and the winner is ....

Sam Leach with two tiny works!

Just when I thought small artworks were

never going to make it to the finals of the Archibald again,

Sam wins the major painting prize with a lovely

detailed oil painting of comedian Tim Minchin!

Congrats to Sam for winning the prize and also taking out the Wynne Landscape prize in the same year! The only other artists' to have achieved this amazing feat

were William Dobell and Brett Whiteley...

So he is in good company!

Geez it must be strange to be the centre of attention in a media scum....especially when you're used to no one knowing who you are, and hibernating in a small studio painting day in day out!!

Sam Leach, Tim Minchin, oil on canvas, 2010 winner of Archibald Prize

Sam Leach, Proposal for Landscape Cosmos, oil on canvas, 2010 winner of the Wynne Prize


Sam has been around for a little while now and has won the Metro 5 painting prize for artists' under 35, which is an important prize to take out when you're starting out... He is now finishing off his Masters of Painting Research at RMIT and will use the money he won yesterday to focus on his work without having to think too much about part time work!!

Sullivan + Strumpf had a solo show of his work last year and each painting in that exhibition was dark and Gothic... with a touch of the Romantic!
After hearing him talk yesterday, you could work out that he is a serious painter with a lot of quiet determination. I'm sure he will be around for quite some time, and I'm looking forward to getting a closer look at his beautiful works...

Congrats again Sam and enjoy a few drinks on the winnings!!