Keith Burt
Jack Rodgers
- Sitter: Keith Burt
- Medium: Acrylic on Board
- Dimensions: 90cm x 120cm
- Representation: Woolloongabba Art Gallery
About the artwork
This the second time Jack Rodgers has painted well known Brisbane artist, Keith Burt. “I first got to know Keith properly when he sat for me for the BPP in 2022. Since then we have become good mates and meet up regularly for beer or coffee depending how much work we need to get done after. Keith sat for this portrait during one of these catch ups and I like the relaxed expression and vulnerability in it.”
This bold portrait uses expressive lines to depict the sitter’s facial features. The portrait relies on the economic use of the blue line – from the single thin line for Keith’s mouth through to the thicker shorter lines of his hair – to capture his likeness. The apparent simplicity of the work and the tight focus on the face, gives the work a high degree of intimacy.
In preparation for a portrait, Jack Rodgers does many drawings of his subject, so when he comes to paint the final portrait, he is able to distil the image down to the most economical of marks.
“A few more years into knowing Keith has allowed for more depth in the image I have of him in my mind and therefore the painting.”
About the artist
Jack Rodgers studied a BFA at QCA, Griffith University, graduating with a double major in painting and drawing. He has just had a solo exhibition at Woolloongabba Art Gallery, called Gabba Dogs, a nostalgic trip back to the heydays of the racing dogs at the iconic Gabba Stadium.
Rodgers has been a finalist in the Brisbane Portrait Prize and the Percival Portrait Prize. His work has been shown in regional galleries, and this year he had a solo exhibition at Saint Cloche Gallery in Sydney. He is working toward becoming a full time artist, and currently still works a couple of days a week as a barber.
