The background to how a painted portrait was created.

Creating art is always a challenge for every artist. Depending on what motivates the artist, the subject matter can be tricky. Some may be motivated by sales. Some may be motivated by some social cause. Some may wish to create something that resonates with the viewer.

I like to put myself in the latter category. I create art that I hope will strike a chord with the person looking at it and the demographic I aim for are those who are currently serving or have served and those that love and support them.

Here is a short video on what spurred me to paint my wife's portrait. I was very proud when she - then my girlfriend - went to Tarin Kot, Afghanistan as a nurse and as the commander of the Royal Australian Air Force combat surgical team.

So when the opportunity came to enter the RAAF's Heritage Awards Art Prize, she was the natural choice for the subject of the entry.

Unfortunately, it did not win... but the then Chief of Air Force, Air Marshall Mark Binskin, liked it so much that he requested it be acquired for the RAAF's Official Art Collection.

With much pride, I parted with the portrait, and now my wife has pride of place in the RAAF's history.  Ad Astra!

To visit my website or other social media channels, click on the tabs above.
To visit Sharon's website, go to www.sharonbown.com