 cm each

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I am biophilic by nature and this work comes directly from my long ancestral and lived experiences as an eighth-generation grazier working in the Australian bush. This work is a part of a series in which I’m exploring conversations with animals and understanding animal decision making for conservation.

The alarming human impact of habitat loss and degradation has set about critical social and environmental changes that affect all species populations and diversity. Such decline in biodiversity threatens our basic ecological cycles and has a direct impact on our own health. The Conversation – Secrets opens up dialogue around our engagement with animals, the differences in the way we perceive and experience the same world, and how we can balance the different realities to redevelop more sustainable models moving forward.

About the artist

Western Australian artist Lori Pensini has been shortlisted for over 140 painting prizes and is recorded as Australia’s highest awarded artist five years running (2020–25).

Lori’s art practice is an exploration of self-identity and placement within her family’s multifaceted history and draws deeply from her generational multicultural heritage and lived experiences in the Australian landscape. The exploration of the relationship between (wo)man and the environment—both constructive and ruinous—is a constant thread and deliberation of her art practice, especially in the regenerative context. Her work seeks to create a narrative around our nature/culture identity and our role in planetary health.

Tilly-belle ROBINSON

Self Portrait at 24 [detail] 2025

Self-portrait

Acrylic on canvas

120 x 100 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Every year I paint a self-portrait based on a picture taken around my birthday. It’s fascinating seeing how my self-perception and how I want to represent myself changes over time, even subconsciously— thinking “Oh, I shouldn’t make myself too this or too that” as I’m painting. Painting yourself is always the hardest thing to do objectively, because you have the longest history with the most assumptions about yourself.

About the artist

Tilly-belle Robinson is a self-taught artist based in Townsville. Her work is in collections around the world, including in Sydney, Los Angeles, Milan, and Manchester. Her work has appeared in the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art in 2019 at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, and was selected as a finalist in the Percival Portrait Painting Prize in 2018.

Jennifer ROSNELL

Captain Garry [detail] 2024

Portrait of Garry Dwyer

Oil on timber

61 x 46 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Captain Garry is my lifetime muse—my dad. He is the one person I can always rely on to do a sitting for me. I have drawn and painted him since I was 16 years old. Often, he would fall asleep in the chair as I drew him. He looks like an old sea captain with his beanie and bushy beard. He never owned a boat but proudly owned a black canoe that he would take my siblings and I out on the local lake for sea adventures.

About the artist

Jennifer Rosnell is an Australian-born artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, specialising in the figure and anatomy. With a professional background in graphic design, she has always maintained a strong commitment to life drawing, which continues to underpin her practice. Jennifer loves to emerge herself in the story of her sitter.

She is a previous finalist in the Percival Portrait Painting Prize with a portrait of Ken Done, and a five-time finalist in the Portia Geach Portrait Prize. Jennifer was awarded the People’s Choice Award at the Mosman Art Prize and is represented by Olsen Gallery, Sydney.

Vicki SULLIVAN

Navigating Hope [detail] 2025

Portrait of Thomas Mayo Oil on linen

90 x 120 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Thomas Mayo is a Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man living on Larrakia land in Darwin. He is the Assistant National Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia and a leading voice in the campaign for the Uluru Statement from the Heart. As a signatory, Thomas has been instrumental in advocating for a Voice to Parliament and a Makarrata Commission, travelling across Australia to build grassroots support. His children’s book, Finding Our Heart, shares the Uluru Statement with young readers through art and powerful storytelling.

Painting First Nations people is important to me, both as a way to redress the dominance of European portraiture and as a response to artists such as Percy Leason, whose portraits of First Nations people are housed in the State Library of Victoria.

About the artist

Vicki Sullivan is an Australian contemporary Renaissance painter, recognised as an Art Renewal Center (ARC) Living Master. Based on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, she is surrounded by the natural beauty of the Southern Ocean and Port Phillip Bay. Her oil paintings are held in both public and private collections in Australia and around the world, including the State Library of NSW and the Art Renewal Center in the USA. Her work has been exhibited at prestigious venues, including the European Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona and Sotheby’s in New York.

Michelle WEAVER

Trivia Night [detail] 2025

Portrait of Timothy Giudes

Gouache on paper

39 x 30 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Every Wednesday night, my family attends trivia night at one of Townsville’s oldest inner-city hotels. My son, the sitter, is by far the most knowledgeable of all of us, which is why I have included the double helix and Pi symbols on his sleeves and painted a world map into the grain of the table. It represents his interest in the natural world and his travels across Europe. Painting my son is an expression of the joy found in the altered but treasured relationships one can form with their children when they transition to adulthood.

About the artist

Michelle Weaver is a Townsville-born, self-taught artist who has worked as a drama and primary school teacher for 40 years. Her Honours thesis focused on using the arts to engage and enable students to find their true potential, and this has always framed the belief behind her teaching pedagogy. Her personal passion for painting is an extension of her desire to create in various ways including drama, writing and drawing.

In 2025, her painting of the Tobruk Kiosk won first place in the miniature section at the Townsville Art Society Awards. She was awarded highly commended in 2024 for another miniature and highly commended for Works on Paper in 2023 at the TAS awards. She was also awarded the People’s Choice award at the St James Cathedral Art Exhibition in 2025.

David WELLS

Studio Portrait [detail] 2025

Self-portrait

Acrylic on canvas

50 x 100 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

My life is full—being a dad, teaching, moving house, then moving again, navigating the constant clutter of both physical and mental space. As much as I love my life and family, time and quiet are treasured commodities.

In this context, I’ve carved out a small but comfortable corner of the garage that is entirely my own. When the door closes, the music goes on, and the world is shut out, I become the sole authority of that space.

For me, and I think for most artists, the studio becomes a place of sovereignty. In front of the canvas, in that one space, your word is law. In a world that constantly tries to limit personal power and tell you what to think and how to live, it is an act of sanity and self-determination.

About the artist

Brisbane-based David Wells is a professional artist and art tutor, with an extensive background across many disciplines of both performing and visual arts. He has exhibited extensively, and his work has been regularly published in international journals, and has featured on the cover of the American publications The Artists Magazine (2009) and The Pastel Journal (2009, 2014).

He has been included in numerous national Art Prizes, including the Lethbridge Landscape Prize, Queen’s Wharf Art Prize, Hurford Hardwood Portrait Prize (2013, 2015, 2018), Brisbane Portrait Prize (2021, 2022) and the Lester Prize (2014, 2017, 2025) and was Awarded the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize in 2025. In 2014, his portrait of Her Royal Highness Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was accepted as a gift by the royal family and now hangs in Kensington Palace.

Mark WILLEMS

Into the Abyss – Scars and all [detail] 2026

Self-portrait

Oil on canvas

51 x 74 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This self-portrait is a confrontation rather than a likeness. It carries the weight of my life, years shaped by depression, endurance, and time. I haven’t tried to idealise the face; the etched lines are evidence of persistence, of waking up and continuing on days when retreat would have been easier.

The scars are both physical and unseen. Some are visible on my body; others sit beneath the surface, formed by mental illness, isolation, and survival. Depression is present not as something dramatic, but as an atmosphere, heavy and inescapable. The gaze isn’t asking for sympathy. It acknowledges what is.

This painting exists at the edge of descent, the abyss, scars and all. It doesn’t seek redemption. It stands as proof that I have endured, that I have remained present despite fracture. These marks are not signs of defeat, but of passage.

About the artist

Mark Willems has lived in various parts of Australia, and is currently based in Far North Queensland. Specialising in oil on canvas and watercolour, Mark celebrates what makes Australia unique, with a strong focus on his local environment, including the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.

His professional background includes work as a stained glass painter, glass screen printer, and leadlight artist with the Tasmania Stained Glass Company. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, including New York (Agora Gallery), Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, and Cairns. He is the recipient of multiple awards, including Best in Show, Excellence in Practice, and Best Oil Painting, and his works are held in private collections worldwide, across Australia, Asia, Europe, and the USA.

Geordie Gem WILLIAMSON

White Noise – OCD With Yasmin Arkinstall [detail] 2025

Portrait of Yasmin Arkinstall

Oil on stretched linen

167.6 x 182.8 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

White Noise was painted throughout 2024/25, responding to a debilitating mental health crisis from age 13. After three years, having lost a good chunk of my developmental teen-hood, I returned to school, and reflected on these dark few years and the brighter years to come. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a persistently complex affliction. If OCD gave me anything, it was an affinity for pedanticism, some of which I was able to channel into art making. Yasmin Arkinstall, a talented opera singer and OCD advocate, helped turn this exploratory portrait into reality. I don’t expect people to see the piece and identify the abstract ideas, but I do hope that it fosters questions, and encourages research into OCD realities, instead of misguided perceptions. With knowledge comes understanding—in self, in families, in healthcare. For such a misunderstood disorder, knowledge has the power to save years, connections, and lives.

About the artist

Geordie Gem Williamson is an 18-year-old Fine Arts and Science student from Central Victoria, specialising in oil painting and coloured pencil drawing. Geordie completed his VCE in 2025, receiving the Dux for both visual arts subjects he undertook. He has exhibited locally, regionally and nationally in Rotary and community shows such as Daylesford Rotary Art Show (2023, 2024) and the Camberwell Art Show (2023, 2025); student shows such as RAW Arts Bendigo (2025) and BSSC acquisition (2025); professional exhibitions such as Tatiara Art Prize (2025), Len Fox Painting Prize (2024), and The Percivals (2024) in public galleries; and the Lennox Street Art Award (2025) and Queerthentic (2024) in private gallery spaces.

Hamish WILSON

Thawing Dawn [detail] 2025

Portrait of George Kennedy Oil and house paint on canvas

120 x 90 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This artwork came from a series of portraits continuing my research into themes of contemporary masculinity. They are the result of a recent Constance ARI residency based in Hobart, in which I sat down with a variety of different masculine-presenting people and privately discussed their individual experiences with and perceptions of masculinity.

I chose to portray George Kennedy, a trans man and fellow emerging artist, because he presents a unique journey of masculinity. During our conversation, one of the questions I posed George prompted him to look off to his right with an intensely contemplative expression that I felt moved to capture. I aimed to portray George sinking back into the chair, expressing a certain humility and uncomfortability that the viewer can both engage with and contemplate why he is feeling this way.

About the artist

Self-taught emerging artist Hamish Wilson aims to explore the male psyche through an art practice characterised by evocative, impasto oil paintings. Currently based in Melbourne, Hamish is endlessly fascinated by the pursuit of producing expressive representations of wilting flowers, the figure and the self. While the aim for his work is for it to be easily accessible, there is also a level of complexity present in the subject of his work. Compositions are accentuated by allegorical elements alluding to contemporary narratives of isolation, relationships, and toxic masculinity.

In 2024, Hamish was awarded the Emerging Artist Prize for the Brisbane Portrait Prize, selected as a finalist in the Stanthorpe Art Prize, and was a semifinalist in the Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize.

