Talking with Painters

When I started this podcast I thought 40 minutes should be the maximum length of each episode, but that meant leaving out some interesting parts of the conversation. So here are a few clips from those interviews which didn't make it into the original episodes - a mixture of ideas on painting, life experiences and childhood memories. The artists are: Francis Giacco Katherine Hattam Louise Hearman George Raftopoulos Abdul Abdullah Joanna Braithwaite Nick Stathopoulos John Bokor Lucy Culliton Susan O'Doherty Euan Macleod Juliet Holmes à Court I've had an enjoyable 6 months getting the last 12 episodes to you and look forward to bringing you more in 2017 after a bit of a break -  I'll be back in late January with some more conversations with great Australian painters. So, until then, keep safe and thanks for listening! Maria Stoljar   Works we refer to in this episode:  Abdul Abdullah 'You see monsters' Abdul Abdullah Type C print 2014 Lucy Culliton 'Good Room Spring' 2010  

Juliet Holmes à Court is a Sydney painter who has been exhibiting regularly since 1991.  Her work is all about capturing the sense or feeling of her subject. Her paintings are filled with light and movement and take the viewer to a place where the tangible becomes intangible. She has had 13 solo shows, four since 2006 with Australian Galleries, Sydney. She has been included in many more group shows and has received numerous art prizes. She’s also been finalist in many other competitions including eight times in the Portia Geach portrait prize. In our conversation, we discuss her approach to painting, including the importance of taking risks in creating art. She also talks about her techniques and views on teaching. She’s one of the most sought after teachers in Sydney - her classes often have waiting lists and her workshops at the Art Gallery of NSW sell out quickly. She lives and works on Scotland Island, which is an island in Pittwater, in northern Sydney. Her home is literally among the gum trees which she’s transformed almost singlehandedly into an eclectic space which reflects her creative life. You can see short videos of my visit on the day of our interview on the Talking with Painters Facebook and Instagram pages. A short video of Holmes à Court at her Scotland island home and studio is on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel. Juliet is currently working towards a 2017 exhibition which will be held at the Palm House of Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens.  A short video about the collaboration behind that exhibition can be seen here. Events * 'Trembling Man - Two artists and a Poet', Palm House, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney - July 2017.  See a short video about this collaborative exhibition here Links to things we talk about in the show: * Juliet Holmes à Court * Scotland Island * Julian Ashton Art School * National Art School * Lloyd Rees * Youtube - Juliet's painting in process * Ann Thomson * JMW Turner * The Burning of the Houses of Parliament by JMW Turner * Pierre-Auguste Renoir * Art Gallery of NSW * Juliet Holmes à Court on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel (below) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd5OAq5_MNU 'All around and beneath it' (2016) Oil and wax on canvas 80cm x 80cm   'Cool wind to the Ocean' (2010) 120cm x 65cm Oil and wax on canvas   'Blue Breaks over Green' (2008) 80cm sq Oil and wax on canvas   Quiet Settles in the Evening (2015) 76cm x 138cm oil and wax on canvas   'Rain chiselling the Earth' (2012) 140cmsq oil and wax on canvas  

Euan Macleod is one of Australia's and New Zealand's most significant artists. He is best known for his powerful and symbolic paintings which set figures in a landscape. He has won many art awards including the Archibald, Wynne, Sulman, Blake, Tattersall's and Gallipoli art prizes.  He has had over 100 solo shows and been involved in over 200 group shows across Australia and internationally. His works are held in almost every major public collection in Australia and of course many private collections. Macleod's work has taken him all over the world, including remote places like Central Australia and Antarctica, and he has just returned from a trip to Yellow Mountain in China. We talk about his approach to landscape and figure painting and his views on interpretation of his work. He also shares information about his process and technique and talks about the unsettling experience of winning the Archibald in 1999. Scroll down to see a short video of Macleod in his studio. Feature photograph by Andrew Merry Current exhibitions: * 'A fragment of a memory of travel' - Watters Gallery, Sydney,  2-19 November 2016 * 'Euan Macleod - Painter' (travelling survey exhibition)  Links to things we talk about in the show * Euan Macleod * Watters Gallery * Huangshan, China (Yellow Mountain) * Archibald Prize https://youtu.be/SZf4XehR4BA 'Impasse' 2011 Oil on polyester 150 x 180cm   'Self Portrait (Blue Centre)'  2007  Oil on canvas 137 x 180cm   'Figure Sitting On Boat In Desert'  2007  Oil on canvas 150 x 180cm 'Climbing' 2011 Oil on polyester 137 x 180cm 'Self-portrait: head like a hole' 1999 oil on canvas 180 x 137cm Works in progress from China trip - plein air paintings, studies and works on canvas  

