Talking with Painters

This year twenty podcast guests were selected as finalists in the Archibald, Wynne, and Sulman prizes, which are exhibited every year at the Art Gallery of NSW, with a total of 26 paintings between them. In the next three episodes I'm going to talk to you about those works. Scroll down to see some tips on how to listen to these episodes. How to use episodes 72-74: * As an audio guide at the Art Gallery of NSW (until 8 September 2019) or any gallery the exhibition travels to. * scroll down for a map of the gallery rooms and list of finalists. (or click here if you're looking at this on your podcast app) * There is a time marking for each painting so you can skip forward or back.* To hear the complete podcast interview and view video of the artist click on the artist's name in the list below.* Tips - download the podcast episodes onto your phone before you go (in case the wi-fi's not great) and take a screenshot of the map! * Listen while you look at the paintings online on the gallery's website* click here for the Archibald paintings* click here for the Wynne paintings* click here for the Sir John Sulman paintings * Just listen! It'll still be fun. The guides The Archibald guide is here The Wynne guide is here The Sulman guide is here Gallery Map Map of location of podcast guest paintings at the AGNSW. (Click here if you are looking at this on your podcast app) Episode 72: SULMAN FINALISTS 1:12 ___John Bokor(84) 3:37____Paul Ryan(104) 6:10___ Ken Done (87) 8:00____McLean Edwards (88) 10:38___Alan Jones (91) 13:19___Abdul Abdullah (81) Episode 73: WYNNE FINALISTS 00:55___Marc Etherington (63) 3:08___ Ken Done (61) 4:34____Blak Douglas (62)

Tony Costa says winning the Archibald makes the invisible artist visible but you wouldn’t have called him invisible before he won the prize this year.  He’s been painting for over 50 years, and in addition to the Archibald has won several other awards including the Paddington Art Prize for landscape painting and has been shortlisted in others including another three times in the Archibald, in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, the Wynne Prize, the Sulman Prize, the Kilgour Prize, and the list goes on. Costa paints in an expressionist style. His whole practice is about trapping energy and a large part of his method is guided by an eastern philosophy - seeking to enter into the world of nothingness and distancing himself from any thought process. This process is applied whether it's a landscape or a portrait. His methods are neither traditional nor predictable and I found our conversation incredibly interesting and eye opening with a good dose of humour thrown in. This podcast interview was recorded in Tony's beautiful studio in Sydney. To hear it, press play beneath the above feature photo. I first met Tony at the Art Gallery of NSW shortly after his win was announced. You can see my 5 minute interview with him on that day here. Scroll down for a short video of Tony Costa talking with Maria Stoljar in his studio. Current shows * Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, current until 8 September 2019* Salon des Refusés, S.H.Ervin Gallery, Sydney, current until 28 July 2019 Show Notes * Tony Costa at Art Atrium* Desiderius Orban* Kevin Connor* Fred Cress* John Firth Smith* Colin Lanceley* Syd Ball* Rodney Milgate* Ian Fairweather* Fred Williams* Neo-expressionism* Transavanguardia* Mimmo Paladino* Enzo Cucchi* Francesco Clemente* Sandro Chia* Roberta Bell- Allen* Clement Greenberg* Lucian Freud* Philip Guston* Rembrandt* John Peart* Lindy Lee* Claudia Chan Shaw*

