While there is the obvious impression of confrontation presented to the viewer, there is also a sense of invitation, a veiled undercurrent of quite waiting – can you put aside your judgements and allow a more intimate exploration of the artist, one that on any given day winds through peaceful bush tracks, loves whole heartedly and tussles with a mind that constantly seeks? The many faces of me unfold in each vibrant mark of colour.

Since it is Archibald season for me and I am currently painting like mad into the early hours, I thought I would share my first entry into the 2013 Archibald Portrait Competition. This painting is called ‘JUZZIE SMITH – A MEAN HARP’ I hope you enjoy it!

Media Oil on Canvas

Size H 1800mm x W 1500mm x B 45mm

Artist Darren Trebilco

Artist Statement

The one man band, Juzzie Smith, uses a combination of key slide guitar, didgeridoo, stomp box, harmonica and percussion creating a unique style of music that has to be seen to be believed! Juzzie can get you feeling great and has all flavour favourites from blues to folk, groove and roots. It is feel-good music that soothes the soul and makes the heart sing.

I chose Juzzie Smith to be my sitter for the Archibald Portrait Prize for 2013. Well, I guess Juzzie Smith and the Universe did. I seriously had no intentions on participating in the competition and had plenty of other projects I was working on to keep me busy long into the year. Though, for a long time, I have been an avid listener of Juzzie’s funky blues! His music has always resonated with me and I have thought that Juzzie had a very interesting face that had a story to tell.

The story unfolds while Danielle, my beautiful partner, and I were doing our Sunday cruise through the Bulcock St Markets in Caloundra, late last December, unaware that Juzzie was playing there that day. It was only hearing his familiar musical vibrations that lead us to the harmonica master. Looking at him, this weird feeling came over me, and the next thing you know the word “Archibald” was falling out of my mouth, all by itself, as I asked Juzzie Smith if I could paint him.

From there, my schedule got pretty hectic in the lead up to organising the sitting for Juzzie. At that time, Danielle and I had just decided to put our house on the market, but before we where able to do that, we had plenty of work to do to get our home ready for selling; cleaning, gardening, the painting walls, home maintenance, all the jobs you put off now had to be done….

Juzzie Smith was also very busy with gigs and was only available to do the sitting on the 26th of January, Australia Day, leaving me only four weeks to get everything completed.

The first week got blown out from a busy work load and also getting the wrong sized canvas made up! Well an artist can change his mind and even a canvas size. The canvas just needed to be BIGGER! So, there I was, one week lost, nothing achieved and the pressure was already on!

I had plenty of ideas on how to paint Juzzie, though none of them flowed out of me! A few days rolled past with me staring at the beautiful beast of a 12 ounce canvas standing 1.8 meters tall and 1.5 meters wide, dwarfing my small studio.

Then bam! The match was struck and the painting had commenced! With that, the idea was hatched and dreamed up – no paint brushes where to be used, what so ever!!! Good times! I wanted to capture the raw, the vulnerable, the hurt, the open and exposed JUZZIE! The Juzzie Smith behind those beautiful tunes and winning smile.

Look past the Juzzie that is presented as a package with his music, and you see that deep rolling surf of emotion. Look closely and find the sunburnt reds and freckles from the Aussie sun. With the rise and fall of texture and chunkiness in the thick oil paint, his face brings forth images of the rugged Australian terrain, a part of the heart and soul of all travelling Aussies.

This all began on Australia Day, so it seemed fitting to use a colour scheme of red, white and blue!

Wave your flag, smile back to Juzzie as you see the man in action stomping away, plucking those strings and playing that mean harp as he takes you on his little journey!

Solitude Art © ®

See more at: http://solitudeart.com.au/shop/juzzie-smith-a-mean-harp/

As a part of my portrait series this week leading up to this years Archibald here is my second self-portrait I completed a few years ago. This unique artwork is called ‘ACCEPTANCE’

Artist Statement – The night creeps it’s way ever closer to it’s decline. The fan ticks, lazy currents of oil paint and turpentine linger and float through air thick with patience, intense focus, inflaming the eyes, antagonising the nostrils. The coffee has long gone cold, the outside street heavily silent and deserted. As the enfolding night lingers, deeply pregnant with – See more at: http://solitudeart.com.au/shop/acceptance/

Since I am now waiting for paint to dry/varnishing to be done on this years 2015 Archibald Portrait…I thought I would share my second entry into the 2014 Archibald Portrait Competition. This painting is called HAT FITZ – BEARDED BLUES
Artist Statement
The authentic, bushy-bearded men of the “good ol’ days”, remnants of the outback, are going the way of the Tasmanian tiger. Back then, life was so simple, men where men and women where women and well, life was just life. You took the good with the bad and – See more at: http://solitudeart.com.au/shop/hat-fitz-bearded-blues/

Artist: Darren Trebilco

***CHECK OUT TREBILCO’S LATEST ARTWORK HERE***