My project explores and examines – through a collection of paintings – the complex influence and impact of the Australian historical figure Ned Kelly and the impression he has made on the Australian public as well as the ongoing impact it has in my personal family histories. Ned Kelly is synonymous with the ideal Australian profile: bravery, egalitarianism and a wry sense of humour. The brief but significant life of Kelly still ripples in the lives of Australians today, including the individuals and families that fought for the burial of Ned Kelly in 2013. One of those families being my own, I explore the personal significance Kelly has to me and my father who in many ways embodies the character of the Australian ideal.

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Dad, Kelly Aficionado, 2021  

acrylic paint on canvas  

400 x 500 mm

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Beneath the Armour, 2021  

acrylic paint on canvas  

460 x 910 mm