Talking With Painters

The name Namatjira is a famous one. Vincent Namatjira’s great-grandfather, Albert Namatjira, was one of Australia’s great painters, uniquely depicting Australia's desert landscapes in vibrant watercolour. Although he didn't know about his connection with the famous artist in his childhood - he was in foster care and removed from his culture - Vincent has made his own way to success. But this time it was through portraiture. Painting for the first time in 2012, he would soon become a regular finalist in Australia's most famous portrait prize, the Archibald, ultimately winning it in 2020. He was the first indigenous artist to win the Archibald but, as Vincent would say, 'it only took 99 years'. His winning painting, 'Stand strong for who you are’ was a portrait of the artist with Adam Goodes, the indigenous AFL player who became renowned for speaking out against racism. Vincent saw parallels between Adam's life and his own which he talks about in this conversation. The subjects of Vincent's portraits

Tony Costa won the Archibald prize in 2019 with his stunning painting of contemporary artist Lindy Lee. I caught up with him a few weeks later in his studio in Sydney and our podcast conversation from that day is episode 70 of the podcast. I also recorded video in Tony's studio which I edited down to about 5 minutes, with lots of painting wisdom ending up on the cutting room floor. So in this episode I'm bringing you the full conversation. Tony has been painting for over 50 years. Apart from winning the Archibald prize, in portraiture he is a regular finalist in the Doug Moran and Kilgour prizes as well as many others, but it’s in landscape that he is particularly prolific. He has won the Paddington Art prize for landscape painting and repeatedly returns to the Royal National Park in Sydney’s south where he has found endless inspiration. His first solo exhibition since winning the Archibald opens at Art Atrium in Sydney on 15 May 2021 and will consist of oils, watercolour and ink works based on

In 2019 I travelled 4 hours west of Sydney, past the Blue Mountains, driving through winding bush roads until I arrived at Hill End, the historic goldmining village which is now also known for its inspiring artist's community. It was there that I interviewed Susan Baird who a few years earlier had fallen in love with the town and now has a home and studio there, deep in the bush. We recorded a previous podcast interview where Susan talked with me about how she became an artist and developed her career. It's one of the most downloaded episodes on the podcast and you can hear it here. We also recorded video which I edited down for a YouTube video. I've since realised, though, that those video recordings are just as valuable as the podcast interview itself and that's why I'm bringing you this 'Summer Series' of longer recordings from videos. What you'll hear in this episode is the full audio recording from the video shoot. Susan's next solo show is coming up in June 2021 at Arthouse Gallery in Sy

My recent conversation with leading artist Euan Macleod is the first in a summer series of extended audio recordings from videos I’ve taken of my podcast guests. As is the way with videos, a lot of great material gets lost in the editing process so I’m bringing you the longer version of our conversations recorded during filming. I caught up with Euan in September 2020 at his knockout show ‘Figure in a dissolving landscape' at King Street Gallery on William in Sydney. I previously interviewed Euan in 2016 about his life and how he became an artist. Although we share him with New Zealand, where he was born, he’s one of our most celebrated and respected artists. He has been awarded the Archibald, Wynne Sulman and Gallipoli prizes just to name a few. His exhibition at King Street Gallery was strong and dramatic - figures in icy environments which were inspired by Euan’s trip to the Tasman glacier in New Zealand in February 2020. Click on 'play' beneath the feature photo to hear the podcast episode.

Antonia Mrljak's art exudes a dynamic force. It mirrors her personality - one of energy, vibrancy and a sure sense of direction. She is one of Australia's most exciting emerging abstract artists. But it wasn't until after a career in fashion and creating a family that, almost by accident, she discovered that painting was the perfect way for her to express her experiences. Her Sicilian background and childhood strongly influence her work and this interview is as much a story of the journey of second generation Australians as it is the ability to succeed in art through sheer passion. Enterprisingly, she painted live at Sydney Contemporary in 2019 creating a nine metre high work in front of thousands of viewers attending the art fair. Antonia is represented in both Sydney and Melbourne by major commercial galleries and has a busy post-COVID year in 2021. Scroll down for details of upcoming shows. I met up with Antonia at her recent show 'Ground' at Nanda\Hobbs in Sydney and I'll be uploading

