His work is known for its distilled, abstract language, bold lines, shifting geometries and a strong sense of spatial tension. Drawing from the coastal bush, industrial architecture and lived experience of place, his paintings sit somewhere between observation and reconstruction, where landscape becomes structure.

Over a career spanning more than three decades, McMahon has held over 30 solo exhibitions and exhibited widely across Australia and internationally. His work is held in public, corporate and private collections across Australia, Europe, Asia and the United States. 

In this conversation, we talk about painting as a way of thinking, the role of environment in shaping visual language, and how a practice evolves over time without losing its core concerns. We also get into scale, material and the push and pull between control and intuition in the studio.

Brett is represented by Nanda Hobbs in Sydney

Brett's show at Gosford Art Gallery Understory, opens 16th May 2026

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Joe Frost is an Australian artist. He was born in Sydney in 1974 and has exhibited consistently since 1999.

His visual thinking evolved in the urban environment and he is, in a sense, a local painter. Sydney’s remnant industrial areas were the subject of his earliest drawings and paintings and he has made extensive series of work in response to the western reaches of Sydney Harbour, the city’s CBD and the green, suburban precinct of Denistone. At times he has worked en plein air but his renditions of place have more usually been filtered through memory in the studio, where his approach to painting is improvisatory and layered. 

Over 25 years his process of finding-in-paint has come to manifest a great variety of subject matters, including public places, garden spaces, domestic objects and human figures in social situations. Some paintings land upon abstraction and are no less concerned with the matter of recognition: what is presented on the picture plane and what does the mind make of it? In all of Joe Frost's work a process is in play, whereby meaningful visual structure is divined from the flux of experience.

Joe is represented by Liverpool Street Gallery in Sydney

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Sally Anderson’s work is strongly influenced by her personal life, including her experiences of home, motherhood and relationships, as well as second hand experiences of landscapes. She explores how meaning and memory are held, stored and carried.

Born in Lismore, Sally Anderson began studying Visual Art at Southern Cross University before moving to the College of Fine Art in Sydney. She has been a finalist in the Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Portia Geach Memorial Award, the Sunshine Coast Art Prize and the Paddington Art Prize. In 2014 she took part in a residency with the Association of Icelandic Visual Artists in Reykjavik, Iceland. In 2017 she won the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship through the Art Gallery of NSW and completed a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris.

These ideas continue in her upcoming exhibition at N Smith Gallery, opening on 9 April. Called Holding Pattern, River Hug, it builds on her interest in cycles, care, and repetition, with new paintings that shift between abstract and more realistic forms.

Sally is represented by N.Smith Gallery (Sydney, Australia) and Edwina Corlette Gallery (Brisbane, Australia). 

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Nikky Morgan Smith is an Australian artist whose practice explores the intersection of memory, place, and emotional resonance through a refined visual language. Working across painting and mixed media, her work is characterised by layered surfaces, nuanced colour palettes, and an intuitive balance between abstraction and representation.

Drawing inspiration from the Australian landscape as well as personal narratives, Smith’s compositions evoke a sense of atmosphere and quiet contemplation. Her process often involves building and reworking surfaces over time, allowing traces of earlier marks to remain visible and contribute to the depth and history of each piece.

Smith has exhibited in a range of group and solo exhibitions, with her work held in private collections. Through her practice, she continues to investigate how environments, both physical and psychological, shape perception, inviting viewers into spaces that feel at once familiar and open to interpretation.

She is an artist based in the Northern Rivers of NSW. Completing a cross institutional bachelor of visual arts at SCU/RMIT in 2003, Nikky has staged solo exhibitions in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and participated in group exhibitions nationally and internationally.

Her work has been selected as a finalist in many prestigious awards, most recently the Jacaranda Touring Drawing Prize and has also been the recipient of various artists in residence programs, most recently the Suzzane Bastien Foundation artist in residence.

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In late 2025, we met with artist Edward Inchbold in his studio in Sydenham. A self-taught painter, he is deeply interested in the surface and texture of paint, as well as art history and the philosophies surrounding art-making. 

Edward began his practice in 2020 at the age of 25. Since 2021, he has presented five solo exhibitions, including a recent trilogy at Stella Downer Fine Art spanning eighteen months: Brand New People (2024), Wisteria Lemonade (2025), and Shedding Velvet (2026). This body of work signalled a series of pivotal shifts in both his approach and philosophy, positioning his practice within a broader contemporary context.

Inchbold’s paintings are defined by constant reinvention and a resistance to fixed stylistic identities. His compositions are built through processes of compression, erasure, and revision, resulting in dense, atmospheric surfaces. He employs a dynamic and controlled handling of materials, working with brushes, knives, and large scrapers to articulate his images.

Alongside his solo practice, Inchbold has participated in numerous group exhibitions since 2021, with presentations at Velvet Lobster (Sydney, 2026), Brenda Colahan Fine Art (Sydney, 2025–26), Straitjacket Art Space (Newcastle, 2025–26), and AK Bellinger (Inverell, 2023–25). His work has been recognised in several art prizes, including the Lloyd Rees Memorial Youth Art Awards (2021), the Lethbridge Landscape Prize (Salon), The Lethbridge 2000 (Salon), and the Galerist Emerging Art Prize (2021), where he was highly commended. His paintings are held in private collections both in Australia and internationally.

Inchbold approaches painting with a commitment to sincerity, material risk, and sustained inquiry, avoiding irony or sentimentality. His works are driven by tension rather than resolution, seeking to unsettle while holding the viewer’s attention over time.

Edward is represented by Stella Downer Fine Art in Sydney, and his exhibition Shedding Velvet runs from March 31st - 25th April. - 

'Shedding velvet marks a transitional phase in a deer's antler development, one of renewal. While growing, the antlers are wrapped in a soft, living layer called velvet, rich with blood and nutrients. As growth concludes, internal changes slowly withdraw this support, causing the velvet to dry and decay. In response, the deer presses and scrapes its antlers against trees and rough surfaces, gradually peeling away the withered covering. What remains is bare bone. Hardened, exposed, and newly formed, they eventually, through some labour, reveal a structure shaped through both gentle nourishment and the necessity of abrasion. This deliberate and forceful act prepares the animal for the coming season of competition and display.'

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In this episode, we speak with Alex Wisser, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Cementa Festival, a unique contemporary arts festival held in the rural town of Kandos, New South Wales. Known for transforming a former cement-making town into a hub of experimental art, performance, and community collaboration, Cementa has become one of Australia’s most distinctive regional arts events.

Alex shares the story behind Cementa’s founding and how the festival grew from a grassroots idea into a nationally recognised platform for contemporary artists working outside traditional gallery spaces. We discuss the role of regional arts festivals in shaping cultural identity, building creative communities, and bringing ambitious artistic projects to unexpected places.

The conversation also explores the relationship between artists and place—how the industrial history, architecture, and landscape of Kandos influence the work presented during the festival. Alex talks about the curatorial philosophy behind Cementa, the challenges and rewards of producing large-scale arts programming in regional Australia, and why collaboration with the local community remains central to the festival’s success.

We also dive into Alex’s own artistic practice and how these perspectives inform the direction of Cementa today.

Whether you’re an artist, curator, festival producer, or someone interested in the power of art to transform regional communities, this episode offers insight into how creativity can reshape place, spark dialogue, and connect people.

Cementa will be held 17-20 September 2026

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We spoke with artist @meagan.jacobs.art about her life and work in Ampilatwatja, a remote Indigenous art centre. The conversation looks at daily creative practice on Country and the realities of living in a desert community.

Meagan Jacobs is an Australian landscape painter whose practice has been shaped by years living and working in remote Indigenous communities. Born in Sydney and now based in Ampilatwatja (Alyawarre Country), her work reflects an ongoing relationship with Country and the desert environment. Her paintings use restrained colour palettes, interlocking forms and open space.

Meagan Jacobs is represented by @defiancegallery, where she has held several exhibitions, including North of Capricorn (2025). She is currently included in the group exhibition Gathering at @defiancegallery until 28 March.

Jacobs has also worked within remote Indigenous art communities, including as Art Centre Manager for Artists of Ampilatwatja. This work has influenced her approach, grounding her practice in lived experience and time spent in desert landscapes. 

Episode recorded end of 2025

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James Erskine is the Founder and Director of Liverpool St Gallery in Sydney, bringing to the role a distinguished career that spans sports management and global entertainment.

Before establishing the gallery, Erskine founded SEL Sports & Entertainment, building one of the most respected management companies in the international sporting and media landscape. Through SEL, he managed and advised an extraordinary roster of talent, including legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne, celebrated British broadcaster Michael Parkinson, and world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, among many others.

As Director of Liverpool St Gallery, Erskine channels this unique background into a dynamic exhibition program that reflects excellence, character and cultural relevance. His leadership is shaped by first-hand experience at the highest levels of international sport and media — a perspective that distinguishes the gallery within Sydney’s contemporary art landscape.

Through Liverpool St Gallery, James Erskine continues to merge worlds, art, sport and storytelling, creating a space defined by authenticity, legacy and vision.

Recorded in Sydney end of 2025

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In this episode, we explore the life and work of Tim Johnson, one of Australia’s most distinctive contemporary artists. Known for blending Western art history, Indigenous knowledge systems, and spiritual iconography, Johnson’s practice spans decades of experimentation, collaboration, and cultural exchange.

We discuss Johnson’s role in co-founding Inhibodress in the early 1970s, widely recognised as Australia’s first artist-run initiative. Established in Sydney, Inhibodress became a catalyst for experimental contemporary art, giving artists control over how and where their work was shown. It marked a turning point in Australia’s independent art scene and set the stage for Johnson’s boundary-pushing career.

Johnson’s spiritual curiosity led him to engage deeply with Tibetan Buddhism, including meeting Dalai Lama. This encounter reinforced themes already present in his work, compassion, interconnectedness, cosmology, and sacred symbolism—which continue to appear in his layered, richly referential paintings.

Johnson’s international reach saw him exhibit alongside renowned German painter Gerhard Richter, positioning his work within a global contemporary art dialogue. These exhibitions highlighted the intellectual and aesthetic strength of Johnson’s cross-cultural visual language.

A pivotal moment in Johnson’s life was his close friendship and collaboration with Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, a leading figure of the Western Desert art movement. Johnson was given a skin name, a profound cultural gesture reflecting kinship and responsibility, signifying trust, respect, and long-term collaboration between the two artists. This relationship deeply informed Johnson’s engagement with Indigenous knowledge systems and Country.

Thanks Tim. We hope you enjoy this episode. 

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With a practice that integrates sculpture, moving image, performance and painting, Sydney based artist Todd Fuller is, at his core, a draughtsman. Underpinning all aspects of his practice is a love of drawing and a belief in its power as a democratic medium to connect, engage and delight audiences. 

For ten years, Fuller has been crafting hand-drawn animations that grapple with love and loss, as well as ideas of place, identity and community. Often narrative in form, these award winning works are derived from Fuller’s experiences with different communities, sites and histories. He has been awarded a number of residencies that have informed and developed his practice, including time spent at Bundanon Trust, Hill End, Grafton Regional Art Gallery, as well as international stints at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris, the British School of Rome, and recently the NG Creative Residency in Provence.

A graduate of Sydney’s National Art School, Fuller has exhibited widely across Australia over the last ten years. He was a finalist in the 2019 Sir John Sulman Prize, won the prestigious Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award in 2018, and his work is present in various public and private Australian collections, including the Parliament House Art Collection, Artbank, Sydney Harbour Trust, and numerous regional art galleries. Alongside his national success, Fuller has gained international attention, with his works in exhibitions in the United States, Italy, France, South Korea, Bangladesh, England, Singapore and Malta.

Fuller’s practice extends into curatorship and arts production, having held roles with Waverley Council, Biennale of Sydney, Sculpture in the Vineyards and d/Lux Media Arts. The areas under investigation within his curatorial practice overlap with his artistic output. Just Draw, the 2016 exhibition Fuller curated with Lisa Woolfe, which toured regional galleries, showcased artworks that exemplified the varied nature of contemporary drawing practices, a subject close to Fuller’s heart. He is one half of interdisciplinary performance collective Flatline, and one third of the Hardenvale - our home in Absurdia touring initiative.

Find out more from his website 

https://www.toddfuller.com.au

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Sanne Mestrom’s sculptural practice explores the politics of the body and the shifting nature of value in the art world. Drawing on the female form, her work questions how art history and culture assign meaning and worth—values that are never fixed, but constantly evolving.

By taking these ideas out of the gallery and into public space, Mestrom uses play and participation to challenge how we experience art and urban environments. Her large-scale, playable sculptures invite hands-on engagement, blurring the line between art and everyday life while activating public spaces intellectually, physically, and imaginatively across generations.

Thanks Sanne, it was a pleasure to talk to you. 

Sanné Mestrom
Represented by Sullivan + Strumpf, Sydney
Lectures at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney
Australian Research Council Fellow ART/PLAY/RISK

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Join Australian abstract artist Gene A’Hern, winner of the 2025 Sir John Sulman Prize, for a laid-back conversation about colour, atmosphere and the feeling of landscape. Gene talks openly about his process, working on instinct, and what it’s like to be recognised on one of Australia’s biggest art stages. It’s an easy, thoughtful chat about memory, place and how those ideas turn into bold, expressive abstract paintings. 

We recorded the epiosde at the end of 2025 in his studio in Emu Plains. 

Thanks Gene, we loved talking to you and seeing your work in the studio! 

Gene is represented by Cassandra Bird in Sydney

and Simchowitz Gallery, LA, USA

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In this episode of Artwank, we visit Bundanon to discuss the current exhibition, 'The Hidden Line The Art of the Boyd Women', with curator Sophie O’Brien. The exhibition brings attention to the women of the Boyd family (Arthur Boyd was a celebrated Australian artist, leaving his home, the Bundanon estate, to support the arts) and their role in Australian art and cultural life. While the Boyd name is often associated with male artists, this show focuses on the work, lives and influence of the women who shaped the legacy in ways that have often been overlooked.

Sophie O’Brien joins us to talk through the curatorial process behind the exhibition. She reflects on how the project developed, how works and archival materials were selected, and the challenges of representing multiple generations of women across different creative practices. The conversation explores what it means to reframe established art histories and how institutions like Bundanon can open space for stories that have not always been centred.

Sophie O’Brien is a curator at Bundanon where she works across exhibitions, collections and research. She has held roles at major public institutions and has worked on a wide range of projects spanning historical and contemporary art. Her practice is grounded in close engagement with artists, archives and place, with a focus on bringing new perspectives to existing collections.

This episode looks at the labour of curating, the gaps that still exist in art history and how exhibitions like The Boyd Women can shift public understanding of legacy, authorship and recognition. It is a conversation about process, responsibility and the ongoing work of making space for women within cultural narratives.

Thanks for chatting to us Sophie

Recorded November 2025

Exhibition on until 15th February 2026

'The Hidden Line: Art of the Boyd Women repositions the creative practices of five generations of women from one of Australia’s most prominent artistic dynasties. Showcasing more than 300 powerful and diverse works, this timely exhibition brings into focus the women of the Boyd family – artists, designers, writers, and creative collaborators – whose contributions have long been influential yet overshadowed by their celebrated male counterparts.
Revealing a remarkable matrilineal line of artistic practices, the exhibition will present works by Emma Minnie a’Beckett Boyd, Lady Mary Nolan, Yvonne Boyd, Lucy Boyd Beck, Hermia Boyd and their descendents still practicing today including Lucy Boyd, Polly Boyd, Florence Boyd Williams and Ellen Boyd Green. Drawn largely from the Bundanon Collection, with key loans from the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, the National Library, and Heide Museum of Modern Art, the exhibition spans pain

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Today we’re bringing you a special bonus episode of Art Wank to celebrate the graduation exhibition of our very own co-host, Fiona Verity. Fiona has been knee-deep in her studies, working tirelessly to create an incredible body of work, and you can see it on display tonight at the National Art School BFA Graduation Exhibition — Thursday, 4 December from 6pm. Get yourself down there and take in everything that’s on show. 

Julie spoke to Fiona about the development of her drawing practice over her three years at NAS, how it has steadied her, focused her work, and made it quieter. Fiona talks about how much she used the NAS library, especially the drawing section, where she believes she may have borrowed more books than any other student! She also reflects on the importance of peer support and peer learning at the National Art School, and how it shapes and extends your work. Fiona has dedicated her degree show to her stepmother, who passed away earlier this year. Her grief has been worked through print, stitch, paint, and drawing based on her stepmother’s garden.

Fiona was also chosen as a finalist in the Kedumba drawing Award 2025!

We are very proud of you Fiona, cant wait to see what you do next!  

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Zoe Young is an Australian painter whose work spans still life, portraiture and abstraction. She studied at the National Art School in Sydney and earned her BFA in 2012. 

Zoe currently has a show on at Sophie Gannon Gallery in Melbourne until 13th Dec 2025.

