visual-art

Australia's first celebrity chef is also an artist

This week his food and wind-themed exhibition opens in Cheltenham in Melbourne.

"Not wind made by the food, but musical instruments," he said.

The 82-year-old recalled his first encounter with art while sitting in a highchair and using baby food to paint the walls.

"My mother who was an intelligent young mother realised that there was some art there," he said.

"She encouraged me to mix spinach with this farex just to put a bit of texture and colour with it and I've sort of being going on the same sort of way ever since."

Street art made permanent as artists connect with home owners

Inner West Council's 'Perfect Match' program, which connects artists with property owners who want an outdoor mural painted, is growing in popularity.

Josephine Bennet from the council said the initiative began three years ago to replace unwanted graffiti with commissioned murals.

"The community was wanting ways to manage unwanted tagging in the local area and also there was a growing interest in street art as an art form," Ms Bennett told ABC News.

National Photographic Portrait Prize finalists share the stories behind the pictures

Ahead of the announcement, the ABC contacted 10 of the 49 finalists, and asked them to share the stories behind their photographs.

Of the above picture, titled A Moment, photographer Millie Brown said it captured a brief, captivating look from a child playing by the sea in East Arnhem Land.

"[It was] a very organic, brief moment in time where I asked him to look down the lens, and he did, and he gave me that very strong, intense look," she said.

"Then he slipped straight back into the running and the jumping and the diving and the swimming."

Bill Henson model speaks out

"I think he's an amazing artist," she told 7.30 from her home in Berlin.

The celebrated photographer is her godfather, and from the moment she was born via caesarean section, Henson has been documenting her time in the world.

"I've known Bill my whole life," she said.

"When I was 17 he asked me if I wanted to try it out.

"The first time was in Rome, it was just an experiment."

'I was very intrigued'

Heyward is the daughter of leading publishers Michael Heyward and Penny Hueston.