Attending the unveiling of my Frank Sedgman portrait at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club a couple of weeks ago was a landmark experience for me! I would like to thank Frank and his family for so generously being part of the journey of this portrait project. A big thanks to the Kooyong Foundation for acquiring Frank’s portrait for their wonderful collection. Thank you Chris Brown for arranging the acquisition of the painting and for affording me the honour of being part of this very special evening.

In 2015 I decided to enter a piece into the 2016 Archibald Portrait Competition. I was inspired to paint Frank Sedgman’s portrait after a mutual friend of the family told me about his amazing achievements in tennis during a significant period in the sport’s history.

I believe a person’s achievements and life journey are very much reflected in their face and character, so I was keen to meet Frank, as his would be an amazing portrait. It was fitting for Frank to be entered into the Archibald as he is a tennis legend and I was very excited to have this opportunity. I was very pleased when Frank agreed to the portrait.

I met up with him at the Gold Coast, whilst he was up for a holiday enjoying the warmer weather. During the sitting we spoke at length about his past in tennis and about his life since then. To familiarise myself with his features and character, I did a painting sketch of him whilst we spoke, as well as taking casual photos. I wanted to capture Frank in the moment as he recalled the past, his thoughts reflected in his expressions. It was a wonderful and interesting day.
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​I feel very honoured that my painting of Frank Sedgman has been acquired by the Kooyong Foundation for the Australian Tennis Museum at Kooyong, to be displayed as part of their collection. I just heard that the painting has been received and unwrapped at Kooyong this morning!
Frank Sedgman won many grand slam titles in his career, including the Wimbledon title in 1952. He is a world renowned Australian tennis legend.
http://www.kooyong.com.au/home/history/the_kooyong_museum.aspx
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​Frank Sedgman is celebrated in Australian and international tennis history as a major amateur tennis player between 1948 and 1952. He won many Grand Slam titles in his career, including the Wimbledon title in 1952. In 1953 he decided to become a professional tennis player and as such was not allowed to compete at Wimbledon or certain other major amateur tournaments. It was an interesting time in tennis history due to the controversy surrounding a tennis player turning professional. Frank, determined to stay professional, proceeded to lead an interesting and full life travelling around the world, with his wife Jean, on the professional tours. Frank continued to win many more titles. The restrictions on professionals lasted for 15 years before it was reversed by the start of “open tennis” in 1968.

I believe that the strength and determination to over-come obstacles and consistently win becomes etched in a person’s features over time. This is the feeling I had when I met Frank for his sitting. He still has that calm determination, clarity and strength reflected in his eyes.

During the sitting we spoke at length about his past in tennis and about his life since then. To familiarize myself with his features and character, I did a painting sketch of him whilst we spoke. I also took casual photos whilst we were in conversation. I wanted to capture Frank in the moments he recalled the past, his thoughts reflected in his features.

I used the golden mean proportions to locate Frank in the context of his memories. My choice of a landscape format for this portrait was to give his reflective thoughts a space to fill in front of him. These thoughts are fluid and nebulous, with different colours and shadows merging. The space is synonymous with Plato’s cave, like a movie screen of life/reality with shadows flickering across it as it reflects our interpretation of reality and our experience of life.

The wall behind him to the right anchors him to the shallow slice of the present.
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The texture, colour and lines in Frank’s face form a narrative of his life and they are complemented by the brilliance of his sharp blue eyes.  

Here is another progress shot of the portrait of Frank Sedgman...this is the part where the painting gradually evolves slowly uncovering the person inside. Frank's legendary winning spirit and clear determination is reflected in his eyes.

​Getting stuck into my portrait of Frank Sedgman that I am entering into this year’s Archibald Portrait Prize. Frank is a tennis legend!