Loribelle Spirovski

And he perfectly accepted that as a thing, as a direction in life.

And he picked up straight away that I had talent.

And he bought me books on artists.

His friends would buy me books on artists.

And I just built up this little personal library where I could look at different techniques and sort of teach myself slowly.

And he was extremely encouraging.

And I would have the hallowed spot on the refrigerator of my drawing being put up there.

So that's one way that we were able to stay connected because art transcended everything.

verbal language.

And in a way he was my first audience, you know, I was making art so that he would like it.

The first portrait I ever did of him was March in 2017.

And I tried to enter that into the Archibald and that didn't get in.

But that was the first of many, many, many portraits of Simon.

And one of the most...

generous things about him is that he does not care how I portray him.

He's not vain like that.

And so that creative freedom, that creative license that he's given me has truly been the crucial thing to take my art to where it currently is.

How did that play out?

It's such a funny story.

So neither of us are very sporty.