Early in February 2020, my friend Peter Kaye AM, the CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Australia, has generously invited me to be an Artist in Residence in their Sydney office, located right in the hub of Sydney, on the level 33 of the Aurora building. I was there in no time, my bag packed with paints, brushes and graphites while my artist folder, filled with paper, was carried in helpful hands of the CEO himself. When Peter opened the door and brought me into the boardroom, I squinted into the glare. It felt as if my senses had a vertigo from the bird eye view that pulsated behind the windows. All the way down on the left, the pattern of Botanical Gardens weaved its abstract patchwork towards the harbour, while in the Eastern direction the formations of headlands, like huge pieces of cake, were rocked in the ocean. When I came face to face with the barrier of boardroom’s glass, the city came so close that if I would have extended my arms, I could have given each building a hug or a pet on the roof, or if they were not made from concrete and steel but from chocolate, open my mouth and make a bite. It was too much to take until my gaze landed into the different harbour. More like a leathery bay of the vintage armchair that, having had a long life of its own, stood in the boardroom’s corner. It was an instant connection. Straight away I started to draw it. With the armchair patiently posing, the hectic rhythm of the city subsided. Soon, Peter Kaye shared with me that this armchair, same as the leather couch and a briefcase had belonged to his friend and associate Michael Crouch AC who for many years worked in this office. Michael Crouch was the inventor of the Zip hot water system, a passionate philanthropist and one of the biggest supporters of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award cause. From the welcoming portal of Michael Crouch’s boardroom, for almost two months, I painted and sketched the perpetual motion of elements which formed the Sydney Harbour. And when I felt exhausted, with a kind permission of Mr Zip’s armchair, I had the most peaceful nap in its leathery bay.
