Candy Surprise
Pat Hall
- Sitter: Candy (Paul Jay)
- Medium: Watercolour
- Dimensions: 91 x 137 cm
- Representation: Lethbridge Gallery
- Category: Sylvia Jones Prize for Women Artists, Performing Arts and Music Award
About the artwork
Pat has developed a new way of displaying oversized watercolours: she floods her stretched paper canvases with colour before sealing them in a UV stabilised and waterproof coating. Her portrait of Candy uses large quantities of watercolour to capture the vibrancy and sparkle of a larger than life character.
About the sitter
Celebrating Brisbane’s diversity, Candy is a multi-award winning live cabaret and drag artist. Her charisma and wit have taken her to stages across Brisbane, wider Australia and internationally. From sultry vocals to outrageous comedy, Candy is the definition of a storm in a tea cup.
About the artist
Pat Hall was born in 1963 in England and migrated to Brisbane in 1991. Pat has long immersed her artist’s gaze in Australia’s unique sun drenched landscape. Her gaze now includes the humanscape in all of its bright, brassy, Brizvegas brilliance!
“Colour and light are the most important elements of my art. Therefore, when I decided to paint a portrait, I needed a subject that meant I would not have to compromise my style.”
Behind the scenes
Colour and light are the most important elements of my art. Therefore, when I decided to paint a portrait, I needed a subject that meant I would not have to compromise my style. Candy was the perfect answer; and so much fun to work with!
I use large quantities of translucent paint and puddles of water to create the vibrancy in my work. One disadvantage of this is that I have to paint on a flat surface so that the watercolour doesn’t run away. I mix my colours on the paper which helps to create a sense of freshness and spontaneity. I use the wet-on-wet technique – but just one careful area at a time.
