Weighty brush with frame

A LIFE-SIZED oil painting of Pakenham’s top traffic cop Nigel Atkins was unveiled at his Kooweerup home on Saturday night.
The painting, which measures 1.6m by 1.2m, was a gift from Sergeant Nigel’s wife Sylvia to commemorate his 30-year milestone with Victoria Police.
And it won’t be moving from its place near the front door any time soon – the frame alone weighs 35kg.
“It’s affixed to the wall with certain brackets and fixtures to hold the weight of the frame,” Sgt Atkins said.
He made the frame, while his wife and her team at Divna Arts worked on the oil painting – for three long years.
Sgt Atkins shared an interesting story about its construction with the Gazette.
“We’re of the Christian faith … the ironic thing about the building of the frame is I built the majority of the frame face down.
“I had a problem where I couldn’t get a sheet of wood to be affixed to the back properly because I had two pieces of wood,” he said.
Sgt Atkins worked from rear to front, and was shocked to discover that the wood was in the shape of a cross when he flipped the frame over.
“It was very, very spooky,” he said.
>>> For Sgt Atkins story, turn to people in profile on page 10.