Peter Powditch

Mitch Cairns' distinctive formal idiom is characterised by a restricted palette, graphic sensibility, and playful dialogue between abstraction and figuration. Cairns painted this portrait of Peter Powditch for the 2015 Archibald Prize. Powditch is a renowned painter who was the winner of 1972 Sulman Prize and his work can be found in the collections of most state-run institutions in Australia, including AGNSW.

Cairns has said of the work:

“I was drawn to the idea of painting Peter after attending the recent Pop to popism exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW. The inclusion of Powditch’s Seascape II to my mind reaffirmed the significance of his work.

“In general, Peter’s work is characterised by a directness of purpose, exemplary draftsmanship and an incisive approach to painting problems. He is an unapologetic image-maker.

“On accepting my invitation to sit, I spent a couple of days with Peter making drawings at his home and studio on the NSW North Coast. For this portrait, I chose to paint him in his studio. It had been raining heavily during my visit so the room was quite dark. We had a great conversation about his most recent assemblages. The beauty found and pleasure taken in the discovery of shape, here in the assemblages and also reminiscent of Seascape II, was the starting point of this painting.”