Susan O'Doherty is a contemporary painter who also works in mixed media assemblages which she creates with found objects.  Her work often deals with social issues but also examines the nature of time, recollections and past experiences. She has exhibited in over 25 solo shows across Australia and New Zealand and has been involved in many more group exhibitions. Her current work deals with the issues she's been focussing on in the last few years, particularly the treatment of women in our society and the violence which exists not only in our communities but also in the home. She addresses these themes in her upcoming Sydney show 'Pinned to the Wall'. Her work is also touring the country in another show, ‘Moving House’, which is a collaboration with her partner, artist Peter O’Doherty, and looks at life when the family is frequently on the move. She also painted over 450 portraits for her 2008 show '900 Eyes - Domestic Lives' and we talk about how she went about preparing for that exhibition. Susan also gives great insights into the nature of creativity and what it means to make art. All works we mention in the show are on this page. Feature photo:  Susan O'Doherty in front of her painting 'A Relationship' Upcoming exhibitions * 'Pinned to the Wall' at  Spot 81 Gallery from 23 November to 4 December 2016 and then travelling to Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery from 3 March to 22 April 2017 * 'Moving House' at Maitland Regional Art Gallery in 2017 Links * Susan O'Doherty * Exhibition 'Moving House' (2014) * Henri Matisse * Exhibition '900 Eyes' (2008) * Robert Hughes * Peter O'Doherty * Colin McCahon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ywJ2ovR38 'Out of Step' 2015 acrylic on canvas 167 x 152cm   'Walking on Eggshells' 110cm x 120cm x 10cm mixed media assemblage   'Wallflowers' 130cm x 109cm x 8cm  mixed media assemblage   'Pinned to the Wall' 110 x 120 x 30cm   Part of the exhibition '900 Eyes - Domestic lives', 2008, Manly Art Gallery and Museum   Susan O'Doherty in front of her mixed media assemblage 'A Beautiful home' (2015)  

Lucy Culliton is a contemporary realist painter who creates works across landscape, still life and portraiture. To give you an idea of Lucy Culliton's popularity, in 2014 Sydney's Mosman Art Gallery held a major survey of her work which contained over 100 works. That exhibition attracted more than 20,000 visitors. This year she was named as a finalist in all three Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes at the Art Gallery of NSW and she has been a finalist in those competitions many times before. She has received many art awards including the Portia Geach Memorial award, the Mosman Art prize and the Kedumba drawing prize.  She has exhibited in over ten solo exhibitions and her work is held in many public and private collections including the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of NSW. I met Lucy Culliton at her home in Bibbenluke, a small town in south eastern NSW.  She showed me around her property and introduced me to her many animals. She also opened up her studio to my iphone!  You can see a short video taken on the afternoon below. In our conversation Lucy talks about her childhood years when she would draw horses over and over again.  She talks about how her dyslexia affected her first job in graphic design and what caused her to leave that career to pursue a career as a full time painter. We also discuss how she met dealer Ray Hughes who would represent her for many years until his gallery closed its doors last year and how her animals have played a large role in her life and continue to inspire her work. Upcoming shows * 'The Popular Pet Show', National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, ACT, 4 November 2016 to Monday 13 March 2017 * Solo exhibition with Beaver Galleries, Canberra, ACT,  10 November 2016 to 27 November 2017 * Lucy has another two solo shows scheduled for next year with King Street Gallery in Sydney (May) and with Jan Murphy Gallery in Brisbane (November). Links * Lucy Culliton at King Street Gallery * Lucy Culliton at Beaver Galleries * Lucy Culliton at Jan Murphy Gallery * Work with the Hughes Gallery (now closed) * Aida Tomescu * Frank Auerbach * Leon Kossof * Susan Rothenberg * Lucian Freud * Chaim Soutine * Richard Diebenkorn * Margaret Preston * Fred Williams * Euan McLeod * McLean Edwards * Talking with Painters YouTube clip of Lucy Culliton  (below) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLnPXkQAbMU https://www.youtube.com/watch?

