Danie Mellor is a finalist in the Archibald and Wynne Prizes

The artist, who has Aboriginal heritage with Scottish and Irish settler ancestry, has his work displayed as part of the Archibald and Wynne Prizes at the Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW).

It is the first time the contemporary artist has created a portrait for the Archibald, where he depicted art collector, philanthropist and academic Gene Sherman, who also ran Sherman Galleries in Paddington for 21 years.

Named A portrait of intimacy, it is an exploration of the subject's emotional journey after her Bria Sherman passed away in 2022 and her "relationship with aesthetics", his artist statement said.

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"I called it A portrait of intimacy as it felt like a reflective, introspective piece, especially given its muted palette and heightened sense that we are glimpsing Gene's inner self," it said.

The piece used Alesso Baldovinetti's work Portrait of a lady in yellow, which was created in 1465, as inspiration, with the original being spotted subtly in the background.

Her posture and positioning nods to the original painting.

The artwork reference was used to show Ms Sherman's commitment to the arts, her "avant-garde sensibility", and ties to the Renaissance notions of being open to new ideas.

"The faint presence of the lady together with Gene symbolises the continuing, intergenerational nature of culture and history, and the tradition of portraiture," he said in the statement.

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He is not the only artist in the Highlands that has been recognised in the Archibald Prize - Zoe Young was also named as a finalist for her portraits of South Sydney Rabbitohs Latrell Mitchell.

This is the second year in a row Mr Mellor has been a finalist in the Wynne Prize, following The acquired Arcadia in 2022 - a glimpse into colonial perceptions of the rainforest and its destruction by settlers.

He also a Sulman Prize finalist in the same year.

The annual prize recognises landscape paintings of Australian scenery in watercolours or oils, or figure sculptures by artists across the country.

His work Shadow land (water talking story place) shows the volcanic lake known as Wiinggina, or Lake Eacham, and the site of the serpent Yamani in the Atherton Tablelands.

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The place in his country Ngadjon-jii, was "profoundly beautiful", he said in his artist statement.

Sepia toning was used to present the site in a historical period that was captured by "early photographic techniques" the AGNSW site said.

The piece presents the othering of Indigenous Australians, and the direct gaze of traditional people known as bama at viewers, shows the complex histories of colonised landscapes.

Many fieldtrips were made to the area over several years to create the work.

The Archibald and Wynne Prizes are on display at the AGNSW until September 3.

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Mr Mellor's work has been featured in state, regional and national collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) and the National Gallery of Australia.

Accolades for his works include the MCA's Sculpture Commission, the NGA Member's Acquisition Fund, and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.

He was a lecturer and senior lecturer at the National Institute of the Arts, Australian National University and the University of Sydney's Sydney College of the Arts.

The artist held a position at the Visual Arts Board at the Australia Council for the Arts, and served as chair of Artform for Create NSW, before he was appointed to the Board of MCA Australia and the Create NSW's Visual Arts Board.

His work has also been showcased internationally in museums such as the National Gallery of Canada, The British Museum, and National Museums Scotland.

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