Oliver Watts Heidi May, Elle Charalambu and the artist at Redleaf Pool

In this group portrait, artist Oliver Watts is pictured with actor Heidi May, who appeared in the TV series Last king of the Cross, and Elle Charalambu, the gallery manager for Chalk Horse in Sydney.

The setting is a popular harbourside tidal enclosure in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, which recently changed its name from Redleaf Pool to Murray Rose Pool. Watts, a two-time Archibald finalist, says the painting ‘is about friendship as much as it is a revisiting of the Australian beach genre.

‘We created the party scene together. Heidi swims almost every day. Her physicality grounds the picture and represents a contemporary image of strong womanhood.

‘I chose Redleaf because, unlike ocean beaches, it is urbane and cosmopolitan. Set at dusk, there is a feeling that the party might go into the night. Redleaf has always had this double life as a family beach during the day, and a place to roll down to from a night at [Kings] Cross. My grandparents, who escaped war-torn Europe, used to go there. It was frequented by so many European refugees that the locals used to call it “Refleaf”. Attracting a mix of cultures, Redleaf is a microcosm of Sydney.’