Yuri Shimmyo Carnation, lily, Yuri, rose

For Yuri Shimmyo, the title of her painting came first. ‘I was inspired by John Singer Sargent’s painting Carnation, lily, lily, rose 1885–86,’ says Shimmyo. ‘In Japanese “Yuri” means “lily” and I’ve been thinking of doing a self-portrait with this title for a long time.

‘My initial plan was to clutch a bunch of paint brushes and a vase of flowers, but soon after I started I thought it might be more fun to be covered in lilies, standing against rose wallpaper (the painting is set in an imaginary interior). I needed carnations somewhere in the painting too. After contemplating, I made the doorway lead into the pantry and placed tins of Carnation milk and a box with the red-and-blue logo on the shelves.

‘It usually takes me a very long time to finish any painting. I painted on and off for about a year before I was happy with this one.’

Born in Japan in 1967, Shimmyo moved to Australia in 1978 and has attended Julian Ashton Art School. This is her first time as an Archibald Prize finalist.