Future superstars making their mark in the arts world
WHEN Joel Vanderduys paints a portrait, he always starts with the eyes and it’s this element of his work that instantly draws you in.
“Eyes are a beautiful thing that everyone can connect with when you look at someone, you look in to their eyes,” Joel explains.
“I try to get the eyes right so it sets the mood for the rest of the painting.”
Incredibly, the 19-year-old from Kippa-Ring has only been painting professionally since December 2017.
He decided to focus on his art when his family returned to Australia from Papua New Guinea, where they had worked as missionaries since he was six months old.
Paints and canvases were hard to come by in PNG, so he had to use pencils. Joel says making the transition from pencil to paint wasn’t difficult. “You can cover more ground more easily,” he says.
“I’m not making too much money but I really enjoy the reactions of people when they see my work, it’s worth it. My art has improved over the time I’ve been here.”
He’s even painted a portrait of his 80-year-old grandfather, Peter, for this year’s Archibald Prize.
“The competition rules say it has to be someone that has lived in Australia and someone the artist knows,” Joel says.
“I thought I only know one old guy, so I called him.”
So why is he peering out of a torn piece of paper? “I just did it because it looks cool. It suits his personality, He’s a lively old guy,” he says. He says watching his grandfather’s portrait come to life before his eyes wasn’t too different to how he would normally feel when he’s in the ‘zone’. “Once I’m done, I still see the dots and lines for a while,” Joel says.
“My family saw granddad come to life but I saw a painting.
“A few days later, I came to look at it and could see him.”
It’s his first entry in the prestigious competition, so working out how to transport the piece to the Art Gallery of New South Wales was something else he had to consider.
He’s hoping his work will be a finalist in the prize, and the exposure for prize winners and their work is priceless.
For now, Joel’s plans are pretty simple. “To keep going and keep painting. There’s always more to learn, so I’ll keep learning.”
His work is on display at Red Poppy Art Collective, 1/106 Sutton St, Redcliffe; and Seaside Artists Gallery, 133 Redcliffe Parade, Redcliffe. You can also see more of his work on instagram @artbyjoel
Source: https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/moretonlife/future-superstars-making-their-mark-in-the-arts-world/news-story/a050c1e0c0dc38603b0f619ffb5aa31c