Joshua Yeldham's imagery is steeped in nature. His large works range from portraying the landscape with its stunning mystical trees, to figures with a tribal aesthetic, to his iconic owls which he has famously painted and sculpted multiple times over the years, even as a self portrait.  As you get closer to these works you realise they are intricately composed with astonishing detail. And the marks aren’t limited to paint. They’re often created through carving into the board or paper and in some cases even by inserting pieces of cane into the surface which protrude to create an exciting visual experience. The sculptural quality of Joshua's work is both beautiful and technically outstanding. His works often reference the landscape near his home on Sydney’s Pittwater where untouched bushland converges on the Hawkesbury River, a short boat trip from his home. Nature plays a crucial role in his art and he spends significant periods of time connecting with it. Although he experienced a challenging time

An edited version of this episode is also a video which you can see here: When I started this podcast in July 2016 with no knowledge of audio recording - let alone how to start a podcast - I never imagined that four years later I would have interviewed close to a hundred painters, as well as curators and authors, and have a YouTube channel with over 100 videos filmed on my iPhone. Building up this podcast would not have been possible, though, without the encouragement of those close to me and the time and generosity of my guests as well as many others' support in the wonderful Australian arts community. It has also been a privilege to get to know so many of you listeners either through messages, comments on social media or meeting you in person. Even if we haven't had any contact, you are the reason I keep doing the show so thank you for listening. I couldn't think of a better place to celebrate the centenary episode than the Art Gallery of NSW where about a quarter of my podcast guests are fina

You can also watch this episode as a video here. To hear the episode as an audio podcast click on 'play' above. Leading artist Wendy Sharpe talks with me in her Sydney studio about her fabulous show 'Magic' at King Street Gallery on William. We also talk about the controversy around her Sulman finalist painting ‘The Witches’ in 2016, her involvement in the innovative SBS show Life Drawing Live, the story behind her striking Archibald portrait of Magda Szubanski and lots more.  I previously interviewed Wendy on the podcast in 2018 where we talked about her life and how she became an artist. You can hear that episode here. 'Magic' continues at King Street Gallery on William until 24 October 2020. https://youtu.be/7ESdZSoJGuo Artist Wendy Sharpe talks with Maria Stoljar 'Fluid Time', 2020, oil on linen, 84 x 92cm 'Walking home', 2020, oil on linen, 145 x 170cm 'Night Magic', 2014, oil on linen, 183 x 145cm 'The Witches', 2016, oil on linen, 160 x 146.5cmFinalist, Sir John Sulman Prize

In the late 19th century, impressionism swept through the art world. In Australia, a group of young artists embraced the new movement - they would meet in artist's camps and paint en plein air. Among them was a young Arthur Streeton who would in due course become one of Australia's most loved and respected artists.   Wayne Tunnicliffe has curated an outstanding retrospective of Streeton’s work. Wayne is Head Curator of Australian art at the Art Gallery of NSW, and the retrospective gathers together over 150 of Streeton’s works, some not seen in public in over 100 years. This is Streeton as he has never been seen before. Wayne had the idea for the exhibition when he was curatorial adviser to an exhibition of Australian impressionists at the National Gallery in London. It was clear to him that Streeton stood out as the most significant landscape painter in the group. It makes sense that this retrospective is held at the Art Gallery of NSW. Not only does the Gallery have the largest collection of Street

After months of disruption and pessimism wreaked by the global pandemic, seeing Jude Rae's exhibition '424-428' at The Commercial in Sydney was as uplifting as the paintings themselves. The towering concrete walls of the gallery would ordinarily overpower an exhibition of five paintings but the exquisite works easily took command of the space. Viewing the exhibition will be an experience I'll never forget. The genre of still life has a rich tradition in the history of painting; from those Cézannian apples and Margaret Preston's flowers to the skulls of the Dutch painters reminding us that one day we’re all going to die. They say so much more than mere objects on a table. The subjects of Jude Rae's still life paintings, however, aren’t flowers or fruit. They range from gas cylinders and milk crates to plastic buckets, bottles and spaghetti jars. She's attracted to these objects not necessarily because of any intrinsic beauty but because of the potential they present to her as a painter. 'They giv

