Acrylic on canvas, stretched and ready to hang.
Signed on the front.
Australia's national game, Australian Rules is played across the country, from Victorian regional towns like Albury, to remote outback regions like Alice Springs.
This painting brings together, in a light hearted representation, our iconic Emu, Uluru and Australian Rules footy.
Contrasting wind swept deserts of orange sand and the playing field of green grass, the crowd gathers and cheers on their team.
Two of the most popular are the Collingwood and Carlton Football Clubs, the pies and the blues can attract crowds of over 70,000 spectators.
Australian Rules has a record 1,264,952 club members. One in 21 Australians are a member of an AFL club
Australian Rules is the most watched spectator sport in the country.
This original painting by Australian artist Andrew Champion, is indeed a collectors piece and will generate many comments by viewers, whether they be one eyed Pies supporters or a Bluebagger or other team supporter. It will generate a laugh, a joke or a crack at the team who are a traditional opponent of the team they barrack for.
The artist has been a keen afl follower since playing "forcings back" in Loma Place in Albury as a 7 year old in 1967. He played junior afl with the Albury YMCA under 12's and recalls getting beaten on one rainy day by over 100 points, his team scored just 1 behind for the game. Andrew followed the North Albury "Hoppers", his brother David (dec) played for the Albury "Tigers" in juniors. Andrew started following Carlton in 1968 during what was to be a very successful couple of decades for the Blues.
Andrew painted his first AFL themed painting this year, commissioned by one of his friends who is a Pies tragic, who has his own Collingwood Man Shed, decked out with all kinds of old and significant Pies memorabilia. The painting features the Pies greatest Grand Final win, in the 1958 GF, v the Melbourne Demons. The official crowd was reported as 97,956 but in fact it was at least 6 more than recorded. A friend who was at the '58 GF, shared with me a funny story when he was a teenager where he "floated" his ticket down to his mates outside....... and he got all 7 of them in to watch, with just the one ticket! Very Australian!