JANINE GOOD

Artist Statement: Professor Damien Kingsbury Portrait

‘A Day in the Life’ 2019, Oil on canvas 102x102cm

Aim: the colour theme of this portrait was constructed to accentuate the blue eyes of the sitter.

 

References are made to Biggles novels by Capt. W.E. Johns, a song title by The Beatles where lyrics start with ‘I read the news today, oh boy’ and an article co-written by Prof. Damien Kingsbury published in the Australian Institute of International Affairs, ‘How Wars End’.

 

The narrative in the painting explores how childhood adventure fantasies can influence choices in adult life.

I have always thought of Damien as a maverick, and I admire his courage to search for the truth.

This painting contains a lot of symbology. I have portrayed Professor Kingsbury as a Biggles type character complete with scarf, leather jacket and motorbike, representing his younger self who travelled into a warzone and was compelled to report on political injustice in a foreign land. (I have never read Biggles but this is how I imagine the character.) The orange and green colour scheme and circular shape to the right is derived from the cover art of a Biggles novel.  Above it is an image of a war photo that accompanied an article Professor Kingsbury co-wrote entitled How Wars End (Australian Institute of International Affairs, 02 May 2018), the image is blurred and mirrored as if reflecting from his computer screen. On the left the roses in bloom and Reilly, his dog, show his devotion to family. The roses represent the women across four generations in Damien’s life. Sadly this painting is now a memorial to Reilly, his faithful stick-collecting companion, now departed.