In our conversation with Zoe, she spoke openly about the unusual path she took into the art world and how that path shaped the way she works today. She described leaving the National Art School twice, once as a young student who felt unready for the demands of formal training and again when life pulled her toward the buzz of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. 

Young grew up between Sydney, rural New South Wales and alpine-region settings, spending part of her childhood in a ski lodge on the edge of the Kosciuszko National Park. 

In her paintings Young often applies sculptural thinking (she studied sculpture at NAS), she sees canvas as form, composing her subjects with an awareness of planes, space, and structural balance. Her still lifes might show commonplace items, her portraits draw out character and story, and her abstractions explore shape, light, and composition.

Her work has earned recognition: she won the Portia Geach Memorial Award in 2018 for a portrait titled Drawing Storyboards (of film director Bruce Beresford), chosen from hundreds of entries across the nation. More broadly she has exhibited in solo and group shows throughout Australia and had a solo exhibition titled “STILL.LIFE.” in Los Angeles. 

Zoe is represented by Sophie Gannon Gallery in Melbourne and Phillip Bacon in Brisbane. 

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We interviewed Harrie Fasher, sculptor and artist, at her large studio in Portland NSW in November 2025. She is a permanent artist in residence at The Foundations in Portland and has built a bronze foundry and sculpture studio over many years. She has a deep interest in animals, especially horses, and her work shows a strong understanding of their bodies and movement.

Harrie spoke about her daily practice and the way she shapes each piece through drawing and metal work. Her studio holds many works in progress and shows the many stages of her process, from first sketches to full metal forms.

Her role at The Foundations supports the growth of the arts site and also gives her space to pursue long term projects. The foundry allows her to cast works on site and gives her full control of each stage. She works with a small team and often teaches others about casting and metal work.

Harrie described her bond with horses as central to her thinking. Her works show the frame and gesture of the animal and invite viewers to see how bodies move through space.

Thanks Harrie, it was wonderful meeting you and seeing your work in the studio.

Harrie is represented by King Street Gallery in Sydney and Australian Galleries in Melbourne.

29 November 2025 – 22 February 2026 

Orange Regional Gallery
'Harrie Fasher: Before Dawn is a major solo exhibition featuring monumental bronze and concrete sculptures. This exhibition represents a pivotal moment in Fasher’s career, consolidating a decade of artistic and technical research at an ambitious scale. ‘Before Dawn’ explores resilience and transformation through material contrasts – weight against fragility, rawness against refinement.

Harrie Fasher is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.'

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This week Art Wank met Rhonda Davis, Curator of Macquarie University Gallery, and Kon Gouriotis, curator and editor of Artist Profile magazine. They recently curated an exhibition at Macquarie Gallery titled Australian Abstraction. We spoke with them about their thinking behind the exhibition, how they chose the artists involved, and the Macqaurie university Art Collection. 

'The Australian Abstraction exhibition series continues its exploration of the evolving nature of abstraction within the Australian context. This second stage retraces the diversity, episodic developments, and layered narratives that have shaped abstraction as an enduring force in Australian art.

What began as an international movement has been reconfigured and transformed by artists working within the unique socio-political, cultural, and environmental conditions of this country.

Sophie Cape, Julia Davis & Lisa Jones in collaboration, Helen Eager, Louise Forthun, Dale Frank, Michael Goss, Gary Gregg, Sean Hogan, Michael Johnson, Kirtika Kain, Donald Laycock, Ian Milliss, Kyle Murrell, NOT, Louise Olsen, Ana Pollak, Jeannette Siebols, Aida Tomescu, Savanhdary Vongpoothorn and Chris Wise

Curated by Rhonda Davis and Kon Gouriotis'

About the collection at Macquarie University - 

'Our collection adorns the entire campus with artwork on display in the library, the faculties, the hospital, the clinics, and the administration buildings, where staff, students and visitors collectively encounter art as part of the everyday life of Macquarie’s expansive campus.

The paintings and sculptures add robust vitality, freshness and bursts of colour to the physical environment of the campus − its visual presence is certainly much felt, discussed and enjoyed.'

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In this episode, we chat with the extraordinary Aida Tomescu, one of Australia’s most respected abstract painters. Born in Romania and based in Sydney, Aida has spent her career exploring the emotional and structural possibilities of paint, building a language that’s as physical as it is poetic.

We talk about her process: the scraping, layering, and reworking that give her paintings their dense, luminous surfaces. She describes painting as a living conversation, one that demands patience, trust, and deep attention.

A major theme in our discussion is the importance of form and the relationships between all the elements within a painting. For Aida, nothing sits in isolation; every shape, colour, and mark holds a relationship to the next. It’s this internal rhythm, this careful balancing of tensions, that gives her work its remarkable sense of harmony and presence. 

We also spoke with Aida about her teaching career, she taught at National Art School for twenty years, and several of our previous guests have told us what an amazing teacher she was. 

This conversation is a deep dive into the craft and philosophy of painting — into what it means to spend a lifetime painting. 

Thanks so much Aida, we loved talking to you. 

Aida's show opens at Fox Jensen Gallery on 15th November 2025. 

Aida is represented by Fox Jensen Gallery in Australia , Fox Jensen McCrory in NZ, and Flowers Gallery London and Hong Kong.  

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Aaron Aryadharma Matheson is an artist living and working at Lennox St Studios, Sydney. He’s been a finalist in the Mosman, Waverley and Waterhouse prizes, and picked up the Richard Ford Travel Award along the way. He studied drawing at the Prince’s Drawing School in London, and later completed a Master of Fine Art at the National Art School in Sydney.

This podcast is about art, Buddhism, and living with a chronic illness,multiple sclerosis, and how all those things come together in everyday life. Aaron talks about painting as a way of making sense of things, of finding stillness and meaning through colour, mark and form.  

We had such a great chat with Aaron — thanks so much to him for taking the time. 

Aaron is represented by Liverpool St Gallery. 

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In this episode of Art Wank, we focus on Australian artists Michelle Cawthorn and Peter Sharp and their recent creative residency at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Connecticut, USA. Together, they reflect on how this experience produced a new body of work and the opportunity to explore the foundations archives. 

During her residency at the Albers Foundation, Cawthorn immersed herself in collage of birds and particularly focussed on the work of Anni Albers. Sharp engaged directly with the legacy of Josef Albers, exploring how colour, geometry and perception can reveal new ways of seeing the landscape by painting on Albers book on colour, reinterpreting the pages for himself. 

Michelle Cawthorn – Bio

Michelle Cawthorn is a Sydney-based multidisciplinary artist whose practice is rooted in drawing and extends across collage, painting, sculpture and installation. Her work explores memory, identity and belonging through an autobiographical lens, often using repetition, pattern and sensory triggers to evoke fragments of experience.

Cawthorn holds undergraduate degrees in Fine Art and Art Education from the University of New South Wales, and completed a PhD in Fine Arts in 2021. She has held numerous solo exhibitions and participated in over sixty group shows across Australia. Her work is represented by OLSEN Gallery, Sydney.

Peter Sharp – Bio

Peter Sharp is an Australian artist whose practice has, for more than three decades, investigated how the natural world can be understood through abstraction. Working across drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture, Sharp captures the structural and rhythmic essence of nature rather than its surface appearance.

He holds a Bachelor of Art Education from the City Art Institute (now UNSW Art & Design) and a Master of Fine Arts from UNSW. Sharp has exhibited widely in Australia and internationally.

Join us as Michele Cawthorn and Peter Sharp share insights from their transformative experience at the Albers Foundation. 

Apply for the residency here.

Thanks, Peter and Michele, for speaking with us, it was a fascinating insight into your time at the Albers Foundation, and we’re really looking forward to seeing the work that emerges from the experience. 

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In this episode we explore the work and world of Australian artist John R Walker, a painter who invites us to experience the land as a living and layered presence rather than just a view. Born in Sydney in 1957 and now based in Braidwood, New South Wales, Walker’s journey has taken him from city life to a deep engagement with rural environments. His art connects ecology, geology, and memory, revealing what he calls “the experience of being in country.”

Walker is known for his large and immersive paintings that map the rhythms and histories of the Australian landscape. His brushwork traces erosion, fire, and growth, capturing both the slow movement of geological time and the immediate sensations of walking through a place. In his Fireground series he responded to the devastation and regeneration of bushfires, showing both the destruction and renewal that shape the land.

Over more than thirty years, Walker has exhibited widely in Australia and overseas. His paintings are held in major collections including the National Gallery of Australia. His exhibition Journeys and Return at the Orange Regional Gallery in 2023 and 2024 confirmed his reputation as one of the leading painters of country in Australia.

In our conversation we discuss how Walker balances materials and philosophy, how walking shapes his art, and why he believes landscape painting today must also tell ecological stories.

John is represented by Utopia Art in Sydney 

Thanks John

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In this episode we speak with Michael Cusack, an accomplished abstract painter, educator, and co-founder of the Byron School of Art in Mullumbimby. Michael’s career has spanned over three decades, with his paintings exhibited widely across Australia and internationally. His work is represented in major public and private collections, and he is known for his richly layered abstractions that explore colour, form, and the tension between control and chance.

Michael began teaching at TAFE NSW, where he developed a strong connection to art education and mentoring younger artists. 

In 2013, alongside fellow artists Emma Walker, James Guppy and Christine Willcocks, Michael co-founded the Byron School of Art. Based in Mullumbimby, the school has grown into a respected independent art institution in the Northern Rivers, offering a range of programs, exhibitions, and a strong sense of creative community outside of the metropolitan art centres.

We talk about Michael’s journey from Ireland to Australia, his ongoing fascination with abstraction, and the role of teaching and community-building in sustaining a meaningful artistic practice.

Michael is represented in sydney by Olsen Gallery. 

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In this episode of the Art Wank Podcast we chat with Sydney-based artist Gina Bruce, known for her haunting, dreamlike paintings that play between strength and subtlety. Gina works across a variety of media, often returning to the same places to capture their changing moods and connections to identity. Her works are bold in mark-making yet beautifully delicate in atmosphere, creating that unique balance she’s become recognised for.

We talk about her journey into art, including how she came to study at the National Art School and what drew her into painting in the first place. Gina shares insights into her process – starting with sketches and drawings – before approaching the canvas with quick, decisive marks that bring her ideas to life.

The conversation also touches on her trip to Broken Hill. Gina talks about returning to favourite spots time and again, how place and memory become entwined, and why those themes continue to fascinate her.

She has been selected for the Sulman Prize, the Portia Geach Memorial Award (twice Highly Commended), and the NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize, to winning the Waverley Art Prize with her diptych Dreamhouse 2. 

Gina is represented by Liverpool St Gallery in Sydney. 

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We spoke with artists Gary Gregg and Gary Deirmendijan, together with curator and director Miguel Olmo, about Repair/Replace, the current exhibition at Gallery Lane Cove. Our conversation touched on the curatorial process, the role of found objects in art, and the unexpected significance they can hold. Gary Gregg shared insights into his collages made from studio detritus, and the ways these works sit alongside his painting practice. We also discussed pieces that Gary Deirmendjian describes as having “nil intent”, unconscious acts that make an artwork, such as a Sydney university noticeboards, layered over decades with thousands of staples and flyers, each mark a trace of countless hands.

A huge thank you to Miguel, Gary G, and Gary D for joining us. Don’t miss Repair/Replace at Gallery Lane Cove.

Opening tonight Weds 27th August 6-8pm at @gallerylanecove 

'20 August - 13 September

Opening Event: 27 August 6pm - 8pm Gallery Lane Cove

Repair | Replace brings together artists who confront the urgent need to rethink our relationship with the planet, considering the materials we choose, the stories we tell and the structures we sustain. Prompted by the quiet clarity of the pandemic lockdowns, the exhibition begins with a provocation: If we don’t repair our relationship with the planet, we ourselves may be replaced. 

Spanning painting, sculpture, installation, and object-based practices, the works examine cycles of damage and renewal. Artists in the exhibition approach materials not only for their physical properties, but for their capacity to carry histories, critique dominant structures, and open up new imaginaries of care, continuity, and transformation. 

​Some artists engage with salvaged or post-consumer materials, either incorporating them directly or drawing conceptual inspiration from them. Whilst others foreground material culture in narratives that reflect on consumption, memory, and value. 

The exhibition draws a connection between material and planetary care. It proposes that our relationship to objects, spaces, and stories are intrinsic to how we relate to one another and in extension to the world we share.'

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In this episode of the Art Wank Podcast, we sit down with Michael Kempson, one of Australia’s leading master printers. With a career spanning over three decades, Michael has made a profound impact on the field of printmaking through his own practice as well as his work as a mentor, collaborator and educator.

Michael is best known as the founder and director of Cicada Press, an educationally focused printmaking workshop based at UNSW Art and Design. Through Cicada Press, he has collaborated with hundreds of artists from Australia and overseas, fostering experimentation and innovation in print. The workshop has become a vital space where emerging and established artists can expand their practices, with Michael guiding technical expertise while encouraging creative risk taking.

Alongside this collaborative work, Michael has dedicated much of his career to teaching. He was a senior lecturer at UNSW and has mentored countless students, many of whom have gone on to develop successful artistic practices of their own. His approach emphasises the importance of both technical mastery and the spirit of collaboration, showing how printmaking can open up new conversations across disciplines and cultures.

Beyond his role as a master printer and teacher, Michael maintains a personal art practice that reflects his own visual language and concerns. His prints often draw on social and political themes, expressed through a refined and graphic sensibility. This balance between nurturing the artistic visions of others and pursuing his own practice marks Michael as a unique and influential figure in the contemporary art world.

In our conversation, Michael shares insights into the collaborative process and reflections on what it means to dedicate a life to teaching, printing and making art.

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In this episode of the Art Wank Podcast, we talk with acclaimed Australian artist Ana Pollak, whose practice is shaped by the natural beauty and quiet rhythms of Dangar Island, her home on the Hawkesbury River. Ana’s work evokes a strong sense of place, combining close observation with an intimate emotional connection to her surroundings. Her drawings and paintings capture shifting light on water, the textures of flora and foliage, and the subtle human gestures that weave themselves into the landscape. 

We explore Ana’s creative journey, tracing her path from early influences to the development of her distinctive style, one that combines expressive mark-making with a keen awareness of environmental and social themes. The conversation also touches on her animation projects, which incorporate water and raindrops, and are further inspired by music. 

We also explore Ana’s involvement in Six Artists Seven Days On at Defiance Gallery, where she joined five other artists for an intensive week of creation. She reflects on the collaborative energy, the challenges of producing work in such a short timeframe, and how the process influenced the direction of her art. The exhibition is on view until 23 August 2025.

The project began in July 2024, when six artists embarked on what they described as a life-defining experience. The invited residency artists—Sophie Cape, Nicolette Eisdell, Pamela Honeyfield, Michelle Hungerford, Charmaine Pike, and Ana Pollak—were accompanied by filmmakers Kathryn Milliss ACS and Anna Howard ACS, along with arts writer John McDonald. This exhibition is the culmination of that residency, marking the final expedition in a ten-year initiative to connect artists with country and foster environmental awareness in a unique and powerful way.

Over the past twelve years, with the support of the Ferris Family Foundation, Defiance Gallery has coordinated four residencies, raising an extraordinary $750,000 through exhibition sales. With this fifth and final exhibition, the goal is to reach a total of $1,000,000 in donations to support the vital conservation work of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

This conversation offers a glimpse into Ana Pollak’s practice, her connection to place, and her ongoing fascination with her environment. Ana’s work invites us to pause and notice the beauty in the moments that surround us.

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In this episode of the Art Wank Podcast, we celebrate the creative brilliance of the 2025 Northern Beaches Environmental Art and Design Prize winners. We speak with Renjie Teoh, this year’s Design Prize recipient, whose collaboration with artist Gary Carsley offers a fresh and thought‑provoking take on contemporary design. Although Gary was unable to join us for the recording, his influence and creative partnership with Renjie remain central to their award‑winning project. We’re also joined by Joanne Odisho, the overall Design Prize winner, whose work impressed with its innovation, craftsmanship and commitment to sustainability. Completing the line‑up is Shona Wilson, an artist who has claimed the People’s Choice Award for both 2023 and 2024. Shona reflects on her enduring engagement with nature, sharing insights into her deep connection with the environment, whether rooted in her local surroundings or explored through residencies overseas.

We delve into their award‑winning pieces and take a peek into their creative worlds: from crafting an eggshell lamp, to collecting delicate insect wings, to producing thousands of photocopied prints and transforming them into a vast, immersive installation. Together, these artists embody the ethos of the prize -sustainability, materiality and a profound respect for the environment.

https://www.thearthitects.org/about - Renjie and Gary's collaborative work

https://www.joanneodisho.com/

https://www.shonawilson.com/

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In this episode of Art Wank, we sit down with one of Australia’s most respected – and at times divisive – voices in the art world, John McDonald. Known for his decades-long career as an art critic and columnist, John brings sharp insight, dry humour, and a deep knowledge of art history to the conversation.

