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Algies Bay-born artist Julian Ford, 55, had the opportunity to sell this portrait directly to Sam Neill before the actor’s death.
Completed in just 24 hours, the painting depicts Fred Smith, the Anglican preacher portrayed by Neill in the 2017 film Sweet Country.
“I chose that character because it’s an interesting role and I wanted to paint something a little different, rather than his well-known character from Jurassic Park,” Ford said. “It was a tremendous honour that he really liked the painting and wanted it for his personal collection. It’s incredibly sad that we’ve lost such a great man.”
Although Ford now lives in Dunedin, he grew up in Algies Bay, attended Mahurangi College and played rugby for Mahurangi Rugby Club.
He specialises primarily in portraiture and bird paintings.
