Stephen Nothling Self-portrait thinking about painting a portrait of Eva Breuer to enter into the Archibald Prize

When Stephen Nothling was talking to his art dealer Eva Breuer last year about who he might paint for a portrait to enter in the Archibald Prize she said, ‘Well, you can always paint me.’

‘As an idea, I did a quick drawing of her on the phone because being in separate cities that is how we mostly communicate,’ says Nothling. ‘Distance made it apparent that there would be no time for actual sittings so I decided to construct a self-portrait around that initial drawing, in effect producing a double portrait, her and me, that self-consciously referenced its intention as an Archibald entry.’

‘I wanted the painting to be as immediate, minimal and uncomplicated as possible and almost colourless like Eva’s pristine gallery,’ he says. ‘I’m also a very blond person. I took the liberty of distorting the face to emphasise the fact that my eyes don’t work very well and that I feel self-portraiture is an awkward and narcissistic thing that requires a bit of self-deprecation and good humour.’

Born in Brisbane in 1962, Nothling received his Diploma of Art from Queensland College of Art and a Master of Arts from Queensland University of Technology.