Reading Scott Bevan’s biography of 20th century artist William Dobell is like viewing one of Dobell’s portraits; Scott takes us behind the exterior of the subject and into their inner life. He just uses words instead of paint. Scott is a journalist, TV and radio presenter, musician and biographer. In this podcast interview, I talk with him about the life of Dobell in the context of the changing art world of the 20th century.  In particular, we go back seventy seven years to when William Dobell famously won the Archibald Prize with a portrait of his friend Joshua Smith. With less than flattering facial features and elongated arms and neck , the painting was a clear and challenging departure from the more traditional portraits of the previous years. Almost every Australian held a view on that painting. Some were excited, some were shocked - others were even angry. In an unprecedented turn of events, two entrants who missed out on the prize started a court action to try to stop Dobell from receiving the

Creating her work through intuition, Louisa Chircop takes us into another world - the world of her subconscious. Dreamlike landscapes containing disembodied limbs, headless figures and mysterious forms - some representational others more abstract - create a surrealist atmosphere which draws the viewer closer to see what the artist has unearthed and portraits take on an extra layer of meaning. Her work crosses painting, mixed media, photomontage and sculpture and she has exhibited in nine solos shows. She has won several prizes including the James Gleeson Prize for Surrealism twice and her work was acquired for the Kedumba Collection, one of Australia’s most highly regarded public collections of contemporary drawing. Louisa has also been a finalist in many other prizes including the Portia Geach Memorial Award and the Dobell prize for Drawing. Figures and characters from art history also come through in her work and her deep knowledge of the history of art is something she passes on to her universi

William Mackinnon is a previous podcast guest. In this episode we talk about his show with Hugo Michell Gallery, 'Learning to love the wind' coming up in a few weeks. We also talk about his life in Ibiza, Spain, where he lives with his wife and young son, and how this body of work has developed in these times of change, both global and personal. You can hear more about William's interesting life and work in episode 38 of the podcast. I'll be uploading a short video centring around this exhibition to the website, social media and the Talking with Painters YouTube channel soon. Upcoming show 'Learning to love the wind', Hugo Michell Gallery, Adelaide, Australia, 3 September - 3 October 2020 'The New Family', acrylic oil and enamel on linen, 260 x 200cm 'Post-traumatic growth', acrylic, oil and enamel on linen, 260 x 200cm 'Burke and Wills (ii)', acrylic oil and enamel on linen, 200 x 450cm 'Foggy brain / teething', acrylic oil and enamel on linen, 200 x 300cm

Belinda Fox's work is extraordinary. Whether it’s an intricate bird in mid-flight or abstract geometric forms, she combines paint, printmaking, drawing, wax and collage to produce works of great detail and beauty. When she was only in her twenties Belinda became a master printer at Port Jackson Press, collaborating with leading Australian artists. It wasn't long before she decided to become a full time artist and since that time she’s won multiple art prizes, been awarded many grants and residencies and has exhibited in over 25 solo shows across the world. Primarily working in watercolour, her experience in printmaking has led her to experiment beyond traditional works on paper to produce unique works with an ethereal quality. Her upcoming show 'Fragment(ed)' with Gallery Smith in Melbourne opens in July 2020 and her next show will take place in Berlin with Michael Reid in October. Earlier this year she exhibited with Maybaum gallery in San Francisco and she has been with Sydney's Arthouse Gallery

Tim Maguire is one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists, acclaimed internationally for his astonishing large scale paintings.  From afar, they are familiar subjects; flowers in a tight composition, translucent grapes, an inquiring snail. But up close, multiple layers of transparent paint and a fascinating combination of large brushstrokes and expressive splashes transport the viewer to another world. Maguire’s work is held in Australia's major public collections, dozens of corporate and private collections and he has exhibited in over 80 solo shows around the world from France, Germany and the UK to New York and China and right across Australia including a knockout survey show at Newcastle Art Gallery in 2017. His practice also crosses printmaking, light box works and film which were included in that exhibition. Travel has also been an essential part of his life as an artist and he has spent a large part of his adult years in Europe, especially the UK and France. He and his wife, artist Adr