Rachel WOLFE

Threads of Memory [detail] 2025

Portrait of Rachel Wolfe and Margaret Price (deceased grandmother 2022)

Oil on canvas

70 x 60 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

In Threads of Memory, remembering becomes an act of gathering fragments and stitching them into a new fabric of memory. The painting draws on recollections of time spent at my grandparents’ chamferboard home in Ipswich, Queensland, exploring memory as layered, partial and shaped as much by forgetting as by remembering. I place myself beside my young grandmother, stepping into family history through a combination of remembered and imagined elements. Knitting and red yarn suggest care, continuity and repair; symbolic objects such as the elephant, cauliflower and paper-doll dress allude to long memory, family roots and shifting identities; while the taped child figure and castle-like roofline hint at how childhood memories are pieced together, altered and mythologised over time. By choosing myself as the sitter alongside my grandmother, I reclaim the scene as an adult, honour her warmth and steadiness, and reassert a sense of belonging in the present.

About the artist

Rachel Wolfe is an emerging artist based in Hobart, Tasmania. She is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) at the University of Tasmania, and in 2026, she was the recipient of the Jon Lajos Prize in Fine Arts, UTAS. She also holds a Diploma of Visual Arts and Certificate III in Visual Arts from TAFE Cairns, North Queensland. Her developing practice centres on painting and drawing, using figurative subjects and layered symbolism to create quietly allegorical works and often engages with themes of memory, identity, trauma and history. Rachel won the 2025 Poochibald Art Prize and has been a finalist in several art prizes. Her work is held in private collections in Australia and overseas. Alongside her studio practice, she undertakes commissioned portraiture through Endear Portraiture.

Christine WREST-SMITH

Self Portrait with Pink Scarf 2025 Self-portrait

Oil on linen

122 x 92 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

To me, figurative paintings are reflections of not only external representation but also give a sense of character and energy. My work often includes symbols and narrative elements to assist and enhance the visual experience and reading of my work.

I paint and draw from life and my work is often informed by the natural world. This self-portrait shows me in my painting shirt as an easel peeps through, referencing my work as an artist.

The nest in the foreground speaks to my love of the environment. The pink scarf gives a splash of colour which I find uplifting and joyous.

I enjoy using brushstrokes with gusto and play to push and pull the sense of space for some visual intrigue.

About the artist

Christine Wrest-Smith has worked as a fulltime artist for almost 30 years, predominantly in portraiture and figurative works. She has an Honours Degree in Fine Art from Monash University in Melbourne, but has also studied art in Spain and Italy, as well as completed study tours of Berlin, London, and Scotland.

She has held 22 solo exhibitions and has been a selected finalist in many of Australia’s leading portrait prizes, among them the Percival Portrait Painting Prize, the Lester Prize, Portia Geach, Len Fox, Salon des Refusés, Naked and Nude, Calleen, Rick Amor Prize, and the Doug Moran Prize. Her work is held in collections nationally and internationally.

Christine is represented by Australian Galleries Melbourne and Sydney.

Kayo YOKOYAMA

All sons to the country [detail] 2025

Portrait of Xavier Rowe

Paint on canvas

40 x 50 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Our three sons are all serving in the Australian Defence Force—one to the country, two to the country, three to the country, none at home. Our youngest son is currently stationed at the Townsville base. Seeing where he works and what he does has been impressive to us as parents. We will always be proud of his achievement, commitment and responsibilities to himself and his country. This work is of my son; I’m honoured to have such a great subject, a great son, to be proud of. Thank you for your service.

About the artist

Born in Japan, Kako Yokoyama immigrated to Australia and received her BVA and Master of Fine Arts from Sydney University, before moving to Blackheath (Blue Mountains). Her mediums include glass, paper, and paint, among others. She is driven by a search to find where home is, using art as a tool to express her inner world.

Aiko YUEN

Multilateral 2024

Portrait of D’Jana Biden

Oil on canvas

66 x 152 cm

Image courtesy of Phuong Nguyen Le

About the artwork

Multilateral is part of an activist research project series called The Catharsis of Painting. The series challenges Western idolised patriarchal representations of women in the history of art through what Yuen calls the ‘Queer Feminine’. Working closely with her non-binary friend D’Jana (pronounced Di-ya-na), Yuen painted them in a series of detailed oil paintings that hijack the materiality of high art. Through this collaboration, she elevates queer ways of being in the world while queering the traditional relationship between artist and sitter. This acknowledges and highlights the collective trauma of the queer community and the importance of community to queer individuals.

About the artist

Aiko Van Hay Yuen is an Australian painter of Asian diaspora, currently maintaining her practice on Wurundjeri Land of the Kulin Nations in Naarm/ Melbourne. Recently graduated from the Honours Fine Art course at RMIT School of Art, Aiko excels in contemporary figurative oil painting that honours non-binary representation while interrogating her own sexual and gender trauma and reclaiming this agency through creative catharsis. Aiko has participated in several exhibitions in Melbourne, Japan, and Singapore.

PHOTGRAPHIC FINALISTS

Karenne ANN

She the Ophioligist [detail] 2025

Portrait of Heather Horrocks

Pigment ink jet

120 x 80 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Heather Horrocks is the world’s only known artist who crochets old VHS film tape into art objects. Through our collaboration ISOyoh, we produce startlingly honest images exploring sociopolitical issues, and our work has been exhibited around Australia.

Made a Life Member of Footscray Community Arts Centre, Heather founded an artist-run space in Footscray in 2009.

Turning from drawing to crochet, a craft learnt at her grandmother’s knee, Heather has repurposed thousands of metres of black tape into faux-metallic objects of near-weightless fragility, including tiaras, spiderwebs, bricks, vessels, masks, regalia and—her favourite objects—the eastern brown snake. Horrocks’ lady snakes wear pearls and visit art galleries. As Heather poignantly observed, “They’re a protected species and I wish that were true for all women.”

About the artist

Karenne Ann is a multidisciplinary artist living on Wadawurrung Country in Victoria. She has a Diploma of Visual Arts (Photography) from NIMT (now Melbourne Polytechnic), and was Student of the Year when she graduated.

Work by ISOyoh was exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ballarat as part of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale, 2023, with over 60,000 attendees. Their collaboration has continued since then with Australia-wide success, including being finalists in the Bowness Photographic Art Prize at the Museum of Australian Photography in 2024.

Karenne was also the inaugural photographer for the F5 project presented by the city of Maribyrnong, with the work held in the Council’s collection. She interrogates the full spectrum of political issues, with a focus on the environment and feminism. Unwrapping, exposing, swaddling, scanning, modelling, and occasionally setting fire to objects form part of her practice, which is informed by historical change and spaces inhabited by complex memories.

Dane BEESLEY

Glimmer of an Unrealised Dream 2025

Portrait of Sam Hinkley

Archival digital photographic pigment print on cotton rag

64 x 97 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

A young woman drifts through the impeccably manicured grounds of a grand estate, bathed in the soft, enigmatic glow of the moonlight. This photograph captures a moment suspended between reality and aspiration, a visual echo of a desire for a home that feels increasingly out of reach in our contemporary world.

Is this meticulously kept garden, with its silent promise of comfort and security, the landscape of a dream? Perhaps it’s a yearning for stability, for the rootedness that homeownership once symbolised. Yet, the very perfection of the scene hints at an unreality, a fantasy curated by someone else, making the young woman a visitor in a space that is not, and perhaps never will be, her own.

This photograph doesn’t offer answers, but rather invites contemplation on the elusive nature of belonging.

About the artist

Dane Beesley is an accomplished Brisbane-based photographer who started in the fast-paced world of photojournalism. After graduating from photography college, he spent a decade immersing himself in Australia’s vibrant music scene, regularly contributing to Rolling Stone magazine. This period culminated in his first book, Splitting the Seconds: A Photographer’s Journal, a captivating visual narrative of the era.

Dane specialises in creating unique and compelling portraits that capture the true essence of each individual. He works both in his studio and on location, tailoring every shot to tell a distinct story. In 2025, Dane was selected to be featured in Exposure: Contemporary Photographers in Australia & New Zealand, a publication by Thames & Hudson.

Wayne BUDGE

Wally [detail] 2025

Portrait of Wally Lewis

Digital photographic print

60 x 90 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait shows Wally Lewis in a quiet, reflective moment rather than as a sporting hero. The image avoids action and focuses on stillness, using strong shadow and minimal light to create a calm, thoughtful mood. The lighting draws attention to his face and hands, suggesting experience, strength and a life shaped by time.

Wally was chosen because he is widely recognised yet rarely seen in such a personal way. While he is known for leadership and success, his life has also included challenges beyond the public eye. This portrait aims to acknowledge those deeper layers without focusing on fame or achievement.

The work invites viewers to slow down and look past the public image. It presents the sitter as a person first, encouraging reflection on character, resilience and dignity rather than reputation.

About the artist

Wayne Budge is a Queensland-based photographer whose work has been widely exhibited across Australia, Europe, Japan, and the USA. His images have appeared at major art shows, including the Monaco Yacht Show (2018, 2019), Scope Miami (2019), Red Dot Miami (2018), Art Expo New York (2019), Architectural Digest Design Show New York (2019), and the LA Art Show (2019, 2020, 2023–25).

Wayne has been a finalist in significant photographic awards, including the Historic Photographer of the Year Award (UK, 2021), the Percival Photographic Portrait Prize (2018, 2022), the Mudgee Arts Portrait Prize (2022), and the Brisbane Portrait Prize (2022, 2025).

Brett CANÉT-GIBSON

After Iceland – Artist Ross Potter [detail] 2025

Portrait of Ross Potter

Digital photographic print

90 x 60 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Ross Potter is a Kamilaroi man living and working as a full-time artist on Wudjuk Noongar Boodjar, Walyalup/Fremantle. He works with graphite and paper to produce highly detailed, often large-scale representations of his subjects.

Through magnifying microscopic features, Ross brings the abstractions of reality to our attention, while telling compelling stories of everyday life, questioning our relationship with nature and the environment.

Made with natural light and a portable background within the grounds of Fremantle Arts Centre, this portrait is one from a decade-long series in which I document the people I meet.

About the artist

Brett Canét-Gibson is a Perth-based photographer and creative director. With a career spanning 40 years, he has worked extensively in the print media and entertainment industries and has received international and national portrait and editorial awards.

He has been exhibited in major international photographic competitions in Australia, France, India, Malaysia, The Netherlands, the UK, and the USA. His work is on display in the WA Museum Boola Bardip and included in the State Library’s Permanent Archives Pictorial Collection, and is held at the National Portrait Gallery Canberra, the Museum and Art Gallery of New Norcia, the Perc Tucker Gallery, and private collections.

Brett CANÉT-GIBSON

Riverson Robbins [detail] 2026

Portrait of Riverson Robbins

Digital photographic print

90 x 60 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

“I have always had a complicated relationship with my appearance, especially with my freckles. Growing up I struggled a lot to feel confident in my own skin. It was only after entering adulthood I truly realised that looking unique and different is something to celebrate, not hide.

Looking at this portrait, I don’t just see freckles; I see myself, and I think it’s genuinely beautiful. I am grateful to Brett for being able to capture this.”

In My Own Skin – Riverson Robbins

About the artist

Brett Canét-Gibson is a Perth-based photographer and creative director. With a career spanning 40 years, he has worked extensively in the print media and entertainment industries and has received international and national portrait and editorial awards.

