Monochrome magic to the allure of aluminium: The art of portraiture

From aluminium to oils, how do you cut through on Portrait Artist of the Year? From early Roman-Egyptian portraits to the modern-day selfie, people seem to have an enduring fascination with the human face. "We are, by nature, really geared as humans towards recognising faces, and fascinated by them," says Robert Wellington, associate professor of Art History at Australian National University and a judge on ABC iview's Portrait Artist of the Year. "It's a very human thing." But what draws us to this art form and its many incarnations over the years? We spoke to the semifinalists of Portrait Artist of the Year to find out. Thomas Readett Age: 33 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Occupation: Mural artist Medium: Oil and spray can Thomas likes to work big. The Ngarrindjeri artist, born and raised on Kaurna country, specialises in large-scale murals and portraiture. Playing with 3D illusions and conceptual spacing, Thomas also primarily works in monochrome. He trained using oil painting, but now mixes paints with aerosol. For his most special portraits, he uses a black paint made from peach pits that he says adds depth to the shade. "One of the challenging things about working in monochrome is that you've got less to work with to capture the same amount of expression in your sitter, to capture the story," he says. "You're restricting yourself … but for me it's what I really enjoy, that challenge of trying to capture the essence of somebody just using two colours." A singer in a nu metal band called Falter, Thomas likes to blast heavy music when he paints. Rendering a portrait of comedian, TV personality and writer John Safran in his heat, Thomas impressed the judges with his ability to combine the flair of street art with classical painting techniques. "I'm loving the mash-up in Thomas's portrait," says judge and director of the National Portrait Gallery, Bree Pickering. "It's giving me a little bit of a 90s poster vibe. But at the same time, the way that he's playing with light around the clouds is really harking back to an era of old portraiture." Sidney Speirs Age: 22 Location: Bathurst, NSW Occupation: Optical assistant Medium: Oil and acrylic paint When Sidney saw how much art therapy helped her brothers, who both have autism, the born-and-raised Bathurst woman knew what she wanted to do. While currently working as an optical assistant and painting in her spare time, her dream is to one day become an art therapist. Her entry into PAOTY was the first time she'd completed a self-portrait, something she says was an "awkward but freeing experience". "There was a freedom that came with viewing myself simply as a subject and not something to judge or improve upon," she says. "To really lean into my fears and challenge them I chose to paint myself without makeup, in a position that isn't designed to flatter, but to show a piece of who I am." Sidney's bright, photo-realist style impressed the judges, particularly that she renders her portraits without a grid, just using free drawing — something they say shows "an incredible level of skill". "I'm reminded of the pop artist James Rosenquist and the way that he used these skills and tricks to show us something that looks like a photograph," says judge and art historian Robert Wellington. "I wondered how this was made, I thought it might be airbrushing, but I look more closely and you can actually see the fine brush strokes. It's quite a feat." Liz Gridley Age: 37 Location: Melbourne, VIC Occupation: Artist and art shop sales assistant Medium: Oils on aluminium Liz was working as a graphic designer in the city and hating it when she and her husband moved to regional Victoria for his work. But the lower cost of living meant she could also spend more time on her art. She worked hard on developing a style she describes as "surreal realist – realism with some kookiness!" A self-proclaimed gamer and pop culture nerd, Liz does live drawings at conventions, as well as working in an art supply store. Using aluminium as a canvas is a shining point of difference in Liz’s work. "Working on the aluminium gives it a very lovely glossy reflective surface," explains judge and award-winning artist Abdul Abdullah. "When you apply paint to aluminium it creates beautiful transitions between colours. It's a really fun thing to do but it's hard, and Liz handled it really well." Liz has had regular solo exhibitions and won many awards for her art, including the 2025 Summer Exhibition Winner at the Victorian Artists Society. Winning her PAOTY heat with her luminous portrait of athlete Nedd Brockmann and his dog, Liz said the experience was "an adventure". "I just got a quest!" she laughs. "I'm so excited I get to paint again." Jenny McCracken Age: 59 Location: Central Coast, NSW Occupation: Muralist, 3D illusionist, teacher Medium: Acrylic paint Jenny has been a working artist for more than 30 years, after failing art school, twice. Starting off designing menu boards for restaurants, she has gone on to dabble in murals, portraits, wildlife arts, 3D pavement art, trompe l'oeil (trick of the eye) paintings and sculptures. She gets involved in her work; when she was a finalist in the 2000 Moran Portrait Prize, she built a brick wall for her painting to go on. "I am a self-described art tart, 'cause I'll paint most things," she says. After three decades in Melbourne, Jenny moved to a small NSW town in the bush, which has inspired her to focus more on being an "art-ivist", focusing on biodiversity and the environment. Jenny won her heat with a charming portrait of Ellie Cole, incorporating the Paralympic swimmer's prosthetic leg with the teddy bear she brought as her special object. Judge Bree Pickering says Jenny's work "just gives us this real moment of delight and deep storytelling". Harley Kirkwood Age: 47 Location: Newcastle, NSW Occupation: Tattoo artist Medium: Oils Harley has never entered an art competition before, but his portrait work is known around the world. He is a renowned tattooist, making his name in some of Hollywood's most iconic studios. "Portrait tattoos are obviously very important to people," Harley explains, "Not many people go out and get a portrait of someone they don't like." Despite his success, the self-taught painter has dreams of leaving his job in the tattoo studio and working full-time as an artist. Judge Bree Pickering says his experience is obvious in his quick, detailed portraits. "What we see from Harley is an ability to look at his sitter, draw things out and then just very simple flourishes that give us a lot of character in the painting." He draws inspiration from his two kids, who write him notes and leave little drawings on his easel: "They give me a little bit of love to look at while I paint." He was sure to bring some of the most special ones along to his PAOTY heat, where he dazzled the judges with his "accomplished" portrait of Baker Boy. Jasmine 'Jazz' Lancaster Merton Age: 17 Location: North Sydney, NSW Occupation: High school student Medium: Oil, wax, coloured pencil The only art lessons that teenage artist Jazz has received are those in the classroom at her Northern Sydney high school. The youngest competitor in this season of PAOTY, the 17-year-old has always adored drawing. She particularly loves drawing hands, saying they're her favourite feature on a person. But the young artist is no stranger to competition: in 2025, Jazz won the Young Archie award with her self-portrait, 'My Name is Jazz'. She uses both oil paints and coloured pencils, leaning into the pencils when she wants to work more quickly. It also allows her to play with cross-hatching and texture. "I think that texture is always better than perfection and can create a greater sense of personality and detail in an artwork," she says, and the judges agreed, selecting her portrait of singer Casey Donovan as the winner of her heat. "This is a young person that knows who they are as an artist and is just going to keep on developing," judge Bree Pickering says of Jazz. In her final year of high school, Jazz hopes to continue studying art and work towards her first solo exhibition. We've got a story for you. Stream the new season of Portrait Artist of the Year on ABC iview or watch Sundays at 7:30pm on ABC TV. - Share options - Copy link - X (formerly Twitter)