A shared love of the environment has helped Laura Jones win the Archibald Prize for her portrait of author and conservationist Tim Winton. A four-time Archibald finalist, Jones said she never expected to take out the prestigious prize. She received the news of the judges’ unanimous decision from Art Gallery of NSW director Michael Brand just hours before the announcement on Friday.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today “I can’t describe the mixture of feelings. I was shocked, so happy and humbled,” she said after receiving the $100,000 prize. Jones, who becomes the 12th woman to win the Archibald, said she dreamt of being an artist as a young girl.
“I’ve been lucky enough to make that dream come true — more than any other event, today shows that I wasn’t completely crazy,” said the artist, who is based in Kurrajong at the foot of the NSW Blue Mountains. Winton is the author of 30 books, including the Miles Franklin Award winners Cloudstreet and Breath. Jones was inspired to paint the West Australian after studying the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef as part of a residency in 2016, meeting him at an environmental advocacy event.
When she flew to Perth for a sitting with the author, the reef was suffering its fifth mass bleaching event in eight years. “Tim was warm and witty. We spoke about the historical relationship between printmaking and political activism,” Jones said in an artist’s statement.
Jones said Winton rang her on Friday morn.