Nigel Milsom, Judo house part 4 (golden mud), 2011, oil on linen, 115.00 x 115.00 x 5.50 cm, TCG22092
(photo: Aimee Crouch) collection: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

2011 Sir John Sulman Prize finalist

This work belongs to Milson's 'Golden mud' series of racetrack themed paintings from 2011. They were inspired by Milsom's fascination with Australia's gambling culture, which he encountered first-hand while living near Wentworth Park racetrack in Sydney in the early 2010s. He explained: 'My original interest was in the desperation that people would go to change their lot in life. Gambling is a huge part of Australia's lifestyle' [1]. Here, Milsom has pictured a trio of ferocious looking greyhounds emerging out of darkness, their sinewy physiques and snarling expressions modelled by deft brushstrokes of grey and white paint tinted with blue, purple, yellow and brown tones. While painting these works, Milsom was also reading Herman Hesse's book 'Steppenwolf' (1927), suggesting man's beastly nature was an underlying theme in his depiction of greyhounds.

1. Andrew Frost, 'Career on track' in SMH, 15 Oct 2011