Jun Chen Artist – Joe Furlonger

Joe Furlonger is a landscape and figurative painter who has been a finalist in the Archibald Prize nine times.

Jun Chen and Furlonger live near each other in northern Brisbane and have been good friends for many years.

This is the third time Chen has painted his fellow artist. The first portrait was hung in the 2004 Salon des Refusés at Sydney’s SH Ervin Gallery, while the second was a finalist in the 2006 Archibald Prize.

‘A few years ago, we drove to central Queensland, camped in a wild, overgrown field, and spent two weeks painting in the bush,’ says Chen. ‘Ever since that trip, which made a deep impression on me, I have wanted to paint Joe sitting in front of a campfire at night, and I finally did it this year.

‘You can see the firelight reflected in Joe’s face. After a day of travelling, he looks a bit tired but you can see from his eyes that he is thinking. This is the real artist’s life.’

This is Chen’s ninth time in the Archibald Prize. He is also a finalist in this year’s Wynne Prize.