David Paulson Richard Bell, 'I am not sorry'

David Paulson has known Richard Bell for around 15 years. ‘He is the only painter whose political views of the world I totally agree with. The fact that he is Aboriginal is a side issue,’ says Paulson. ‘He’s very forthright, extremely perceptive about the way Australian society runs from his disadvantaged point of view, incredibly outspoken and marvellously witty.’

Bell won the 2003 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Prize and caused a ruction when he arrived at the award presentation sporting a T-shirt with the slogan ‘white girls can’t hump’ on it. Paulson was listening ‘to all the kerfuffle on ABC radio’ when he decided to paint this portrait.

‘After that award he bought himself a new set of front teeth,’ says Paulson. We don’t get to see them here, however. Nor do we see the offending T-shirt: Paulson decided to paint it out. For the portrait, Paulson copied one of Bell’s paintings, with permission, and also got Bell’s permission to use the statement ‘I am not sorry’. ‘Originally he wanted me to use “kill the white man, kill him till he’s dead” – a line from a pop group called Popular Culture – but I thought people would read that the wrong way,’ says Paulson.

Born in Leeds in England, in 1944, Paulson came to Australia as a child. He now lives and works in Brisbane. He studied fine arts at the National Art School and did a masters in fine arts at the University of Tasmania. His work has been included in many exhibitions at the Queensland Art Gallery. He was represented in the 6th Biennale of Sydney. This is his first time in the Archibald Prize.