He has been exhibited in major international photographic competitions in Australia, France, India, Malaysia, The Netherlands, the UK, and the USA. His work is on display in the WA Museum Boola Bardip and included in the State Library’s Permanent Archives Pictorial Collection, and is held at the National Portrait Gallery Canberra, the Museum and Art Gallery of New Norcia, the Perc Tucker Gallery, and private collections.

Brian CASSEY

Millionaire Castaway – David Glasheen 2025

Portrait of David Glasheen

Digital photographic print

88 x 65 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Millionaire ‘castaway’ David Glasheen, a former successful businessman, lost his massive fortune during the 1987 economic crash. He then ‘dropped out’ to lead a decades-long solitary life on tiny Restoration Island off the coast of northern Australia, living off of coconuts and the fruits of the sea. While alone on the island but receiving planet-wide attention, he penned a worldwide bestselling book Millionaire Castaway. Over the years, he became a good friend of mine. In January 2025, he was forced to leave the island following a heart attack. I made this image following his release from hospital when I found him in the Red Cross Rehabilitation Centre.

Very sadly, David didn’t fully recover from the heart attack and passed away surrounded by family in Brisbane in July 2025.

About the artist

Brian Cassey was born in London but has long been based in Australia’s northern tropical city of Cairns. Brian is an experienced freelance photographer/ photojournalist. For several decades, he has been working for numerous Australian and international media, principally covering news, features, and sport around the planet.

Brian’s work has evolved over time and he has now developed a further niche in the discipline of photographic portraiture. His portrait images have been recognised and featured in galleries, exhibitions, and awards around the world. Brian has been a finalist in the Percival Photographic Portrait Prize multiple times.

Brian CASSEY

Unsculpted – Australian Artist Tony Clark [detail] 2024

Portrait of Tony Clark

Digital photographic print

94 x 81 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Artist Tony Clark is arguably Australia’s most respected, accomplished and distinguished painter. He has explored the interface between painting and sculpture while based in Germany, Sicily, and latterly a beachside tin shed in Mission Beach, Far North Queensland. I made this portrait of Clark in his tin shed studio while he was working on his latest exhibition Unsculpted, a retrospective of the four decades of his practice.

About the artist

Brian Cassey was born in London but has long been based in Australia’s northern tropical city of Cairns. Brian is an experienced freelance photographer/ photojournalist. For several decades, Brian has been working for numerous Australian and international media, principally covering news, features, and sport around the planet.

Brian’s work has evolved over time and he has now developed a further niche in the discipline of photographic portraiture. His portrait images have been recognised and featured in galleries, exhibitions, and awards around the world. Brian has been a finalist in the Percival Photographic Portrait Prize multiple times.

Michael CHRISTOFAS

Pillars of Megisti 2024

Portrait of Georgette Antonas, Samantha Garrick, Joanna Xiradakis, Krystalla Pearce, Rebecca Mangos, Angela Antonas

Digital photograph/Giclée print

27 x 118.5 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

The Kastellorizians, a significant Greek diaspora community in Australia, trace their roots to the Dodecanese island of Kastellorizo (aka Megisti). Driven by economic hardship and war, particularly between the 1910s and 1950s, many sought new opportunities in Australia. My photographic series Descendants: A Kastellorizian Story celebrates over a century of the Kastellorizian Association in Australia. It showcases portraits of women and girls of Kastellorizian descent, featuring them in traditional and historical clothing and jewellery, some items over 100 years old. The strength and resilience of the Kastellorizian women has ensured the stability and growth of the community. The six subjects in this composite image from the series are all descendants from Kastellorizian migrants. There are 80,000 people living in Australia who identify as a descendant from Kastellorizo.

About the artist

Michael Christofas is a portrait photographer whose work delves deep into the essence of his subjects, capturing their true character and emotion. His photographs serve as visual representations of personal narratives, weaving stories that resonate on a deeply human level.

Michael’s artistry is defined by its intimate and personal nature, often exploring themes of identity, honesty, and compassion. His approach is rooted in the belief that a strong connection between artist and subject is essential to creating authentic and impactful imagery. Influenced by his Greek ancestry and values, Michael’s work embodies a profound sense of community and humanity.

Jamie COLE

Between Sittings [detail] 2025

Portrait of Bruce Ferguson

Digital photographic print

30 x 30 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Between Sittings was taken during a break while I was making a painted portrait. Away from the formality of the sitting, the photograph captures a moment of rest and closeness that felt natural and unplanned. Bruce reclines toward our dog Lulu, and the image settles into a space of comfort and ease rather than performance or pose.

I chose Bruce as the sitter because he is someone I know deeply and live alongside. That familiarity allows a different kind of portrait to emerge—one grounded in trust, patience, and shared experience. For me, portraiture is not only about looking, but about time spent together and the care that develops through it. This photograph reflects that exchange, and the quiet moments that exist around the making of an artwork, where tenderness and connection are most clearly felt.

About the artist

Jamie Cole is an artist based in Cairns. Working across painting, photography and mixed media, his practice explores intimacy, identity and contemporary Australian life through a lens shaped by queer lived experience. Before focusing primarily on painting, Cole worked professionally as a photographer and photography teacher, a background that continues to inform his sensitivity to light, composition and tone.

His work balances humour and tenderness with cultural critique, drawing on pop iconography, symbolism and personal narrative to examine visibility and belonging. He has exhibited widely across Australia, and has been a finalist in the Percivals Portrait Painting Prize, the National Contemporary Art Prize, and the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award. Recent exhibitions include Welcome to Paradise, Garden of Tropical Delights and Fever Dreams.

Travis CONROY

Just be, Mum [detail] 2025

Portrait of Charmaine Conroy

Digital photographic print

15 x 10 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

“Flick your hair, Mum”, he said—and she did. In that simple request lives the heart of this image. Taken by an eight-year-old, this photograph captures the freedom of being exactly who you are when you are seen through a child’s eyes. There is no performance here, only trust: a mum letting go, a child delighting in the moment he’s creating. Her hair lifts with playful abandon, her expression is calm and unguarded, framed by the innocent confidence of being loved without condition. This is natural beauty as children understand it—not perfection, but presence. A fleeting moment of joy, guided by love, and held forever.

About the artist

Travis is an eight-year-old emerging photographer from Townsville with a natural curiosity for capturing the world around him. Currently in early primary school, he enjoys experimenting with the camera and exploring how moments, movement and expressions can be frozen in time—purely for fun. With no formal or professional experience, Travis approaches photography with playful confidence and imagination, often turning the lens on the people and moments he loves most. Outside of photography, he is an avid soccer player and enjoys riding his bike, bringing the same energy and enthusiasm to his creative pursuits. Travis’s images reflect childlike honesty, joy, and a fearless sense of self-expression.

Kerrie Di CATALDO

Chaos 2025

Portrait of Carl Di Cataldo

Digital photographic print

42 x 63 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

In the midst of a troubled world where mayhem prevails, behold, a disjointed Carl Di Cataldo oversees the chaos of the backyard shed. Ever happy searching for an illusive object, no amount of cleaning, decluttering and clearing can attain order. Carl spends many creative hours within its confines.

About the artist

Kerrie Di Cataldo is a Perth-based photographer, whose work encompasses film and digital techniques. Kerrie is interested in the emotional response generated by the photographic medium. When elements align, narrative is revealed. Since undertaking ‘The Compelling Portrait’ course with Toni Wilkinson (Perth Centre for Photography) in 2024, Kerrie’s focus has concentrated on portraiture. Her aim is to portray the essence of the sitter, in turn revealing a passion or personality commensurate with the setting. Kerrie has been a finalist in numerous exhibitions, won several awards, held one solo exhibition, and continues to embrace the photographic medium in its ability to engage and invite contemplation.

Kerrie Di CATALDO

Pegasus 2025

Portrait of Julie Hewitt

Digital photographic print

63 x 42 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

A derelict Mobil garage in the Perth hills provides the background for the wearing of the red dress. Out of context with the faded horse logo, it seems to awaken the past and provides a new energy. Julie, a perfect fit, embraces and completes the tying together of the old and the new.

About the artist

Kerrie Di Cataldo is a Perth-based photographer, whose work encompasses film and digital techniques. Kerrie is interested in the emotional response generated by the photographic medium. When elements align, narrative is revealed. Since undertaking ‘The Compelling Portrait’ course with Toni Wilkinson (Perth Centre for Photography) in 2024, Kerrie’s focus has concentrated on portraiture. Her aim is to portray the essence of the sitter, in turn revealing a passion or personality commensurate with the setting. Kerrie has been a finalist in numerous exhibitions, won several awards, held one solo exhibition, and continues to embrace the photographic medium in its ability to engage and invite contemplation.

Hayley FERGUSON

Happy Place [detail] 2025

Portrait of Ben Ferguson

Digital photographic print

42 x 59 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

My husband Ben is an avid woodturner—addicted, some might say, to creating works born of his passion and hobby. He is most in his element when covered in wood shavings and was very obliging to pose for this photo in his happy place—his home workshop, or ‘dust zone’. This area takes up the entire ground floor of our 1950s home, and is filled with machinery and shelves of timber from floor to ceiling.

Standing at the lathe, he has just completed the rough shaping of a blank destined to become a pepper grinder. The moment captures a pause between effort and intention: the work is not finished, but the form has begun to emerge. This striking timber, his favourite wood to work with, is named Hairy Oak for the hair-like strands that cover the tree, and for reasons he finds oddly relatable. This portrait is framed with the same timber handcrafted by Ben and his brother Isaac.

About the artist

Once self-employed in the wedding and portrait photography industry, Hayley Ferguson has built a strong foundation capturing meaningful moments. After several years, she shifted her focus to broader freelance work, allowing for a more flexible creative practice. Having started a family in recent years, the occasional portraits and candid shots of everyday family life are more her pace these days.

Gema Gabriela FERNANDEZ CABEZAS

La cosa está difícil [detail] 2024

Portrait of José López

Digital photographic print

55 x 70 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

La cosa está difícil—”Things are difficult.”

This portrait is of José López, an elderly Cuban man, living on a modest pension, navigating the challenges of the country’s economic and political day-to-day struggles. Despite scarcity and uncertainty, his resilient spirit and quiet determination shine through, embodying strength, dignity, and the human capacity to endure.

About the artist

A Cuban artist based in Australia, Gema Gabriela Fernandez Cabezas works in film as a set decorator. She creates visual worlds that support narrative and emotion. Alongside her work in cinema, she paints murals and develops photography projects as a personal and conceptual practice. Her photographic work focuses on constructing images that question social issues, identity, and contemporary contradictions. Across film, painting, and photography, Gema’s practice is driven by storytelling, visual meaning, and the power of images to challenge perception.

Jim FILMER

Aunty Rhonda – Stolen, Strong, Resilient [detail] 2024

Portrait of Aunty Rhonda Collard-Spratt

Digital photographic print on translucent fabric

180 x 145 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Aunty Rhonda, a Yamatji Noongar Elder, is part of Australia’s Stolen Generations. She was forcibly removed from her family at age three and placed in a strict church-run institution. She saw her father only once more: at his funeral. After enduring further trauma, including a police gun held to her head, she fled across the country to Queensland, where she rebuilt her life, earning a fine arts degree. Now in her 70s, she dedicates herself to mentoring Indigenous youth.

This portrait captures her extraordinary strength and resilience, while her eyes reveal the profound grief of dispossession—separation from Country, culture, and family. The viewer glimpses the weight of lived experience and intergenerational trauma.

