Stolen
Irene Drawman
- Sitter: Alexander
- Medium: Photograph
- Dimensions: 91 x 60 cm
- Representation: The artist represents themselves
- Category: Sylvia Jones Prize for Women Artists, Accenture Digital Award
About the artwork
The artwork is called “stolen” because this moment was a very sad day for Alexander as his birthday bicycle was stolen just in front of our house. Alexander soaks himself later that day like he was trying to numb his pain in the bath.
About the sitter
This piece is a portrait of Drawman’s second son, Alexander, who was about 13 when this photograph was taken. Of her subject, Drawman says, “Alexander is our special gem. He was born with a heart problem and is a fighter.”
About the artist
Irene Drawman was born in the Solomon Islands and has lived in Brisbane since 2001. She is mostly a self taught photographer who loves photographing portraits. She is married with 3 sons, whom she photographs as her way of practising her style of portraiture.
“My artwork is a just a little moment reaching both into my world of photography and the stories of my family.”
Behind the scenes
My artwork is a just a little moment reaching both into my world of photography and the stories of my family. I have three sons and they have been my subjects since I took photography seriously.
This portrait in “Stolen” is my middle son, Alexander. My Alexander’s nature is very quiet but independent.
As I write this, I go back and think of the day I took his portraits and I feel a sadness come upon me. In those moments I had took it for granted the submission and playful nature that happened through my camera lens.
He was a very sad boy that day but he was young and taking risks submerging his face under the water in the bath tub .I watched him be himself and I took photographs of it.
Today my portraits of Alexander might be great but he only reveals what he chooses too as he has grown older.
