Dagmar Cyrulla Wendy

Dagmar Cyrulla’s subject is acclaimed artist Wendy Sharpe, who lives and works in Sydney and Paris. Sharpe won the 1996 Archibald Prize with an exuberant painting titled Self-portrait as Diana of Erskineville, which is in the Archie 100 exhibition.

‘I met Wendy through a mutual friend and was instantly drawn to her because of her incredible energy and passion,’ says Melbourne-based Cyrulla.

‘In my narrative paintings I often paint strong, feminine women. I wasn’t drawn to Wendy because of her success as an artist, but as a woman who is confident, fun, inclusive, warm, encouraging, intelligent and incredibly strong. Her zest for life and art is infectious. We share a love of earrings too!

‘This portrait is one of six that I completed. I like to paint my subjects more than once, so I can explore limited colour palettes to express my emotional connection with the sitter. Wendy and I played in her studio with different poses, hats and lights. I wanted a sense of movement to be present in the work to express Wendy’s boundless energy and the fun we had.’

Born in Germany, Cyrulla arrived in Australia as a child. She has a Master of Fine Art from Monash University and was a Sulman Prize finalist in 2009.