Printed on large-scale translucent fabric, the work responds to light and air, creating movement and dimensionality that brings the portrait to life, echoing the vitality of Aunty Rhonda’s spirit.

About the artist

Jim Filmer is a visual artist and photographer born in Adelaide (Kaurna Country), now based in the Brisbane Valley, where Yuggara, Ugarapul, Jagera, and Dungibara lands intersect. Jim has been finalist in the Brisbane Portrait Prize (2025) and Regional Queensland Arts Awards (2025); selected for the biennial ‘Volatile Terrain’ at The Condensery, Somerset Regional Gallery; and finalist in the Contemporary Australian Photographic Prize.

Filmer’s current practice investigates materiality and presentation, exploring how light interacts with and transforms subjects. Recent collaborations with Elders inspired exploration of his own heritage, uncovering connections to the Nharangga people of South Australia—a cultural journey that continues to enrich his artistic practice.

Cerise GOLLOGLY

Dame [detail] 2026

Portrait of Zhourelle

Archival digital photographic print

50 x 75 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Photography is a ritual road for personal transformation and survival through the deeply complex and personal journey of grieving. Together, we were finally ready to leave the brutal roots and memories of our home-town stories behind on the dusty roads of time.

Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau—”The exquisite corpse shall drink the new wine.”

About the artist

Cerise Gollogly is a Queensland-based designer and producer with a multifaceted background in creative direction across stage, opera, dance, film, and art-house production events. She holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Griffith University and has formal training in photography, fine art, lithography and printmaking, costume design, stage management, and interior design.

Cerise was awarded first place in the NSW Wearable Arts and Photography Awards and was published in The Lancet as a photographer for The Dilemmas of Aid: Cambodia reportage series. She was also a finalist in the Percival Photographic Portrait Prize (2022).

Her site-specific performance art is informed by and often created through her travels in the developing world. She has worked as a creative director for touring films and art galleries in the West and maintains an ethos that is open to collaboration and patronage.

Her unique artworks and publications are held in several private and public collections, both nationally and internationally.

Carla GOTTGENS

The last gig [detail] 2026

Portrait of Andrew Trounson

Archival pigment print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag

42 x 59.4 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

The last gig encapsulates a lifetime of work. The sitter is posed as a clown but in fact he is a performer of many kinds. The sitter is my husband and has spent his whole life meeting the demands of others, in a sense ‘performing’ for those around him. The years have passed and he doesn’t feel as though he has achieved much. His family would beg to differ. The artwork shows someone who is tired of performing; the last gig is one that is perhaps relished but is also a laborious task that needs to be completed. Like so much in our lives, we get to a point where we can’t be bothered any more. The passion has gone.

About the artist

Carla Gottgens is a photographer and multidisciplinary artist based in Victoria. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the College of Fine Arts, UNSW, and a Master of Arts (Photography) at RMIT. Her public artwork has won major awards, including the Ephemera Acquisitive Prize (2023), Lorne Sculpture Small Works Prize (2018), Toorak Village Traders Prize (2016), and Sculpture on the Greens (2015).

Her sculptural works have been commissioned by Lane Cove Council, Shellharbour Council, NSW Health for Griffith Base Hospital, Cardinia Shire Council, Bayside Council, University of Tasmania, among others. Her photographic work has been chosen for exhibition and for commissioned works by Sculpture by the Sea, Metro Tunnels Creative Program: Melbourne, Home 25: Invisible Cities, Coogee Chemicals Kwinana, Canada Bay Placemaking, Stockland Shellharbour, Brimbank Council and others.

Christine HALL

Clare Llewelyn, Sculptor [detail] 2026

Portrait of Clare Llewelyn

Digital photographic print

70 x 47 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

My intent with this portrait was to capture the truth of the human condition, as evident in the work of Clare Llewelyn, and to present the artist’s portrait as a mirror of her work. Claire is an accomplished, nationally exhibited sculptor and a fierce storyteller, shaping narratives from the fragile to the forceful. Her work explores the relationships between people, objects, memory, and emotion—the quiet feelings that linger beneath experience. Through welded dark and white steel and gathered remnants, she transforms found materials into metaphors, allowing form to speak where words fall short. Domestic utensils and industrial debris are held in deliberate tension, tracing womanhood, grief, and the passage of life. This portrait is photographed in natural light and left unaltered, the texture, the evidence of time, her strength lives in what has been lived, not concealed, mirroring the honesty of her sculptures. The portrait is an act of respect.

About the artist

Christine Hall is a professional photographer based on the Sunshine Coast, specialising in documenting artwork for gallery exhibitions, archival documentation, reproduction, flat lay, and promotion. Her portraiture focuses on revealing individuality through a thoughtful use of medium, style, and setting. In 2025, she won National First Prize for The Studio Project, a photographic book of portraits celebrating artists of the Sunshine Coast.

Selected other achievements include Highly Commended for the International Monochrome Awards (2025), Finalist for the Head on Foundation Prize (2025), Winner of RQAS Photography Prize (2024), Finalist for the Sunshine Coast Contemporary Art Prize (2024), Finalist for the Percival Portrait Prize (2024), Finalist for the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize (2023).

Christine HALL

Imprints of Memory [detail] 2024

Portrait of Nicole Voevodin-Cash

Digital photographic print

58 x 60 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I chose to photograph Nicole in her studio to be part of my book of Artists in Studios, published late 2024, using light and movement to capture her in front of the Shibori. Transforming her to mesh mirrors her conceptual approach of utilising interaction as a sculptural strategy, transforming the creative process into dynamic dialogue between the artwork and her audience.

Her work is a form of Shibori without the dyeing. Enclosing objects that hold personal memories with recycled vegetable mesh bags and using light to induce movement, she softens the harshness of the mesh, creating gentle contours around enclosed items.

This methodology examines how moments fade and transform, leaving behind traces that shape perception of reality, allowing the work to be continuously reshaped and redefined by the behaviour and engagement of those who encounter it, breathing life into the pieces as evolving entities.

About the artist

Christine Hall is a professional photographer based on the Sunshine Coast, specialising in documenting artwork for gallery exhibitions, archival documentation, reproduction, flat lay, and promotion. Her portraiture focuses on revealing individuality through a thoughtful use of medium, style, and setting. In 2025, she won National First Prize for The Studio Project, a photographic book of portraits celebrating artists of the Sunshine Coast.

Selected other achievements include Highly Commended for the International Monochrome Awards (2025), Finalist for the Head on Foundation Prize (2025), Winner of RQAS Photography Prize (2024), Finalist for the Sunshine Coast Contemporary Art Prize (2024), Finalist for the Percival Portrait Prize (2024), and Finalist for the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize (2023).

Isaac HODDLE

Pool [detail] 2024

Portrait of Brittany Hoddle

120 Film

10 x 8 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I am working on a body of work called the ‘Crocodile Flats’ project, which is about Far North Queensland, a place where the heat can be stifling. The sitter is my wife; she was cooling down in a pool and I thought the moody atmosphere fit well in the body of work. The work is concerned primarily with the interaction between people and the built environment, but there is an element of tension and anxiety.

About the artist

Isaac Hoddle is a photographer based in Far North Queensland (FNQ). He is interested in documenting place and human interaction with the environment. FNQ is an unforgiving yet unique environment, full of plants and wildlife that are deadly and primordial. It also feels transient somehow and otherworldly—a place where you can literally watch things fall apart. If the cyclones and animals don’t get you, the mould will. It is also a place of elemental and profound beauty.

Isaac has been included in several photography shows, most recently the Subjectively Objective, Investigations in Infrastructure group show in Detroit, USA.

Amy JEWELL

After Attunement [detail] 2026

Portrait of Kate Fulton

Digital photographic print

121.7 x 81.1 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait portrays the creative presence of artist Kate Fulton through movement and light, rather than fixed likeness. Long-exposure photography captures Kate tracing light using the habitual movements of her painting practice, translating an internal working process into a temporary visual form. The surrounding space becomes an extension of her canvas, activated through rhythm and impulse.

Rather than fixing the subject into a singular likeness, the portrait occupies a threshold between what is visible and what is withheld, allowing presence to surface briefly before dissolving. As an artist, Kate resists permanence, attending instead to the residual state that follows making, a moment of attunement, recorded only once.

About the artist

Amy Jewell is a Townsville-based emerging artist with a background in photography, currently completing a Diploma of Visual Arts. Her practice investigates light and movement as tools for articulating presence through experimental photographic processes. Working primarily with long exposure and in-camera techniques, she explores how lived experience and creative states can be suggested without relying on literal representation. Amy’s work is concerned with translating the intangible; moments of rhythm, intuition, and embodied attention into visual form, using light as both medium and trace.

Kellie LECZINSKA

Merryn and the Wally Birds – Merryn Schriever Director Bonhams Australia 2025

Portrait of Merryn Schriever

Digital photographic print on Platine

79 x 62 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I have always admired my friend Merryn Schriever, the only female director of a fine art auction house in Australia. Merryn’s extensive knowledge of Australian art and ability to build strong relationships with artists and collectors has helped her break the glass ceiling in a male-dominated auction world.

I have photographed Merryn with a rare collection of ceramic ‘Wally Birds’, which had surfaced in Australia. These extraordinary pieces were crafted for a brief period by Martin Brothers Pottery starting in 1870s. At the time, these anthropomorphic yet prehistoric looking birds captured the post-Darwinian thought of the Victorian age. These ceramic oddities gave rise to discussion whether we evolved from animal rather than divine.

With a play on words, these rare birds have been captured together, including a very cranky ‘Wally Bird’ biting Merryn’s finger.

About the artist

Kellie Leczinska is a Sydney-based multidisciplinary artist working in both photography and painting, with a focus on figurative art. Inspired by a deep appreciation for art history, her work fuses classical motifs with modern interpretations of portraiture. Kellie’s portraiture transcends likeness through empathetic collaboration, fostering dialogue between sitter and viewer. A strong thread of social commentary runs throughout Kellie’s work, highlighting her subjects’ unique stories and their broader contexts.

Kellie has been a multiple finalist, including the National Photographic Portrait Prize, National Still Life Award, and Percival Portrait Painting Prize. Kellie’s works are held in the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, and the collection of Sir Elton John and David Furnish, as well as other private and corporate collections in Australia, the UK, and the USA.

Alan LEPARQ POTOKAR

THE BAN [detail] 2025

Portrait of Alan Leparq Potokar and William Leparq Potokar

Digital photographic print

50 x 40 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

THE BAN. Our childhood is deeply shaped by technology and screens.

Our parents try to follow strict rules and routines to limit screen time and control what we see, yet screens remain ever-present.

I wanted to draw attention to this issue for both adults and children—Angel or Devil? Screens allow us to communicate and create powerful images, but they also open a doorway to an artificial world that can quietly take over our attention.

Dark and blurred, the image asks where we should draw the line, and what impact the Australian government’s ban may have on the next generation.

I chose to create a self-portrait with my brother. The phone is held in my hands—a symbol of control, but also of responsibility, representing both happiness and frustration.

