Serendipity 'Finding something good without looking for it'
Michael Bain
- Sitter: Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM
- Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
- Dimensions: 76 x 102 cm
- Representation: The artist represents themselves
About the artwork and sitter
Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM is a doctor at the Gold Coast University Hospital, a senior lecturer at Griffith University and an adjunct research fellow at the Menzies Health Institute. A car accident left him a quadriplegic half way through his medical studies.
His research now includes spinal cord injury and rehabilitation techniques. He is also 2021 Queensland Australian of the year, and a disability advocate.
“Coming from the darkness into the light emerging stronger, Dinesh is a modern-day superhero revealing his life’s purpose, to give back to others and is a man who has ability not disability. “
About the artist
Michael Bain is a self taught artist, born in Brisbane who now lives on the Gold Coast. He has been drawing and painting for as long as he can remember.
“I work mainly with acrylic and watercolour. I thoroughly enjoy the challenges that come with creating, perfecting, and telling a story through my art.”
“As a doctor in Australia’s busiest Emergency Department (Gold Coast), Dinesh deals with tough situations every day, but underneath his doctor’s scrubs (as descripted on his chest in my artwork), is a remarkable and kind man.”
Behind the scenes
One Sunday afternoon having lunch chatting about the upcoming state of origin series, my wife said to me, “you haven’t picked up a paint brush in a really long time, not since your published limited edition Wally Lewis and David Campese prints”.
It was at the point that I realised I had really missed doing my artwork. Life was busy raising my two children and working full-time, the days just rolled on by.
My wife started telling me about a doctor at her work that suffered a terrible car accident in 2010, that left him a quadriplegic and had gone on to achieve some amazing things, I was interested in finding out more. The more we chatted, the more I became intrigued about the achievements of Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, who is advocating for ability not disability and thought – what a great subject and I could help tell his story through my art.
As a doctor in Australia’s busiest Emergency Department (Gold Coast), Dinesh deals with tough situations every day, but underneath his doctor’s scrubs (as descripted on his chest in my artwork), is a remarkable and kind man. A man who believes in inclusion and belonging for all and when confronted with adversity, embraced his new-found challenges, discovered his passion to help others both professionally as a doctor and personally as an advocate for disability and as a result, has opened the door for so many others around the world to follow in his footsteps and achieve their own dreams.
