by Sharon Webb

TWO WOMEN who have been friends for 20 years share a bundle of secrets.

And they know each other profoundly

So it’s inevitable that deep in the portrait Susannah Curtis painted of her friend and fellow artist Tara Badcock are knowings and wisdoms that regular art gallery goers may never divine.

But the judges of Australia’s most famous portrait prize, the $100,000 Archibald, obviously rummaged around in the painting’s richness and understood its worth

In the 99th Archibald Prize, the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW decided that of the record 1068 entries, Susannah’s painting would be one of the 55 chosen finalists.

She didn’t win. Vincent Namatjira’s portrait of footballer Adam Goodes took the prize.

Sitting in the Spring sunshine on Deloraine’s riverbank Susannah said, ‘I’m proud of the work and I’m particularly pleased it’s of Tara because I’ve wanted to paint her for a long time.’

The two became friends after meeting at the TAFE printmaking studio in Launceston. Susannah had recently moved to Tasmania and Tara, whose fabric art is delicate and distinctive, had just returned from an art residency in Paris. (People phoning Tara hear voicemail in English and French!)

Ms Curtis’ comment, ‘We hit it off’, is an understatement, as the two glance at each other to formulate replies to questions and finish each other’s sentences.

You sense these women have bonded over many cups of tea, over years of discussions on raising children, art and creativity.

What is the significance of the plait wound around Tara’s throat in the portrait? And the old-fashioned black hat?

There was only one sitting of a couple of hours for the painting. ‘Tara was playing’, said Susannah, and Tara finished, ‘When I have a plait I tend to wind it around my neck and as I did it, “Yes, that!” I thought’. The black hat relates to the theme of colonial women in Chudleigh-based Tara’s creations.

Susannah doesn’t generally have a tight intention for a painting at the beginning. The work reveals itself gradually. The painting’s submission for the Archibald was even an afterthought, especially taking into account COVID-19.

‘It was a synchronicity of events,’ she said. ‘With the Archibald you need to physically deliver the work to the gallery. I have childhood friends living in Sydney and when the Archibald organisers extended the date because of COVID, I sent it to them.’

After finding out Susannah was a finalist, the hard part was a month of keeping the secret.

Did they celebrate? ‘We did a quiet woohoo! We’re not heavy drinkers so there wasn’t any of that,’ said Tara

Susannah appears not to have given deep consideration to whether such a prestigious shortlisting will make a difference to her art and life

Certainly her kindergarten teacher aide job at Westbury Primary and bringing up two teenagers will go on as normal.

As will life on the half acre bush block at Birralee. “I need nature around me to feel good, and living there gives me that,” she said.