We discuss the role and relevance of art prizes in today’s cultural landscape, including whether they truly reflect quality or simply reinforce trends and institutional biases. John shares his candid thoughts on the Archibald Prize, among others, and questions the criteria by which we measure artistic merit in competitive formats.

Our chat turns to the shifting state of the Powerhouse Museum and the controversial changes that have sparked public outcry. John offers a well-informed perspective on how institutions like the Powerhouse serve (or fail to serve) their communities, and what’s at stake when decisions are made without proper consultation.

We also touch on public art and the recent Lindy Lee sculpture installed at the National Gallery of Australia. While acknowledging her important place in Australian art, John questions the processes behind major commissions and whether spectacle sometimes overshadows substance in large-scale public works.

This episode is a lively, thought-provoking conversation about the state of the Australian art world — its politics, pitfalls, and potential — from someone who’s spent a lifetime analysing it. Whether you agree or disagree with his views, John McDonald is never boring, and his insights are well worth a listen.

 If you'd like to read more of John McDonald’s writing, subscribe to his Substack, Everything the Art World Doesn’t Want You to Know. 

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In this episode of the Art Wank podcast, we speak with Australian artist James Drinkwater, known for his vibrant paintings, sculpture, poetry, and music. Drinkwater, originally from Newcastle, NSW, has built a reputation for his layered, gestural works and multidisciplinary practice. He won the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship in 2014, which allowed him to work in Paris, and he has been a finalist in the Wynne and Dobell Drawing Prizes multiple times. Our conversation explores his deep connection to place, his creative experiments with dance and theatre, and the impact of his time in New York with Julian Schnabel.

A significant part of our discussion centres on Drinkwater’s collaboration with MIMA Lake Macquarie in 2019, where he was commissioned to create the sets and costumes for a contemporary ballet titled Storm Approaching Wangi – and Other Desires. The ballet was inspired by the watery landscapes around Lake Macquarie and the Australian modernist painter William Dobell. Drinkwater didn't just design the visuals; he also performed on stage, collaborating with choreographers Skip Willcox and Belle Beasley, and composer Joseph Franklin. This project was an opportunity for Drinkwater to translate his painterly language—texture, gesture, and colour—into a dynamic, physical space, extending his creative practice beyond the canvas. He reflects on how the experience allowed him to think about movement and space differently, enriching his approach to making art.

We also delve into Drinkwater's time in New York, particularly his 2022–2023 residency at Julian Schnabel’s property on Long Island. Schnabel, famous for his plate paintings and maximalist style, invited Drinkwater to work in his studio space. This intense, seven-week period inspired Drinkwater’s exhibition American Salt – Montauk to the Bowery, which explored themes of memory, landscape, and artistic legacy. Drinkwater drew parallels between his own experiences in New York and those of Dobell, who had also found creative energy in the city. Although Dobell’s time there was fleeting, Drinkwater sees the connection in the way both artists absorbed and transformed their environments into their art.

Finally, Drinkwater shares his reflections on the interplay between disciplines in his practice, including a mid-career survey exhibition in Canberra. He speaks passionately about the importance of collaboration, travel, and memory in shaping his work. The episode closes with thoughts on how these experiences continue to push the boundaries of his artmaking, both in Australia and internationally.

James currently has an exhibition at Newcastle Straightjacket Art Space with Braddon Snape - 19th July - 10th August. 

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Ann Cape is a celebrated Australian artist whose career spans over four decades, marked by her evocative portraiture, sensitive explorations of memory, and enduring commitment to arts education. Based in Sydney, Cape has established herself as a leading figure in figurative painting, known for her ability to capture not only the physical likeness of her subjects but also a deep psychological presence. Her practice includes painting, drawing, and sculpture, often centered on themes of identity, personal history, and human connection.

Cape studied at the National Art School in Sydney, as well as overseas in London. Her influence extends well beyond her studio, through her teaching, mentorship, and role as a judge in various art awards.

Her portraits have been finalists in numerous national prizes, including the Archibald, the Portia Geach, the Doug Moran, and the Mosman Art Prize. Cape’s work is held in public, private, and corporate collections across Australia, and she has exhibited widely both in solo and group shows.

A standout in her recent work is An Unending Shadow, a deeply personal exhibition created in collaboration with her daughter, artist Sophie Cape. This show dealt with their family’s experience of dementia, merging generations of artistic inquiry to produce a raw and moving body of work.

Cape’s thoughtful, human-centered approach to portraiture makes her an ideal guest for the Art Wank Podcast. In this episode, we discuss her life in art, her process in the studio, her thoughts on the evolving role of portraiture in Australia, and her current exhibition, A Painter’s Painter, curated by Ann herself, is on show at Mosman Art Gallery until August. The exhibition features portraits of Ann’s artist friends alongside their own artworks, offering a unique and intimate perspective on their creative lives and personal connections. 

Thanks for talking to us, Ann. 

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In this episode, we’re joined by two key figures from Studio A—CEO Gab Mordy and artist Thom Roberts—for a lively chat about carving out space for neurodiverse artists in the contemporary art world.

Thom shares insights into his recent solo exhibition in Canberra at the National Portrait Gallery, 'The Immersive World of Thom Roberts', reflecting on the ideas behind the work, how it came together, and what it’s like to see your art out in the world. We also talk about his journey through his twenties, and how his relationship with Studio A has helped shape his creative practice, offering both a space and a platform to grow as an artist.

Gab takes us back to the origins of Studio A, revealing how the organisation came to be and the challenges and breakthroughs along the way. She also talks about her recent research trip overseas, where she explored other supported studio models across Europe and North America.

This is a conversation about the power of supported studios, the value of long-term creative relationships, and what happens when artists are given the freedom and resources to thrive.

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Katherine Edney is a Sydney-based artist whose evocative oil paintings delve into themes of identity, memory, and emotional transformation. Born in 1983, she holds a Master of Fine Arts by Research in Painting from UNSW’s College of Fine Arts (2008), as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts with First Class Honours (2004).

Edney’s work has received wide recognition in major Australian art prizes. She was a finalist in the prestigious Archibald Prize in both 2019 and 2020. Her 2019 entry, Self-portrait with Ariel, captured a poignant and deeply personal moment during late pregnancy, highlighting her ongoing interest in the strength and vulnerability of the female body during periods of transformation. Other accolades include multiple selections for the Salon des Refusés (2021–2024), the Portia Geach Memorial Award, Ravenswood Women’s Art Prize, and the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship.

Her recent solo exhibition, I want to lie in the clouds with you, held at Curl Curl Creative Space, explored mental health and emotional landscapes. Through dreamlike compositions and layered textures, Edney invites the viewer into a contemplative space of calm and introspection.
Katherine Edney 

Her portfolio spans portraiture, still life, and landscape. Notable works include David, Teena, and the black dog (Archibald finalist, 2020) and Ariel as a Green Cat (finalist, 2024 National Emerging Art Prize). Edney’s paintings often blend realism with symbolism, creating narratives that resonate on both personal and universal levels.

Alongside her painting practice, Edney is committed to arts education and runs classes for children on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Her work continues to evolve, underpinned by a strong dedication to storytelling and emotional nuance.

Discover more at katherineedney.com.

Thanks Katherine, we really appreciate your time!

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In this episode of Art Wank, we dive into the dynamic and prolific career of Australian artist Ann Thomson, whose expressive, abstract works have made her a vital force in Australian contemporary art for over five decades. Born in 1933 in Brisbane and trained at the National Art School in Sydney, Thomson’s practice has always defied easy categorisation. Her paintings and sculptures are known for their vibrant energy, lyrical abstraction, and a deep, intuitive connection to material and process.

We explore Thomson’s early influences, including her time in Europe during the 1960s, and how her work evolved through an engagement with both landscape and gesture. Her ability to balance spontaneity with formal rigour creates works that feel both immediate and timeless. Whether working in paint, paper, or three-dimensional forms, Thomson consistently brings a bold sense of freedom and exploration to her practice.

Over the years, Ann has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including the prestigious Wynne Prize for landscape painting. She has exhibited extensively across Australia and internationally, and her work is held in major public and private collections.

In our conversation, we reflect on her fearless approach to art-making, her thoughts on abstraction, and her commitment to making work that resists constraints and expectations. Ann Thomson’s career is a testament to the power of following intuition and embracing the unknown.

We really appreciate your time, thanks Ann. 

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In this episode, we delve into the practice of Sydney-based artist Kyle Murrell, whose abstract works explore the tension between structure and meaning. A 2013 Honours graduate of the National Art School, Murrell has garnered accolades including the John Olsen Prize for Figure Drawing and the Elioth Gruner Prize for Landscape Painting . His process is rooted in drawing, serving as both exploration and regeneration, leading to paintings that deconstruct and obscure subjects through layered mark-making .

Murrell's commitment to abstraction earned him the 2019 Defiance Award, granting a residency with the Nock Art Foundation in New Zealand . Represented by Defiance Gallery, his recent exhibitions include New Paintings and the upcoming Always At Every Moment (31 May – 21 June 2025) . Join us as we discuss his evolving practice, the role of repetition, and how drawing sustains his creative journey.

Thanks Kyle

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In this episode of Art Wank, we speak with Teresa Biet, founder (alongside her husband Andre) and director of Art Incubator – a philanthropic initiative that champions emerging Australian artists through financial support, mentorship, and increased visibility. Teresa shares her deep passion for the arts and her belief in their power to inspire change and foster community. We discuss the origins of Art Incubator, the challenges of sustaining independent arts initiatives, and what draws her to support particular artists. Teresa also reflects on the shifting landscape of contemporary art in Australia and the importance of backing new and diverse voices. Whether you're an artist, curator, or simply an art lover, this episode offers a fascinating look at how individual vision and private support can help shape the future of the visual arts.

https://artincubator.com.au

Ten Fold: A decade of Emerging Art Incubator Artists is on now at Manly Art Gallery and Museum until June 1st 2025

Thanks Teresa for your insightful and passionate conversation. 

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Lottie Consalvo is a deeply intuitive and reflective artist whose recent body of work has been profoundly shaped by time spent meditating and working in the Australian bush. Her latest exhibition, Long Dawn, recently shown at her Sydney gallery Nanda Hobbs, reveals the contemplative power of being immersed in nature — where solitude, stillness, and the landscape become integral to her process.

In this episode, we speak with Lottie about the evolution of her multidisciplinary practice, which spans painting, sculpture, and video performance. We discuss how her work continues to expand in scale and emotional depth, and how presence, slowness, and imagination are vital tools in her creative life.

'How can we see beyond what is visible? To grasp at something intangible, knowing that it exists somewhere on the periphery, but is never fully within reach? Lottie Consalvo doesn’t ask us these questions, she dwells in them—urging us to loosen our grip on certainty and open ourselves to the limitless possibilities that exist beyond our definition of reality.' - Nanda Hobbs

Thanks for talking to us Lottie.

Please subscribe to our podcast and follow us on Instagram. 

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In this episode of Art Wank, we delve into the world of Australian landscape painter David Collins, whose latest solo exhibition, Brevity, is currently on view at Defiance Gallery in Sydney from May 3 to 24, 2025 .

Collins has been a significant figure in the Australian art scene since the early 1990s . Residing on Dangar Island in the Hawkesbury River since 1987, his daily interactions with the river—often by rowboat—deeply inform his artistic practice . His works are known for their meditative quality, blending abstraction with a profound sense of place.

Brevity continues this exploration, offering a series of paintings that reflect Collins' intimate connection with the Australian landscape. The exhibition showcases his ability to distill vast natural scenes into compositions that are both evocative and restrained.

Throughout his career, Collins has participated in numerous residencies, including the Australian Wildlife Conservancy Residency in Queensland and the Nock Art Foundation Residency in New Zealand . His work has been recognised in prestigious awards such as the Wynne Prize and the Salon des Refusés.

In our conversation, Collins discusses his artistic journey, the influence of his surroundings, and the themes present in Brevity. He shares insights into his process and the philosophies that underpin his work.

Join us as we explore the nuanced landscapes of David Collins and gain a deeper understanding of his contribution to contemporary Australian art.

Brevity is on display at Defiance Gallery, 12 Mary Place, Paddington, NSW, until May 24, 2025. For more information, visit defiancegallery.com.

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In this episode of Art Wank, we sit down with Sydney-based artist Matt Bromhead to dive into his multidisciplinary practice, which spans drawing, sculpture, and painting. Known for his expressive use of materials and intuitive mark-making, Matt shares insights into his creative process, his influences, and how his work explores form, space, and texture.

We chat about:
 🎨 His journey as an artist and how he developed his distinctive aesthetic.
 🪵 The relationship between his sculptural and two-dimensional works.
 ✍️ How drawing remains a fundamental part of his practice.
 🔨 His approach to materials—why he chooses certain textures, forms, and processes.
 🏡 The role of environment and studio space in shaping his work.
 🎭 The influence of history, mythology, and personal narratives in his practice.

Matt’s work often blurs the boundaries between sculpture and drawing, with a deep consideration for how form interacts with space. He speaks candidly about the challenges of maintaining an art practice, navigating the art world, and staying connected to the creative impulse.

📸 Instagram: @mattbromhead
🌐 Website: www.mattbromhead.com

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Art Wank Podcast – Oliver Abbott

Welcome back to Art Wank! In this episode, we chat with Sydney-based artist Oliver Abbott, whose latest exhibition, Mine, is currently showing at Dominik Mersch Gallery.

Oliver’s practice explores memory and its distortions, using digital world-building tools to reconstruct remembered spaces. His background in filmmaking, animation, and architecture feeds into his work, blending virtual environments with painting to create speculative spaces that sit between reality and imagination.

We discuss:
 🎨 How Oliver’s memories of lived spaces inform his work
 🖥️ The role of digital tools in his creative process
 🏛️ His transition from filmmaking to painting
 🖼️ The themes behind his Mine exhibition
👀 What’s next for his practice

Oliver’s work is a fascinating exploration of how we remember and reimagine spaces, and we loved hearing about his unique process.

Where to find Oliver’s work:
👉 Dominik Mersch Gallery
👉 Oliver’s website

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Janis Clarke's exhibition at Olsen Gallery, The Other Sun, opens March 5th - 29th March 2025. 

Janis Clarke, born in 1983 in Sydney, Australia, is a distinguished contemporary artist renowned for his evocative oil paintings that delve into the nuances of perception and memory. His academic journey in the arts commenced with an Advanced Diploma of Performance Art from JMC Academy in 2003. He further honed his craft at the National Art School in Darlinghurst, NSW, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts between 2013 and 2015, followed by a Master of Fine Arts from 2016 to 2017 under the mentorship of Dr. Andrew Donaldson.

Clarke's work is characterised by tightly composed scenes that capture fleeting moments and introspective reflections. His paintings often present minimalist landscapes and interiors, prompting viewers to engage deeply with the act of observation. Working predominantly at night, Clarke translates his personal experiences and memories into visual narratives, emphasising the stillness and introspection inherent in nocturnal settings.

His solo exhibitions have been met with critical acclaim. Notably, in 2023, he presented Living a Life That's Perfectly Still at the Olsen Annexe in Sydney. This exhibition featured works like Full Moon and House, Blue House, and Window and Pink Lampshade, which encapsulate his exploration of light, shadow, and the subtleties of everyday scenes. The exhibition invited viewers to contemplate the act of seeing, not through detailed realism but through the lived experience of looking.

Clarke's artistic excellence has been recogniSed through his participation in numerous group exhibitions and art prizes. He was a finalist in the prestigious Archibald Prize in 2024, showcasing his portrait Beckah in the Studio, which depicted musician Beckah Amani. The portrait captured Amani's strength and resilience, reflecting Clarke's ability to convey complex emotions through minimalist compositions. Additionally, Clarke has been a finalist in other esteemed competitions, including the Mosman Art Prize and the Paddington Art Prize, underscoring his significant presence in the Australian art scene.

His works are part of notable collections, such as the Zimmermann Permanent Collection, the Macquarie Group Permanent Collection, and the National Art School Permanent Collection in Sydney. 

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In this episode of Art Wank, we chat with George Hartley, co-founder of Bluethumb, Australia's largest online art marketplace. George shares insights into the business side of art, the evolution of Bluethumb, and how artists can leverage online platforms to build their careers. From navigating the digital art world to understanding collector trends, this episode is packed with valuable advice for artists at all stages of their careers.

'We represent over 30,000 emerging and established artists from Australia and work with 20 of Australia's most remote Aboriginal Art Centres to give you access to more Australian artists and their art than anywhere else in the world.

We have sold over 110,000 original Australian artworks to everyone; from first time art buyers to established collectors and Australia's finest architecture firms.

But this is just the first chapter in our story.'

Thanks George!

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Steve Lopes 

“I try to deal with the figure and the landscape together. For me, it’s about the relationship we have with our surrounds. The tension
between the two both visually and metaphorically is what makes it
interesting to tackle as a subject.”   Steve Lopes 

Born in Sydney, Lopes trained in both Australia and the UK, refining a unique visual language that blends elements of traditional landscape painting with an expressive, contemporary edge. His work is often informed by extensive field studies and travel, particularly to remote locations. He sketches and paints en plein air, later developing large-scale studio works that evoke memory, movement, and human connection to the land.

