This final week saw the last portrait completed, and the formation of the final work. The last portrait was a reference to both Dundas’ original figure and my time physically in the NERAM collection. This final portrait developed naturally, as I felt confident in where I was going with the body of work.
So, TA-DA! There she is, all in a row. The artist who radiates self-importance; the subject who is poised, but not impressed by the work of the artist; the figure who just likes to be included in an arty milieu; and the keen but submissive drawer. I feel like in this accumulation of work I didn’t just ‘replicate’ Dundas’ image, but recontextualised it. I made it my own – both metaphorically and literally.
With this final post, I’d just like to thank the team at NERAM for selecting and supporting me through this time. It has been a fantastic experience, and I consider myself so lucky to have had this opportunity as there are many fantastic artists in the North West who would have also benefited from such a residency. I’d also like to thank my family and friends, in particular my sister Claudia, who provided invaluable feedback and artistic guidance.
I hope that you’ll continue to follow my journey as a young, emerging, female Australian artist. Perhaps maybe one day, my works will be hanging on the walls of NERAM and will inspire another emerging artist in some way to create a body of work.
– Erika Sorby @esorbyartist
Douglas Dundas, En Plein Air (c. 1930), oil on canvas. Gift of the Society of Artists, 1939. The Howard Hinton Collection.
NERAM’s Residency at Home is supported by Arts North West through their Micro Grant Program.
