Archibald Prize: Brisbane artist paints human statue Steve Hollis for portraiture prize

A BRISBANE artist has painted a human statue who performs in Queen St Mall in a bid to take out the Archibald Prize.

Graham W Smith is throwing his hat into the ring for the Archibald Prize with a painting of human statue Steve Hollis. Picture: RENAE DROOP

WHO is the man behind the glasses, painted and clothed in silver and leading a toy crocodile on a leash?

It’s the question that inspired Wynnum artist Graham W. Smith to paint a portrait of human statue Steve “Silver Steve” Hollis, a Gold Coast street performer and magician, for the prestigious Archibald Prize.

Smith has painted mostly landscapes and said portraiture was one of the hardest disciplines.

“You’ve got to try to get underneath the skin of the sitter,” he said.

The portrait took Smith six months to paint, even though Hollis was an excellent sitter.

“He (Steve Hollis) hides behind his glasses and watches people closely and enjoys their reactions to him,” Smith said.

“He’s a quirky subject ... people don’t know how he can sit there and he doesn’t react to people.

“It’s been a fun project and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute ... of trying to get the enigma of the man behind the sunglasses.”

The Archibald is the country’s pre-eminent prize for portraiture and prefers sitters to be Australian men or women “distinguished in art, letters, science or politics”.

“(The Archibald is) something I think a lot of artists aspire to enter,” he said.

Only a selection of entered paintings will be accepted into the competition as finalists and Smith knows his entry is a long shot.

“It was a lovely experience to know the man behind the mask and listen to his funny stories,” he said.

“If (the portrait) doesn’t get accepted, I’m not particularly perturbed about it because there are so many good artists around.”

The finalists for the Archibald Prize are announced on July 7.