Lopes’ compositions have a cinematic quality—his figures, often rendered in thick, impasto brushstrokes, appear caught in fleeting, introspective moments. His work is deeply influenced by history, migration, and the changing nature of identity, making his paintings both personal and universally resonant.

A highly regarded artist, Lopes has exhibited widely in Australia and internationally. His work is held in major public and private collections, and he has been a finalist in prestigious art prizes, including the Archibald and Wynne Prizes.

Join us as we discuss Lopes’ artistic journey, his approach to storytelling through paint, and the influences that have shaped his dynamic practice.

Thanks for talking to us, Steve. 

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We interviewed artist Justin Williams at COMA Gallery in Marrickville, Sydney, during his solo show, Waiting for Lavender, on until 22nd February 2025.

Justin lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico, splitting his time between there and a studio in Paris. We had a great conversation about his journey as an artist, including his early years working in New York. His work is narrative-driven, deeply personal, and rooted in family histories, with multiple stories overlapping within a single painting. He employs a belt sander to disrupt the surface after painting, allowing him to push and pull layers, creating unexpected textures and depth.

Thanks for talking to us, Justin, we look forward to watching your career flourish. 

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Myfanwy Gullifer is represented by King Street Gallery in Sydney. 

We had a great time chatting with Myf over Zoom before Christmas while she was at her farm in Walcha, NSW. We discussed her ceramic art practice, the challenges of being an artist, balancing life between the farm and the city, and much more.

Thanks Myf. Her show will be later in 2025 at King St. Gallery. 

'Myfanwy Gullifer graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne.

Myfanwy’s upcoming 2025 solo exhibition at King Street Gallery on William will showcase a new series of porcelain works. 
Please register your interest at art@kingstreetgallery.com for a preview.

Her work has been exhibited at the Melbourne Art Fair, the Korean International Art Fair and various regional gallery shows such as Interconnected at New England Regional Art Museum, 2022; Paint my place at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, 2016; and In [two] Art at Maitland Regional Gallery, 2012, which toured across New South Wales.

In 2019, Myfanwy was a finalist in Still: National Still Life Award at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, and in 2016, the same gallery awarded her the Artist in Residence at Moonee Beach.

Her work can be found in various public and private collections from across Australia, such as the New England Regional Art Gallery, Tamworth Regional Gallery, the Laverty Collection and the Open-Air Gallery, Walcha, where she lives and works. Notably, in 2010, Newcastle Art Gallery acquired two of her sculptures on behalf of the Les Renfrew Bequest, which were subsequently exhibited in Clash: Contemporary Sculptural Ceramics at Newcastle Art Gallery.

King Street Gallery has represented Myfanwy since 2012.' King Street Gallery

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Before Christmas 2024, we had the pleasure of speaking with Nick Smith at his N.Smith Gallery, located at 15 Foster St, Surry Hills, Sydney. Nick is an engaging conversationalist and clearly passionate about his work. He established the gallery in 2021, and it has since grown into one of Sydney's most respected and celebrated art spaces. During our chat, Nick shared his journey in the art world, which began with a role at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., followed by experience working in contemporary galleries before finally opening his own. It's been an incredible and ongoing adventure! 

'N.Smith Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Sydney, Australia, that currently represents more than 20 artists and collectives, offering curatorial, collection, and management service advice to museums, corporate, foundations and private clients.

The gallery has been home to culturally-significant exhibitions across a variety of media and genres, and has facilitated and participated in projects across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, India, Germany, France, UK, and the USA.

In 2021, N.Smith opened the eponymous gallery on Napier Street, Paddington in a former church community hall. In 2024, during the opening week of the Biennale of Sydney, Smith relocated the gallery from Paddington to the vibrant Surry Hills, expanding the gallery’s footprint and ambition.

Dedicated to living artists, the gallery has and is fostering the careers of some of the most influential artists working today, and plans to maintain long-term representation of the artists we work with.

Supporting culture is at the heart of what we do. Beyond the walls of the gallery we support various arts organisations to achieve their mission, including visual arts, music, theatre,  film, and publishing. 

N.Smith Gallery is a proud member of the Indigenous Art Code of Conduct.'

N.Smith Gallery 

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Gary discovered the Alveston Gallery in Notting Hill, London, during his travels and was drawn to the work of Teddy Hansen, who was exhibiting at the time. After a conversation with Fergus Downey, the gallery owner, Gary arranged a Zoom meeting with Teddy to learn more about his practice.

We’re releasing this podcast just ahead of the London Art Fair, where the Alveston Gallery will be showcasing Teddy’s work.

In our conversation, Teddy shared insights into the influence of Danish culture on his art, his experiences as a young artist in London, and his exciting plans for the future.

'Teddy Hansen’s comically surreal wall-hangings celebrate the power of escapist art. Inspiring laughter and perplexity, he infuses natural imagery with absurd narrative to convey a wild sense of humour and a rampant obsession with frogs.

Having studied at Falmouth and Leeds University, Hansen began his artistic journey with painting and embroidery before developing into the realm of rug-tufting. During the creation process, each piece follows a dream-like narrative which becomes increasingly complex as the work unfolds. Ultimately, it is this sense of unpredictability that fuels Hansen’s vision, culminating in an immersive and arresting aesthetic.

Above all, Hansen strives to emphasise the importance of humour and experimentation by encouraging audiences to take his rugs at face value. Instead of inspiring any kind of hidden notions, they are designed with the sole purpose of evoking joyful escapism.' - Alveston Gallery

Thanks for the chat, Teddy! We wish you all the best in your future.

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Nasim Nasr is an Iranian-born Australian artist whose work focuses on the issues facing her home country of Iran and the challenges she has experienced as a woman and female artist. These circumstances ultimately led her to leave Iran at the age of 25. Nasim relocated to Australia with her younger siblings, where she has built a life for herself and her family while establishing herself as a prominent artist.

Working across photography, installation, and performance, Nasim has gained significant recognition, with her works recently acquired by the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. We had the pleasure of speaking with Nasim about her life journey and her beautiful, thought-provoking art. Enjoy listening to her story, and feel free to reach out to Nasim to see her work or for a studio visit. 

'Biography:

Born in Tehran, Iran 1984

Moved to Adelaide, Australia 2009,  
Currently lives and works in Sydney

Since graduating with a Master Visual Arts (Research), University South Australia, 2011, Nasim Nasr’s art practice has sought to comment upon the transience of cultural identities. With an interest in cultural relationships in contemporary society, her artworks have engaged themes of intercultural dialogue and perspective between the historical and contemporary. Using video, photography, performance,  3D objects and sound, these works highlight notions of cultural difference as experienced in her past and present homelands, between West and East and seeks to create a harmony between the two.

Nasim Nasr is a third time finalist at Fisher’s Ghost Art Award and will exhibit at Campbelltown Art Centre Oct-Dec 2024 with her new light box; Impulse 2024, In March 2024 Nasr won AUSTRALIAN CONTEMPORARY ARTIST OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD from the Art’s Minister Tony Burke and Shadow Art Minister Paul Fletcher at the Paliment House, Canberra. Nasr's latest video work ‘Impulse’ was presented at the 2023 Adelaide Independent Film Festival where it won the best Micro Short Film Award, and was in the official selection at the 2023 A Shaded View on Fashion Film Festival Awards in Paris. 

In 2017 Nasr won People’s Choice Award in The William and Winifred Bowness Photography Art Prize, Monash Art Gallery Melbourne, and her Women in Shadow II video documentation won an award at the 10th Anniversary Edition, A Shaded View on Fashion Film, Maison Jean Paul Gaultier and Club De L’Etoile, Paris, France in 2018. Nasr exhibited in the inaugural Triennial of Asia: We Do Not Dream Alone, Asia Society Museum in New York, October 2020–June 2021, her latest solo presentation Impulse at Mars Gallery, Melbourne March-April 2023. She exhibited at Photo London, Somerset House, London in May 2023. Nasr’s latest photograph Impulse (2023) was reproduced on the front cover of ART COLLECTOR magazine in Australia, issue 104 included 8pp profile story on her practice.'

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Gary first met Wayne and Marina through artist and previous podcast guest Tony Mighell. We spoke to them over zoom a few weeks ago from their home in Melbourne. Thanks for speaking to us about your artwork and time in the art centres near Alice Springs.

Wayne Eager is represented by Australian Galleries - 'Wayne Eager is a gestural artist, absorbed with form, colour and texture. His method is based on the accretion of subsequent layers from which his paintings find their form. He was a founding member of the dynamic artist-run-exhibiting space, Roar Studios, in Fitzroy, Melbourne, the first such venture in Australia. His early works were exhibited there in 1982.

Eager has spent much of his career living and working in the remote Central Australian Desert. His experience of the light and unique features of the Northern Territory landscape have been the fundamental foundation to his oeuvre over the last 30 years.

In 2021, Eager relocated back to semi-rural life in the Yarra Valley, Victoria. In the same year, the artist was honored by a 30-year survey exhibition, ‘Bitumen and Dirt’, which opened at the Charles Darwin University Gallery, Darwin, and then travelled to the Araluen Art Centre in Alice Springs.'

Marina Strocchi is also represented by Australian Galleries - 
'In 2021 Marina Strocchi returned to her home town Melbourne after a twenty-nine year sojourn in the Northern Territory. Strocchi was closely involved in supporting the development of a number of First Nations artists, initially through establishing the Ikuntji Art Centre in 1992 and then working with the Kintore women to catalyse their painting which led to a vigorous output through Papunya Tula. During these decades she developed her painting responses to the remote landscapes and narratives that are unique to the Central Desert. Strocchi has held over forty solo exhibitions including a Northern Territory touring survey exhibition with an accompanying catalogue. Awarded an ARTS NT Fellowship in 2019 Strocchi had a three month residency in New York City. Now settled in the Yarra Valley Strocchi is responding to memories of that experience and absorbing her new environment.

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Thank you to Max and Gabby Germanos, art collectors and founders of 333 Art Projects, for welcoming us into your home to view your incredible collection and share insights about art collecting. From their first purchase to navigating the journey of collecting as a couple and curating a collection suited to a family, Max and Gabby offered a fascinating perspective. They discussed the thought process behind choosing which artworks to acquire, how collecting has shaped their family dynamic, and their deep commitment to certain artists—owning over 50 paintings by Maclean Edwards, for instance.

3:33 ART PROJECTS IS A LEADING & INNOVATIVE CORPORATE CURATORIAL DEVELOPER AND FACILITATOR 

'3:33 Art Projects delivers unique visual arts programs for leading visual artists in Australia. Our purpose is to introduce the visual arts to new audiences, allowing artists to share their stories to encourage audiences to open their minds to the magic of art and explore creativity in their day-to-day.

3:33 Art Projects has curated shows for some of Australia's most celebrated artists including: John Olsen, Chris O’Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa), Ken Done, David Griggs, Gary Heery, Ann Thomson, Lottie Consalvo, Ken Whisson, Joanna Braithwaite, Euan MacLeod, Noel McKenna, Neil Frazer, Lucy Culliton, Alan Jones, Ben Quilty, McLean Edwards, Guy Maestri, Dale Frank, Tim Maguire, Jasper Knight, Joan Ross, Wendy Sharpe and Clara Adolphs.  

Clients include Bank of America, Clayton Utz, Aon, Herbert Smith Freehills and Commonwealth Bank Private.

We have also created the 3:33 Art Projects Young Curators program, working with artists and secondary students to host exhibitions at their school - teaching future generations about  creative processes.'

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Today's podcast features James Winter, the visionary co-founder and director of Brand X, which has been creating affordable spaces for artists since 2005. With a background in dramatic and performing arts, James recognized a need for reliable, affordable rehearsal and creative spaces, leading him to establish Brand X over 20 years ago.

We spoke with James about the changing face of Sydney and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on artists. He shared why he founded Brand X, how it operates, and his concerns about the lack of diverse arts programming in the city. James highlighted how this gap could lead to fewer opportunities for unique, high-quality art to be created and showcased in Sydney, ultimately affecting the city’s cultural landscape. 

Brand X now manages the City of Sydney Creative Studios, offering a wide range of subsidised spaces for musicians, dancers, actors, and artists, available for both short-term and long-term hire in the heart of Sydney. Each year, Brand X also organizes Petite Suite, a performance residency set in a hotel. Fiona and I attended this year, and it was an incredible experience!

Currently running is The Flying Nun, another Brand X initiative, which we highly recommend. For just $25, you can see these unique performances. The Flying Nun provides performing arts residencies where each project receives $2,600, a week in the venue, and a two-night performance run, keeping the majority of box office revenue. Grab your tickets here!

 
Brand x -
We re-purpose empty properties so performing, recording and visual artists can practice their craft.

'We do this by working with Property Developers, Landlords and Local Governments to transform empty spaces into cultural places that allow artists to contribute, flourish and be sustainable in the community. We are driven by the belief that artists, when given appropriate space, inspire a renewed sense of belonging, harmony and pride of place for the entire community.

Brand X provides subsidised workspace and creative development programs alongside facilities for hire where artists can traverse the entire creative process from development to presentation. We maintain a charter that is relevant and responsive to the Independent Arts sector dealing specifically with arts-practice sustainability, skills development and capacity building.

Our objective is to afford artists the opportunity to take risks, innovate and to create work. This is achieved by offering artists affordable rates for hire, residencies and opportunities for income-generation through our activation projects. By providing Independent Artists with support while reinvigorating local communities we stimulate a vibrant cultural life for Sydney.'

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Thank you to artist Tom Carment for speaking with us on Art Wank! We visited Tom at his home in Sydney and talked about his long career as an artist. He predominantly paints outdoors, carrying a backpack filled with supplies and capturing interesting sights along the way—whether it's a jacaranda tree, rooftops, or a unique view. His work is like a visual diary, immediate and in the moment. When he paints at home, he often focuses on the everyday, like typewriters, eggs, and vegetables—anything at hand.

Tom is also a prolific and gifted writer so check out his website to read some of his works. 

He is represented by King Street Gallery in Sydney. 

'Tom Carment was born in Sydney in 1954. He studied for one year at Julian Ashton Art School in 1973. Tom is a painter of landscapes, portraits, and still lifes, and is also a writer. His pictures have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions since the 1970s, and his stories and essays have been published nationally. During the 1980s, he lived overseas for four years in Africa (Zimbabwe and Zambia) and in France, returning to Sydney in 1988.

Tom has been represented by King Street Gallery since 1993. With his most recent solo exhibition ‘The Long Way Round’ in October 2023.

Tom’s portraits have been selected for the Archibald Prize twelve times, and his landscapes for the Wynne Prize eight times. His works are held by the Art Gallery of NSW, City of Melbourne Art & Heritage Collection, NSW State Parliament, State Library of NSW, Kedumba Drawing Collection, Macquarie Group Collection and many others.

Tom was the winner of the 2014 NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize, the 2008 Gallipoli Art Prize and the 2005 Mosman Art Prize. Over one hundred of Tom’s works were shown at the 2014 Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial at the Art Gallery of NSW. In 2008 the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery held a survey of his work entitled, People, Paddocks, Coastlines.

From 2004-06 Tom worked on a commission for the City of Melbourne to document in words, paintings and drawings the construction of Council House 2 – the ‘greenest’ office building in Australia.

Tom’s work is a reportage on his life – the external environment through his landscapes, the internal environment and friendships through his still lifes and portraits. Tom’s pictures are usually small in scale and notable for their sensitive interpretation of light. Nearly all of his works are painted and drawn from life.

Tom’s published books include Days and Nights in Africa (1985), Seven Walks – Cape Leeuwin to Bundeena (2014) and Womerah Lane – Lives and Landscapes (October 2019).

Tom currently resides in Sydney, NSW.' King Street Gallery Website 

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We’re excited to celebrate our 200th episode of Art Wank with the incredible Idris Murphy During our visit to Idris’ home studio, we had a captivating conversation about his journey as an artist and his thought-provoking philosophies on art and painting. Idris is a bold, well-read artist who constantly pushes the limits of his practice, and our discussion was truly inspiring. A big thank you to Idris for his time.

Idris is represented by King Street on William  in Sydney

‘Idris Murphy is a contemporary figurative landscape painter born in 1949, Sydney. He graduated from National Art School with a diploma in Painting in 1971, and then became the institution’s Head of Drawing in 1997.

Idris completed a Doctor of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong in NSW and a Graduate Diploma (Education), SCAE, in Sydney whilst he was Head of Painting at the College of Fine Art from 1988-2007. In 1982, Murphy was a lecturer at the University of Wollongong, NSW, and was instrumental in establishing the printmaking department of the newly founded School of Creative Arts.

