He made history yesterday by being the first street artist chosen as an Archibald Prize finalist. But just before stencil artist Luke Cornish was told he made the portrait prize's top 41, he was mulling over how to pay next month's rent.
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''I was having lunch with a mate and I was saying to him - everything is f---ed - I'm two months behind in rent, I've got no money, and I don't know what I'm going to do,'' Cornish said.
''Then I got a call from the Art Gallery of NSW saying I'd been selected as an Archibald finalist. It doesn't seem real right now, to be honest.''
Cornish, who grew up in Canberra and is known as E.L.K in the street art world, never thought there would be much point entering the $75,000 Archibald Prize as a stencil artist because the medium, until recently, never had a place in the gallery setting.
But Cornish said his first entry, a portrait of the colourful Catholic priest Father Bob Maguire, was all to do with good timing.
The pair hit it off after a chance encounter and consequently made a short film entry for Tropfest, documenting the process of Cornish's portrait of Maguire, which required about 30 stencils and was done using aerosol paints on canvas.
''He [Maguire] doesn't give much away but I think he is proud of the work,'' Cornish said.
''Contextually it is one of my stronger pieces, because I've really captured the essence of who Bob is - he's grumpy.''
Cornish has exhibited alongside renowned street artists such Vexta, Reka and Haha and his stencil artworks have won national prizes. Cornish never expected success so quickly and admits winning the Archibald would change everything.
''This validates street art and stencil art as an art form - I've crossed over. I'm not in the street art world any more, I'm in the art world,'' he said.
A portrait of acting veteran John Wood by first-time Archibald entrant Raelene Sharp won the 21st annual packing room prize yesterday.
Cornish is up against Sharp and the likes of Jenny Sages, Tim Storrier and last year's winner Ben Quilty. Well-known Canberra artists Gary Smith and Frank Thirion are also in the mix for the first time with their piece The Faceless Men.
Former Canberran Kate Tucker's portrait of Missy Higgins was also selected as a finalist from 839 entries.
Tucker has been working on the artwork for Higgins' third album and the portrait was an opportunity to capture all the different aspects of Higgins.
''I wanted to show her deep in thought because she is a deep thinker,'' Tucker said. ''And I wanted to represent that exciting, colourful life which is connected to her performance but also to have her alone, sitting on the earth because she is a great lover of nature and so down to earth.''
The Archibald prize winner will be announced on March 30. The annual exhibition of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes will start at the Art Gallery of NSW the next day.
