William Rhodes Alice

‘Alice is my partner, mother to our three year old, and a speech pathologist living in Launceston,’ says William Rhodes.

‘She has the privilege of working with young children and their families to help them improve their communication skills. Alice is a passionate advocate for early intervention to help children with delays or difficulties with language, speech, fluency and feeding. Her work makes a big difference to the families she is involved with in our community. She is a kind and supportive woman. Her quiet achievements, and those of many other individuals in a range of helping professions, are contributing to building a better future for our children.’

In the painting, Rhodes plays with the idea of having three light sources to illuminate the subject in a dark room. The candle is out but the smart phone glows. ‘It’s a painting that attempts to be enduring and traditional, while at the same time including the reality of modernity,’ he says.

Born in Armidale, NSW, in 1977, Rhodes has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the University of Tasmania and a Master of Science (Industrial Design) from the University of New South Wales. An exhibiting artist since 2001, he has been a finalist in the Glover Landscape Art Prize (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2015), the Hobart City Art Prize (2015), and the Kedumba Drawing Award (2014). This is his first time in the Archibald Prize.