From 1976-1977, Idris completed his Postgraduate studies in painting & printmaking at Winchester College of Art, UK. To date, Murphy has had 40 solo exhibitions across Australia and internationally. Idris’ survey show I & Thou: Survey Exhibition 1986-2008 was exhibited at King Street Gallery in Sydney, Hazlehurst Regional Art Gallery and Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery, NSW. In 2022, a major retrospective of Idris’ work Backblocks was exhibited at the ANU Drill Hall Gallery from August 16, 2022 which then travelled to Orange Regional Art Gallery and the National Trust S.H. Ervin Gallery, in 2023.

Idris has been represented by King Street Gallery since 1993.

Intrinsic to Murphy’s art making process is an engagement with the environment which surrounds him, and by extension, his en plein air practice. Murphy explains that his ‘expeditions’ through the Australian bush ‘offer him enough to last a lifetime’. (Catalogue Essay, 2017, Gregor Sloss) His work aims to ‘transform an already imagined landscape’ (Sloss, 2017). Murphy’s practice attempts to mirror Indigenous respect for the Australian landscape. Murphy suggests that an Indigenous Australian landscape painting is a reinvigoration of the landscape and is sustained by its Dreamings.

Murphy’s work can be found in a number of public, state and corporate collections such as the ANU University Drill Hall Collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, State Library NSW, Artbank, Allens Collection, and the Westpac Collection.

Idris’ studio is located in Kurnell, Sydney.’ - King st Gallery website 

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Tanya Linney currently has a show, 'Cocoon', on at CBD gallery, Erskine St., Sydney until 9th November 2024. 

'Tanya Linney is a Sydney/Gadigal based multi-disciplinary artist. Passionate about the representation of the everyday and domesticity through the lens of historical art references . Linney looks to transform the materiality of paint and gesture through multiple processes developed on the studio floor. A tension between conscious and coincidental mark making anchors these works.
Linney is a graduate of The National Art School, Sydney (2017-2020) . She has exhibited her works in Australia and internationally and has been a finalist in numerous art prizes including The Sir William Dobell National Drawing Prize, The Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, Omnia Art Prize The Waverly Art Prize, Redlands Art Award, The Alice Art Prize and The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, and she was the winner of the Richard Luchesse Abstract Painting Prize. Publications of her work have been featured in Vogue Living, Belle Magazine, RUSSH, Pan and The Dream (New York) and The Sydney Morning Herald.'

Thanks Tanya and good luck with the future.

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Deirdre Bean

We interviewed Deirdre in her home studio in Newcastle surrounded by her wonderful paintings. We spoke to her about residencies, techniques of her work, working with Margaret Olleys objects for her current show at Tweed Regional gallery, her PHD in drawing mangrove species, creating an Australian postage stamp, and much more…

She currently has a show on at Tweed Regional gallery, ‘Domestica’, which is on until 17th November. 

Deirdre has been recently selected as a finalist in the 2024 Portia Geach exhibition at SH Ervin gallery. Congratulations!

‘Inspired by the natural world, Deirdre has always been fascinated with intricate details and perfect forms that the eye sometimes misses.

Her attention to detail and considered compositions continue to be features of her work.

Watercolour applied to paper or vellum with a fine-pointed sable brush are traditional materials Bean uses to illustrate the complexities of the botanical world. She spent seven years researching Australia’s mangrove species for which she was awarded a PhD from the University of Newcastle. Deirdre has broadened her subject matter to include military paraphernalia after artists’ trips to Gallipoli and the Western Front.

Since 2020, Deirdre has been working with oil paint, a medium she has returned to after many years. Since then she has been a finalist in the Muswellbrook Art Prize, the Calleen Art Award and the Portia Geach Memorial Award for portraiture. In 2022, she was the winner of the Gallipoli Art Prize. 

Her work is held in major collections including the Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh, USA: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London: The Shirley Sherwood Collection, Oxford, UK: Parliament House, Canberra: Australia Post: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney: Gallipoli Club, Sydney.’

Deirdre is represented by Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney 

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We had the pleasure of interviewing Euan in his studio, where we were immersed in his incredible artworks and drawings. Euan shared insights into his life as an artist, his views on the art world, and his creative process. With a career spanning over 50 exhibitions and numerous accolades, his achievements speak for themselves. See more below! 

Thanks for your time Euan.

Euan is represented by King Street on William in Sydney. Euan and photographer Craig Potton have collaborated on a stunning hardcover book ‘Look Out’, capturing the awe inspiring landscape and thought-provoking human connection to the iconic Southern Alps of New Zealand.

Available now with signed limited edition etching. Contact the gallery via email art@kingstreetgallery.com.

Euan is also represented by Niagara Galleries in Victoria, Bowen and PG Galleries in NZ. 

'Euan Macleod was born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1956. He was awarded a Diploma of Fine Arts (Painting) by the Ilam School of Fine Arts, Canterbury University, in 1979, before moving to Sydney in 1981. He has held more than fifty solo shows in New Zealand and Australia and has taken part in numerous group exhibitions in Australasia and internationally.

Euan's work is represented in many private and public collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, and the Metropolitan Museum, New York. Euan has won art prizes in Australia, including the Archibald in 1999, the Sulman Prize in 2001, the Blake Prize in 2006, the New South Wales Parliament's inaugural Plein Air painting prize in 2008, the Tattersall’s Landscape Prize in 2000 and 2009, the Gallipoli Art Prize, 2009, and the King’s School Art Prize in 2011.

In 2010 Piper Press, Sydney, published a monograph, Euan Macleod: the Painter in the Painting, written by Gregory O'Brien. 

Surface Tension: the art of Euan Macleod 1991-2009, a Tweed River Art Gallery touring exhibition, curated by Gavin Wilson, toured six regional Australian galleries, beginning at the S H Irvin Gallery, Sydney, in November 2010.

The touring exhibition, Euan Macleod - Painter, curated by Gregory O'Brien, travelled to several New Zealand regional galleries between 2014 and 2017.

​In 2019 Macleod collaborated on High Wire, a book of drawings and words, with Lloyd Jones. It was published in 2020.' -Euan Macleod website 

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Julie recently sat down with Michelle Grey and Susan Armstrong, the co-founders of Arts Matter, for an interview. Unfortunately, Gary couldn’t join as he is currently overseas.

Arts Matter is a membership platform that offers a series of intimate programs in contemporary spaces around Sydney. What Michelle and Susan have built is truly remarkable. They come from diverse backgrounds, yet both are perfectly suited to running this kind of platform. Their impressive CVs speak for themselves, and we’re fortunate to have them creating such a dynamic, multidisciplinary arts program in Sydney.

When are you signing up?!!!

'Arts-Matter is a membership platform that hosts a series of intimate programs in contemporary Sydney spaces with the creative minds shaping our shifting culture. Through a series of thoughtfully curated conversations and experiences spanning the cultural gamut - from art, music, fashion, film, theatre, dance and literature - we cultivate community, spark debate, and thrive on bridging cultural, social and gender divides.

But most importantly … we've always believed the best part about Arts-Matter is our incredible community of members, creatives, friends and family. While our programs are always about supporting the cultural arts, community is at the heart of everything we do.'

Thanks for speaking to us ladies and keep doing what you are doing!!

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Gary Seller (co-host of Art Wank) wanted to interview us—Julie and Fiona—about our practices and the podcast. Its been a smooth transition as Gary joins the podcast, and Fiona steps back to focus on her commitments at NAS. Gary delves into the origins of the podcast and its future direction.

Fiona shares her experience of returning to university as a mature-age student and gives insights into life at art school. Julie discusses her evolving art practice over the past few years.

Enjoy...

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What an incredible collection! Gary and I visited their fantastic terrace house in Erskineville, where every wall is adorned with art. Tune in now to discover how they built their collection, the day jobs that support their passion, how they select each piece, and what they hope their legacy will be. It’s a great conversation with two fascinating individuals—thank you, Gordon and Michael!

'The Elliott Eyes Collection (TEEC) of contemporary art is housed in a private Victorian terrace house in Erskineville, Sydney NSW.

The collection of approximately 400 works (sculpture, painting and ceramics) focuses mainly on Australian and New Zealand art, but also includes work by German, Belgium, American, South African and English artists, all of which are on display. Four major outdoor sculptures extend the collection beyond the usual interior walls, tables, mantels and, in our case, even the floor of the house. 

The decision to open tEEC to public tours was prompted by a visit to Terry Stringer’s sculpture park “Zealandia” north of Auckland and by our inclusion in Skadi Heckmueller’s book, “Private: A Guide to Personal Art Collections in Australia and New Zealand” (Dott Publishing, 2015). It also follows the opening of the Lyon Housemusem and the Justin Art House Museum in Melbourne; both exceptional collections and buildings well worth a visit.

It is also motivated by the realization that once works become part of a private collection they can easily be ‘lost’ to public view. Sharing these works, and listening to other people’s comments and responses adds immensely to the pleasure we are lucky to experience as we engage with and enjoy the collection on a daily basis.

The wonderful experience provided by the recent trend of house museums, is that each venue is truly individual and unique; expressing the personal interests and character of the owners/collectors. Allen Weiss in "The Grain of the Clay" (Reaction Books,2016) has described collecting, or a collection, as an autobiographical statement. Unencumbered by the boundaries, rules and bureaucracy of public galleries, the house musem displays the passion of the collector – individualistic, subjective, imaginative and zany.

It is important to say that we live permanently with our collection. We are not a museum or a gallery. Artworks are displayed and incorporated into the everyday spaces of our house, working around the normal aspects and tasks of a standard household. We find ourselves drying off in the shower, trying to avoid knocking over Jim Cooper’s large ceramic flower and duck or, in quieter moments, spending endless hours trying to decipher just what is going on in Mark Whalon’s mysterious and deliciously perverse paintings. Some works are functional – Michael Snape’s security door - while others are more traditional, decorative pieces, acquired and admired simply because they are beautiful or significant works in contemporary (Australian) art history. 

While our collection is constantly growing, sometimes in divergent, unexpected directions, it’s central focus is on the figure in the landscape. This theme is only loosely adhered to, so an outlier work of art can easily capture our attention and find it’s way into the collection. Some works are ‘serious’ (e.g. our obsession with the 1950s and 1960s paintings by James Gleeson) and others are just ‘fun’ (e.g. Madeleine Child’s ceramic popcorn).'

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A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of interviewing Rachel in her home studio in Newcastle, NSW. Thank you for having us and treating us to a lovely lunch.

'Rachel Milne is a professional fine art painter based in Newcastle, NSW. Rachel specialises in figurative and observational oil painting, in the style of the impressionists, mainly focusing on the genre Intimism. Originally from the UK Rachel now lives and works in Newcastle, Australia. Before leaving the UK Rachel exhibited regularly with the Royal West of England Academy and is now represented by the King Street Gallery on William, Sydney and the Sophie Gannon Gallery in Melbourne

Rachel paints in all genres but is best known for her Intimist impressionist fine art interior paintings – room paintings and studio paintings – paintings of the everyday clutter of a working and living space.'

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Gary and Julie spoke to Ross over zoom not long after his exhibition, 'Moonlight -Daylight', at King Street on William gallery in Sydney. Ross Laurie is represented by King Street on William Gallery, Sydney.

'Laurie has won the inaugural Norville Prize for Landscape Painting, the COFA Print Award at the Paddington Art Prize and the Kings School Art Prize. He has also been selected as a finalist in the Dobell Drawing Biennial and the Wynne Prize, both at the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney. Notably, Laurie’s work has been selected for the Salon des Refuses ten times between 1995 and 2019.

The artist’s work can be found in numerous state and corporate collections such as Artbank, AGNSW, National Gallery of Australia, New England Regional Art Museum, Tamworth Regional Gallery, the Laverty Collection Sydney, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Macquarie Bank Collection and NRMA Sydney.

Ross Laurie’s 2020 solo exhibition at King Street Gallery ‘engaged the drought and it did so deeply. Many of the paintings in “Dry at Walcha” were suffused with the glow of pink light. But it was the arid stain of ash rather than nostalgia or eros that made these works glower’ (Anna Johnson, 2022). Lauries last major body of work and solo exhibition ‘After Storms And Rain’ 2022 ‘found a harder, brighter palette but also bolder geometric forms’ (Anna Johnson, 2022).

“It might be accurate to say that my work echoes the structure of the land. The verticals in tree forms. Multiple horizons. Forms and shapes embedded from childhood memories. I don’t draw in order to paint. If I do draw I’m after a way to help me see. There is no scaffolding.” (Ross Laurie, 2022)

Ross Laurie joined King Street Gallery in 2014. He lives and works on his family farm, Rams Gully, in Walcha NSW.'

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We welcome you back to a new season of Art Wank, hosted by Julie Nicholson and Gary Seller.

We interviewed three finalists of the 2024 Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize at Manly Art Gallery and Museum. The finalist exhibition is on now at Manly Gallery, Curl Curl Creative Space and Mona Vale Art Space.

We interviewed artists Zorica Purjila, Julien Playoust and Janet Taverner about their finalist artwork and their art practice.

Enjoy the podcast and check out their websites below -

Zorica Purjila
Julien Playoust
Janet Taverner 

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'Mook Simpson, a Sydney artist known for his unique blend of humour and quiet social commentary, is about to launch his latest exhibition, "Pretty Unsettling," at Damien Minton Presents. The show features a collision of iconic Australian landscapes and fantastical creatures, challenging perceptions of history and memory. Simpson's studio practice reimagines classic works from the Heidelberg School, inserting unexpected monsters into these beloved Australian scenes. This results in works that are both
familiar and strangely unsettling, prompting viewers to question their own recollections of the past.

Simpson's artistic endeavours aren't bound by Heidelberg incursions. After completing murals in downtown Los Angeles, Simpson returned to Sydney and embarked on a series of “unauthorised nocturnal en-plein-air" painting sessions on building site hoardings. After a brief encounter with the law – and subsequent positive collaborations with the city council and the building sites themselves, we have the large scale pieces at the centre of this show.

The exhibition, "Pretty Unsettling," brings together eleven of Simpson's reimagined works, alongside the two hoarding murals and companion ceramic sculptures. The show promises to be a thought-provoking exploration of Australian identity, memory, and the anxieties lurking beneath the surface.

Simpson, a former creative director in the animation industry, has garnered attention for his distinctive style and finalist placements in the Adelaide Parklands Art Prize and Maritime Art Prize. "Pretty Unsettling" marks a significant step in his burgeoning artistic career.'

Exhibition Details:
● Title: "Pretty Unsettling" By Mook Simpson
● Opening Event: June 25, 2024, 6pm-8pm
● Open: June 26th - July 6th 2024. Wednesday - Saturday. 11 am to 6pm.
● Location: 50 Buckingham St, Surry Hills, Sydney - Damien Minton Presents
● Website: Damien Minton Presents
Media Contact:
Mook (aka Mark) Simpson
hello@mooksimpson.com
+61406470964
Folder of Images for your convenience

Link to China's Van Gogh's documentary - here 

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We interviewed Tony Twigg, artist, who has been running Slot Window Gallery for 25 years! We had a great chat with Tony about his art practice, running the gallery and the art world. The current exhibition at Slot is a collaboration between tony and artist Alfredo Aquilizan which runs until 5th July 2024.

Thanks Tony, we appreciate your time. 

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Amanda Penrose Hart is an artist, represented by King Street Gallery, Sydney, Phillp Bacon in Brisbane and Yallingup Gallery in WA.  Thanks for talking to us and for the wonderful lunch at your place! 

'Brisbane born artist Amanda Penrose Hart is predominantly a landscape painter. Penrose Hart graduated from Queensland College of Art in 1983 with a Diploma of Fine Art, and then again from Griffith University in 1991, with a Bachelor of Visual Arts.

Travelling, and en plein air practice is intrinsic to Amanda’s work; she extrapolates the significance of a place through her work. Dr Andrew Frost suggests she evokes a familiarity with landscapes unseen, by connecting the audiences personal experience with her interpretations of (to date) Australian and European landscapes.

Penrose Hart has featured in numerous selective group exhibitions, more often than not following artist trip’s or artist-run projects such as Your Friend the Enemy, and Salient (both commemorative exhibitions of the Great War), and River on the Brink: Inside the Murray Darling Basin, which aimed to raise awareness for the impacts of drought and climate change in Australia.

Amanda won the Gallipoli Art Prize in 2017 and the Clayton Utz Award in 2019. Amanda has also been a finalist in the Tattersalls Landscape Prize, Kings School Art Prize, the Salon des Refusés and NSW Parliament en Plein air, as well as the Portia Geach Memorial Award, the Kedumba Drawing Award, Muswellbrook Art Prize, and the Kilgour Art Prize.' - Amandas website 

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Thanks to this weeks guest on the podcast, Zoe McPhail Prineas, an MFA student that Fiona met at NAS. we interviewed her at her solo show at Laila gallery in Sydney. 

'Zoë graduated from the National Art School in Darlinghurst in 2023, having completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Zoë was awarded the Bird Holocomb Foundation Master of Fine Art Scholarship. Her postgraduate studies in a Masters of Fine Arts will commence in 2024.

“Art has always punctuated my life, though it wasn’t until I went to NAS [The National Art School] that it became my dominant language. One month into NAS, I was calling myself an artist, and seeing the world with a new perception and sense of freedom. I’ve always had a lot to say, and art allows me to express things visually.