Neil Frazer is a landscape painter but don't expect pictures of rolling hills or calming seascapes. His powerful work depicts the harsh and dangerous environments in our world, where the sea smashes against jagged rocks and freezing glaciers slide past uninhabitable snowy peaks.  It’s the physicality and energy of these places that he’s aiming to convey and he does so spectacularly. He combines an impasto technique with layering and glazing to produce a complex visual experience and his compositions often involve intriguing negative spaces which contribute to the drama and mystery of his work. He has exhibited in dozens of solo shows in Australia and New Zealand and his latest solo show, Liquid Light, opens at Martin Browne Contemporary in Sydney on 30 May 2019. Although he grew up in New Zealand, he has spent half his life in Australia where he completed his Masters degree after previous postgraduate study in New York. In this episode you'll hear about how and why his work moved from abstraction to figuration and why he doesn't believe there is a significant difference between the two, why he's drawn to his subject matter and plenty about his technique and process. To hear the podcast episode click 'play' under the feature photo above. Scroll down to see a short video of Frazer talking with Maria Stoljar in his studio. Upcoming shows * 'Liquid Light', Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney, 30 May - 23 June 2019 Show Notes * Neil Frazer at Martin Browne Contemporary* Neil Frazer at Philip Bacon Gallery* Francisco Goya* Frank Auerbach* Jackson Pollock* Milton Resnick * Paula Cooper Gallery* Donald Judd* Joel Shapiro* Elizabeth Murray* Clifton Pugh* Tim Storrier* Euan Macleod* Joanna Braithwaite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy97smrExOc&t=79s Neil Frazer in his studio 'Guiding Light', 2019, acrylic on canvas, 182 x 182cm 'Birds Eye', 2011, acrylic on canvas, 168 x 168cm 'Travelling Light', 2017, acrylic on canvas, 152 x 152cm 'Grotto Blue-Green' 2016, acrylic on canvas 152 x 152cm 'Fourth Gorge', 2011, acrylic on canvas, Finalist Wynne Prize 2011 'Bravo', 2003, oil on linen

Blak Douglas is well known for his brightly coloured landscapes with their trademark seven-tiered sky but he’s also an accomplished portraitist. At the time of writing, his work hangs in the Art Gallery of NSW in both the Archibald and Wynne prizes which are arguably the most famous portrait and landscape awards in Australia. His paintings always have something to say about social justice, often with irony and humour playing an important part and with his Aboriginal identity central to his work.  He’s won several awards and has been finalist in many others including three times in the Archibald prize and his work is held in various public collections including the National Gallery of Australia. His grandmother, Clorine Morthem,  was one of the stolen generation, taken at 13 years of age and institutionalised in Cootamundra Girls home, something that has had repercussions down the generations.  His father’s ancestors are the Dunghutti people from northern NSW and his mother was from an Irish Australian background. Although his name given at birth is Adam Hill, he took on the name Blak Douglas in recent years to reflect those two sides of his ancestry. I spoke with him in his Redfern studio which he shares with other artists and this conversation starts at an earlier time, when his parents first met. Press play under the feature photo above to hear the podcast episode. Scroll down to see a short video of Douglas in his studio. Current events * Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes, Art Gallery of NSW, 11 May to 8 September 2019 Show notes * Blak Douglas* Blak Douglas on Instagram * Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative* Aunty Jean South* Uncle Roy Kennedy* Aunty Elaine Russell* Aunty Esme Timbery* Hetti Perkins 'White shells, black heart', 2019, synthetic polymer paint and shells on canvas, 195 x 195cmFinalist Archibald Prize, 2019 'Six Finger Salary', 2009, synthetic polymer on cotton canvas, 100 x 130cmFinalist Wynne Prize 2009 'Uncle Roy Kennedy', 2018, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 195.5 x 195.5cmFinalist Archibald Prize 2018 'Smoke and mrrors (Uncle Max Eulo), acrylic on canvas, 214 x 214cmFinalist Archibald prize 2015 'Ashes, damper and kangaroo stew for dinner', 2019, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 94.5 x 124.5cm (collaboration with the late Elaine Russell)Finalist Wynne prize 2019 'Three strikes and you're out', synthetic polymer on canvas 150 x 200cm 'Upstanding Citizen', 2018, synthetic polymer on canvas, 120 x 100cm

