Kerrie Lester Susie Maroney, True Blue Sue

This portrait by Kerrie Lester of swimmer Susie Maroney was a finalist in the Daily Telegraph Sporting Portrait Prize, held in conjunction with the Archibald Prize 2000. It is now in the Macquarie University Art Collection.

Lester wanted to paint Maroney because of her extraordinary achievements as a long-distance swimmer and also because Lester’s own work tends to be about the sea. 'I thought she would be a lot of fun to do compared to some of the sitter portraits I have done in the past. And she’s pretty amazing,’ says Lester.

Maroney was only 18 when she was awarded an Order of Australia in 1993. She has clocked up six world records, including the longest ever recorded swim, from Mexico to Cuba in 1998, earning her a place in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Born in Sydney in 1953, Lester has been hung in ten Archibald Prize exhibitions, winning the Packing Room Prize in 1998.