Inside the Creative World of Artist James Powditch
- Jul 15
- 4 min read
Meet artist James Powditch and discover how found objects, collage, portraiture and the Inner West have shaped his creative journey.
James Powditch has been creating art for 30 years, predominantly using the technique of assembling found objects into a 3-dimensional, hung artwork, but also occasionally venturing into painting. A successful and popular artist, Powditch, has been awarded the Mosman and Blake art prizes and been a finalist in the Archibald Wynne and Sulman prizes 28 times, including this year with his portrait of the Governor-General of Australia, Sam Mostyn (an Annandale local).
Notable among Powditch’s previous works is one he entered in the 2020 Archibald Prize titled Once Upon a Time In Marrickville — it is a portrait of Anthony Albanese.
As well as being the current Prime Minister, Albanese is and has been the federal member for Grayndler since 1996. Powditch has lived in the Inner West since he was 16. This literal common ground was one reason Powditch wanted to paint Albo. Another, perhaps more compelling reason was that he felt an affinity with Albo’s taste in and passion for music. The portrait is styled to resemble an album cover.
James Powditch's Creative Process
When Powditch began painting portraits, he incorporated objects on the canvas, giving them a 3D element.
“I’ve only done 22 portraits in all over 25 years, and the early ones incorporated a lot of found materials and then were painted. I’ve kind of refined it now to them being pure paintings, but the black is painted over a collage of different paper based materials — old book pages, prints, etc,” explains Powditch. “In the Albo portrait, I included some old wall paper that I thought might have been in a ’70s housing commission home like the one he grew up in.”
Powditch uses a painstaking methodology to create his portraits, working initially with a photo taken of his subject with strong side-lighting. These are converted to black and white, printed out, combined with other elements and then photographed again, forming the basis for the final image.
“The photos are digital, but the process is very analogue. It’s all a much slower and more controlled process than my assemblage work, with a lot of thought and manipulation of pix to get the right image,” he explains. “That part and collaging is a lot of fun, and then there is just hours and hours of methodically painting the black with very small brushes for the detail… I kind of just get into a groove, zen-like state with music playing and just work my way through it.”
Powditch also knows what it’s like to be on a canvas, having had his own portrait painted several times over the years. It’s given him an interesting insight into how his subjects might feel when he paints their portrait.
“Sitting for someone is eye-opening, what they hone in on, what grabs their interest, because ultimately a portrait is as much a portrait of someone as it is a reflection of the artists aesthetic, interests and preoccupations. Hopefully they converge to showcase both subject and artist and say something new in the process.”
He had another realisation: “Portraits are hard to find a home for… I don’t want a pic of me hanging at home! And many of my subjects also don’t.”
He is going to give the portraits to his kids in the hope they might like to hand his picture in their homes.
“I know I would love a pic of my dad, for example, who was painted multiple times including for the Archibald.”
Why the Inner West Is Great For Creativity
In his earlier years, Powditch travelled across the globe, residing in several European countries, but he happily cites the Inner West as his creative North.
“I’ve lived in the Inner West for pretty much my entire life: Alexandria, Enmore, Rozelle, Newtown, Marrickville, Camperdown and now Annandale.
When I moved to Marrickville in 2001 from Newtown, me and my ex partner were looking for a big warehouse-type building to live and work in, and it was cheap! It was a big building on Addison road next to Vic On The Park. That part was a seriously industrial area, grungy, dirty hot as in summer and nothing like it is today. No, apartments, cafes, bars etc,” says Powditch, describing some of the changes he has seen over the years.
“For example, the Vic was a lingerie pub that closed early once the early knock-off tradies had gone home, and now it’s this amazing multipurpose venue and community hub. But the Addison Road markets were just down the road, and Reverse Garbage as well, where I sourced vast amounts of materials in the 2000’s…and there were chickens roaming around the back of the buildings.”
So what does he like about being in the Inner West?
“I love everything about the inner west. Wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in Sydney. Still love Newtown, especially south King St and lower Enmore Road with the bars and nightlife and the Enmore Theatre, it’s got a great energy… And everything is so close, my gallery’s in Chippendale [Nanda/Hobbs], 10 mins away. And we have the best harbour pool in Sydney, Dawn Fraser baths, “Dawnies”, in Balmain.”
Powditch enjoys the cheap and cheerful local fare including Thai on Glebe Point Road, and the Sri Lankan curries and great steaks at the Vic Hotel in Annandale, and coffee and treats from Booth Street Bakery.
“Rozelle Markets, fantastic for vintage finds and materials, Egg Records up in Newtown and King Street in general. Also love Callan Park over in Rozelle. Kind of like a deserted theme park and great to walk the dogs and explore,” he adds.
“And then there’s the people, they feel like my people — a certain sensibility, same wavelength. Just a lot of thought and empathy; inclusive.”
