“I JUST saw a photo of the King online and thought, why not paint something for PNG’s 50th Independence?” says Allan David, a self-taught artist from Simbu Province, now based in Port Moresby.
From that single image, Allan began working on what would become one of his most treasured pieces, a pointillist portrait which he named the “Salt King”, created to mark Papua New Guinea’s golden jubilee.
The reference photo for the painting taken from the internet.
The artwork is more than a royal likeness. It’s a mixture of history, identity, and diplomacy, drawn dot by dot, over the span of a month.
Painted in pointillism, a technique where images are built entirely from small, deliberate dots, the 100cm x 50cm portrait draws directly from Allan’s heritage in Simbu Province.
Hailing from the Salt Nomane Karimui District, his ancestors were salt-makers who extracted mineral salt from natural springs and traded it with surrounding highland communities.
For Allan, each dot represents a grain of salt, paying homage to his ancestral roots in a salt-making tribe.
His people have, for generations, harvested salt from mineral springs that bubble up from Simbu’s rocky terrains, trading it across the highlands.
This personal connection to salt inspired both the technique and the title of the piece.
“Every dot represents the grains of salt we’ve traded for generations,” Allan explains.
“I wanted to honour that history in the painting.”
But the portrait goes beyond personal storytelling. While the face of King Charles III is recognisable, Allan made deliberate choices to localise the image: the King wears a traditional Simbu headdress, complete with feathers and shell ornaments — symbols of status and leadership in many PNG cultures.
The royal robe, painted in regal purples and golds, ties in traditional colours of monarchy, giving the piece both national and international context.
“The headdress is actually from my place,” Allan says.
“I wanted to place him in our cultural context, not only as a king, but as a chief figure in the PNG culture.”
Allan hopes the painting will be presented to a royal representative during the 50th Independence celebrations in September, or purchased by a government body or collector who shares his appreciation for cultural storytelling through art.
“I don’t have a gallery,” he adds.
“I call it my Walkabout Gallery since I carry my work with me, from the street to the people.”