About the artist

Alan Leparq Potokar is a 12-year-old, Grade 7 student, studying at Grammar School North Ward, Townsville. He has a little brother named William (also depicted in this work). They are French-Australian and have lived in many countries so far—France, England, Polynesian Islands, and Australia (including Tasmania and Queensland).

Alan says: “I love karate, pushbike, building things, Lego, and playing on the Strand. I won a poetry competition in Wallis-and-Futuna, and had multiple Behaviour Awards at school, even if I dislike it!”

Anne LEVITCH

darkness in the absence of colour [detail] 2026

Portrait of Genna Levitch

Digital photographic print

75 x 75 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This work captures a moment of quiet reflection during a difficult time for my partner, who often visits my studio. The Bondi Massacre in December 2025 triggered a period of deep darkness for Genna, reflected in the enveloping shadow with a distant light on his face. Raised by a strong, determined Christian mother and quiet submissive Jewish father, Genna’s bi-racial background had been the subject of curiosity and introspection for some time. Distant in a scale that echoes his solitude, the image explores the light of dawning self-awareness and the horrors of ancestral identity held within the darkness of his introspection.

The title is taken from a poem by Susan Grant.

About the artist

Anne Levitch is a Sydney-based multidisciplinary artist, whose practice predominantly centres on 3D works with aggregated installations, providing an opportunity for photography within the frame of created environments. She engages with the philosophical and psychological influences of embedded cultural memory, and societal attitudes, making their echoing traces more visible.

Anne has been a finalist in significant art awards in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, and Victoria (e.g., Sculpture by the Sea, Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award, Sculpture at ScenicWorld, Hidden at Rookwood, and The Percival Photographic Portrait Prize), and has held group and solo exhibitions. Her most recent solo exhibition by invitation was at Grace Cossington Smith Gallery in Sydney 2025, titled Deconstruction of Vanity. Anne holds a Master of Art from UNSW and a Bachelor of Art (Industrial Design) from Sydney College of the Arts. Her work is held in significant private collections.

Anne LEVITCH

Out in the wash [detail] 2025

Portrait of Genna Levitch

Digital photographic print

29 x 20 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

A late afternoon moment of outdoor rejuvenation is captured in the filtered natural sunlight of late autumn. The subject had been physically labouring all day on the property. Both sunlight and water intermingle in creating the perfect metaphysical ‘wash’ to celebrate that magical moment when the day’s work is done. The streaming of water echoes the hair and beard in both colour and form, coursing down the body. The gaze is indistinct and inward, obfuscated by the flow encapsulating the body, like a protective cocoon isolating the subject. The subject said “More cleansing than a beer, more refreshing than a new idea.”

About the artist

Anne Levitch is a Sydney-based multidisciplinary artist, whose practice predominantly centres on 3D works with aggregated installations, providing an opportunity for photography within the frame of created environments. She engages with the philosophical and psychological influences of embedded cultural memory, societal attitudes, and their echoing traces, actively exploring the unseen and making it more visible.

Anne has received significant art awards in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, and Victoria (e.g., Sculpture by the Sea, Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award, Sculpture at ScenicWorld, Hidden at Rookwood, and The Percival Photographic Portrait Prize), and has held group and solo exhibitions. Her most recent solo exhibition by invitation was at Grace Cossington Smith Gallery in Sydney 2025, titled Deconstruction of Vanity. Anne holds a Master of Art from UNSW and a Bachelor of Art (Industrial Design) from Sydney College of the Arts. Her work is held in significant private collections.

Orlando LUMINERE

A Question of Achievement [detail] 2025

Portrait of Timothy Henry

Digital photographic print

50 x 75 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait of Timothy Henry builds on my decadelong work with handmade large-format camera obscurae, crafted from discarded materials. These sculptural instruments produce dreamlike images that question our relationship to consumption and the environment. This has been expanded to allow the sitter to write their own narrative directly onto the projected image inside the camera, fusing a single image and testimony into a visceral, unmediated photograph.

The work contrasts dominant notions of success, often defined by visibility, status, or wealth, with the quiet resilience required to navigate life’s challenges beyond public recognition.

Timothy was chosen for his clarity in articulating these daily struggles and lived experiences, and for the deliberate ethical decisions that shape his daily life. His presence embodies the unseen perseverance and meaningful achievements that this project seeks to honour.

About the artist

Orlando Luminere is a Sydney-based visual artist with over 40 years’ experience across traditional and digital photography. Trained in ecology, photography, and education, his work explores intersections of environment, consumerism, and personal narrative in an age of materialism and social media.

Orlando’s practice began with By the Light of the Night, a series of moonlit Canberra cityscapes, and has since encompassed freelance advertising photography, education. Career highlights include four solo shows (with a fifth upcoming this year) and seven group exhibitions, recognition in 14 art awards, publications and two creative residencies.

Charmaine LYONS

dancing with the infinite [detail] 2025

Portrait of Lindy Lee

Digital photographic print on Baryta fine art paper

70 x 100 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

As my work has a focus on the endurance and elevation of women, I found myself deeply inspired by the work and philosophies of Lindy Lee, one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists.

Lindy is shown in a moment of quiet stillness; enveloped by her work, she pauses to fully inhabit the present. In black and white, the image adopts a timeless character, stripping away visual distractions, inviting the viewer to settle on the intimacy of the scene. The calm expression communicates volumes through silence, conveying a sense of reflection and inner peace.

An energetic as well an aesthetic compulsion drove me to meet and photograph Lindy, to capture—in a moment—her unique energy. Lindy serves as a powerful example of what women can achieve as the enduring nature of woman is activated.

About the artist

Charmaine Lyons is a Queensland-based multidisciplinary artist working across photography and ceramics. She has a particular interest in portraiture and is drawn to creating work that explores feminist and environmental concepts. Her solo exhibition Women United, held at Gympie Regional Gallery in 2020, included 200 portraits of women, reflecting her commitment to social justice and elevating the voice of women.

Chrissy MAGUIRE

Ebony Sound check for album launch of Hearts Get Started [detail] 2024

Portrait of Ebony Rose Buckle

Digital photographic print on Baryta fine art paper

42 x 59 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

When I took this photograph, Ebony was launching her second album. She was nervous after a bad day, with the sound-check being tricky and the van breaking down while trying to take gear to Camden Club. She is a very expressive subject, and two photos rarely look the same, but it was watching her perform and feelings involved that caught my eye. She is used to me taking photos, so ignores my presence, which is perfect. The atmosphere was dark as usual, and I love that there are no disturbing backgrounds.

About the artist

Chrissy Maguire runs a geologist consultancy and uses her camera when travelling to employees and the Aussie bush. A self-taught photographer, she has been taking photographs of Townsville’s arts community theatre, dance orchestra and singers’ performances for about 35 years. As she says: “I love the eyes and expressions, be they doubt, nerves and then relief!”

Relishing in light and the moment, Chrissy says she often sings the songs when editing her photographs. “Photographing is not my day job and I am not a professional … but it is my love, particularly faces.”

Michael MARZIK

Then/Now Portraits of Ed Koumans [detail] 2026

Portrait of Ed Koumans

Digital photographic print

64 x 78 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I photographed Ed Koumans in January 2026, seated in his exhibition at Mulgrave Gallery, Cairns, positioned in front of an earlier large black-and-white photograph of himself taken in his studio in 2013. Both images share the same props: a table, a chair, and studio artefacts.

The photograph brings two moments into conversation. Thirteen years apart, the setting appears almost unchanged, yet the passage of time is quietly present in the body, the posture, and the atmosphere: what seems the same is not.

There is a melancholy in this meeting of selves, not nostalgia, but an awareness of continuity, persistence, and the slow accumulation of years, an artistic life lived over time, to friendship, and to the persistence of practice, where change occurs not through rupture, but through duration.

About the artist

Michael Marzik is a Swiss-born photographer and arts professional. On migrating to Australia many years ago, he chose to establish his life and work in Cairns. His practice explores place, material history, and the quiet intersections between nature and human intervention. Working across landscape, documentary, and conceptual photography, his work is grounded in close observation and longterm engagement with specific environments. Michael’s images often reveal subtle traces of time, labour, and ecological change, inviting reflection rather than spectacle.

Through a restrained and attentive visual language, Michael’s work foregrounds photography as a tool for inquiry, memory, and sustained looking. Michael has exhibited in group and solo exhibitions since 1996, his work is held in private and public collections, and he has contributed photographic work to gallery, curatorial, and publication contexts.

Raymond MATHER

Taken [detail] 2025

Portrait of Karen Rice

Digital photographic print

80 x 120 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait responds to Australia’s history of forced adoption, formally recognised through the Royal Commission enquiries and official government apologies in 2012 and 2013. Between the 1950s and the late 1970s, more than 200,000 pregnant, unwed, vulnerable women and young girls were pressured into relinquishing their babies for adoption.

Karen’s story emerges from this landscape of shame, disconnection and long-term trauma caused by this practice. Photographed with her knitted booties in Murwillumbah, she stands as both an individual survivor and a representative of many. The portrait seeks to honour lived experience with restraint and dignity. It offers a quiet acknowledgement of what was taken, and gestures toward the strength that remains.

About the artist

Raymond Mather is a New South Wales–based photographic artist with over four decades of experience across photography, theatre, dance, and visual arts. His practice is informed by an extensive career as a choreographer and movement specialist for stage and screen, including work on Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom, as well as projects with Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Theatre Company, and ABC Television.

Raymond’s photographic work explores presence, psychology, and embodied identity, often developing through long-term collaborative relationships with his subjects. His photography has been exhibited nationally and selected for major exhibitions, including Northern Exposure at Glasshouse Regional Gallery, Port Macquarie, and the SHIMMER Photographic Biennale. He was a semi-finalist in the Moran Photographic Portrait Prize, and a finalist in the Percival Photographic Portrait Prize (2018).

Cassandra MCMAHON

Empty Vessel [detail] 2025

Self-portrait

Archival digital photographic print on Platine Fibre Rag

63.5 x 51 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This self-portrait examines how purpose and meaning is imposed onto women’s bodies through the metaphor of absence. Drawing on the visual language of still life to interrogate long-held associations between femininity and fertility, I have placed a shell over my face to question cultural assumptions surrounding womanhood and reproductive agency. The hollow shell becomes a site on which societal anxieties around childlessness, legacy, and value are placed. It asks whether a woman’s worth is still measured by her capacity or choice to engage in bearing children and what it means to exist outside of those expectations. Has autonomy been truly achieved when a woman’s choice not to participate in child rearing remains contested, scrutinised or misunderstood? Empty Vessel attempts to reclaim feminine symbolism without the submission to biological destiny.

About the artist

Cassandra McMahon is an emerging artist currently studying Fine Arts at the University of Tasmania. Her work explores themes of interconnection, resilience, and memory in relation to her lived experience as a previous forensics officer but also in relation to the experiences of others. Cassandra’s practice came about through the use of her camera in the daily exercise of crime scene documentation and evolved into a means of translating what she was feeling. She has previously been a finalist in the Percivals Photographic Portrait Prize (2022, 2024), receiving Highly Commended in 2024 and Runner Up in the black-and-white category of this year’s Photographer of the Year Award presented by Australian Photography magazine.