I chose printmaking as my studio specialisation, and was introduced to the field of expanded printmaking by our head of department. The field of expanded printmaking strips back the medium to the basic idea of the “trace”. I began to understand that print was anything that left a mark. Printmaking also has such strong ties to culture, as it has historically been a means for cultural production (think newspapers and billboards). I love to use this insight as a foundation of my practice.”' - UTSVERTIGO 2024 by Raphaella Katzen

Thanks Zoe and all the best for your Masters, we cant wait to see what happens next for you…

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Fiona and I are currently showing at Stella Downer Fine Arts Gallery in Waterloo, NSW, and so we thought it was a great opportunity to speak to Stella about her illustrious career as a Gallery Owner and Art Valuer. Our work is on show until June 8th 2024. 

'Stella Downer is a respected art dealer, consultant and valuer. Stella has worked with leading contemporary galleries for over thirty years. Stella was the manager in Sydney of Roslyn Oxley 9 gallery, Macquarie Galleries and Australian Galleries before opening her own gallery in 2001.

​Previously Stella has worked in the auction industry managing sections of Christies London and Christies Australia. Stella has been a member of the S.H.Ervin Art Advisory Committee Sydney for over twenty years and was also on the board of the South East Area Health Service. Since 2001 she has been a member of the Woollahra Small Sculpture Committee helping organise their annual shows. Stella’s other board commitments have included the Australian Centre for Asian Art and Archaeology, University of Sydney. A supporter of the National Art School Sydney, Stella was on the Accreditation Board to assess their standing for BA Fine Arts. 

Stella is a valuer for the Australian Governement Cultural Gifts Program. Her extensive knowledge of, and experience in, the Australian and international art world ensures that she is regarded as one of the top valuers within this organisation.'

Thanks for speaking to us Stella and having our work exhibited at your gallery. 

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Many thanks to Armando for such a great chat on the podcast we really appreciate hearing about your art practise and how you have developed your career.

Find Armando on his website

https://armandochant.com

or social media

https://www.instagram.com/armando_chant/?hl=en

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Thanks to Nick Vickers for speaking to us from See Street Gallery at Meadowbank TAFE. 

Phillip Martin's exhibition, 'Paintings 1952-1972', is on at See Street until 16th May. 

'Nick Vickers BA Visual Art, Dip. Ed, M.Art Admin

Nick Vickers has been involved in the Australian art industry for over 30 years when he established his first gallery through UNSW Art & Design in 1984. Throughout Nick’s career he has championed the works of emerging artists by establishing a number of galleries through universities and art colleges. He has presented, curated and hosted national and international artists and he has lectured in tertiary, intermediary and secondary institutions.

Nick has contributed to the curatorial expanse of the University of Sydney Art Collection where, through his expertise as Curator of the University Union art collection, he added works of some considerable cultural significance. He established the Sir Hermann Black Gallery & Sculpture Terrace through which he hosted and curated ten years of highly rated art exhibitions and prizes that included The Blake Prize and The Freedman Foundation annual exhibitions.

On a local government level Nick has served on curatorial panels with the City of Sydney, Willoughby, North Sydney (Creative Spaces/ Spaces for Creatives) and Woollahara Councils (Creative Paddington and The Oxford Street Shopfront Festival). He was invited to co-ordinate The Art of Shakespeare, a fundraising touring exhibition of some of Australia’s leading artists that launched in the Sydney Opera House.

On an international level, Nick has served as President of the Slovenian/ Australian Institute that has hosted a program of international art ex- changes and touring exhibitions. In this role Nick negotiated sponsorships and partnerships at ambassadorial and ministerial levels.

During his career Nick has developed a strong network of arts and business professionals. He is panel member with The Freedman Foundation, advises on the artist studio for Curwoods Lawyers and has served as a board member with The Blake Society for over ten years and lectures in Museum Practices.

Currently, Nick works as an independent art curator and is a pro bono board member of the Sydney Art Zone. In 2016 Nick co-curated an exhibition called WAR – A Playground Perspective at The Armoury at Sydney Olympic Park and this year has been invited back by SOPA to curate an exhibition from the studio residency programme entitled Mining Pyrite. This year Nick has been invited to the panel of judges for the Paddington Art Prize.'

Ray Hughes: Africa

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Many thanks to Jasmine for chatting to us on zoom - great to talk about your art practise.

Jasmine is a professional practicing artist whose work is best described as the meeting of exploration and refinement. Jasmine has taken her art to a number of mediums – sculpture, large-scale public works and intimate paintings for private collection. She is not afraid to venture outside an established comfort zone. Whatever her choice of art form, Mansbridge brings a refined and meticulous hand to the work; her deliberation and contemplation are evident at all times. 

The work provokes thought and wonder and gives the viewer the chance to apply their personal storytelling, as they unpack the geometry and portals of Mansbridge’s imagined world.

You can find out more about Jasmine on her website or social media https://www.jasminemansbridge.com
https://www.instagram.com/jasmine_mansbridge/

Jasmine will be showing at Michael Reid Gallery on 4th May 2024

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Jesse - The Empowered muse, life modelling for individual wellness and social sustainability. 

We've been eager to chat with a life model for some time, and luckily Jesse posed for Julie's Art class in Avalon. She's skilled and knowledgeable, exceeding our expectations. Initially anticipating a conversation about modeling experiences and anecdotes, we were pleasantly surprised. Jesse shared her reasons for life modeling, driven by a need to confront her fears. This journey led to enhanced self-awareness and body positivity, influenced by the artists' portrayals of her beauty. After mastering modeling, Jesse traveled across Australia last year, organising life modeling classes in rural towns. Her goal was to break barriers and demonstrate the benefits for both individuals and communities. It was an extraordinary conversation, and we're grateful to Jesse for her openness. Her story has reshaped our perspective on life modeling, offering a beautiful insight into her journey.

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Natalie O'Connor and Jo Mellor are currently showing at Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf so you can go check out their work right now!

Natalie O'Connor is an artist recently awarded her PHD at UNSW for her thesis, 'The Nature of Redness', which is also the title of Natalie's exhibition at Woollahra. 

Natalie O’Connor is an artist, researcher, public programs & education coordinator at Hazelhurst Arts Centre. Her experience in the international colour manufacturing industry has heavily influenced her practice. She holds a Bachelor of Education and Master's degree. Most recently, she was awarded a PhD at UNSW for her thesis, The Nature of Redness- A Practice-Based Research into Red Pigments to Offer a New Understanding of Material Colour.

Her practice and thesis are concerned with the permanency and fragility of colour and the technical innovations of the artist’s palette that result from a collaborative dialogue between artists and scientists since the early nineteenth century. She engages deeply with the colour red, investigating its materiality and revealing its inherent qualities of colour. 

By understanding and experiencing the delicacies of each red pigment, scientists explore the potential for colour-making in the future. This allows the new potential for contemporary artists to make informed choices with their palettes to interpret the world around them. 

 
Jo Mellor is also a graduate of UNSW recently a masters in Fine Arts research
 
'Jo Mellor is a recent graduate of UNSW Art & Design's MFA program. Her MFA project was guided by Aboriginal knowledge provided by Ngiyampaa Elder Aunty Beryl Carmichael. The project applied the methodologies of yarning and deep listening to an expanded textile practice as well as consultation and collaboration with the Menindee Ngiyampaa and Barkandji community. Emerging from this research, Jo's current exhibition, Cobalt and Rust (Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, 20 March - 14 April 2024) is a critical examination of the ecological crises affecting Broken Hill (Wilyakali Country). Through a textile-based, eco-feminist practice, the exhibition lays bare the devastating consequences of land and water mismanagement by government bodies and corporations who fail to consult with the Traditional Custodians of Country. The textile series in the exhibition presents dense clusters of embroidery that suggest textures of scarred earth, whilst hues of cobalt and rust echo chemical discord. -

Jo's exhibition at Woollahra is called, 'Cobalt and Rust'. 

Their shows are on until 14th April.

Thanks for talking to us!

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Many thanks Evie for your time and sharing your stories and experiences about your life and artwork. Evie is inspired by her environment.

To find out more about Evie and her artwork you can see on her instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/evie.adasal/?hl=en

To see the artwork of Evie's from Paddington Art Prize 2023

https://www.artgalleria.com/folio?p=cb840d31-507c-457c-9439-0d7fe04a31bd

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We had the great pleasure of interviewing artist @elle_beaumont_ at @michaelreid.northernbeaches last weekend just before the opening of the group show, ‘Country’, as featured in this month’s @countrystylemag. Elle also has a solo show in October at @michaelreid.southernhighlands so keep an eye out for that. 

‘Elizabeth Beaumont (b. 1989) is an emerging artist living on the remnant bushland of the Ngambri/Ngunnawal people in the Southern Tablelands, NSW. Elizabeth grew up in the Southern Highlands, NSW. 
Elizabeth is self-taught, with a background in criminal law and psychology. Elizabeth has always painted, but has dedicated time to her practice since 2017. Elizabeth’s paintings are predominately abstracted landscapes and expressions of the bush, with recurring interrogation of the ecology of the southern tablelands, wallum heathland, the central Australian desert, and Southwest Tasmania.  ​​
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Thanks so much for talking to us, Elle, good luck for the future and happy painting! 

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Join us for the latest episode of @art.wank featuring the talented artist Nicole Kelly (@nk_nk_). Congratulations to Nicole on becoming a new mum! In our recent Zoom interview before the Xmas, we delved into her painting techniques, past exhibitions, and her unique approach to color. Nicole is a very generous artist and offers dedicated mentoring through workshops and classes. Visit her website today to learn more and reserve your spot.

Represented by Arthouse gallery in Sydney and Nicholas Thompson gallery in Melbourne

.

‘Kelly creates paintings that linger between the essence of a subject and the experience of being. Clouded by the romanticism of remembering, her paintings are imbued with experience captured in vibrant strokes of colour and with swift brushwork. Kelly’s works, informed by an interest in literature and the discipline of painting, cast moments of shared stillness in an atmosphere of light. She says of her works “my desire is to push painting beyond a surface likeness of any subject and into the realm of poetics”.

Winner of the prestigious Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship (2009) and the Hurford Hardwood Portrait Prize (2018), Kelly is well recognised for her landscape, portraiture and still life painting. She has undertaken residencies in France (2019, 2018, 2017, 2010) and Spain (2016) and has completed major public commissions for the Sutherland and St George Hospitals in Sydney. Her work has been selected for inclusion in the Lester Prize for Portraiture at the Art Gallery of WA (2019, 2018, 2017, 2015), Portia Geach Memorial Award (2021, 2020, 2019, 2015, 2014), Salon des Refusés (2023, 2020, 2019) and Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW (2015). ‘

.

Thanks Nicole! Listen wherever you get podcasts or link in bio 

:

#Podcast #artpodcast #artwank #abstract #art #artistsoninstagram #artwork #artist #artgallery #nicolekelly 

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Last year, we had the pleasure of interviewing the remarkable Tony Mighell. Unfortunately, our recording equipment failed to capture the second half of the interview. Determined to delve deeper into Tony's work, we returned for a re-recording session. Notably, Tony is a recent finalist in the Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize and is represented by Nanda Hobbs.

Adding to the occasion, we were joined by Gary, a friend of both Tony and the podcast. Gary generously brought along a cake for after the podcast!

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Dougie Schofield 

Douglas grew up in Eden, on the Far South Coast of NSW, in his parent's rambling garden. This early immersion in Nature has resulted in a practice that reflects on the bodily experience in Landscape. 

Schofield is an emerging artist currently based in Sydney, NSW. In 2017 he graduated Fine Art (Hons) at UNSW Art & Design, with a major in painting and a minor in printmaking.

He has had solo and group exhibitions nationally and has been exhibited internationally in China, Spain, and the Philippines. He currently has work on display in the Macquarie Group collection, Sydney. 

Douglas is represented in Brisbane, QLD by Aster + Asha Gallery.

Schofield’s ongoing body of work journals and ponders on the bodily experience in landscape in relation to his gardening practice. As a gardener and horticulturist, the climate and weather are determining factors in daily activities.

Douglas notes, “We are witnessing dramatic, unseasonal and severe weather nation and worldwide. My practices of gardening and painting put me in contact with this change daily.”

Their work is abstract, gestural and layered. Douglas prefers to work abstractly in an attempt to give non-figurative visual language to the contemporary experience of being in Landscape.

Thanks Dougie, so great to meet you and talk about your art practice. 

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Richardson’s works are held in the collections of National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of NSW,  Heide Museum of Art, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Artbank, City of Fremantle, MerriBek Council and the Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art.

Richardson is the founding editor of CoUNTess a blog publishing data on gender representation in the Australian visual arts sector.

The first Countess Report authored by Richardson, was released in 2016 a sector wide bench marking data collection project, and which re-launched as Countess.Report in 2017 in collaboration with Amy Prcevich and Miranda Samuels and producing the updated 2019 Countess Report.

You can find out more about the Countess report here
https://countess.report

You can find out more about Elvis on her website
https://elvisrichardson.com

To see the images discussed - Dorothy and Jack -please click here
https://elvisrichardson.com/Slide-Show-Land-Dorothy-and-Jack

to see the 'gates' discussed at 20 minutes in
https://elvisrichardson.com/Settlement-the-Gatekeepers

 

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Thanks Nathan Hawkes for such a great chat - we loved talking with you. To find out more about Nathan's practice look at these links

https://www.instagram.com/n.a.t.h.a.n.h.a.w.k.e.s/?hl=en

b. 1980 in Bowral, NSW, Australia
Lives and works in Sydney, Australia

Nathan Hawkes is a Sydney-based artist whose work is grounded in the practice of drawing as a way of paying attention to and reflecting on the visual dynamics and sensations encountered in his daily life.

His large-format drawings involve scratching into the surface of paper and using rudimentary mark-making with fingers and hands, masking, sponges and a vacuum cleaner, to embody a rough-hewn euphoria and sense of renewal whilst gesturing towards an illusory perception of self in relationship to the world. It exemplifies his commitment to the exercise of drawing.

Hawkes states:

I am obsessed by the seemingly endless vitality and flexibility inherent to the act of drawing. Being arguably one of the oldest modes of communication there is something so deeply rooted, open, adaptive and non- exclusive about the practice of making marks on a surface in various ways to embody an idea or sensation.

In 2020, Hawkes exhibited in Real Worlds: Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial. In 2019, Hawkes was a finalist in the 2019 Ramsay Art Prize at the Art Gallery of South Australia. He has been the recipient of a number of prestigious awards including the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, Marten Bequest travelling scholarship, and the Asa Masakusa Award. Between 2013 and 2015 he was an artist in residence at Australia House, Japan and exhibited at the 2015 Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial. In 2017 the Australia Council for the Arts funded an extended visit to Sweden where he worked with internationally acclaimed artist Andreas Eriksson.

Collections: Art Gallery of New South Wales -
Chalk horse Gallery

represented by Chalk horse Gallery in Sydney and Sophie Gannon in Melbourne

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We had the great pleasure to visit the newly renovated Artspace studio and gallery space at The Gunnery, Woolloomooloo. Ten artists have successfully received a years free studio space. The studios are amazing, brand new and huge along with common spaces and a beautiful gallery space downstairs.

We interviewed Leyla Stevens, Julia Gutman, Latai Taumoepeau and David M Thomas about what they will do with their year at Artscape and their art practice.

The 10 artists taking the studios for the inaugural year are -

• Jack Ball 
• Brian Fuata 
• Julia Gutman  
• Tina Havelock Stevens 
• Jazz Money. 
• Thea Anamara Perkins 
• Gemma Smith 
• Leyla Stevens  
• Latai Taumoepeau 
• David M Thomas 

Artspace will have an opening on Dec 15th 5.30pm  and Dec 16th 11am following the government's transformation of the heritage building. Live performances, artist talks and DJ's. 

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Many thanks Lisa for your chat about all the work that goes into building a strong business with artists .

You can find the Astute artist course on this link
https://www.theastuteartist.com

Lisa's instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisadoust/

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Conor Knight is an emerging artist currently exhibiting  at Michael Reid Northern Beaches until November 25th so get online or down to the Newport gallery and see the show, El Aula, in person.

Conor recently spent 8 months teaching in Spain painting for this exhibition. We had a great chat about learning to paint, having a mentor in his friend and previous podcast guest, Dylan Jones, and much more...

Thanks Conor, we wish you all the best for your future art career...

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Ochre Lawson is an artist and teacher working out of Addison Rd Studios in Marrickville. She has a deep knowledge of colour and composition through self study and curiosity, Her work is free, flowing and colourful, full of the energy of the bush, which she loves to hike through. She was once an environmental activist and her love for nature comes through in her work.

She is represented by Jennings Kerr Gallery in the Southern Highlands.

The group show, Pulp, opens at Jennings Kerr November 17 until December 17.

She has a solo show next October...

thansk Ochre! 


Ochres Art School - Art Class Sydney, get yourself along to one of her classes!

