Troy Argyros

oil on linen

“Artemis” references the Greek goddess, who is associated with wild animals, forests, and the moon. This still life painting depicts a tiny owl talisman that I found at a ramshackle stall at the Sunday vintage market in Santo Spirito, Florence, and a ceramic vessel bearing a lion’s head, passed down from student to student at The Florence Academy of Art. I selected this painting for the Tony White Memorial Art Prize because the late beloved artist was a jeweller, and I  feel my little gold owl expresses a kind of simpatico to this beautiful time- honoured craft.  My name is Troy Argyros, and I’m a Melbourne born painter with Greek and Tasmanian heritage. I hold a Bachelor of Fine Art Painting and a Graduate Diploma of Visual Art Education from Monash University, and was one trimester away from graduating from The Florence Academy of Art when the pandemic hit and forced me to come home early. I have exhibited my work in group shows including EMSLA and The Kennedy Prize, and have held five solo exhibitions including “Fragments of Florence” at Sofitel Melbourne on Collins Street.