Tracy MORTIMER

The Shape of What Remains [detail] 2025

Self-portrait

Digital photographic print

70 x 53 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This self-portrait explores identity as a shifting surface rather than a fixed likeness. Layered washes, stains, and abrasions obscure the face, suggesting memory, time, and emotion acting upon the self. Warm earth tones evoke skin, soil, and history, while darker passages hold vulnerability and doubt. The image resists clarity, inviting viewers to linger between recognition and disappearance. By dissolving features and merging figure with ground, the work reflects how personal narratives are constructed, eroded, and remade. The portrait becomes a record of presence and absence, capturing an inner state shaped by experience, resilience, and quiet endurance over time.

About the artist

Tracy Mortimer is an artist and photographer originally from Canada now based in Cairns. Her creative journey began at the Ontario College of Art and Design, and her work has been exhibited internationally, including in Toronto, Florence, Chicago, and Cairns. Known for her experimental approach to photography, Tracy often layers images to convey deeper meaning and explore complex narratives. More recently, she has expanded her practice into portraiture as a means of alternative communication with her audience. Through careful consideration of pose, environment, colour palette, and facial expression, Tracy seeks to reveal the essence of her subjects’ personalities while offering thoughtful commentary on the social contexts in which they exist.

Glen O’MALLEY

My dentist [detail] 2025

Portrait of Sarah Bosnic

Digital photographic print

29.5 x 44 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Although I have complete faith in my dentist, Sarah Bosnic, there always remains an element of discomfort when I get my regular checkup. I partly compensate for this by photographing the scene in front of me in my mind. After one recent checkup, I asked her if I could also capture that image with my camera.

About the artist

Glen O’Malley has lived in North Queensland for over 35 years. In 1978 he photographed the majority of FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS IN THE NORTH there. This was first shown at the Institute of Modern Art, then toured interstate. For the bicentenary of Australia, he photographed part of Journeys North in Townsville.

He was one of nine artists in the 1981 inaugural exhibition at Perc Tucker Gallery, and has since frequently exhibited there and at Pinnacles.

He has regularly exhibited nationally and internationally. O’Malley has had over 40 solo exhibitions in Australia. He has shown in over 200 group exhibitions. In 2019/20 Perc Tucker Gallery showed a retrospective exhibition of his career, What Is a Dream?

His current work has a surreal edge, but is built on a strong basis of documentary photography. Landscape and environment are as important as people in his work.

Emma PERRY

Iris and Magpie the goldfish [detail] 2024

Portrait of Iris Perry

Medium-format film, Giclée fine art print

60 x 50 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

The overarching concept of my documentary portraiture work centres around finding the weird or unusual in our everyday life. This work captures the moment after my daughter chose a new goldfish for her tank at home. She named it Magpie because of its black-and-white markings. Unfortunately, Magpie was only with us for a few days before she passed away.

About the artist

Emma Perry is a Melbourne-based photographic artist. Her work is fun-loving, candid, and sometimes experimental in a genre that generally favours realism. Most of her work centres on still lifes, signage, and landscapes. As such, many of her shots are devoid of people, although their presence is usually felt through the human-made objects they’ve left behind.

Emma has been a finalist in some of Australia’s most prestigious photography awards and exhibitions, including the Moran Prize, Head On Photography Festival, and the Olive Cotton Award, among others. Emma has exhibited widely, with selected venues including the International Centre for Photography in New York, the Photographic Centre Northwest in Seattle, and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. In 2021, she won the Landscape category in the Australian Photography Awards.

Danish QUAPOOR

Noah at Night II 2024

Portrait of Noah Guthrie

Pigment print transparency on custom lightbox

20 x 40 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This work is the sequel to a 2022 photograph of the artist’s partner and muse. It captures a quiet moment before midnight on New Year’s Eve, emphasising solitude and the often-anticlimactic nature of celebratory events. The surrounding darkness isolates the glow of the phone screen onto the sitter, while an external light source illuminates the halfempty wine bottle. The image privileges stillness and intimacy, lingering in the pause between expectation and experience.

About the artist

Danish Quapoor is a multidisciplinary artist based on Gurambilbarra/Townsville. His practice spans textiles, illustrative painting and ceramics, alongside a sustained focus on photographic portraiture. His work is characterised by sparse compositions and subdued colour palettes, which unify this ostensibly diverse oeuvre.

The artist has exhibited extensively, including recent solo exhibitions at Rockhampton Museum of Art, Artspace Mackay, Metro Arts, Firstdraft and Pinnacles Gallery (Townsville City Galleries). He was a finalist in the 2025 Queensland Regional Art Awards, with his exhibited work touring regional Queensland throughout 2026. He holds a Master of Arts and Cultural Management (University of Melbourne), a Bachelor of Visual Arts, and a Bachelor of Creative Arts, Honours (both University of Southern Queensland / UniSQ). The artist was also the inaugural 2023 UniSQ School of Creative Arts Alumni Fellow. He has works held in the City of Townsville and Toowoomba City Art Collections, and private collections internationally.

Pippa SAMAYA

11 years [detail] 2025

Portrait of Pippa Samaya and Tara Jade Samaya

Digital photographic print

42 x 59 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This is a self-portrait of myself with my wife on our 11th wedding anniversary, though the marriage has only been recognised in this country for eight of those years. Born into an era where being openly queer was still a true act of courage, especially in rural Australia, our marriage was and still is a resilient symbol of our devotion to truth and a love without limits.

About the artist

Pippa Samaya is an award-winning regional Australian photographer specialising in dance, documentary, and portraiture. Through her collaborative approach, Pippa centres trust, shared authorship, and ethical engagement, whether documenting highperformance dancers, marginalised communities, or individuals navigating life-changing events. Her practice consistently bridges the personal and the universal, creating work that is both visually compelling and socially meaningful. Her work has been widely recognised through numerous awards, including multiple Australian Dance Awards for Excellence in Dance on Film (2019/2017), two wins at the International 60 Second Dance Film Competition, Denmark/Finland (2017), finalist at the National Photography Prize, winner at the Berlin Motion Picture Festival (2022), Winner of technical Excellence at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival (AUS) (2022).

Chelsea SHOTTON

Sacred Reverence [detail] 2025

Portrait of Jandamarra Cadd

Archival pigment print

100 x 66.7 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

I had the pleasure of meeting Jandamarra Cadd, a man with a wealth of knowledge, life experience, and grace, and a dear friend of my dad. A descendant of the Indigenous Yorta Yorta (Northeastern Victoria) and Dja Dja Wurrung (Central Victoria), he is renowned for his legacy of traversing an unfortunate upbringing into a rich career as an artist.

After inviting me into his home, we sat and spoke about life—about creativity, nature, and the interconnectedness of all things. I wanted to capture a moment of his sacred reverence, a quiet understanding of the sitter’s perspective.

About the artist

Chelsea Shotton is a Brisbane-based photographer and visual artist whose practice centres on people, connection, and lived experience. Through photography and collage, she uses image-making as a way to understand her place in the world, exploring intimacy, presence, and the quiet relationships that shape how we see ourselves and others.

Raoul SLATER

Warrior [detail] 2025

Portrait of Sarah Mayrhofer

Wet-plate Collodion Ambrotype

25 x 20 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Sarah and I work as physios in the Sunshine Coast Health Hospital Service. She guides oncology patients through the course of their acute cancer journey, and I take over when they are released to the community. Sarah is dedicated and extremely knowledgeable, but she also has wide-ranging interests (including drawing and painting), and has sculpted her body into a work of art.

Over a decade, I have collected photographic portraits of 120 of my allied health colleagues, using the wet-plate collodion process over the last three years. Sarah was an obvious choice as a subject, both for her striking appearance and her artistic input. She displayed a forceful warrior presence for the 10 x 8 inch view camera.

About the artist

Raoul Slater is a wet-plate collodion portrait photographer, working from a studio on the Sunshine Coast. He photographs colleagues, neighbours, and people who lead in the fields of the arts and the environment.

Wet-plate was the dominant photographic technology of the 1880s. Raoul grew up in a Queenslander from this era, houses characterised by coloured windows and pressed timber features, so he sources these vintage materials for his wet-plates and their frames.

Raoul produces work across many genres: wildlife, landscape, sport and portraits. He has won prizes in the Bird Photographer of the Year and the landscape section of the Head On Foundation Prize. He was awarded Australian Photographer of the Year in 2023 with a portfolio of tintype portraits and was a finalist in the 2025 National Photographic Portrait Prize.

Braden SMITH

William [detail] 2025

Portrait of William Mabo

Digital photographic print

45 x 60 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait is a contemporary expression of identity, culture and connection to Country. William Koiki Mabo-Cohen is a multidisciplinary artist working across dance, music and sculpture. A grandson of Eddie Koiki Mabo and of the Meriam people of Mer Island, he draws from his Nywaigi, Gumbaynggirr and South Sea Islander heritage. This portrait represents his, and his peoples’, ongoing custodianship of Country.

About the artist

Braden Smith is a Townsville-based photographer and videographer, creating visual stories across the land and seas of North Queensland. Drawn to the raw beauty of the region, his work captures moments where people, place, and nature intersect—from remote coastlines and coral reefs to life lived on Country.

With a strong connection to the marine environment, Braden’s storytelling is grounded in respect for the Great Barrier Reef and the communities who have cared for these places for generations. He has a keen interest in working alongside Traditional Owners to help share stories of Country, culture, and custodianship through authentic, considered visuals.

Whether above or below the waterline, Braden’s work is driven by a belief that powerful imagery can foster connection, understanding, and care for the places that shape us.

Marcus STARK

After the Last Song [detail] 2025

Portrait of Jane Sonya

Digital photographic print

53.3 x 80 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait was made in the quiet that follows sound. The subject holds an acoustic guitar close to the body, not as an instrument in use, but as something familiar and weight-bearing. Lit sparingly and pressed into shadow, the figure occupies a moment where performance has ended and what remains must be carried.

The image considers what is left after music falls away: the residue of practice, memory, and touch. The guitar becomes both anchor and threshold, a physical object standing in for something no longer present, yet still felt. The body does not play; it endures.

About the artist

Marcus Stark is a Queensland-based photographer whose practice has largely focused on landscape, wildlife, and the built environment. His work in these genres is grounded in patience, long observation, and an attentiveness to light, form, and atmosphere. Portraiture represents a recent extension of his practice. Bringing the same measured restraint to the human subject, Marcus approaches portraiture not as performance, but as presence. His images favour stillness and minimal intervention, allowing the body to exist within the frame much as a landscape does— shaped by time, weight, and quiet endurance.

Tszar

Smiike [detail] 2025

Portrait of Michael Smith

Digital photographic print

50 x 76 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This capture was taken alongside about 1,000 others during the technical rehearsal of the Dancenorth 40th anniversary work A Live Moment. In this part of the show, patrons could wander the building and happen upon unexpected moments, such as this one, occurring briefly for only a few people.

This moment took place in the change room, which served as both a functioning change room and set. It features Dancenorth ensemble member Michael Smith moving through the space and eventually wearing the mask on the counter. Michael is a performer/choreographer who grew up in regional Queensland and often works with themes related to queer identity.

Despite this being such a tiny moment in the scope of the show, I find that the spontaneity and speed of event documentation sometimes leads to capturing moments of slippage between the performance and raw vulnerability—and those are the most beautiful.