Colin Pennock's work could be described as landscape painting but it certainly doesn’t fall into that category in any traditional sense.  Although there's almost always a horizon line, or the remnants of one,  he throws the traditional ideas of sky, land and sea into ambiguity. The glorious pieces of impasto paint which are so distinctive in his work provide a fragmented way of seeing the world and it’s almost impossible for the viewer not to feel some response to the energy and movement generated in his work. Colin has painted for 35 years and has exhibited in over 20 solo shows. He won the Mosman Alan Gamble Memorial Art Prize and has been finalist in many others. He was Arthouse Gallery's featured artist at Sydney Contemporary last year and his show The Modernist 2020 with Scott Livesey Galleries in Melbourne opened a few days after this interview was recorded in May 2020. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Colin has lived and worked in many places across the globe from London to New York and

A true plein air painter, Emily Imeson has spent the last two years living a nomadic lifestyle travelling around Australia with her partner in their beloved Troopy 4WD.   For much of that time Emily’s studio has been the Australian outback. Whether she's using the side of the car as an easel or working flat on the ground of the Australian desert, she is engulfed by her surroundings and transfers that experience onto the canvas. A few days before COVID caused a lockdown in Australia, I visited Saint Cloche Gallery in Paddington to see Emily‘s latest solo show. Called 'Take Me There', it was a collection of works she created on her travels. They were powerful and evocative paintings.  She has exhibited in six solo shows across Australia and has had work in many more group shows and last year she was awarded the Macquarie Group Emerging Artist prize. What struck me most when I spoke with Emily, though, was her close connection with nature and the Australian environment and her understanding of the s

There’s no mistaking a Lucas Grogan work. Whether it’s a mural, an ink drawing or an intricate quilt, his detailed monochromatic patterns are unique and his carefully chosen lines of text are loaded with meaning and humour. Although he’s only in his 30s, he’s exhibited in over 20 solo shows and has been working as a full time artist since 2012.  His work is held in numerous private and public collections including the National Gallery of Australia. His survey show, Long Story Short, was three years in the making and opened in his home town of Maitland at the Maitland  Regional Art Gallery at the end of February. Unfortunately it coincided with the disruption brought by COVID-19 and closed a few short weeks later, almost two months before the scheduled end date. Nonetheless, it is a triumph and Lucas filmed a walk through of the show before it closed. The team at Maitland Regional Art Gallery is also bringing together more digital content relating to the show which will be available on their websit

Since episode 87 the world has changed. Those huge changes to our whole society and way of life, brought about by the threat of COVID-19, have coincided with the opening of Peter O'Doherty's show at King Street Gallery on William, prophetically called 'The distance between us'. I was planning to film a short video at the opening, asking Peter about his show, but this instead turned into a phone interview which I decided to post as an episode. In addition to his show we also talk about the impacts of the virus both on the visual arts and music industries. This interview was recorded on Thursday 19 March and posted on 23 March and a lot had changed in the intervening 4 days including the temporary closing of the doors of King Street Gallery on William. The show is still online and you can see it here . My goal in the next weeks and months is to keep us connected by continuing to bring you the stories of Australian painters through the podcast and social media. If you haven't already you can c

Davida Allen and William Robinson, two of Australia's leading painters, are not only both Archibald winners and Queenslanders but have been friends for over 40 years. Although they share their thoughts about the art world and their work, their painting styles and personalities are very different - which might be part of the secret to their long friendship. Davida's current show with Philip Bacon Galleries in Brisbane runs until 28 March 2020 and William Robinson will be showing with the Gallery later this year. This interview focuses on Davida's show and an in-depth interview with William Robinson will be posted closer to his exhibition. Bill is one of Australia’s most important internationally acclaimed painters so to obtain his insights into Davida’s work was a privilege.  Apart from winning the Archibald, Davida is also a four time finalist in the prize and has had 3 major survey exhibitions of her work, most recently in 2018. She’s had over 20 solo shows and her work is held in nearly every majo