Kim Spooner and see the light surrounding you (Daniel Johns)

Daniel Johns is the singer, guitarist and songwriter for Newcastle-based rock group silverchair. Thrust into the public spotlight at the age of 15 after winning a 1994 demo competition, he and his band mates have gone on to become Australia’s most successful contemporary rock band, selling more than six million records globally. Johns is an enigmatic and intensely private young man who has grown up in public.

Kim Spooner is a Sydney-based artist who exhibits regularly. She regards her portrait work as one project and approaches it as a contrast to her regular practice. The thread that weaves through her portraiture is that the subjects are iconic in their field, represent a meeting of humanism, intelligence and charisma, and have made a genuine contribution to their times. She was inspired to paint Johns because of his ethical position on social issues and also, of course, his beautiful music.

Spooner’s previous Archibald subjects have been Kerry O’Brien (2000) and Barrie Kosky (1997).