Ep 139: Yvette Coppersmith




Talking with Painters show

Summary: For those of you interested in portraiture in Australia, Yvette Coppersmith needs no introduction.  <br> She has painted dozens of portraits, including a collection of fascinating self-portraits, and is regularly shortlisted in the country's most competitive portrait awards. In 2018 she was awarded the one that would place her in Australian art history - the Archibald Prize.<br> <br> What has captured my attention more recently, though, are Yvette’s abstract works, particularly a body of work I saw in her exhibition ‘Presage’ at Sullivan + Strumpf in Sydney last year. They were thickly textured, swirling abstractions and how she came to create that show is as interesting as the paintings themselves.<br> <br> Yvette has been painting for over 20 years and her work is held in many public and private collections. In addition to winning the Archibald Prize, she has won the Metro 5 Art Award and has been a finalist multiple times in nearly every prestigious portrait prize in Australia, including the Doug Moran, Portia Geach, and Darling Portrait prizes.<br> <br> In this episode we follow her career from her early photorealistic works to her present-day experimentation with paint and genre, encompassing still lifes and interiors along the way.<br> <br> To hear the conversation click 'play' below the above photo. See below for images of the works we talk about in the show.<br> <br> Photograph of Yvette Coppersmith by Mel Savage<br> Links<br> <br> * <a href="https://www.yvettecoppersmith.com/">Yvette Coppersmith's website</a><br> * <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yvettecoppersmith/?hl=en">Yvette Coppersmith on Instagram</a><br> * <a href="https://www.sullivanstrumpf.com/artists/yvette-coppersmith/">Yvette Coppersmith at Sullivan + Strumpf</a><br> * <a href="https://www.sullivanstrumpf.com/index.php/artists/yvette-coppersmith/exhibitions/presage/works">'Presage' exhibition at Sullivan + Strumpf</a><br> * <a href="https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/roger-kemp/">Roger Kemp 2019/20 retrospective at the National Gallery of Victoria</a><br> * <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrThrSazf3NYKK4ybC8CTjw?view_as=subscriber">Talking with Painters YouTube channel</a><br> * <a href="https://talkingwithpainters.com/newsletter-signup/">Sign up to the Talking with Painters newsletter</a><br> <br> <br> <br> 'Self-portrait after George Lambert', oil and acrylic on linen, 122 x 101.5cm, 2018<br> <br> Winner Archibald Prize 2018<br> <br> <br> <br> 'Nude Self-portrait after Rah Fizelle', oil on linen, 91.5 x 66cm, 2016<br> <br> Finalist, Portia Geach Memorial Award, 2016<br> <br> <br> <br> 'John Safran', oil on plywood, 120cm x 90cm, 2009<br> <br> Archibald Prize finalist 2009<br> <br> <br> <br> 'John Safran', oil on plywood, 120cm x 90cm, 2009<br> <br> Archibald Prize finalist 2009<br> <br> <br> <br> 'In the Garland, portrait of Paul Capsis', oil on linen, 22.5 x 111.5cm, 2007<br> <br> Finalist, Archibald Prize, 2008<br> <br> <br> <br> 'Untitled Movement (Scarlet Lake)', oil on jute, 76.5 x 61cm, 2022<br> <br> Photo: Matthew Stanton<br> <br>  <br> <br> <br> <br> 'Untitled Movement (Triptych)', oil on jute, 3 x 122.5cm x 91.5cm<br> <br> Photo: Simon Hewson<br> <br> <br> <br> 'Arrangement with Grey and Yellow', oil on linen 61cm x 46cm , 2014<br> <br> <br> <br> 'Geranium and Succulents', oil on linen, 80cm x 59.5cm, 2015<br> <br> <br> <br> Posthumous Portrait of Edith Morris, oil on linen, 86.5cm x 63.5cm, 2020<br> <br> Photo: Matthew Stanton<br> <br> Collection of Melbourne Girls Grammar School<br> <br>