Inspiration comes in many forms. For Kerryn Moscicki, it came in a muddy flyer for an exhibition, a prompt to invest in local art and the totem of a talk-show queen that pointed the way to starting her sought-after shoe and accessories label Radical Yes.
This is Moscicki’s story about the most precious thing she owns, and how a painting of Oprah brought her closer to memories of her mum and her future in footwear.
I purchased this portrait of Oprah Winfrey from Mr Kitly all the way back in 2011 – it’s from Melbourne artist Jess Lucas's Guru exhibition.
It was the hero piece from the show, but this is really a story of serendipity in how I came across the work and why it holds a lot of sentimental value.
My mum passed away after a brief battle with cancer in 2009.
Part of my reflection on this experience included a commitment to not wasting a single day of my life and making sure I was always going after what was my absolute internal truth. This was part of my motivation in starting Radical Yes, and how I became really committed to the idea of buying more art.
Back then I hadn't bought any art from anywhere and didn't really have a clue where to begin. One day, walking out of my office in Richmond, I saw a postcard for the show in the gutter – with this picture of Oprah crushed up and muddy on the front – and I decided this was the piece I had to buy. I had no idea how much it cost; I just knew I had to buy it. I called straight away and made an appointment to see it before the show opened.
The show was called Guru and as I learnt more about it there were even more serendipitous connections. Some of the other works included portraits of Dr Ian Gawler from the Gawler Foundation – where my mum had spent time in her efforts to get well – as well as Deepak Chopra. At the time I was studying to become a yoga teacher and had begun my meditation journey where many people do with Deepak.
So I bought the work. And at the time it was three weeks’ salary for me, which was a massive investment for a seemingly frivolous piece of art (especially when we had a toddler and all the expense that comes with that).
But the weirdest moment came immediately after I bought the work. I was back at a cafe in Richmond with my husband, Leo. We were discussing how much we loved the painting and if we were crazy to have spent that much money on a painting of Oprah, when the lady next to us interrupted to say she was cooking for Oprah on her Australian tour.
It got weirder. As it turned out, this lady was Megan Castran: she has her own loyal Youtube following and is a personal friend of Oprah. So in the end, Oprah saw the painting via a Youtube video where Megan interviewed us about the work.
The painting spent many years in the Radical Yes store in North Melbourne and, to this day, conjures and manifests so much joy and energy. It is a constant reminder that no matter what the external circumstances and challenges we face, we always have a choice to respond like Oprah would – with lightness and positivity.
It’s also worth noting that the work comes in two parts. So for the show it was presented layered up with the pattern detail in the work you can see underneath the portrait. I thought it was too beautiful to cover up, so we chose to frame them separately. Jessica Lucas, who painted the work, actually came to our house once it was framed and signed it – and she gave us her blessing to house it this way. The pattern is meant to represent a kind of scarf or magical coat that she imagined Oprah wearing.
Read more in our Sentimental Value series.
