New South Wales artist Lucy Culliton has won the $40,000 2026 Sir John Sulman Prize for an intricately detailed painting of Toolah – one of her seven rescue greyhounds.
Lucy Culliton, Toolah, artist model, 2026, oil on canvas, 137.6 × 137.1cm / Winner of the 2026 Sulman Prize / © the artist, image © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Diana Panuccio
Known for observant, vibrant depictions of animals, landscapes, and still life, Culliton loved how Toolah camouflaged into the upholstery a studio chair. Painting large Monaro grass paintings in a matching palette, “I had to include one,” Culliton said.
