Richard Carrie's street art is presented with a poignant twist. The 39-year-old is a gifted artist without a home, let alone a studio; a gentle, bearded man who creates works of stark beauty and wry observation – all from the hustle of Swanston Street.
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On Saturday night Carrie – whose face and art is well-known to thousands of commuters in Melbourne – will host his first exhibition. It's an astonishing achievement, particularly given the odds he is up against.
Less than a week ago, half the watercolour and ink paintings he had planned to exhibit were stolen while he slept. He has spent the days since frantically painting new works to replace them.
"I was sleeping on Flinders Lane. I've got a doorway I sleep in, and I usually give my folder to a couple of women who store them for me. But I stupidly held onto it, and someone stole it."
He laughs. "They were probably hoping there'd be something more valuable in there."
For Carrie, his artwork's value is in the release and peace it offers while he is painting. "I never get too attached to the artworks; it's the doing it that matters."
Carrie can remember the date he officially became homeless: December 10, 2014.
He stepped off the overnight bus from Sydney at 7am, and went straight to the City Library, where he stayed until closing. Then, he walked out of the library and into the dark, and his new life as a rough sleeper.
Despite negative media reports, Carrie says Melburnians are kind to homeless people. "In the six months I've been here, people have done nothing but try to help."
From a well-educated family, Carrie slipped into homelessness after losing his job, his girlfriend and his support base. He has a loving family in Sydney. But the way Carrie tells it, sleeping rough is something he needed to do, to find himself and to ease his anxiety and depression.
His only need is to make his art.
"I'll keep doing that. I have to. It's the only thing keeping me sane."
Supporting Carrie is Homeless in Melbourne, a charity begun by friends Nick Pearce and Marcus Crook, who met on a charity bicycle ride to raise money for the fight against child trafficking in Cambodia.
The pair's latest venture is HoMie, a pop-up shop opening next month in Melbourne Central, which will raise money and donate clothes, haircuts and make-up to rough sleepers in Melbourne.