John Bokor is an award winning landscape and still life artist. He grew up in Sydney and lives in Bulli, NSW. He has had over a dozen solo exhibitions and his work is held in many public and private collections. Equally prolific in drawing and painting, Bokor's art depicts everyday life and his environment with an emotion and vibrancy which makes the viewer take notice. He has won several art prizes including the NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize and Eutick Memorial Still Life Award and he has been finalist in many others. In our interview, Bokor talks about his education in Sydney and travels overseas where he was inspired by Bonnard's bath paintings, we ponder over whether you can ever say what makes a piece of art 'good', he reveals much about his process and he explains his motivational 'anti pep-talk' which he gives his art students. John Bokor's solo show at King Street Gallery opens on 8 November and continues until 3 December 2016. You can see a short video of Bokor's sketchbooks below. Feature photo of John Bokor by Julianna Kolenberg                                         Photos of paintings (except Quiet Street Bulli) by Michael Bradfield Show Notes  (things and people we talk about in the show) * John Bokor  * Aida Tomescu * Elisabeth Cummings * John Peart * Bill Brown * Vincent Van Gogh * Paul Cezanne * Pierre Bonnard at the Musee d'art Moderne de la Ville de Paris * Arthur Streeton * John Bokor on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel (below) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHdfYGxsNUc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kStPpQ96V_s Still life with Pen Jar Oil on canvas 'Quiet Street Bulli'        Oil on Board 'Hot Chocolate'        Oil on linen 'Milk'        Oil on canvas 'Kitchen Sink'         Charcoal, wash and collage on paper 'Morning Interior'         Charcoal, wash and gesso on paper

Nick Stathopoulos has been a finalist many times in Australia's Archibald and Doug Moran Portrait prizes and his 2016 portrait 'Deng' of refugee lawyer Deng Adut was awarded the Archibald Prize's People's Choice award. Last year his painting of writer Robert Hoge was shortlisted in the renowned BP Portrait Award in London which attracted over 400,000 visitors.  The portrait was also reproduced on the cover of the Times. His art career spans many fields including illustration, book cover design, computer game design, animation, screenwriting, film making and sculpture and this is all on top of an arts/law degree. He has won several awards for his illustration work but has found a real passion in hyper realist painting of portraits and still lifes. In this interview Nick talks about how children's television of the 60s provided him with the inspiration to draw toys, cars and machines as a child, he explains why he can never eat another Freddo frog and reveals how he came to name his 2009 show ‘Toy Porn’. He generously discusses his art techniques in detail from the first sketches and meeting with the sitter to the final portrait. He also gives moving accounts of how he came to paint Deng Adut and Robert Hoge and the emotional impact those experiences had on him. Nick has works included in a forthcoming group show '40/40 Project' at Wagner Gallery,  Paddington, Sydney opening on 19 November 2016. Show notes  (links to things we talk about in the show) * Nick Stathopoulos * Gerry Anderson * Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres * Secret Knowledge by David Hockney * David Hockney's Secret Knowledge (BBC production) * Deng Adut - University of Western Sydney video * Robert Hoge - Australian Story * BP Portrait award * Archibald Prize  * Wagner Gallery Video below was taken two years after the podcast interview where I caught up with Nick in his kitchen in Sydney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7DKlMw85pY 'Robot Power!' (2011) Acrylic and oil glaze on canvas, 90 x 60 cm   'Ugly - Portrait of Robert Hoge' (2014) Acrylic and oil on linen   Deng (2016), acrylic and oil on linen 137.5cm x 137cm   Stathopoulos' thumbnail sketches in preparation for his  portrait of Deng Adut   'And our friends are all aboard' Acrylic and oil glaze on canvas 61cm x 61cm (from Toy Porn 2)   'Can I be of Service' (2011) Acrylic and oil glaze on canvas 61cm x 61cm (from Toy Porn 2)   '(GM) Square Meals' (2008) acrylic and oil glaze on canvas 60cm x 60cm   Nick Stathopoulos at home with his painting 'Don't touch that dial!'

