What Picasso and Van Gough had (that I need to win the Archibald Prize).
Picasso had one so too Vincent van Gogh and Damien Hirst. What they had was benefactor.
An artist is like a band no one likes or knows about until they have a hit. When that happens everyone recalls that they 'knew there was something special' about them.
A benefactor supports the artist no one knows or likes so they can continue to create lest they stop and turns to an accounting career (it pays better) or they die in obscurity.
Today we call it sponsorship and it has the ring of tainted commercialism about it but Picasso was supported early in his career by art collectors Leo and Gertrude Stein, Vincent van Gogh by his brother Theo and Damien Hirst - the most opulent of all - by Charles Saatchi.
This is where I offer you a chance to support my bid to win the Archibald Prize by becoming a small benefactor. Not to support my life but to support my painting which is surprisingly expensive. Paper doesn't just grow on trees (okay, sort of, but not high quality hot pressed watercolour paper), nor ink nor paint nor the $50 entry fee.
What do you get in return? The warm inner glow of knowing you supported art (and maybe history). But if that's not enough an original print of my Archibald journey here AND I'll write your name in tiny letters on my Archibald painting. Yes. True.
I've now finished my Archibald piece so sadly can no longer write your name on my piece but you can still purchase an original print of my Archibald journey!
Immortality awaits you here.
Oh, and I've 9 days to go so wish me luck.
