Australian of the Year: Meet the artist who unknowingly painted future winner Professor Alan Mackay-Sim
Updated
When artist Sven Roehrs asked his mother's neighbour, Professor Alan Mackay-Sim, to sit for a portrait, he did not know he would be painting the next Australian of the Year.
Mr Roehrs said, as an occupational therapist as his "day job", he had taken a particular interest in biomolecular scientist Professor Mackay-Sim's work, which has led to ground-breaking advances in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.
"Having worked with people with neurological conditions and spinal injuries in particular, I have found his work fascinating and exciting," he said.
"Seeing the effects on people's lives of neurological conditions, including spinal cord injuries, it's absolutely devastating.
"If anything can be done to change that, that's amazing that progress is finally being made."
Mr Roehrs said the professor sat for him for an hour at a time during his visits to his mother's home on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, while they discussed everything from facial hair to stem cells.
"He showed me photographs of ... stem cells," Mr Roehrs said.
"I've tried to depict that on the tip of his finger, he's got a ball of stem cells."
The artist said he also "blew up" the 120cm wide and 180cm high portrait, to give it a "macro effect" and mirror how Professor Mackay-Sim looked at cells in his research.
"With Alan, it's all about the cells, so I wanted to come right in and up close," he said.
The professor's pose in the portrait, with his head resting on his hand, was a nod to The Thinker sculpture by Auguste Rodin.
Even Professor Mackay-Sim's raised eyebrow in the painting had a hidden meaning.
"Apparently, when his students and people who are highly qualified ask him a question and it should really be a better question, he just raises his right eyebrow," Mr Roehrs said.
"Apparently people in his field fear the right eyebrow."
Mr Roehers said the painting still needed some "finishing touches" before it joined his list of completed works - which includes portraits of genetic researcher James Dale, poet Bruce Dawe and actress Andrea Moor.
He said he hoped to enter the portrait of Professor Mackay-Sim for the Archibald Prize later this year.
Topics: arts-and-entertainment, visual-art, painting, offbeat, australia-day, qld, australia
First posted