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This weeks podcast is with the brilliant artist Carline Zilinksy. Her show opens at Nanda Hobbs Thursday 9th Novmember so go see it! She recently won the peoples choice award at the Mosman art prize, congratulations Caroline. It was a pleasure to chat with Caroline, full of energy and unapologetic passion! 

She is represented by Nanda Hobbs 

'Caroline Zilinsky is the most enigmatic of painters.  She is obsessive, highly skilled, sharp witted and possesses an eye that drills into the very soul of her sitters, revealing their most intimate truths. Her unrelenting artistic drive is intoxicating—ten-hour days at the easel is the studio norm.

When viewing Zilinsky’s paintings, one cannot be an innocent bystander. As an artist, she has the ability to metaphorically reach out and grasp the viewer, compelling us to engage in a dialogue with her protagonists.  Her works inhabit an interesting place in contemporary Australian painting. She echoes many of the themes of the Australian Modernism greats and stylistically, acknowledges a debt to their introspective investigations into an uncomfortable world.

Caroline Zilinsky was the winner of the 2020 Portia Geach Memorial Award (Australia's most prestigious art prize for portraiture by women) and in the same year won the Evelyn Chapman Art Award at S H Ervin Gallery. She is also a regular finalist in other premier art prizes including the Archibald Prize (2022), Art Gallery NSW, Darling Portrait Prize (2020, 2022) National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Canberra, the 2020 SBS Portrait Prize, the Kilgour Prize at Newcastle Art Gallery, Blake for Religious Art, the 2017 Sulman Prize and the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. In 2009, the Muswellbrook Regional Gallery acquired her work United We Stand.'

Thanks Caroline 

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Many thanks to Pete Codling for chatting to us on the podcast.

You can find more about Pete on his social media https://www.instagram.com/petecodling/

and here on the dockyard project
https://www.instagram.com/the_dockyard_artist_residency_/

or his website

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=website+pete+codling&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

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Susie Dureau is the first artist we have spoken to twice. She complete her masters at national Art school 2 years ago. She currently has a show on at Curl Curl Creative Space, Soundscapes, that runs until Sunday 29th October 11-4pm so get down there and check it out.

Thanks Susie, great chat and wonderful exhibition.

Susie Dureau website

Spencer Finch https://www.spencerfinch.com/

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We unpacked a lot in this interview with associate professor of UNSW Oliver Bown and Stuart Buchanan, Head of Screen programming at Sydney Opera House. they have converted data taken from the machinations of the Opera House into a digital musical experience that you can live stream for the whole month of October... The Opera House becomes a living artwork. We hope this podcast explains the way AI and art can come together to create some amazing artworks.

Livestream runs from 1 - 31 October for 744 hours. you can find out all the information on the Sydney Opera house Website.

'The Sydney Opera House comes alive like never before through an uncanny symbiosis of machine learning and human creativity, as the sounds and the data from the building itself are dramatically recomposed  for an unforgettable 50th-anniversary performance across October.

What will the future of performance look like? To celebrate our 50th anniversary, we’re looking ahead to ponder the weird and wonderful new ways in which technology and human creativity collaborate – by turning the Sydney Opera House itself into the star performer.

The Interactive Media lab from University of New South Wales team up with music technologists Uncanny Valley to harness data generated by the building and turn it into music.

Across the month of October, the resultant 744-hour generative artwork will use A.I. processes to dynamically recompose the everyday data flow of the building into a unique musical soundscape.

Augmented with field recordings from the building, including the sounds of the Concert Hall’s Grand Organ, the work will be livestreamed on Stream, the Sydney Opera House’s streaming platform, accompanied by generative visuals, and ‘performed’ in situ at various moments during the Birthday Festival.

Music of the Sails is a joyous celebration of a cultural icon and a dazzling glimpse into future possibilities.

Interactive Media Lab, University of New South Wales
The Interactive Media Lab at UNSW’s School of Art & Design researches and teaches emerging media technologies and their application in creative work.

Uncanny Valley
Uncanny Valley’s focus is one part musical craft, and the other sonic technology. Armed with decades of experience, they harness their diverse musical expertise and collaborate with artists and brands to create their unique sound. They utilise emerging technologies and engage audiences to tell musical stories via all mediums.'

Thanks Natasha from the Opera House for organising and hosting. 

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Many thanks to Michelle Cawthorn multidisciplinary artist working with memory and personal experience through her distinct visual language of repetitive mark making.

You can find out more about Michelle on her website https://www.michellecawthorn.com

or on her instagram
https://www.instagram.com/michellecawthorn/

Michelle has a show on at Olsen gallery opening today Wednesday September 27th ..see this link for more details
https://olsengallery.com/ex-works.php?exhibition_id=893

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We covered everything in this podcast with these amazing curators and artists. We talked about science, ecology, archaeology, art, curating and much much more.

Pippa Mott has recently taken up the mantle of Director of Woollahra Gallery in Sydney, after completing a Fulbright scholarship in NY and 8 years as a curator at MONA, Tasmania. 

Maya Martin-Westheimer is an artist, curator and founder of contemporary art publishing company, Floorplan Studio. She is also artist in residence at Woollahra Gallery until 13th September 2023. 

Thanks to you both for a great chat. Get yourself down to the gallery for the small sculpture prize opens September 28th. 

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Coco Elder - The Never Never is on at Art2Muse Gallery until 18th September. 
Bellingen Arts Trail 10-12th November 

'My artwork is based on observations of the landscape and flora, notably in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park, and more recently in the Bellingen Shire. My initial study in Landscape Architecture has inspired my interest in geology and indigenous botanical landscapes. Overtime, I have witnessed the bush thrive in the wet, fight or recoil in the dry, and brought back to life after the fires. I hope to transcribe reverence for the Australian bush and to reveal the mysterious and alluring qualities of our native plants and the lie of the land.

The natural landscape presents as an intriguing paradox. Up close, the bush is an unruly entanglement of prickly menace; from a distance, are distinct interlocking shapes that can be ordered by the eye into Cezanne's geometry. Patterns that appear on the macro level are reiterated at the micro. Whilst bodies of water lead the eye in and outwards through reflections, there is a mysterious chasm in time, yet it also appears infinite. Shadows of texture hem and define vibrations of light. I endeavour to capture some of these subtle ambiguities in my work.

I retrace the place, coming closer to the essence of form, yet ironically remove it, by carving back through the surface. The image becomes a visual description that blends aspects of botanical documentation (like the early Australian artists); a journey through nature, (influenced by Japanese scrolls); and a personal expression through patterns of whimsy, and reflections on the past inhabitants, the Carigal and Gumbaynggirr people, whose presence are keenly felt.'

thanks Coco for your time and good luck with the Bellingen arts trail! 

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Many thanks to Draw Space founding members - 4 of which kindly spoke to us - if you would like to find out more about these artists please find links below.

Melinda Hunt, https://www.instagram.com/melinda.ink/?hl=en
and Chelsea Lehmann https://www.chelseajlehmann.com
and Daniel Press Art https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=daniel+press+art&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
and Belinda Yee http://belindayee.com/about.htm
and Luke Thurgate https://www.instagram.com/luke_thurgate/?hl=en
and Jeremy W Smith https://www.jeremywsmithart.com
and Lisa Pang https://www.instagram.com/jolibeol/?hl=en

Also many thanks to Kristy Gordon  https://www.instagram.com/kristygordon_art/?hl=en
and Joyce Lubotzky https://www.instagram.com/joylubo/?hl=en
who kindly spoke to us about their art current practises which was on show in Materiality https://drawspace.org 

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Our latest guests on @art.wank won it!! In 2021, an arts collective, Array Collective won this prestigious prize for their installation, ‘The Druthaib’s Ball’. 

.‘The Druthaib’s Ball, new work for Turner Prize 2021, has been realised twice over. In Belfast it was a wake for the centenary of Ireland’s partition in the Black Box (grassroots venue), and was attended by semi-mythological druids along with a community of artists and activists wearing hand-made costumes. 

  At the Herbert, the event has been transformed into an immersive installation. An imagined síbín (a ‘pub without permission’) hosts a film created from the Belfast event, and a TV showing Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive. A large canopy styled from banners provides a floating roof. The síbín is approached through a circle of flag poles, that references ancient Irish ceremonial sites and contemporary structures, and is illuminated by a dawn-to-dusk light. 

  Array invite us into a place of contradictions where trauma, dark humour, frustration, and release coexist. It is a place to gather outside the sectarian divides that have dominated the collective memory of the North of Ireland for the last hundred years.’ 

.We had a wonderful time chatting over zoom to two of Arrays members Sighle Bhreathnach-Cashell and Stephen Millar. Thanks for your time! 

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We interviewed artist Marilou Palazon at Sydney Road Gallery surrounded by her beautiful artworks at her solo show, Realise, which is on until Sunday 27th August. Go see the exhibition or view online.  Marilou is a director of Sydney Road Gallery, a mentor, co-founder of online gallery The Brush artists Group Collective. 

'My Florals are really dramatic landscapes. I relish the simplicity of the monumental and sweeping the illogical large scale of an otherwise delicate and small subject disorientate and create a sense of awe.

I like my viewer to fall into my images and traveling along the surface of my images. My images of flowers become more iconic, monolithic, archetypal, ultimate and prime symbols. I rejoice in this transhistorical and ancient subject matter. They always continue to fascinate me.

Historically the flowers are emotionally and symbolically rich with content. To me they represent time, beauty , fragility, decay, cycle of life, life as a journey. I like the space of the struggle – the dichotomy of perfection and slow decline. One cannot exist and be appreciated without the other.

There is great beauty in all these stages. Life as journey and respect for all stages of nature. To get a sense of nostalgia of what was.'

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Now in its third year, the Environmental Art & Design Prize brings together a community of creatives to highlight our environmental concerns and hopes across the nation.  The works selected present fresh perspectives on our global climate crisis and sustainable life on earth.  They will be on show in an outstanding exhibition of art and design from 4 – 27 August at Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Curl Curl Creative Space and Mona Vale Creative Space Gallery. '

Thanks for listening 

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Many thanks to Simone for your time.

We so enjoyed talking to you, you can find out more about Simone on her website

https://www.simonedouglas.info/biography

or on her social media https://www.instagram.com/simonedouglasstudio/

Simone will be talking at National Art school this Wednesday at Art Forum.

You can out more about Simone's last exhibition in Sydney at Artreal her in this link  https://artereal.com.au/online-exhibition/an-ocean-in-your-hand/

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Henry Curchod is a fabulous story telling artist who we have long admired who works predomentially in oil stick - we had a chance to chat with him over zoom https://www.henrycurchod.com as he is currently living in UK. You can find out more about Henry on his website instagram account. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=henry+curchod+instagram&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Henry is an eclectic and interesting artist who is a keen user or multiple perspectives inspired by Persian miniature art - also the inventor with his Uncle of the new art movement 'Monobrowism' - a combination of work that is high and low brow.  The manifesto is written on to toilet paper its on Henry's instagram.

Check out his social media to find out where and when Henry is showing his work. He currently has a work in the Sulman and will be at the Ramsay show from 27 May - 27 August https://www.agsa.sa.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/ramsay-art-prize-2023/henry-curchod

Many thanks Henry for your time. 

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Kirsteen Pieterse is a sculptor who grew up near the mining pits of Glasgow and lived and worked in the bustling industrial city of Hong Kong, resulting in her amazing sculptures which integrate and contrast brutalist architecture with organic form.

‘The Scottish sculptor Kirsteen Pieterse, who is an artist in the Romantic tradition, draws upon the precarious relationship between man and built environments in her work....she draws attention to the regard we hold for our environment and how easily we might forget the power of nature. Modern architecture and engineering represent, in many ways, the epitome of humankind's 'taming' of the natural world, however, as Pieterse infers in her sculptures, the ramifications of such endeavours should not be neglected."”

- Kate Bryan - Deconstructing Landscape, World Sculpture News, Volume 15 No 4, p. 42 – 45, 2009

She is represented by Utopia Art Gallery in Sydney. 

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Many thanks to Anthony white for a great chat over Zoom all the way from France.

His upcoming show -

OPENING/PRIVATE VIEW:SATURDAY 15 JULY
12PM-4PM
FLOOR TALK WITH DR PETER HILL SATURDAY 15 JULY EXHIBITION CONTINUES 30 JULY 2023 MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA
 Please note this event is free but booking is advised: contact@lennoxst.gallery or +61 409 409 239
Lennox St. Gallery presents Manifestation, an exhibition of new works by Paris-based artist Anthony White. Marking a new direction for the artist, Manifestation consists of a series of 10 paintings responding to Sidney Nolan’s 1966 Eureka Stockade mural in which White reclaims the painterly gesture as a form of dissent. This is White's third solo show with the gallery, his first in the new space as Lennox St. Gallery and his first body of work made as a response to a single work of art.
White draws on new research into the 1854 Eureka Rebellion (Australia’s only ever armed civil uprising), the personal papers of Sidney Nolan and recent protest events in France, highlighting the increasing importance of his engagement with material, concept and history. Painted in France during a period marked by widespread public protests, these ten new works continue White’s wider thinking around the painterly gesture as a form of dissent, as well as the act of civil disobedience, or, in French, Manifestation – a protest, public event, action, or object which embodies an idea.
Following White’s recent creative fellowship at the National Library of Australia, Canberra,
 Manifestation responds to the anti-colonial spirit in Sidney Nolan’s Eureka Stockade mural which White spent time with in Canberra at ANU’s Drill Hall Gallery. Commissioned by the Reserve Bank of Australia, the mural depicts the pivotal event of the Victorian gold rush – a crucial point in Australia’s democratic history. White’s research into the papers of Sidney Nolan at the National Library, uncovered correspondence which reveals Nolan’s response to the only first hand account of the Eureka rebellion written by the Italian revolutionary Rafaello Carboni. Manifestation considers Nolan’s engagement with that European vision of the event, the legacy of Eureka and the development of a
 particular Australian psyche typified by a defence of democratic values.

 Each work incorporates an event or individual element from the Eureka battle as depicted in the Nolan mural: Hotham incorporates imagery resembling mounted policemen; Eureka Hotel and the largest work Manifest (After Eureka) 125 x 235 cm [shown above] depict the epic destruction of Bentley’s Eureka Hotel caused by a fire started by rioting miners on the 12th of October 1854. In each work White finds equivalent ways of harnessing the energy and dissenting spirit of the battle.
“I went to the Nolan archive to capture this anti-colonial spirit inherent in some of the images of the mural to emphasize the sense of dissent but what struck me was the ethnic diversity of the period in Victoria. What I found was Chinese, Italian, African Americans, Jewish and Irish migrants revolting against the colonial government. It manifested as the Eureka Rebellion which became a crucial part of Australia’s engagement with democracy”
 In the current moment we are seeing the increasing relevance of civil disobedience in movements such as The Yellow Vests in France and groups like Extinction Rebellion protesting for climate change, increasing class inequalities or retirement ages. In my mind there is no doubt that the power of democracy is diminishing internationally and I feel we need to voice our discontent with government policies that infringe on personal liberty, especially the right to protest peacefully.” – Anthony White

You can find out more about Anthony on his website 

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This weeks podcast is a short ramble wrapping up the season before we have a short break over the school holidays. Julie's daughter, Flo, asks us questions about Fionas experience at art school, our work, and our upcoming exhibition at Woollahra gallery at Redleaf opening July 26th 6-8pm.

Woollahra Gallery 

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This week we spoke to artist Ida Lawrence, who Fiona heard giving a lecture at NAS and asked if we could speak to her back in Berlin over zoom. Ida has spent time in Indonesia, Australia and now Germany practising as an artist. She is a really interesting artist and we hope you enjoy listening to her stories. 

'Ida Lawrence is a visual artist who weaves stories through her art and education projects.

My narrative paintings combine text and images to tell stories of (mis)understanding, (dis)connection, generosity, failure and surprise. They make a big deal out of small observations, tiny gestures and little feelings I’ve experienced or imagined.

I enjoy playing with the ‘visual language’ of painting — how images can have multiple meanings and how the ways a painting is made including its ‘abstract’ and painterly qualities can contribute to or subvert the story being told. While each work contains its own visual logic, many of my paintings let their own construction process (or illusion of it) remain visible: patterns disintegrate through imperfect repetition, mistakes are crudely crossed out, a work might be painted on the floor allowing elements to be painted at all angles, and images on the one canvas might be portrayed through a variety of techniques and degrees of detail.'

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Antonia Perricone Mrjak invited us to interview herself and fellow studio mates so we said yes! We focussed on shared studio space as the theme. It was a really interesting chat about what they love and hate about sharing a space. A shared studio space creates a community for artists, a source of inspiration and a support network. Of course we wanted to move in y the end of the conversation.

We recorded the interview at Nanda Hobbs so thanks to Ralph Hobbs and staff.

list of artists interviewed -

Antonia Perricone Mrjak
Marissa Purcell
Graziela Guardino
Michael Simms
Annalisa Ferraris
Caroline Zilinksy

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Thanks to Catherine O'Donnell for speaking to us in her lunchbreak from teaching at the National Art School. We spoke to Catherine about her drawing practice, coming to art later in life, judging an art prize, and her love of the fibro shack! 

