GYMEA-BASED artist Troy Quinliven became a finalist in the 2014 Archibald Prize with a painting of his former art teacher Rodney Pople.
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Pople is also a finalist, with a painting of Barry Humphries.
The Archibald Prize is Australia's highest portraiture prize, at $75,000.
Quinliven said Pople was always a kind and generous teacher.
"I found him a quirky character, to be honest," he said.
"He had a great look with wild hair and glasses and ticks all the boxes to create an interesting portrait," he said.
Quinliven's achievement is made more remarkable because of the physical disability that has left him with so little feeling in his painting hand he has to use the other hand to shove the brush into it.
"Portrait painting was always my passion," Quinliven said.
He said a family tragedy put aspirations on hold when his younger brother was killed in a car accident just before Christmas in 2007.
"I almost quit painting, but ended up using art to work through my grief," Quinliven said.
He said he used ash, salt and objects like burnt books to symbolise a life cut short.
Quinliven returned to oils with a series of boxing paintings exhibited late last year.
"This was quite literally my fight back to paint," he said.
*The Archibald winner was announced today as Fiona Lowry with a portrait of Penelope Seidler. See more:
