Matt Butterworth

Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2026 - Finalist

_{Image courtesy of the artist and Han Feng Art Space and Studio, New York.}

Matt Butterworth
VIC

The Artist’s Father
2026
Oil and acrylic on board
19.5 x 14.5cm

I began this portrait of my father with a series of drawings from life. I sat with him. We talked, laughed, paused and I looked.I felt an overwhelming sense of connection through these initial drawings, so I moved to make this painting.

Again, I began working from life (completed in studio). I have always enjoyed the proximity and intimacy when working with the subject there; with me. It heightens the intensity; there’s more at risk.

I knew right from the start that I wanted this portrait to whisper rather than shout. To enter a quiet dialogue between two men (father and son). I knew I wanted to offer the audience a gentle conversation.

My father is a strong man who taught me (and my siblings) how to be vulnerable. To open one’s heart at risk of being hurt. He is a man that battles anxiety and Parkinsons. A progressive disorder that challenges his ability to move freely within the world.

I don’t know what I was trying to say with this portrait, but when I look at it, engage with it, I connect to his struggle. Constant, deep and silent.