Del Kathryn Barton is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in Australian art today. Her work is hotly sought after internationally and, in Australia, she is probably best known for the rare achievement of having won the Archibald prize twice - no mean feat in a race where women have only won the award 12 times in close to 100 years. Her paintings are instantly recognizable. Figures with drawn hands and faces look out of the picture with mesmerising eyes, existing in an imaginary world. That world is filled with colour and exquisite detail. Barton has exhibited in over 20 solo shows including a 4-month major survey of her work at the National Gallery of Victoria last year and her work is held in many public institutions and private collections. However,  painting forms only part of her life’s work and, although we also talked about her film-making, we didn't touch on her photo montages, sculptures and installations and her current New York show 'sing blood-wings sing'  which includes a 10m long work in 5 panels of the same name. We met in one of her Sydney studios where I was lucky enough to see 10 or so works in mid-completion for her upcoming October show at Roslyn Oxley 9 in Sydney. She is warm and honest and openly speaks about dark times. However, as with her work, she seems to find a balance between the light and dark and laughter is always closeby. To hear our conversation press 'play' beneath the above feature photo. Current and upcoming shows * Albertz Benda, New York, NY, 'sing blood-wings sing'  current to 13 April 2019 * Roslyn Oxley9, solo show, October 2019 Show notes * Del Kathryn Barton at Roslyn Oxley9 * Del Kathryn Barton at Albertz Benda * Archibald prize * Hugo Weaving * Cate Blanchett * Marc Etherington  * The Nightingale and the Rose at ACMI (with short videos on the making of the film) * The Nightingale and the Rose (book)  * The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde * Brendan Fletcher   'Self-portrait with studio wife', 2018, acrylic on linen, 203 x 183cm (finalist Arhibald Prize 2018) 'the preservation of the shimmer self', 2018- 2019, 240 x 200cm 'come of things', 2010, synthetic polymer paint, gouache, watercolour and pen on polyester canvas , 240 x 360cm (permanent collection, Art Gallery of NSW) 'you are what is most beautiful about me, a self portrait with Kell and Arella' 2008, synthetic polymer paint, watercolour, gouache and pen on polyester canvas, 280 x 180cm (winner Archibald Prize 2008) 'hugo', 2013, watercolour, gouache and acrylic on canvas, 200 x 180cm (winner Archibald Prize 2013) 'Mother (a portrait of Cate)', 2011, watercolour, gouache, acrylic and pen on polyester canvas, 240 x 180cm (finalist Archibald Prize 2011) 'wilder grew her song' 2011-2012 acrylic gouache watercolour and ink on polyester canvas

Through her art, Kiata Mason takes us into her world and her way of seeing. Her still lifes are filled with the objects from her home, collected over generations, and portraits contain reminders of the past. She plays with colour and perspective to convey her subjects not quite the way they exist in reality but with an ever present optimism and empathy mixed with a bit of kookiness. She has a Masters degree in drawing from the National Art School and this forms the foundations of her painting. Last year she won the Muswellbrook Art prize for works on paper and she’s also been a finalist and semi-finalist in many major painting prizes including the Sulman, Doug Moran, Black Swan and Paddington art prizes. She has exhibited in five solo shows and has another two coming up this year but still sees herself in the early stages of her career as a painter. Her work crosses still life, portraiture and landscape. I recorded this episode in Kiata's studio in the back room of her home in Lake Cathie just south of Port Macquarie in NSW's mid north coast. She lives at times a rather isolated life but this is not only due to the geography of where she lives.  As the full-time carer of her grandmother suffering from Alzheimer’s, a cup of tea with a friend is a rare event and even a trip to the shops is a major operation. Kiata grew up in various parts of NSW including Sydney, Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Armidale. She was surrounded by strong women particularly her mother and grandmother who had a background in theatre and were always interested in the arts. To hear the episode press play under the feature photo above. I filmed a short video of Kiata in her studio and you can see it below. Upcoming shows * PLC Artist-in-residence - Adelaide Perry Gallery  Residency culminating in show of works  - April 2019 * Group show, Arthouse Gallery 20 June - 6 July * Solo show, Muswellbrook Arts Centre, July 2019 * Solo show, AKBellinger Gallery, date TBA Show Notes * Kiata Mason on Instagram * Kiata Mason with Amber Creswell Bell * Kiata Mason at AK Bellinger Gallery * Kiata Mason at Arthouse Gallery * Drill Hall Gallery * National Gallery of Australia  * David Hockney * Pierre Bonnard * National Art School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwZ3OJquz8E 'The artist's table', 2018, acrylic on canvas, 94.5 x 126cm (finalist Sir John Sulman Prize 2018) 'Gathering what we have', 2018, acrylic on canvas, 94 x 94cm 'Grandmother Bea', 2017, arcylic on canvas (semi-finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 2017) 'Patchwork rocks', 2018, acrylic on canvas, (finalist Paddington Art Prize 2018) 'Rainy Day in the Studio', 2018, acrylic on canvas, 156 x 126cm 'The whole world in a room', 2018, acrylic on canvas, 125 x 156cm