About the artist

Tszar (Aaron Ashley) is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores connection, alienation, environmental concerns, and performance through an often moody aesthetic. Their work is informed by a lifetime behind the camera, documenting arts events, an academic background in the social sciences, and a pervading dark sense of humour.

Tszar works across a broad range of interlacing mediums, including photography, videography, graphic design, visual arts, sculpture, writing, and projection mapping. This approach has led to their involvement in numerous multi-arts projects. They currently work as a part-time content designer for Dancenorth Australia.

Ann VARDANEGA

David in Conversation [detail] 2025

Portrait of David Rowe

Digital photographic print

60.9 x 40.6 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

David is an old friend, and we often sit down for a chat, talking about all things art. Even though he is a painter and I am a photographer, we have lots of common ground. I love visiting him in his gallery/ studio and sitting surrounded by his artwork, which covers every wall. It is here that David is master of his craft.

To me, a portrait of anyone that captures their true self should not be choreographed; it should not be managed by the photographer, otherwise, what I create is my own idea of who that person is, not their true self. The beauty of this photograph is that it shows David, relaxed, his personality revealed.

About the artist

Ann Vardanega is an artist and educator. She has a PhD in Creative Arts and worked as an educator at James Cook University until the Creative Arts degree was discontinued. Primarily working with lens-based processes, the majority of her work is photographic. Ann uses a variety of techniques and approaches, ranging from contemporary digital capture (including using a camera that captures only near-infrared wavelengths) and output through to the earliest photographic techniques (such as cyanotypes, anthotypes, and analogue photography). Sometimes, the work is a mixture of both.

She was a finalist in the Muswellbrook Art Awards, and her entry was added to the gallery collection. She has exhibited in Australia and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include Sense of Place at Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts (2023) and TYTO Gallery (2024).

Sonia WARRELL

Alyssandra [detail] 2026

Portrait of Alyssandra Higgins

Cyanotype print on Fabriano Rosaspina paper

27 x 21 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

While photographing Alyssandra for another project, I captured a high key image that would be elevated by the cyanotype process given Alyssandra’s fair complexion and captivating blue eyes. Alyssandra’s hair is sweeping across her face, covering one eye. When printed using the cyanotype process, this wistful image feels almost romantic. The smooth paper surface allows for sharp detail while the paper fibres, visible in the highlights, add a tactile quality to the print. The image was taken at Cape Pallarenda on the edge of a storm. Alyssandra was watching the change as the sun broke through the cloud.

About the artist

Sonia Warrell is a Townsville-based photographer whose practice centres on an evocative exploration of time, place, and the inevitability of change. By utilising impressionistic photography techniques and alternative processes, she creates visual narratives that transcend literal representation. Her specialised work with multiple exposure photography is conducted largely in-camera, reflecting a commitment to the raw, spontaneous chemistry between the lens and the light.

For Sonia, the heart of her craft lies in the delicate balance of creation and erasure. She firmly believes that a technique capable of both creating beauty and destroying it in a single shutter press adds a profound thrill to the artistic process. This inherent risk not only heightens the emotional stakes of her work but also elevates the value of the subject, capturing fleeting moments that feel both permanent and ephemeral.

Sonia WARRELL

Blue Monsoon [detail] 2026

Portrait of Alyssandra Higgins

Archival pigment inkjet print on Ilford Gold Fibre Gloss (310gsm)

75 x 51 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

The image is made up of two exposures that explore time spent in a place. Alyssandra’s blue eyes, fair complexion and colouring blends with the monsoonal blues of a passing storm. At the time this image was created, Alyssandra was home from studying at NIDA. The image draws attention to her thinking (head within a head) as her eyes loom over an ocean view, reminiscent of a movie poster. The work is unique because it is created in-camera without previewing between exposures.

About the artist

Sonia Warrell is a Townsville-based photographer whose practice centres on an evocative exploration of time, place, and the inevitability of change. By utilising impressionistic photography techniques and alternative processes, she creates visual narratives that transcend literal representation. Her specialised work with multiple exposure photography is conducted largely in-camera, reflecting a commitment to the raw, spontaneous chemistry between the lens and the light.

For Sonia, the heart of her craft lies in the delicate balance of creation and erasure. She firmly believes that a technique capable of both creating beauty and destroying it in a single shutter press adds a profound thrill to the artistic process. This inherent risk not only heightens the emotional stakes of her work but also elevates the value of the subject, capturing fleeting moments that feel both permanent and ephemeral.

Steve WOMERSLEY

Chris Womersley [detail] 2025

Portrait of Chris Womersley

Silver gelatin print

68 x 54 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

In 2025, I photographed my brother, the novelist Chris Womersley, during the auction of our late mother’s house. Judy Womersley was also a life-long writer. She penned countless newspaper articles, poems, fiction, and non-fiction works, many in the very room from which we followed the auction underway outside. The auction promised us a degree of financial security we’d never experienced as independent adults—a privilege, as mum would have rightly noted, not afforded to every Australian. The auction also heralded the farewell to a home around which our little family had orbited for 30 years, itself the wellspring for endless stories that we now carry forward without our mother.

About the artist

Steve Womersley is an award-winning photographer who lives and works on Dja Dja Wurrung Country in Central Victoria. He is an occasional contributor to The Guardian Australia, was a finalist in the 2024 Percival Photographic Portrait Prize, and was nominated for the 2025 Prix Pictet International. In 2020, he was Runner Up in the Portrait category of Capture magazine’s Top Emerging Australasian Photographers.

ANIMAL FINALISTS

Tania BABIC

Adoration [detail] 2025

Portrait of Nugget

Graphite, pencil and gel pen on paper

34.4 x 43.1 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Adoration places the viewer in my shoes, capturing my senior dog Nugget lovingly resting his head on my favourite jumper. His grey fur, relaxed temperament, and soft gaze combined with the frayed fibres of my sleeve reflect the beautiful days behind us. As age and fragility progresses, our adoration for each other increases.

About the artist

Tania Babic is a Ballarat-based emerging visual artist exploring the human condition and natural world through her realistic drawings of lifeforms, especially pets. Her paper-based pencil portraits of animals have been featured in selective national exhibitions, such as the 2025 Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award. She is currently commencing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at RMIT, after completing her VCE in 2024.

Jamie COLE

Lulu in the Sky with Cane Toads [detail] 2026

Portrait of Lulu

Acrylic on timber panel

30.5 x 40.5 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Our family dog Lulu stars in this surreal Far North Queensland (FNQ) fable, a nod to the region’s notorious cane toads and Lulu’s mischievous encounters with them. With psychedelic humour and fluorescent colour, the work celebrates FNQ’s strange beauty, where innocence, danger, and delirium coexist beneath a vivid Queensland sky.

About the artist

Jamie Cole is an artist based in Far North Queensland. His practice blends surrealism, bold graphic linework, and saturated colour to explore queer identity, memory, and contemporary Australian culture. Drawing on pop iconography and humour, his work balances emotional intimacy with sharp visual impact.

Denise Leigh CROSS

Caught Off Guard: The Cat Cafe [detail] 2025

Portrait of Angel, Mocha, Kiki, Daisy, Chai, Ginger

Acrylic paint on canvas

45 x 45 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About

the artwork

As a cat lover and enthusiast for cat cafés, I reminisce on the humorous and quirky humanlike qualities of these dear little felines. While enjoying a coffee, I watch and interact with these furry friends as they roam freely, providing companionship and entertainment to each other and the patrons themselves.

About the artist

Denise Cross has been a secondary art teacher within Brisbane, Townsville and Bangkok over 26 years. Having previously completed a Bachelor of Fine Art and Master of Education, she is progressively working towards a Master in Visual Art at Queensland College of Art and Design, Griffith University. Her teaching has always been accompanied by a personal art practice, and Denise has been selected as a finalist for highly competitive art competitions (among them the Percival Portrait Painting Prize, 2018; Brisbane Portrait Awards, 2023; Brisbane Portrait Awards, 2024; Salon des Refusés, 2024; Redlands Art Awards 2024; and QLD Figurative, 2026). She has also regularly held solo and group exhibitions within Queensland and Bangkok.

Claire B. CUSACK

Nico [detail] 2025

Portrait of Nico

Oil on aluminium composite material

40.5 x 30.5 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Nico is a much-loved black Labrador, known for his gentle nature and loyal companionship. Painted in oil paints, this portrait captures his quiet strength, playful warmth and constant presence in daily life, celebrating the deep bond he shares with those around him and honouring his place within his family.

About the artist

Claire B. Cusack loves to capture her surroundings and paint contemporary portraits of people, animals and places in her life. Faces fascinate her: different expressions, the way eyes capture certain emotions, or just the slight tilt of a head can say so much.

Anna DAVI

Vinnie [detail] 2025

Portrait of Vinnie

Acrylic on canvas

30 x 30 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

My painting presses pause on the elusive nature of wild birds, so we may linger with these marvellous creatures. I’m privileged to encounter a particular magpie in my garden: Vinnie. He lets me take his photo and I never tire of these magical moments because no bird is ‘ordinary’ to me.

About the artist

Anna Davi is a mixed-media artist from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, best known for her vibrant, expressive bird portraits. Inspired by the beauty of Australian birds, Anna creates layered, abstract artworks that blend realism with imagination. Her work captures the fleeting presence of our feathered friends in intimate, often unexpected, ways.

Sophie FRESHWATER

Percy [detail] 2026

Portrait of Percy

Watercolour and ink

30 x 30 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Percy, affectionately known as Coconuts, is a cherished member of Sarah’s family. Sarah advocates for greyhound adoption and fostering, caring for a lively clan of dogs, a number of whom I’ve been privileged to paint. This work aims to capture Percy’s beautiful eyes and sweet, if not sometimes crazy, nature.

About the artist

Sophie Freshwater is a Naarm/Melbourne-based artist working across portraiture and representational art. After graduating from Victoria College Prahran, she spent several years as a graphic designer before returning to fine art in 2019. Working in oils, watercolour, and drawing, she creates portraits that tell quiet human stories and foster an emotional connection between sitter and viewer. Her practice often juxtaposes unexpected objects and symbols to highlight social and environmental concerns.

Alongside her portraiture, she has developed a series centered on endangered Australian bird species, reflecting a growing national urgency around biodiversity loss. Sophie also advocates for the welfare of domesticated animals, including dogs, that enter refuge care.

She has been a finalist in national art prizes, including the Portia Geach, the Smallacombe Portrait Prize, the Art Edit self-represented artist prize, and a semifinalist in the Moran Prize. Her first solo exhibition, held recently at Mario’s in Fitzroy, sold out.

Finn GORMAN

My Dog, Sky [detail] 2026

Portrait of Sky

Acrylic on canvas

40 x 30 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This painting is a picture of my dog Sky, and also a representation of my other dog Hugo, who passed away.

I did an image of Hugo’s grave and him going to heaven in the corner.

About the artist

I’m Finn, and I’m eight years old. I want to be an artist when I grow up. I love my friends, family, and my dogs!

Jodie HANDLEY

Spinifex Spectre [detail] 2024

Portrait of Night Parrot

Hand-embroidery on cotton drill

20 x 20 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

In 2013, a ghost was discovered on Maiawali Country in remote western Queensland. Thought extinct for a century, the Night Parrot re-emerged. Despite their disappearing habitat—and being perfect prey for feral cats and other predators, given their grounddwelling nature—the ‘Thylacine of the air’ remains determined to endure.

