Talking With Painters

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

Few other artists have captured Australia's imagination quite like Ian Fairweather. This is the second part of a double episode on this 20th century artist. In the last episode I interviewed Claire Roberts, co -editor of the book 'Ian Fairweather A Life in Letters' and we talked about the events of Fairweather’s life from his early childhood.  In this episode I talk with Ann Thomson, one of Australia's leading contemporary artists who I have previously interviewed on this podcast. Ann met Fairweather on several occasions with her then husband, photographer Robert Walker. They visited him on Queensland's Bribie Island where he lived for the last 20 years of his life before he died in 1974.  He’s considered one of Australia’s most important artists. Although he was often described as an outsider or a recluse - he lived on Bribie Island in self-made huts apart from the rest of the community - he was actually quite sociable through his letters and welcomed friends who came to visit. He famously saile

Learning about someone through their letters is a fascinating exercise and this is precisely what Claire Roberts set out to do when she amassed over 700 letters of the celebrated 20th century artist Ian Fairweather. Together with cultural historian John Thompson, Roberts has produced a brilliant book 'Ian Fairweather A Life in Letters' which not only gives us an insight into Fairweather's life in his own words but provides context by setting periods of letters in chapters with their own introduction. The book is published by Text Publishing. Claire Roberts is an art historian, curator and Associate Professor of Art at the University of Melbourne, specialising in modern and contemporary Chinese art and the cultural flows between Australia and Asia. It was the author Murray Bail who suggested she write this book.  He had written a monograph on Fairweather and had already located many letters but while that monograph focussed on Fairweather's art, this book looks more at the man himself.  354 letters a

Stepping into David Griggs' Sydney studio in the lead up to his show at Roslyn Oxley9 gallery was a sensory experience. The scale of his paintings is large and the colour is bold. The word 'psychedelic' has been used more than once in describing his work and it certainly applies to his show about to hit the Sydney art scene. It’s fabulously called Mankini Island. David’s a painter, sculptor and filmmaker, has exhibited in over 25 solo shows and has been hung in the prestigious Archibald Prize eight times.  A large part of who he is as an artist stems from his time in the Philippines where he lived for over 10 years. Many of the works he produced there were included in the powerful survey exhibition ‘Between Nature and Sin’ which travelled across Australia over about two years. Through his Archibald portraits he’s been open about his experiences with depression and in this episode he shares his views on how he manages and overcomes it. Mankini Island opens at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery on Friday,

Driving to Philip Wolfhagen's home outside Launceston, Tasmania, was a dreamlike experience. Unlike the dry landscape of drought-affected NSW (we recorded before the onset of the bushfire crisis), there were green farmlands rolling down to a plain with hills in the distance. If it had been dusk I would have felt I was driving through a Wolfhagen painting because capturing the landscape surrounding his property is a large part of Philip's practice. In particular he beautifully captures that moment of twilight, often with a hint of melancholy, through his expert use of colour and superb application of paint.  However, there is more to Philip Wolfhagen than painting. His interests span from music to gardening and building and these other pursuits feed into his work. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation where we talked about those subjects as well as many others, especially his use of colour. He is one of Australia's most acclaimed and respected contemporary landscape artists. He has exhibited in over

Looking back at the artists of 2019! Listen to this podcast episode for highlights of my conversations with the amazing Australian painters listed below. Click on the artist's name to hear the full interview - and most have a video on their page too! Luke Sciberras Nicholas Harding Kiata Mason Del Kathryn Barton Blak Douglas Neil Frazer Tony Costa Nicole Kelly Tim Storrier Susan Baird Tom Carment Kathrin Longhurst Ben Quilty

This is not the first time curator Lisa Slade has brought the paintings of Ben Quilty to viewers in Australia, but of those previous exhibitions none has had the depth and breadth of the survey show ‘Quilty’ which has arrived at the Art Gallery of NSW. Distilling fifteen years of creative energy, Slade has brought together an exhibition which not only presents these works to the viewer in a compelling way, but evokes curiosity and creates meaning. The exhibition originated in the Art Gallery of South Australia and travelled to Queensland Art gallery before ending with a Sydney showing. As the Assistant Director, Artistic Programs of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Lisa Slade has also curated exhibitions of many other artists. She has known Ben Quilty for over 20 years forming a strong friendship over that time. This interview therefore not only covers how the show came together and what a curator does but you'll hear about Ben Quilty's life and work from the perspective of someone who know

If you are interested in the arts in Australia you will know of Ben Quilty. He is one of the country's most acclaimed contemporary artists. In the last 15 years he has shot to prominence not just as an artist - although he’s won the Archibald Prize, Doug Moran National Portrait Prize and the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship - but as an observer and commentator on social and political issues which concern us all. Whether it's issues faced by our indigenous communities, our involvement in wars on foreign soil, and their consequences, or the cruelty of the death penalty imposed on Myuran Sukamaran and on Andrew Chan and Quilty's campaign to save their lives, he pours maximum energy in highlighting the inequities and injustices in our world through his actions, words and art. His belief that art can instigate positive change is inspiring. The excellent survey show 'Quilty' has just landed in Sydney – via Adelaide and Brisbane – and the Art Gallery of NSW is the perfect venue for it given Quilty