Nicholas Harding is one of Australia's most celebrated artists. He has been awarded the Archibald prize, the Archibald People's Choice award, the Kilgour prize and the Dobell drawing prize amongst others. His work crosses portraiture, landscape and still life. Harding's oil paintings are created with a glorious impasto technique, he uses gouache to capture the lifesize portraits of many a famous sitter and he is renowned for his magnificent ink drawings. He has had over 30 (often sell-out) solo shows, major survey shows of his work have been held at the S H Ervin Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery and his work is in the collections of many public institutions including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery, and in private and corporate collections around the world. One of the major impacts on his work was coming to Australia after spending the first 8 years of his life in England and, in particular, his observation of the different light and how its glare created contrasts which were so different to the muted tones of England.  It was his time in the bush and the beaches as a child which caused him later to move further from the English influence to make Australia the subject of his work. In this episode we talk about his influences, painting from memory, the strengths and weaknesses of using photographic references, failing in order to succeed, making art during the dark times and much more. To hear the episode press 'play' under the feature photo above or listen however you get your podcasts. See short video of Harding in his studio below. Current Upcoming shows * Destination Sydney Re-Imagined (together with work by Wendy Sharpe and Jeffrey Smart)  at S H Ervin Gallery until 17 March 2019 * Solo show at Philip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane, 20 August - 14 September 2019 Show Notes * Nicholas Harding * Nicholas Harding on Instagram * Nicholas Harding at Olsen Gallery * Nicholas Harding at Philip Bacon Galleries * Nicholas Harding at Sophie Gannon Gallery * Simone de Beauvoir * Memento mori * Willem De Kooning * Mark Rothko * Howard Hodgkin * JMW Turner * Vincent van Gogh * Henri de Toulouse Lautrec * Russell Drysdale * Brett Whiteley * Lloyd Rees * Arthur Boyd * Sidney Nolan * Francis Bacon * Chuck Close *

If you've ever met Luke Sciberras you’ll know he’s larger than life. Full of joie de vivre and good humour, he attacks life with gusto from his fabulous garden to his renowned cooking skills so it’s no surprise that this life force is also manifested through his art. He's known chiefly for his landscape paintings which are created with layers of glorious colour and a variety of marks. His drawings and plein air works have an immediacy which take us into his experience - whether it's a boab tree a bird or a portrait. His art is always interpreted from life or from drawings made en plein air and brought back into the studio. But paradoxically what is most important to him as a landscape painter is in fact people. Those who are the custodians or owners of the landscape are just as important to him as the landscape itself and he needs to connect with them in order to create his work. He’s painted landscapes around the world from Europe to China but it’s in Australia that he’s spent most of his painting life – interpreting the landscapes of far northern Queensland to Bruny Island in Tasmania, from the Kimberley coast in Western Australia to the central desert areas where he’s created his art with the indigenous people of those lands. He's had 40 solo shows, his work has been hung in the Art Gallery of NSW, is contained in the collections of many regional galleries, in corporate and major private collections and his upcoming show of paintings from Western Australia’s Kimberley coast opens at King Street Gallery on William in Sydney in March 2019. I spoke with Luke in historic Hill End about 4 hours from Sydney where he has his studio in the midst of a wonderful artists' community. To hear the interview press 'play' beneath the feature photo above. See a short video of Luke in his studio below. Upcoming show * Solo show 'Rose into view' at King Street Gallery on WIlliam 19 March - 13 April 2019 Show notes * Luke Sciberras * Luke Sciberras on Instagram * Luke Sciberras at King Street Gallery on William * Luke Sciberras at Scott Livesey Galleries * Wedderburn artistic community * Suzanne Archer * David Fairbairn * Elisabeth Cummings * Al Poulet * Giorgio Morandi * John Peter Russell * Belle Île * Euan Macleod * Catherine Hunter * Margaret Tuckson * Garry Shead * Martin Sharp * Ann Thomson *