Joanna Braithwaite grew up in Pleasant Point, a small country town in New Zealand, and has been living in Australia for over 16 years. In the last few weeks she has been named as a finalist in both the Sulman and Mosman art prizes and has been a finalist in many more including the Archibald and Portia Geach prizes. Her solo exhibition 'Social Animal' is currently showing at Martin Browne Contemporary in Sydney's Paddington. Although Joanna’s work includes paintings with figures and still life, it’s safe to say her predominant subject is that of animals. From birds, reptiles and fish to bears horses, elephants, sloths and particularly dogs, Joanna has expertly captured creatures in paint. But she hasn’t just represented them as we find them in the world as you can see from these images and you will hear all about her approach in this interview. We talk about the lengths to which she went to study the anatomy of animals in her early art career including a trip to an abbatoir. She also talks about what she’s aiming to convey in her work and how humour plays an important role. She also recalls her meeting with Australian author Colleen McCullough whose portrait she painted (and which was shortlisted) for the 2014 Archibald Prize. All the paintings we mention in the show are reproduced in this post so you can see what we're talking about! Scroll down for a video of Joanna's show 'Hullabaloo' at Martin Browne Contemporary in September 2020  (after the podcast episode was recorded). Current Shows * 'Social Animal' (solo exhibition) Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney, NSW * 'Archibald Wynne and Sulman' Prizes, 2016  Art Gallery of NSW - 16 July - 9 October 2016, Sydney, NSW * Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney NSW - 20 August - 25 September 2016, Sydney NSW Show notes (links to things and people we talk about in the show) * Joanna Braithwaite (at Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney, NSW) * Joanna Braithwaite (at Milford Galleries, Queenstown, NZ) * Joanna Braithwaite (at Bowen Galleries, Wellington, NZ) * Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes, AGNSW * Neil Frazer * Colleen McCullough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3AEgBMFvP4&t=1s Joanna Braithwaite's show Hullabaloo' at Martin Browne Contermporary, September 2020 (after the podcast episode was recorded) 'Frozen Assets' 2016 110.5x110.5cm Social Climbers, 2016, 196cm x 196cm 'Working Class' 2016 190.5x190.5cm 'Thought Bubble' 107x91cm 'Bright Spark' 2014, 198cm x 198cm

