A FORMER Tamworth woman has been named as a finalist for the highly coveted 2017 Archibald prize.
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Jessica Ashton, a former Tamworth High School student, was listed as a finalist for a self portrait. Ms Ashton painted the portrait after discovering that she was pregnant with her second child.
“It was painted with mixed emotions, which I hoped to somehow capture,” she said in an online profile to the NSW Art Gallery about the piece.
“I wear my daughter’s tutu around my neck and feel like a clown. I am amused at myself and the chaos of life, juggling an artistic career, motherhood, teaching and everything else in between. There are so many parts to play, so many different costumes one must wear, but I love the path I have chosen.”
Ms Ashton studied fine art at the Julian Ashton Art School, where she now teaches drawing and painting.
She has been a finalist in many art prizes including the Mosman Art Prize and the AME Bale Travelling Scholarship. This self portrait was her first entry in the Archibald Prize.