Striking gold

By Tania Martin
FOR Emerald artist Ken Hunt, capturing one young boy’s strength and vitality was an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up.
And for Cockatoo youngster Dylan Calvert sitting for Mr Hunt was a chance of a lifetime.
Mr Hunt has spent the past four months painting Dylan and his father Tom for the 2008 Doug Moran Portrait Prize.
The painting titled Iron Will, Heart of Gold captures both Dylan’s grit and determination to overcome anything and his love of gold panning.
For this 14-year-old, every day is a challenge as he battles cystic fibrosis but rather than giving into the disease he makes the most of every moment.
Mr Hunt said it was Dylan’s will to fight and win which makes him unique and a great subject to paint.
It was also Dylan’s love if gold prospecting that inspired Mr Hunt to paint him.
Despite his illness Dylan has held the Australian Junior Gold Panning champion title for the past three years.
Mr Hunt said Dylan’s determination to push past the pain barrier in search of his goals and passion had been an inspiration to him.
“I have known Dylan and his father for a long time – he is a great kid with great determination and I thought he would make an excellent subject to paint,” he said.
But after some initial sketches, Mr Hunt realised that both father and son were a team package.
Seeing Dylan and Tom integrally linked he decided to paint them both.
As he put the finishing touches to the painting, Mr Hunt invited the Calverts over to a final sitting and was amazed by their reaction.
“They were all captivated and amazed with what they saw but it was Dylan’s delight that I was most excited about,” he said.
“I don’t get much back from the hundreds of hours I put into my art each year but the look of delight in my subject when they can see themselves in a painting is priceless.”
The painting has now been shipped to New South Wales to be judged for the 2008 Doug Moran Portrait Prize.
For Mr Hunt sending off this painting is another chance to fulfil a dream of becoming a winner of the art prize.
It was just two years ago that he fulfilled another dream of being a finalist in the competition with a painting of Monbulk police officer Sergeant Alan Fincher.
Mr Hunt has also just painted well known actor John Stanton and the portrait will be entered in this year’s Archibald Prize.