About the artist

Jodie Handley is a Queensland-based artist specialising in hand-embroidery, whose work focuses on environmental issues or living with chronic illnesses, both of which have an emphasis on themes of resilience and adaptability. She believes embroidery deserves recognition in the art world, and is passionate about elevating it from the realm of ‘craft’.

Naomi HATT

Home [detail] 2025

Portrait of Olive-backed Sunbird

Photograph on archival photographic paper

26.5 x 16 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

It had been 18 months since the Cyclone Jasper floodwaters took my mum’s home of 40 years. Finally, we were able to move her into a new unit, and, to our delight, Olive-backed Sunbirds were there to greet us. It was a little bit of familiar in an unfamiliar place.

About the artist

Naomi Hatt has a long-standing interest in natural history and the illustration of plants and animals as a way of documenting place. Her arts practice centres around drawing, printmaking, and photography. The garden and bushland surrounding her studio serve as a point of reference to record observations of flora and fauna.

Haelwen-sian LANGEBERG

OFF DUTY [detail] 2025

Portrait of TIGGA

Polychromos pencil and Sakura highlight pen on 300gsm Sketch & Wash ivory paper

28.5 x 20 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

My TIGGA is a very bouncy-bouncy bundle of nonstop energy, so to capture a moment when she is finally still and ‘off duty’ is rare indeed!

About the artist

I’m a self-taught ScribbleSketcher creative who dabbles mostly in colour pencil and pen landscapes, night scenes, and pet ‘pawtraits’.

Lorraine LOWE

Salty [detail] 2026

Portrait of Salty

Acrylic on cradled wood

30 x 20 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

At first glance, Salty appears sweet and innocent— like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. But his bold stare, vibrant colours, and playful swagger reveal the cheeky, confident ruler of his nanny-goat harem in this modern impressionist-inspired painting.

About the artist

Lorraine Lowe is a Townsville-based textile and visual artist with a love for the art of crafting—baking, stitching, sculpture, and painting. She works with bright colours, texture, and pattern, often painting in a modern impressionist style. With a background in ecology and teaching, she is currently studying visual art.

Christopher Glenn MALONEY

Rickdiculously Cold [detail] 2026

Portrait of Rick

iPhone digital photographic print

50 x 50 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Rick is a three-year-old Kelpie Koolie cross. During winter, he likes to get under his blanket for warmth and to curl up against my back. This is what I woke up to in the middle of the night.

About the artist

Christopher is a local North Queensland amateur photographer. Born and raised in Bowen, Christopher and Rick are currently on a journey together, helping each other to live life to the fullest. Rick has taken his ‘Dad’ along for many adventures: fishing, camping, swimming, and boating. They have just started their Support Dog training and, as a puppy, Rick learnt muster dog techniques from Frank Finger of ABC’s Muster Dog fame.

Sienna PRIDEAUX FREWEN-LORD

Marshmallow [detail] 2026

Portrait of Marshmallow

Acrylic and watercolour on canvas

40 x 30 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This painting shows my budgie Marshmallow perched on my hand. I tried to capture his curious, cheeky nature through his expression and posture. Detailed feather work brings focus to his face, while a grey background with a touch of green adds a soft contrast that helps him stand out.

About the artist

Hi! I’m Sienna, and I’m 14 years old. After visiting the 2024 Percivals, I dreamed of seeing my own artwork on those walls. Now my dream is coming true! I usually sketch realism in graphite or Prismacolor, but I challenged myself by creating a painting. I hope you like it!

Jason RICKERT

Double Trouble [detail] 2024

Portrait of Ruby and Annie

Gouache on art board

36 x 45 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

To celebrate my mate Mick’s 50th birthday, I created a special surprise artwork that holds personal significance. Mick has a profound affection for his Border Collies Ruby and Annie, affectionately known as ‘double trouble’. Both dogs are renowned for their boundless energy and remarkable intelligence, making them a lively presence and a challenge to keep still—unless there’s food involved, which never fails to capture their attention.

This artwork became even more meaningful as a tribute to Ruby, who has sadly passed away recently.

About the artist

Jason (‘Jase’) Rickert is a Townsville-based emerging artist. He describes his works as rustic and lyrical. Outside of portraiture, he enjoys depicting the deeper layers of culture, land and its psyche. Most of his works are painted with feathers, providing unique compositions, fluid lines in texture and rhythm. Some of his abstract work is deeply subjective, inviting viewers to uncover layers of meaning shaped by the unique contexts he explores. He also likes to capture the essence of the Australian landscape, delving into its mythical past, present, and the relationship between nature and humanity.

Jase has an Associate Diploma of Commercial Art with Honours in Illustration and Design.

Cassie ROBINSON

Jake [detail] 2026

Portrait of Jake

Coloured pencil on paper

33 x 30 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

There is nothing my dog Jake would have loved more than being admired in a gallery, which is why I chose him as my subject. And there was nothing I loved more than him, so I really tried to capture this in the portrait.

About the artist

Cassie Robinson is a local artist who was born and raised in Townsville. When she was 12, she received a set of Derwent pencils for Christmas, and it was love at first sight. Cassie enjoys teaching art classes and creating art in many different mediums, but has a particular love for coloured pencil animal portraits.

Enrico ROCHE

Contemplation [detail] 2024

Portrait of Orangutan

Digital photographic print

35 x 35 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Taken in the jungle in Sumatra, this photograph shows a male Orangutan in deep thought. Sumatran Orangutans are listed as critically endangered. This Orangutan reminds us of our duty to preserve nature and stop deforestation.

About the artist

Enrico Roche is a semi-retired doctor with a keen interest in wildlife photography.

Elissa SAMPSON

Waiting 2025

Portrait of Buddy

Graphite on Fabriano Artistico HP

16 x 14 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

An intentional piece, this drawing uses reduced scale to encourage close viewing. I have drawn Buddy’s face in sharper detail, treating his body with a soft focus effect, mimicking a shallow depth of field. When an image is surrounded by negative space, distractions are reduced, and this encourages a stronger connection between the viewer and Buddy.

About the artist

Elissa Sampson is an Australian visual artist known for her work in drawing, particularly in graphite and charcoal. Her work has been acknowledged in Australian art prizes, being shortlisted for the National Works on Paper Prize and JADA and having won the Percival Animal Portrait Prize on three occasions.

Elly STALENBERG

Frankie and me [detail] 2025

Portrait of Frankie

Acrylic paint on canvas

30.5 x 30.5 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This artwork shows my dog Frankie and I sharing a quiet moment on a small Sydney harbour beach on a summer afternoon, his head resting lightly on my feet. It aims to captures the simplicity, contentment, and companionship we find with our pets—the sense that they see us and accept us completely.

About the artist

Elly Stalenberg is a wildlife ecologist and emerging artist, who lives in Sydney with her young family. Her intimate wildlife portraits draw on years of close scientific observation. They aim to capture the emotion, intelligence, and resilience of animals and the bonds they share with people.

Catherine STEWART

Eye on the Weather [detail] 2025

Portrait of Neo

Oil on canvas

50 x 40 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This painting is of my daughter and son-in-law’s dog Neo. Full of life and mischief, Neo rules the roost and you can’t run anything past him! He lives the life of a little prince, which, in Neo’s opinion, is exactly what he deserves. This painting depicts Neo about to venture out in the rain, suitably styled in his yellow raincoat, with his owner a barely noticeable presence in the background. His cheeky face, dominated by large, searching eyes, forms the heart of this piece. He’s ready, but somewhat suspicious of the weather-affected adventure that awaits. This painting aims to capture the joy and character he brings to our whole family.

About the artist

Catherine Stewart is a primary school teacher who loves to paint. Her practice focuses on landscapes, florals, and scenes from everyday life. While largely self taught, she has recently attended several art workshops, having rediscovered her passion for painting after many years of raising a family and working as a primary school teacher.

Schuyler TIN

The Hunt [detail] 2026

Portrait of Apollo

Graphite and coloured pencil on paper

30 x 32 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait is both a fond memory of a beloved companion and a piece about an earnest bid to be taken seriously even if it feels ridiculous. Maybe if our humble family dog (a deeply silly creature) can perform his hunting instincts with full commitment, then I can also try to take myself a little more seriously as an artist?

About the artist

Schuyler Tin is a registered nurse whose artistic work centres on drawing. Her lifelong pursuit of drawing functions as a meditative process. Her practice is slow and methodical, offering a welcome refuge from a demanding career in healthcare.

Linda WEEDON

Happy at Half Mast [detail] 2026

Portrait of Hunter

Acrylic on canvas

45 x 45 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

True to his breed, Hunter is an alert, energetic Kelpie. In this portrait, I aimed to encapsulate his focused gaze, happy expression, and charming quirk of only one ear standing to attention. I want the viewer to almost feel like they can reach out and feel both his fur and friendliness.

About the artist

Linda Weedon works across a wide variety of styles, subjects and mediums. Her animal portraiture taps into her love of living things. As the artist states, “I am inspired by how I perceive beauty, spirit and life, conveying this essence through my artworks.”

Recent achievements include receiving the People’s Choice Award/s (Summer in Capricorn, 2023; Bayton Award, 2024); an Honourable Mention (Bayton, 2026), appearing in the Raining Cats and Dogs joint exhibition (Figtree Gallery, 2025), and in multiple group exhibitions at Emu Park and Yeppoon galleries.

Hayley WELLINS

Portrait of Bindi [detail] 2025

Portrait of Bindi

Oil on canvas

33 x 33 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

Bindi is the first pet I have bought in my 20s. She lives with me in a house I share with fellow students. Painted on an unmade bed, in a room with anatomy posters lining the walls, this portrait reflects the quiet constancy of companionship during a transient time, where routine, mess, and presence shape everyday life.

About the artist

Hayley Wellins is an Australian artist whose work explores animals, domestic space, and everyday rural and suburban life. Currently studying veterinary science, her painting practice is grounded in observation, patience, and close attention to form. Working primarily in oil, she creates quiet, narrative-driven works that reflect companionship, routine, and the subtle relationships between animals, people, and place.

Katrina WHEATON

Portrait of Lara [detail] 2024

Portrait of Lara

Plasticine

41 x 29 cm

Image courtesy of the artist.

About the artwork

This portrait shows my rescue greyhound Lara modelled entirely in plasticine. A former racing greyhound, Lara is deeply affectionate and gentle, inviting people to reconsider assumptions and recognise greyhounds as loving, dignified companions. She is shown here relaxed yet alert, wearing a patterned hound tee that contrasts with her sleek black form.

About the artist

Katrina Wheaton is an emerging artist based in Sunraysia, Victoria, and an experienced art and design educator. Inspired by her adopted greyhounds, Amy and Lara, her current practice focuses on greyhound art and explores diverse styles and mediums in creative and innovative ways.

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Perc Tucker Regional Gallery

Cnr Denham Street and Flinders Street,

Townsville QLD 4810 (07) 4727 9011

galleries@townsville.qld.gov.au

Pinnacles Gallery

Riverway Arts Centre

20 Village Boulevard, Thuringowa Central QLD 4817 (07) 4773 8871

galleries@townsville.qld.gov.au

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