In episode 62 I spoke with senior curator Denise Mimmocchi about the late abstract expressionist artist Tony Tuckson and the exhibition ' Tuckson:the abstract sublime ' which is currently showing at the Art Gallery of NSW. The exhibition continues until 17 February 2019. In this episode I look at a few of the paintings themselves with artist Aida Tomescu.  I spoke with Aida about her own life and art in episode 33 where you can hear a great story of her arrival in Australia from communist Romania and her rise to becoming one of our most respected painters. She has won many awards including the Wynne prize, the Sulman prize and the Dobell prize and has exhibited in over 30 solo shows. We talk about the paintings, paint, what the paint’s doing, guessing the intention of the artist and ponder on what effect it’s having on the viewer. You don’t have to see the exhibition to appreciate these episodes but if you get a chance to go why not listen to it as you’re walking around? You’ll see I’ve marked at the top of this page the point where we speak about each work so you can see them in any order you like. The book accompanying the exhibition, edited by curator Denise Mimmocchi, 'Tuckson' is widely available including from the Art Gallery of NSW bookshop. Images are reproduced with the kind permission of the Art Gallery of NSW. To hear the episode just press 'play' under the feature photo above. Scroll down to also see a YouTube version of this episode with images Here are the works we talk about in this episode * 2:29      White lines (vertical) on ultramarine 1970 - 73  (room 4) * 9:55      Yellow (room 3) * 15:10    Untitled  [Late Drawing No.19 ] (room 3) * 20:20   Untitled  [White Sketch] 1970 - 73 (room 3) * 24:20   Swirl c1962 - 65 (room 2) * 28:10   Untitled 1973 (room 4)   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ8052xpX8c&t=1061s John Anthony TucksonWhite lines (vertical) on ultramarine (1970—1973)diptych: styrene-based house paint, polyvinyl acetate and pigment on hardboard213.5 x 244.6 cm board overallArt Gallery of New South WalesGift of Annette Dupree 1976© Estate of the artist. Licensed by Copyright AgencyPhoto: AGNSW John Anthony TucksonYellow 1970—1973synthetic polymer paint on composition board(a-b) 213.5 x 244 cm overallNational Gallery of Victoria, MelbournePurchased with funds donated by Loti Smorgon AO and Victor Smorgon AC, 2011 John Anthony TucksonLate drawing, no. 19 (TD 353) 1968—1973charcoal on cartridge paper228 x 76 cmCollection of Watters Gallery John Anthony TucksonNo title [White sketch] circa 1973synthetic polymer paint213.5 x 91.5 cmCollection: National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Bequest of Lucy Swanton 1982 John Anthony TucksonSwirl circa 1962—circa 1965PVA on hardboard122 x 182.2 cmPrivate Collection, Sydney John Anthony TucksonUntitled 1973synthetic polymer paint and charcoal on hardboard214 x 122.5 cmArt Gallery of New South WalesArt Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Purchase 2013© The estate of the artist. Licensed by Copyright AgencyPhoto: AGNSW

