By Tyler Wright
Ken Hunt’s portrait will be his 18th entry into the national Archibald Prize over the past 23 years – this year deciding to paint local barrister, professor, engineer and scientist Arnold Dix.
According to Hunt, Dix travels the world as an underground tunnel expert adviser and inspector, and lives on a farm in Monbulk with family with a range of diverse pets, including three emus.
“With Arnold, he’s a pretty quirky character that does amazing work all around the world and is very little known in his own country, which I’m always confused about,” Hunt said.
Over the years, Hunt has painted figures including AFL stars Nathan Buckley and Dermott Brereton, Australian actors John Stanton (The Man from Snowy River), and Stefan Dennis (Neighbours) and police sergeant, former Yarra Ranges Council Mayor Alan Fincher.
Most of the people Hunt paints are people that walk through his jewellery shop in Monbulk.
“Because of the paintings on the wall, they find out about us, and I do Archibald, and then I’ll find out that they’re famous in one way or achieve great things in another way, and then I ask them to be my subject,” he said.
“Sometimes I sit down with them and take some photographs, do a little bit of research into who they are and what they do and why I might want to paint them in the first place.
“Often we do a sitting of a drawing… then I go back to my studio and my computer, and I see what information I’ve got, and I spend hours and hours and hours and hours figuring out what I’m going to do and how I’m going to do it.”
While Hunt’s work has not yet been picked to be judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, he has been named as a finalist in the prestigious Doug Moran National Portrait Prize; which in 2022 boasted a whopping $150,000 prize for the winner.
“I didn’t win, but nevertheless, I was very happy to have it hung and judged,” Hunt said.
At the end of April, the self-taught painter will find out whether his portrait of Dix has been picked as one of the 30 finalists for the coveted Archibald Prize.
He will either have his artwork sent back to his address, or be notified if he has made it through to the next stage.
“I entered the Archibald Portrait Prize to hopefully win it one day,” he said.
