Reg
Amanda Penrose Hart
- Sitter: Reg Mombassa
- Medium: Oil on Canvas
- Dimensions: 150 x 120 cm
- Representation: King Street Gallery
- Category: Performing Arts and Music Award, Sylvia Jones Prize for Women Artists
2021 Performing Arts and Music Award
Proudly supported by
Lister Family Foundation
About the artwork and sitter
Reg Mombassa, whose real name is Chris O’Doherty, has been a major part of the pop culture scene for over 40 years. A musician, writer and artist, he was a founding member of Mental as Anything, a hugely popular visual artist, with many solo exhibitions.
His designs for Mambo featured irreverent, bold and unique visuals, which became much more than a brand. He also toured to Brisbane with his band Dog Trumpet, and his book was launched at QAGOMA.
“He has sat for me many times but due to covid it has been hard to have many sittings.”
About the artist
Amanda Penrose Hart has been painting for 30 years, and works predominantly in landscape. She trained at Queensland College of Art and Griffith University. She exhibits at King Street Gallery in Sydney and sells work through Philip Bacon Gallery in Brisbane.
Judge's Notes
Amanda Penrose Hart’s oil on canvas of Chris O’Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa) draws out the unique character and stealth of this iconic musician and artist, utilising a textured technique against a solid background.
Known principally for her landscape painting, Hart has ventured into portrait painting after her encounter with the founding member of Mental as Anything and design label Mambo.
This portrait has benefited from solid time spent in the studio with the sitter, highlighting the vital importance of the relationship between the two.
Karen Quinlan
Director, National Portrait Gallery Australia
2021 Judge
