9.8°C Feels like 2°

A painting of an old man walking along a bridge in Sullivans Cove, Hobart, Tasmania on a cold but cloudless day

2024 – 25
Aerosol on gold mirror aluminium composite
42 x 29.7cm

As a visitor to Hobart, I always stay around the Sullivans Cove area. This painting encapsulates what the harbour area, for me, embraces: the juxtaposition of old and new. Beautiful old buildings intertwined with modern architecture and signage. An old man who looks like he could’ve just stepped off a Clipper ship but is dressed in modern clothing. Graffiti, stickers and tags with rust & old pier pilings. Land and sea.

I also wanted to continue the theme of old and new by painting the image onto a gold mirror aluminium surface. My way of modernising the old Victorian gold borders they used to place around photos and paintings of the time.

Plus, for our weekend away, I didn’t bring clothes that were appropriate for the extreme cold weather; I needed to pop over to the Salamanca Market and buy a coat and hat just to survive – 9.8°C Feels like 2° – is absolutely true!