Look who rolled into the gallery this morning! 'Sam Simmons is an award-winning comedian, writer and actor. A self-proclaimed coriander of comedy; what he serves up is an acquired taste of irreverent humour and fun. The ice cream was not only a sweet prop with which to celebrate that irreverence, but felt comparable to his comedy – a hit of joy when the day calls for it. I painted Sam during the lockdown months of the pandemic, and it was indeed a joyous relief. Sometimes, a big dollop of silliness is exactly what the doctor ordered. I worked on the painting over 5-6 weeks - about 150 hours in total. I use a mix of approaches when applying the paint. My signature style is a type of glazing process - layering watered-down acrylic paint to create depth and richness. I mix this glazing technique with more traditional brush techniques of blending colours and tones adding bold colour washes for further depth in tone and temperature correction - removing specific areas of the wash to allow undercoats to come through where needed. I repeat these techniques back and forth to build form and tone.' Claus Stangl Commissions available. For any enquires please DM or email us on [email protected] #twentytwentysix #sydneyartgallery #artgallery #sydney #bondi #bondibeach #2026 #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #art #artist #artwork #artcollector #australianartist #painting #contemporaryart #figurativeart #samsimmons #clausstangle #archibald #comedy #comedian