The Percivals 2020

Elissa Sampson: My name is Elissa Sampson and I'm a graphite artists specialising in photorealism. For as long as I remember, I've always loved to draw. As soon as I finished high school, I enrolled in a Bachelor of Visual Arts at JCU, where I was in heaven drawing full-time for three years.

Interviewer: How did you decide upon your subject for the 2020 Percivals?

Elissa Sampson: In 2018, I was chosen as the winner of the Percival Animal Portrait prize with a portrait of my rottweiler Molly. I knew for me personally that I needed to do something completely different. I love all things details, so a dragonfly really was the perfect choice.

Interviewer: How long did your artwork take to create?

Elissa Sampson: That's actually one of the questions I get asked the most and I never really have the exact answer people want to hear. I'd say it took roughly two weeks. It would be a whole lot less if I didn't have mum duties.

Interviewer: Is there something you can't live without in your studio?

Elissa Sampson: I could not live without big windows and my overhead studio lamp. I need all the light. Oh, and true crime podcasts, of course.

Interviewer: What have been your biggest challenges, and what is the best piece of advice you have been given as an artist?

Elissa Sampson: The biggest challenge for me, which is quite possibly all in my head, is being judged on my subject choice and technical abilities. Also, finding great places to showcase my pieces without paying an arm and a leg for freight.

The best piece of advice I've ever read was from Chuck Close.

"Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not gonig to make an awful lot of work."

Chuck Close

This really resonates with me, as I used to be very guilty of waiting for inspiration to strike.

Interviewer: Do you have a favourite portrait in the exhibition?

Elissa Sampson: There are so many fabulous portraits this year. I can't choose one favourite. Some standout pieces for me though are from Sarah Hickey and Alun Rhys Jones.