David Naseby Les Murray

This portrait by David Naseby of poet Leslie Allan ‘Les’ Murray (1938-2019) is now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.

The painter spent three days drawing the poet: ‘Although the end result was enjoyable, it was not an enjoyable process because the whole family were watching… and Murray kept falling asleep. However, behind the mask of the country boy, there is a remarkable, intelligent, sensitive human being and I have tried to get his soul out on the canvas.’