Catherine McGuiness Rosary with the seagull

The subject of Catherine McGuiness’s portrait is Rosie Deacon, a Sydney-based artist working in sculpture and installation, whose vibrant, colourful works are often immersive and interactive.

‘Rosie is my lovely, lovely dancing teacher. She’s awesome! Rosie is also a great artist. She makes props and stuff like rainbows and koalas. I like to call her Rosary. I’m also a great artist and dancer. I painted Rosary with the seagull because she’s gorgeous,’ says McGuiness.

For this Archibald portrait, McGuiness visited Deacon’s art studio, where Deacon dressed up in costumes for McGuiness to draw and paint. ‘Her studio is filled with soft toys, animals, props and art. There are big koalas that she made and seagulls that she wears on her head. I wanted to say thank you to Rosie for everything.’

McGuiness is supported by Studio A, which provides professional development to artists with intellectual disability. This is the first time she has been represented in the Archibald Prize.