When a draw spells win
JOHNATHAN Thurston is renowned for his big smile and loud laughter.
But it was the North Queensland Cowboys legend’s serious side that Cairns artist Kristin Tennyson wanted to capture for her 2017 Archibald Prize submission.
“I just wanted to paint him as he is – just raw,” she said. “I definitely went for a serious mood. I think also with the injuries that were plaguing him, I think he had a lot on his mind.”
Ms Tennyson submitted a portrait of the Maroons playmaker last week.
She travelled to Cowboys HQ in Townsville two months ago when she was given 30 minutes to sketch the jovial halfback. She spent another three weeks painting the portrait.
The Archibald Prize is awarded annually to the best portrait of a distinguished person painted by an Australian artist.
It is an open competition that is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW, where finalists’ work will be showcased. The Archibald Prize was first awarded in 1921.
Ms Tennyson was born in Toronto in Canada, but has lived in Australia for the past HERE’S HOPING: Kristin Tennyson and her subject Johnathan Thurston put in work for this year's Archibald Prize. 20 years. Now a self-confessed Cowboys’ fanatic, the adopted Far Northerner said it was not always easy getting the right mood when sketching Thurston.
“I said you have got to give me a serious face, but that was difficult because he couldn’t stop smiling,” she said.
On Sunday the Cowboys lock horns with the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the Far North’s annual NRL fixture.
Although Thurston is out injured, Ms Tennyson said it is a game she couldn’t miss.
“He is exactly the way people think is,” she said.
“He is just normal and very accommodating.”