Denise Mimmocchi, senior curator of Australian art at the Art Gallery of NSW, has brought together a magnificent exhibition of the abstract works of the late Tony Tuckson: 'Tuckson: the abstract sublime' showing at the Art Gallery of NSW until 17 February 2019. Tony Tuckson, who died about 45 years ago, is considered by many to be one of Australia’s most significant abstract expressionist artists but he kept his art under wraps for most of his painting life. In this episode I spoke with the Art Gallery of NSW’s senior curator of Australian art (and mastermind of this show) Denise Mimmocchi and we talk about his life and career. You can then follow on in episode 63 and listen to my conversation with renowned Australian abstract artist Aida Tomescu where we talk about a few of the works in depth. If you happen to be in Sydney before the show ends and get a chance to get there you could listen while you look. You’ll see in the notes to episode 63 that I’ve marked the point where we speak about each work so you can skip ahead to any work you like. Images of all the works I talk about with Aida are also reproduced on the page of episode 63 with the kind permission of the Art Gallery of NSW. The exhibition is current until 17 February 2019. Details here. The book 'Tuckson' (pictured below) is available at the Art Gallery of NSW book shop. The book 'Tuckson' by Denise Mimmocchi is available at the AGNSW bookshop  

From the age of 2, when she sailed with her parents from Australia to Canada, Michaye Boulter's life has never been far from the sea. Spending weeks at a time in her childhood sailing  on the ocean spending time staring out at that vastness, Michaye’s very being is connected with the water. So it’s no surprise that she paints what she knows. In her recent show, ‘Shelter’, at Sydney’s Arthouse Gallery, her works of Tasmanian seascapes were breathtaking. They depict the Australian coastlines and ocean often with no sign of human life when the sun is not out in full force, creating a low light which darkens the land making the sky and the water the main players in her work. We talk about her childhood memories but also about her current work and studio practice. Notably she's been a finalist in the prestigious Glover landscape prize 7 times as well as many others. She's had 20 solo shows and her work is also held in various public and private collections around Australia, including the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and Parliament House, Canberra. We start this conversation at a time when Michaye was just 2 years old when her parents built a boat  when they were living in Brisbane in Queensland and they decided to take the family back to Canada with Michaye and her baby sister on board.  It would be the start of a childhood of travel and life on the sea. To hear the podcast episode press 'play' beneath the feature photo above. Scroll down to see a short video of Michaye talking about her work at Arthouse Gallery. Upcoming show * Solo show at Handmark Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania, December 2019 Show notes * Michaye Boulter at Arthouse Gallery * Michaye Boulter at Handmark Gallery * The Glover Prize * Caspar David Friedrich's 'The Monk by the Sea' * Langridge * Gerhard Mausz * Linda Fredrich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ3fjK5stjU 'Cloudy Bay Lagoon', 2017, oil on linen, 122 x 152cm , (finalist Glover Prize 2017) 'Incoming', 2018, oil on linen, 152 x 188cm 'Reveal', 2018, oil on linen, 92 x 112cm 'Portal', oil on hand beaten steel, 42 x 62 x 6cm 'Present', 2018, oil on linen, 122 x 152cm Gerhard Mausz in his workshop hand beating steel which form the support for a number of Boulter's works. 'Blue hour' oil on wood, eucalypt, brass, LED light, 22 x 24 x 25cm (box dimensions, 146 (overall height), collaboration with Linda Fredheim

