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King of the Box Business

MAY 21, 2009
King of Boxes/Anthony Pratt/14"x17"/oil
I've been very fortunate in the last few years and I've landed jobs from all around the world. However, this was my first from Australia. BRW magazine (a business publication in Sydney) wanted a portrait of Anthony Pratt, the richest man in Australia. For the last 2 decades he has looked after the US business of Visy, a packaging and recycling company. This trompe l'oeil is definitely inspired from my freshman foundation days at RISD, creating cardboard sculptures.
I was given a couple of pictures of Pratt for reference. I've never really been a confident portrait painter but I'm really excited with the recent portrait jobs. I think I was always intimidated with making the portrait distorted or stylized in a certain way. Now, I feel like I'm relying more on the concept then the acutal style of the image. The initial Australian price quote for this job was very low compared to the US market. I stuck to my guns and with a couple of back and forth emails we met at a decent rate. It really was a joy working with a very accomidating and appreaciative art director. Thanks mate!
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