Artist Mauro Palmieri outside the Windsor Studios. Picture: Matilda Marozzi
Artist Mauro Palmieri has set himself a challenging target: he aims to produce at least 200 portraits during August and September to help fund free art programs for disadvantaged children.
“My passion has always been helping people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds,” said Palmieri. “Not necessarily always kids, but I feel like that’s the space where there is more potential for change and improving the status of society.”
This is Palmieri’s second Portrait Marathon and the fourth out of Windsor Studios, which houses a loose collective of Melbourne artists.
The idea originated in 2011 over coffee with Palmieri’s mum, Anna Minardo, who is a professional painter.
“I said to her, ‘Mum why don’t we start up a Portrait Marathon in the studios? People come in, they sit for half an hour to 45 minutes, you paint them … and then the profit is shared between the artist and a charity.”
During October 2011, the first year of the marathon, Minardo painted 167 portraits, raising over $17000 for MS research.
Palmieri has been a commercial photographer for almost 20 years. He uses the technique of image transfers to create unique portraits that appear to be a hybrid between a photo and a painting.
As part of the marathon, people pay $400 for a portrait of their loved one. Of this $100 will go to the Children’s Charity Network (CCN), with the rest going to the artist and to pay for materials.
Running Portrait Marathons has been a win-win for the Windsor Studios artists, creating work for the individual and generating money for charity.
“If I, as one single person, can create work for myself and on top of that donate 30 per cent of what I earn to charity …” said Palmieri. “I’d like to see how many other people donate 30 per cent of what they earn.”
Rob Leonard is an Executive Director at the CCN, which runs arts and literacy programs for children who are at risk of falling behind at school.
“The aim is to improve the children’s literacy and artistic talents,” Leonard said.
The CCN sends authors and illustrators from Cooper Pedy to Kalgoorlie to run workshops with school-aged children.
Mr Leonard said the CCN’s programs improve not only children’s literacy and arts skills, but also their quality of life.
“The mortality rates in some of these rural areas is dropping dramatically after they get to do arts-based programs,” Leonard said.
“They find there is something worthwhile to do in life instead of sitting around doing nothing, which must be a good thing for those kids.”
A few weeks into the Portrait Marathon, Palmieri has raised over $2000 for the CCN, still some distance from his goal of $20,000.
“I can do up to 10 artworks a day,” Palmieri said.
“We just need more numbers.”
For more information about the Portrait Marathon, or to make a booking, contact Camilla on 0422 181 594.