Press 'play' above to hear the podcast episode and click here or scroll down for YouTube video! Over the last six years Justin Williams has not only been exhibiting all over Australia but in Europe and the US, with his work hanging in galleries in New York, L.A, Paris, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Athens and London. Williams depicts the world outside the mainstream, usually set in nature or a seemingly imaginary or folkloric world.  He's interested in the characters who represent the archetypal outsider such as Baba Desi, the wizard living in the Dandenongs and 'The Family' cult leader Anne Hamilton-Byrne. He feels, though, that not all outsiders live on the fringes of society and that it could include all of us to some extent. From working on fishing trawlers to single handedly building his own cabin in the forest, Williams does not seek out the safety of the comfortable life and it's only been relatively recently that he has found a stability of sorts in comparison to his earlier, less predictable, life. His current show Arcana II, showing at Galerie L'Inlassable in Paris, depicts scenarios inspired from a tarot card reading by a Parisian clairvoyant. The works are mysterious with a hint of foreboding. Powerful colour combinations and brushwork makes the viewer linger. He believes he is a relatively unknown in Australia but that that has given him the freedom to work without restraint. It was a  thoroughly enjoyable conversation. To hear it just press play beneath the feature photo above! Scroll down to see a short video of Williams in his studio. Current and upcoming events * 'Arcana part II', Galerie l'inlassable, Paris until December 22, 2018 * Solo show at SADE LA, May 2019 Show Notes * Justin Williams at Silas Von Morrisse Gallery * Justin Williams at Galeries l'inlassable * Andy Warhol * Pablo Picasso * Jean-Michel Basquiat * The Family sect (Anne Hamilton-Byrne) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0py0oSjQXkU 'Love at the end' 2018, oil on canvas, 205 x 207cm (This is the painting we talk about at about 26m50s - when we're talking about colour) 'Apple orchard orgy', 2016, oil monad pigment on canvas, 214.3 x 198.1cm In the studio - progress shot of 'Apple orchard orgy' (we talk about this at 30m)   Works from The Attachment Series, 2012   'Devola', 2017, oil , pigment, enamel, sand on canvas, 203 x 152cm 'Sphinx with head basket, 2014, stoneware ceramic, 25 x 13 x 13cm

Melinda Harper is one of Australia's leading abstract artists. Her works, filled with geometric forms and often with an explosion of colour, have been fascinating art lovers for over 30 years. Whether its hundreds of rectangles crammed onto the canvas or wavy forms filled with psychedelic stripes, your eye is going to be subjected to a feast of colour and form. In this episode we talk about, amongst other things, colour, why she paints in oils when acrylics would appear to be the obvious choice, and how, when she was at art school, her approach was not at all in fashion. Harper has been exhibiting for over 30 years and has had over 25 solo shows. In 2015, one of Australia's leading art institutions, Heide Museum of Modern Art, held a major survey of her work called 'Colour Sensation: The Works of Melinda Harper'. Her work is contained in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of NSW and other public and private collections. I caught up with Harper at her home near the town of Castlemaine, in the beautiful goldfield regions of Victoria. To hear the podcast interview press 'play' under the feature photo above. A short video of Harper in her studio will be posted to this website, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube soon. Show Notes * Melinda Harper at Olsen Gallery * Judy Chicago * Judy Chicago's installation 'The Dinner Party' * Hans Hofmann * Jackson Pollock * Lee Krasner * Hans Hofmann's painting 'Pre-dawn', 1960, National Gallery of Australia * Marcel Duchamp * Hans Hofmann website demonstrating the 'push and pull' theory  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct8FlM4jq50 'Untitled', 2011, oil on canvas 'Untitled', 2003, oil on canvas, 180 x 150cm 'Untitled', 1998, oil on canvas, 183 x 152cm (Permanent Collection, Art Gallery of NSW) 'Untitled', 2000, oil on canvas, 183 x 152.3cm (Permanent collection, National Gallery of Victoria) 'Untitled', 1999, oil on canvas, 121 x 110cm (private collection, Melbourne)      