Abdul Abdullah is a four time Archibald finalist and this year he has paintings hanging in both the Archibald and Sulman prizes in the Art Gallery of NSW. He has won several art prizes including the Blake Prize for Human Justice in 2011 and has been finalist in many others. Abdul's art delivers a strong message. Issues of identity and the current political environment concerning  the Muslim community in Australia are front and foremost in his work. We talk about how he sees 9/11 impacted the Muslim community and how after that event 'it became apparent that in the popular imagination Muslims in Australia had become the 'bad guys''.  We also talk about the 2005 Cronulla riots and how he came about painting retired police officer Craig Campbell for the Archibald. He also gives insights into his painting process and photographic art. Abdul's work is currently included in four shows in Victoria and NSW with another three coming up over the next few weeks, including a solo show in Melbourne in November. Current and upcoming exhibitions: * 'Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes' 2016 - Art Gallery of NSW  - 16 July - 9 October 2016, Sydney, NSW * 'Painting, more painting'  - Australian Centre of Contemporary Art  - 29 July - 25 September 2016, Melbourne, Victoria * 'Coming to terms' (solo exhibition) - Fehily Contemporary/Mossgreen Sydney -  4 August - 3 September 2016, Sydney NSW * 'The Public Body' - Artspace - 25 August - 23 October 2016, Sydney NSW * 'Burden' - (solo exhibition) - Fehily Contemporary - 9 November - 3 December 2016, Melbourne, Victoria * 'Jogja Calling' - 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art - 22 October to 17 December 2016, Sydney, NSW * 'Basil Sellers Art prize 5' - Ian Potter Museum of Art- 19 July - 6 November 2016, Melbourne, Victoria Show notes  (links to things and people we talk about in the show): * Abdul Abdullah * Fehily Contemporary * Abdul-Rahman Abdullah (Abdul's brother) * Archibald prize * Sulman prize * Indonesian artist Hahan * Tracey Moffatt * 'Hero cop Craig Campbell left behind by the Cronulla riots' SMH, January 17 2016 * SBS documentary:  Cronulla Riots - The day that shocked the nation * 'Combatting Prejudice with Art' - Abdul Abdullah - TEDx Youth Sydney * Blake Prize for Human Justice * Ian Strange https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef16UOVL2F4

George Raftopoulos held his first solo show when he was still in his third year of university at only 20 years of age. He has been exhibiting ever since in Australia and internationally in New York, Hong Kong and Paris. He has a relentless energy and rebellious attitude which comes through in his art. I had been aware of Raftopoulos' work for some time but it wasn't until I started following him on Instagram that I really got a sense of what his art was about. His prolific output, imagination, humour and bold aesthetic were something I used to look forward to on my feed. Then suddenly one day he deleted it all!  I thought - what is going on? Well, I found out in this interview. We talk about his early years when his was the only Greek family in the small NSW town of Grenfell, the moment in his teenage years which defined which direction his life would take, his process, inspiration, purpose and the effect of the internet on the art world. Scroll down to see a short video made in 2018 of Raftopoulos passing on his thoughts on painting and creativity to art students in Sydney. Links to people and things we talk about in the show * George Raftopoulos * George Raftopoulos on Instagram * John Olsen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNCf5h8NXB8 George Raftopoulos in front of his recent work 'The Raw RΩAR'   'Aeschylus of the Underworld' 150 x 180cm, oil on polyester (2010) 'The ROSE of no mans LAND', 2017, mixed media on Japanese linen, 183cm x 183cm 'BANGAREE' 'ProtoTYPOS' 'GRECCO corroborree'

Louise Hearman is an acclaimed Melbourne artist and winner of the 2016 Archibald Prize for portraiture. She also won the prestigious Doug Moran National portrait prize in 2014 and has been the winner of  several other art prizes.  She is well known for her enigmatic and, at times, eerie portrayal of people and landscapes. She has had 12 solos shows and has been involved in many more group exhibitions. In this interview Hearman talks about how, even as a small child, her drawings contained elements of the work she would later create.  She also explains why her works are predominantly untitled and what she initially intended to enter into the 2014 Doug Moran prize.  She also tells why she likes working on masonite and what it is she calls 'bungle bungles' (and when to retire them). Upcoming events * Louise Hearman, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney,  29 September - 4 December 2016.  The exhibition will then travel to TarraWarra Museum of Art in 2017. Show Notes (links to people and things we talk about in the show) * Louise Hearman * Richard Tognetti * Satu Vanska * Barry Humphries * 2016 Archibald Prize - AGNSW * Bill Henson * Doug Moran National Portrait prize * Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney - Exhibition - Louise Hearman * STUDIO: Australian Painters on the Nature of Creativity * Nick Stathopoulos * Natasha Bieniek * India Mark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J-BYZAgXpM 'Barry' (2016) oil on masonite 69.5cm x 100cm 'Bill-1383/Bill-1384' - Hearman's dyptich which won the 2014 Doug Moran National portrait Prize 'Untitled 1283' oil on masonite, 61cm x 61cm

