David in Conversation
Ann Vardanega
David in Conversation [detail] 2025
Portrait of David Rowe
Digital photographic print
60.9 x 40.6 cm
About the Artwork
David is an old friend, and we often sit down for a chat, talking about all things art. Even though he is a painter and I am a photographer, we have lots of common ground. I love visiting him in his gallery/ studio and sitting surrounded by his artwork, which covers every wall. It is here that David is master of his craft.
To me, a portrait of anyone that captures their true self should not be choreographed; it should not be managed by the photographer, otherwise, what I create is my own idea of who that person is, not their true self. The beauty of this photograph is that it shows David, relaxed, his personality revealed.
About the Artist
Ann Vardanega is an artist and educator. She has a PhD in Creative Arts and worked as an educator at James Cook University until the Creative Arts degree was discontinued. Primarily working with lens-based processes, the majority of her work is photographic. Ann uses a variety of techniques and approaches, ranging from contemporary digital capture (including using a camera that captures only near-infrared wavelengths) and output through to the earliest photographic techniques (such as cyanotypes, anthotypes, and analogue photography). Sometimes, the work is a mixture of both.
She was a finalist in the Muswellbrook Art Awards, and her entry was added to the gallery collection. She has exhibited in Australia and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include Sense of Place at Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts (2023) and TYTO Gallery (2024).