Natasha Walsh is one of Australia’s most exciting emerging artists. A few months ago, over a period of about 12 weeks, she won three prestigious art awards; the Kilgour Prize, the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship and the Mosman Art Prize. She’s also been a finalist in the Archibald Prize for the last 3 years in a row with stunning self portraits. And she’s only 24. But the road to this success has not been smooth. Experiencing dyslexia as a child, she struggled both academically and socially in her early years and had to learn strategies to fit in. There’s also been an intermittent struggle with depression and she speaks openly about those experiences and how they have impacted her fascinating self portraits. Painting on canvas has never really interested her. She’s  more interested in transforming materials into ideas. Those materials have ranged from wax and copper to marble. Walsh displays wisdom beyond her years and it was great to meet her. Press 'play' which appears beneath the feature photo to hear the podcast episode. Scroll down to see a short video of Walsh in her studio. Current and upcoming shows * Mosman art prize (winner) Mosman Art Gallery current until 18 November 2018 * Archibald Prize, Geelong Gallery current until 18 November 2018 * Dominik Mersch Gallery, 2019, date TBA Show notes * Natasha Walsh * Natasha Walsh at Dominik Mersch Gallery * Archibald Prize * Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship * Mosman Art Prize * Kilgour Prize * National Art School https://youtu.be/4AkEXoIyAhg 'Numb to touch - (self portrait)', oil on copper, 40.5 x 28cm (finalist Archibald prize 2018) View of 'Numb to touch (self portrait)' in perspex frame (photo courtesy of Natasha Walsh Instagram page) 'Within the studio (self-portrait)' oil on marble 10cm x 10cm (winner Kilgour prize 2018) Three of the twenty works in 'Timepiece', exhibition at Dominik Mersch Gallery in 2017, all oil, pigment and goat's milk on copper. Installation view of 'Timepiece' exhibition at Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, 2017 'luciana, 1936', oil, bee's wax and dammar resin on panel 'Self portrait' oil on copper 25 x 22.5cm  (finalist Archibald prize 2016) 'One minute til midnight’, 2017, oil on copper, (finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 2017) ‘The Scent of rain (self portrait)' 2017,  oil on copper 25 x 22..5cm (finalist Archibald prize 2017)

Joe Furlonger is one of  Australia’s most respected painters, with his work crossing landscape, figures and portraiture. He's probably best known for a particular kind of landscape which he returns to time and time again. He paints those flat areas of the Australian farmlands and bush, the places where at first glance there doesn't seem to be much going on, where the horizon seems to stretch out forever. Places like Moree and the Darling Downs.  But he always seems to find a way to interpret those spaces which injects an excitement into the image and that invariably involves multiple layers of paint energetically applied. Furlonger's not concerned with traditional rules of landscape painting or the restrictions of gaining an exact likeness in portraiture. His methods appear to be instinctive in one sense but, on the other hand, also drawn from keen observation. What emerged from talking with him, though, was his constant struggle to avoid stagnation and his desire to always be looking for a new approach until even that method is exhausted and it’s time to move on. He’s a multi award winning artist and has had 35 solo shows. His work is held in the National Galleries of Australia and Victoria and the Art Gallery of NSW as well as many other public and private collections. We recorded this conversation when his work was hanging in Defiance Gallery's show  'Six Artists | Seven Days' which was brought about together with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy when six artists were taken to one of the AWC's sanctuaries  in Newhaven in the Northern Territory. Scroll down to see a short video taken at the gallery. To hear the interview press 'play' beneath the feature photo above. Upcoming shows * Nock Art Gallery, Hong Kong, 2019, date TBA Show Notes * Joe Furlonger at Defiance Gallery * Ann Thomson on Talking with Painters * Kevin Connor * Sidney Nolan * Pablo Picasso * Ernst Kirchner * Pierre Bonnard * Lucian Freud * Ray Hughes * Australian Wildlife Conservancy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we_hFi9ijkg&t=47s 'Grainfield Cultivation Moree' 2014 acrylic bound pigment on canvas, 118 x 133cm (finalist Wynne prize 2014) 'Desert, Newhaven XXI', 2018, mixed media on paper, 29.5 x 21cm 'Self-portrait at Moree', 2014, acrylic bound pigment on canvas, 162 x 120cm (finalist Archibald prize 2014) 'South East Queensland - Red Soils', 2004, colour woodcut on cream wove paper, 54.5 x 89.8cm (permanent collection, AGNSW) 'Figure', 1994, gouache on thick white wove paper, 50 x 40.5cm (permanent collection, AGNSW)   'Boats in Monsoon, Burnett Heads', 2017, acrylic bound pigment on canvas, 111.5 x 137cm