Jazz Hands - Sam Anning

I first met Sam at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival and I thought he would make a good subject for the Archibald Prize. He's a very funny guy, in this piece, it's the shirt that gives it away. I almost called this piece "the serious face of the hilarious jazz man". This painting was halfway done when my partner went into labour and it remained untouched for about 6 years to be eventually finished in 2022. I didn't enter it in the Archibald however, we are donating 30% of the proceeds to Support Act who have been amazing for the music industry during the lockdown. -Benjamin Noah McCorquodale

A bit about Sam

Based in Melbourne, Australia, Sam Anning has been a major player in Australian jazz.

After completing a Masters of Music at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, Anning relocated to New York City, quickly becoming an in-demand bassist in one of the world’s most competitive cities. Anning has toured extensively throughout North America and internationally, with performances at the Montreal, Vancouver, Detroit, Jazz a Vienne, Copenhagen, Port au Prince, and Panama Jazz Festivals.

Sam won the National Jazz Award in 2015, adding to his long list of awards and accomplishments - https://samanningmusic.com/

Support Act:

Support Act is the heart and hand of the Australian music industry.

We are the music industry’s charity, providing crisis relief, mental health and well-being support to musicians, managers, crew, music workers and organisations across all genres of music.

We deliver this through short-term financial support; funeral support; mental health prevention, education and training programs; the Mentally Healthy Workplaces Program; and the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline.

Support Act is an industry leader in cultural and behavioural change, and we strive to create a safe and thriving music industry for all, including dedicated culturally intelligent support for First Nations music workers. - https://supportact.org.au/

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Benjamin Noah (McCorquodale) was born in the country town of Mullumbimby. He lived on a remote property where he was mostly raised by his artist grandparents. Benjamin was nurtured as a young artist, he had a natural affinity for art and regularly attended his grandparents life drawing sessions. It was his life drawings that first brought Benjamin success in the art world, winning the Easter Arts Classic in 1991 at age 11. During Benjamin’s teenage years he was trained in many mediums of art and sculpture.

Benjamin is inspired by nature and shares a deep connection with the rainforests and oceans of his local area. Artistically he is influenced by Salvador Dali, Mark Ryden, James Jean and Mario Martinez to name but a few. His artwork is for the most part channelled from his sub-conscious and reflects his life’s challenges and lessons. Benjamin is passionate about the Environment and sustainability with these themes being apparent in his work. Some of his work is more precisely planned with themes evolving over large expanses of time.

It is easy to feel the inherent narrative in Benjamin’s work, there is real feeling in his art.

Ben has recently been through a spiritual awakening, quit his day job and is focusing his joyous energy on his art as a tool for spreading love and hope to the planet.