Katherine Hattam is a multi award winning painter and printmaker whose works are held in most of Australia's major public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and Art Gallery of NSW. She has exhibited in over 20 solo shows and many more group shows and has won numerous art prizes including the Banyule and Robert Jacks drawing prizes. In this conversation, Hattam begins by talking about the experience of growing up as the daughter of Melbourne art collectors and modern art patrons Hal and Kate Hattam.  Hal Hattam was a gynaecologist and later a successful painter in his own right and Kate Hattam was once reported to be the 'highest paid woman in Australia' in her job as the advertising manager of the upmarket Melbourne department store Georges. They held an extensive art collection of works of their artist friends which included Arthur Boyd, Fred Williams, John Brack, Clifton Pugh, Charles Blackman and Jan Senbergs. Portraits of her parents painted by Clifton Pugh and John Brack can be found in the National Portrait Gallery. Hattam's career initially focussed on drawing but her work eventually turned to painting and mixed media. In this interview she also talks about her techniques and preferred mediums, balancing motherhood and her art career and themes which arise in her paintings. See below for a list of current and upcoming exhibitions and scroll down further for links to people and things we talked about in the show. A video taken after this interview in March 2020 at Katherine's exhibition at Sydney's Arthouse Gallery can also be seen below. Current and upcoming exhibitions: * 'Visiting Painting' - Horsham Regional Art Gallery - 16 July to 11 September 2016, Horsham, Victoria * 'National Works on Paper' - Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery - 16 July to 11 September 2016,  Mornington Peninsula, Victoria * '72 Derwents' - solo show - Arthouse Gallery - 12 August 2016, Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, NSW * Bruny Island Art Prize - Bruny Island Arts - 24 September - 2 October 2016, Bruny Island, Tasmania * 'Art of Parts' - Art Gallery of NSW - 17 September - 13 November 2016, Sydney, NSW Show notes:  (links to people and things we talked about in the show) * Katherine Hattam * Portrait of Hal Hattam by Fred Williams * Portrait of Kate Hattam by Clifton Pugh * Fred Williams * Charles Blackman * John Perceval * Arthur Boyd * Jan Senbergs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJqZoskqNws&t=10s The Integrity of the Personality, mixed media, (2014) Art Gallery of New South Wales 'Today' Mixed media on linen 198 x 110cm 'Double Helix' 120 x 240cm 'Yellow Chair' Lithograph, 73 x 50cm 'Love On' 2006, oil paint, pencil and collage on linen, 50 x 60cm

Most Australians have heard of the Archibald prize, the nation's most famous portrait prize, partly because of the controversies which seem to follow it. When Francis Giacco won in 1994, that year was no exception. In this conversation, he recalls the day he won and how the win influenced his career.  Francis is a contemporary realist painter and lives in Sydney.  He has won and judged numerous art competitions. In 2014 he won the prestigious Percival Prize for Portraiture with his portrait of Charles Blackman. He has had many solo shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and his work was selected to appear in the ABC production of Rake.  In this interview, Francis talks about his childhood influences, travels overseas, teaching at Julian Ashton Art school, his art process, people he has met along the way and how his painting was eerily affected just prior to his diagnosis with lymphoma five years ago. Show notes: * Francis Giacco * Julian Ashton Art School * Jeffrey Smart * Brian Dunlop * Justin O'Brien * Kunsthistorisches museum, Vienna * Johannes Vermeer's 'The Art of Painting' * Jackson Pollock's 'Blue Poles' * Archibald prize * Margaret Olley * Doug Moran Portrait Prize * Australian Galleries   'Homage to John Reichard' (1994) oil on marine ply 202cm x 188cm 'Sunset Siesta' (2015) 'Charles Blackman' 2010