She has an exhibition coming up at Campbelltown Arts Centre in July and at Dominik Mersch in August. 

'Essentially my artist practice is about the beauty of the uncelebrated and ordinary.

My drawings an exploration of the architecture, culture and history in the everyday-ness of the urban environment. I see the suburbs as full of connection and disconnection, sameness and difference; in short, my drawings examine suburban living as a site of complexity. I am particularly interested in the way that the vernacular architecture and general street scapes of the places we regularly inhabit become recessed into our minds like wallpaper -they are at once visible and invisible.

It is the architecture of the suburban landscape which is the subject in my drawings. The absence of the representation of people in the drawings encourages viewers to consider the architecture from their own view point, perhaps igniting their own memories of suburban living. My drawings whilst uninhabited still capture traces of human intervention with narrative elements embedded in the commonplace structures: an open window; a door ajar.

My drawings are clearly representational but the realism in my work is not merely a reproduction of the visible. It is the elevation of the abstract form, the underpinning geometry and the distillation of the spatial composition that interests me. To this end I extract the building from its surroundings, deleting extraneous information, in order to emphasize the simplified form and obtain the final image. I use representation as a catalyst to ignite the imagination of the viewer and invite them to look beyond the mundane and banal. To revisit these spaces imaginatively and find the aesthetic poetry embedded within in the suburban landscape, while at the same time disrupting cultural prejudices which prevent people from seeing the underlying elegance of these simple buildings.'

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Thanks so much to Angus Fisher who picked us up from Patonga Wharf in his boat with his dog, to whizz us round to his home and studio on Dangar Island! It was such a special day out, we loved it. We also met his lovely wife and baby. We missed the ferry home from Patonga and were forced to have lunch at The Boathouse Patonga, such a shame!!!

We spoke to Angus about his love of drawing, printmaking and teaching. He is a wonderful man who is passionate about his practice.

'Angus Fisher’s art practice investigates nature and humankind’s relationship with the natural world. For Fisher, the idea of nature is a not a static term, but an evolving concept. Through the detailed study of history and natural subject matter, his work grapples with the idea of how nature exists, and has existed, in human imagination. Fisher does not only investigate ecology through his subjects, but the evolving attitudes and changing philosophical interpretations of the wider natural world. Primarily working with etching and drawing, he utilises traditional working techniques, methodologies and aesthetics to place his work in direct connection to historical contexts and traditions.'

Angus is represented by Australian Galleries in Australia and Jonathan Cooper Gallery in the UK

Links -
Sydney printmakers
Image for Dobell
Image for Hawkesbury Art Prize winning piece 

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What a great episode with artist, Tony Mighell, at his home and studio. Tony is extremely well read on the subject of art and artists, we could have talked for hours. We loved hearing about the NY Studio School when Tony attended in the 1970's, it sounded amazing. He also became the studio assistant of artist Roger Kemp.  Tony worked at the MCA in Sydney for 10 years as the manager of installations, and tells some fascinating stories about his time there. 

Since 2015 Tony has been concentration on his own practice and is now represented by gallery Nanda Hobbs in Sydney.

We hope you love this conversation as much as we did.

Thanks Tony.

Links to some of the artists tony mentioned -

Roger Kemp
Frederick Thursz
Robert Motherwell
Mercedes Matters

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Thanks you Emily Besser for your time and sharing your stories. You can find out more about Emily on her website.

https://www.emilybesser.com

or her instagram

https://www.instagram.com/emilybesser/?hl=en

You can find out more about Nicole Barakat workshop in the following link.

http://www.nicolebarakat.com.au/learn

Emily was also featured in Amber Creswell Bell’s new book, Australian Abstract!

Her upcoming show, 'Ground',  at Boom gallery opens 27th April - 21st May

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We interviewed Ali Tahayori at his home and studio in Newtown, Sydney, a long way from his hometown of Shiraz, Iran. Ali moved to Australia from Iran in 2007 after imprisonment and torture for being gay became unsustainable to remain in his homeland .  We discovered Ali at the NAS MFA Exhibition where he showed his impressive broken mirror artworks and video installation.

'Born and raised in the oppressively homophobic climate of 1980s Iran, Ali Tahayori assumed the identity of an outsider, further compounded by his migration to Australia in 2007. Combing fractured mirrors with text and imagery, his recent works draw on ancient Iranian philosophies about light and mirrors to create kaleidoscopic experiences; moments of both revelation and concealment hint at the conflicted nature of his identity. 

Translating the traditional Iranian craft of Āine-Kāri (mirror-works) into a contemporary visual vocabulary, his practice skillfully combines a discourse about diaspora and displacement with an exploration of queerness – in both cases, poignantly testifying to his experience of being othered. He holds a Doctorate in Medicine, a Graduate Diploma in Photography, and a Master of Fine Arts in Photomedia from Sydney’s National Art School. His work has been extensively exhibited in Iran, Europe and Australia.'

Ali is also a photographer, winning the 2022 Prix Yves Hernot Photography Award and in 2021 the peoples choice winner Bowness Photography award.  Ali continues working as a rehabilitation doctor in Sydney whilst being a very busy artist.

Congratulations Ali, your work is so multi-layered in meaning and beauty that we think you have a very long career ahead of you.

You can see Ali's work in his upcoming show, 'The Sky is the Same',  at Gosford Regional Art Gallery from April 1-June 4 2023. Opening Friday 14 April at 6pm. 

He is represented by This Is No Fantasy in Melbourne. 

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Many thanks to Trevor Victor Harvey from Harvey Galleries for an enlightening chat

You can find Trevor and his marvellous team on their website -

https://harveygalleries.com.au

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Many thanks for talking to us Mary Tonkin

To find out more about this Artist check out her instagram

https://www.instagram.com/mary.tonkin/?hl=en

or with Australian Galleries who represents her https://australiangalleries.com.au/artists/mary-tonkin/

'Landscape painter Mary Tonkin completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in 1995 and a Master of Fine Arts in 2002 at Monash University, where she has also lectured. Tonkin has held solo exhibitions in Melbourne and Sydney since 1999. Her work has been included in group exhibitions at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery and internationally in New York. A survey exhibition titled ‘Home’ was held at Burrinja Gallery in the Dandenong’s in 2012. Tonkin was awarded the National Gallery of Victoria Trustee award in 1994 and 1995 and Dobell drawing prize in 2002. She was the recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshield foundation grant in 1998 and Australian post-graduate fellowship award in 2000. Tonkin’s work is held by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, VIC and several regional and tertiary institutions.'

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Many thanks to Art Advisor Michael Powe for your time talking to us.

Michael’s business is Anala Art Advisory.

https://analaartadvisory.com.au

Johnny Romeos show, Cloud 9, is opening on Friday 10 March in Melbourne at West End Art Space.
https://westendartspace.com.au/exhibitions_details/johnny-romeo-pop-popart/

‘When it comes to capturing this overwhelming sense of being high on life, few expressions exude with the same joy and wide-eyed wonderment as ‘Cloud 9’. According to some linguists, the concept of Cloud 9 originates from the categorization of the world’s largest cloud, the Cumulonimbus, as a Level 9 cloud in the 1896 ‘International Cloud Atlas’. Others have suggested that the term was inspired by the ninth cloud in the journey of the Bodhissatva, considered to be the penultimate step to Enlightenment in Buddhism. Within the context of the series, Romeo masterfully combines the lofty grandeur of being on top of the world with a sense of spiritual ecstasy to express his own Cloud 9 philosophy, which encourages us to embrace life to the fullest in order to experience true joy.’

Curated by Michael Powe 

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Many thanks to Artist Ali Noble for your time. You can find out more about Ali on her website or instagram. Good luck with your Masters!

Ali Noble’s primary interest is the discourse of textiles; which she frequently explores alongside the aesthetics of abstract formalism and mysticism. Ali’s current work, as part of her MFA research, is connected to an ongoing enquiry into the transgressive spirit of textile architecture, or curtains. Together, textiles and space provoke discussions that explore sensuality, transformation, normative domesticity, and time.

https://www.alinoble.com

https://www.instagram.com/alinoble11/

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Many thanks to Cybele for welcoming us into her home and studio very close to us in Avalon Beach. 

'Cybele Cox’s practise explores ancient feminine symbols and occult mysticism, which is part of a larger enquiry into representations of women in the western art canon. Using hand built ceramic totems and figures, painting, drawing and more recently costume, Cox seeks to re-invoke occult practices of an imagined ancestral lineage. She makes the proposition that magic and ritual have been dismissed by the secular nature of Western society, which overlooks the importance of the spiritual realm and altered mental states. Making figurative sculpture is a means of entry into a mystical realm, which embodies hybridity of human-body-animal, fusing symbols from the mythic world with fantasies for a new feminist order. Her work proposes a return to occult knowledge, as a re-flowering of the spiritual.'

Thanks for talking to us Cybele.

Cybele is represented by Yavuz Gallery

Warning: please be advised this episode contains content of sexual abuse. 

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Christopher Hodges artist and gallerist from the fabulous Utopia gallery many thanks for the chance to chat art at your gallery.  Christopher will be exhibiting at Utopia gallery from Feb 4-26th in there, ‘Thirty Five’, show celebrating 35 years of Utopia Sydney. Congratulations!! 

To find out more about Christopher check out his website here.

https://www.christopherahodges.com

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Many thanks to Amber Boardman for your time talking to us about the show Fair Play currently showing at Manly Regional Gallery. You can find out more about the exhibition with the following link.
https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/whats-on/fair-play

If you would like to find out more about Amber

https://www.amberboardman.com

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Melanie Vugich is an Australian artist giving the still life genre a modern twist.

She is a still life painter from Broken Hill, who lived in Florence, Italy for 25 years designing textiles. She has recently collaborated with the fashion designer, Oscar De La Renta, for a collection using her paintings as prints. Her paintings feature flowers, books, fruits and vases she has collected from her time in Broken Hill.

Her sister, Lisa, is her manager, which is very cool, and we think everyone should have a Lisa!!

You can see Melanie's work at Twentytwentysix Gallery in Bondi from 24th Jan - 12th Feb.

Thanks Mel, so great to meet you and talk to you. 

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Many thanks to Josh for having us to his studio - to find out more about Josh you can go to his website.

Josh describes his work as referencing our experience of peripheral vision of the local world but describes our visual experience as being truncated and redacted - as we are living on our phones and our experiences with visual media are so fleeting and sporadic and perhaps people will contemplate the world more by viewing his artwork.

https://www.joshuacharadia.com/cv 

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https://elladreyfus.com/weight-and-seaTo find out more about Ella Dreyfus check out her website

https://elladreyfus.com

or her instagram
https://www.instagram.com/ella_dreyfus/

To find out more about her artwork in Sculpture by the Sea https://elladreyfus.com/weight-and-sea
and Ellas latest Film Dreyfus-drei look here
https://elladreyfus.com/dreyfus-drei-film

Many thanks Ella for a great chat. 

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We spoke to Giles Alexander from his  St. Peters studio.  His painting practice strives to understand, 'us', and 'belonging' and in turn, the universe. Hence, Giles's fascination with planets and space. 

'Giles Alexander’s art practice explores the visual discourse of belonging. He asks us how we find a sense of belonging in a city, a country, the world, and the universe. Alexander’s humanist preoccupations have led to a multi-disciplinary practice marked by the high production value and technical skill. The artist is conscious that the questions he ponders - around belonging, origin, and the universe - have absorbed humanity since we encountered the power of thought.'

Giles is represented by Olsen Gallery and Mars Gallery. 

NB: we talked about Vantablack, a blackest black paint made and trademarked exclusively by the artist, Amish Kapoor, for his sole use. Another artist, Stuart Semple, has made his own blackest black paint, in retaliation, for everyone can use except Anish Kapoor! 

Thanks, Giles, we really enjoyed our chat and hope everyone does too! 

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Thank you to Joanna Logue for a fabulous chat - we so enjoyed talking with you and could not wait to get back to the studio to paint, you were so inspiring and generous.

You can find out more about Joanna's art practise on her website https://www.joannalogue.com

or her instagram https://www.instagram.com/joannalogue/?hl=en

You can see Joanna's work at https://kingstreetgallery.com.au

Her show Echo is on until 22 December at Kings Street Gallery in Darlinghurst Sydney. 

Congratulations Joanna on a beautiful show. 

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We love Troy Emery's work, his playful, soft sculptures are so extraordinary and tactile, when we saw them at the Art Pharmacy office we had to touch them!! Martin Browne Contemporary in Sydney represents him. We talked to Troy over zoom as he is based in Melbourne, about taxidermy, natural history museums, materials, degradation of nature, Hermes windows, and much more!! We also talked to Troy about his sculptural paintings.   

Troy will be at 2022 Sydney Contemporary so get down to Carriageworks to see his work in the flesh. 

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Bernard is currently on show at Trevor Victor Harvey Galleries in Seaforth until 26 November 2022 - https://www.instagram.com/trevorvictorharvey/?hl=en

Bernard Ollis is an artist of immense talent and knowledge - it was a pleasure to go and chat with him on the podcast - his studio is a riot of colour filled with awesome art works in paint, oil pastel of all manor of fabulous spaces around the world. Bernard was kind enough to share some of his stories of his vast career in the Arts. This podcast is a must listen for all aspiring and emerging artists.


Learn about Bernard Ollis on his website
http://www.bernardollis.com

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We spoke to Sarah Robson at Manly Art Gallery and Museum, surrounded by her current exhibition, Abstract Realities: The MAG&M Project, alongside artists Julian Goddard (Perth), and David Thomas (Melbourne). This exhibition brings together three artists, to create site-sensitive installations that are temporal, open, and sensory. In addition to their own works, the artists have selected works from public and private collections to consider the fundamental role of contemporary abstraction.

Abstract Realities invites the viewer to experience abstract art as a unique way of questioning and revealing the seeming complexity of being in the world.

We had a deep dive with Sarah about the role of abstract art in the world and how it can be perceived as elitist and not understood. Sarah recently completed her Ph.D. and we spoke to her about undertaking a doctorate and what she gained from the in-depth study.

Thanks, Sarah we really enjoyed the chat. you can see the exhibition at Manly Art gallery until December 4th so get down and walk through the experience! 

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Many thanks to Helen Earl Ceramic artist from NSW. Helen creates ceramics from clay with found objects. They are transitory experience of being in the world. 

Her website is
https://www.helenearl.com

Or you can find out more on her instagram
https://www.instagram.com/helenearlart/

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Abdul Abdullah is one of Australia's leading artists and we were lucky enough to meet and interview him at his studio in St. Leonards, shortly before he moves to Bangkok, Thailand.

'Abdul Abdullah is an Australian multi-disciplinary artist. As a self-described ‘outsider amongst outsiders’ with a post-9/11 mindset, his practice is primarily concerned with the experience of the ‘other’. Abdullah’s projects have engaged with different marginalized minority groups and he is particularly interested in the disjuncture between perception/projection of identity and the reality of lived experience. Identifying as a Muslim and having both Malay/Indonesian and convict/settler Australian heritage, Abdullah occupies a precarious space in the political discourse that puts him at odds with popular definitions. He sees himself as an artist working in the peripheries of a peripheral city, in a peripheral country, orbiting a world on the brink. His work has been censored by politicians who have accused him of attacking Australian culture, and once a member of the Christian Democratic party wrote that he wants to “convert young Australians” and that he “worships a moon god”.'

Abdul is represented at Yavuz Gallery, Sydney, and internationally. 

Thanks, Abdul for your time, we really appreciate it. 

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Scott McCracken is an artist from the UK we met through the Turps Banana art school.

You can find out more about Scott on his website
https://www.scottmccracken.co.uk

His work is hard to distill or describe you could call him a painter of still life or even a surrealist or abstract painter. Scott talked to us about many great  in this chat and talks to us about making art, his process and what he has learnt over his arts education and his arts career.

He mentioned an artist who he really admires called Victor Willing - link below.

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/victor-willing-2150

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Marnie Ross is well known for being the founder of the Little Things Art prize that is celebrating its 8th year - go check it out it is is currently (opens 14th September 2022) on show at https://saintcloche.com

You can find out more about Marnie and the Little Things Art prize on her website

http://www.marnierossartist.com

The medium Marnie talks about is from Matisse - https://www.matisse.com.au/mm20-water-based-patina

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Wendy Sharpe needs no introduction, but here's one anyway!!

'Wendy Sharpe is one of Australia’s most acclaimed artists, she lives and works in Sydney and Paris. She has been awarded The Sulman Prize, two Travelling Scholarships, The Portia Geach Memorial Award (twice), The Archibald Prize, and many others. She has been a finalist in The Sulman Prize thirteen times, and The Archibald Prize eight times. She has held over 65 solo exhibitions around Australia and internationally.'

We talked to Wendy in her fantastic studio in Sydney, surrounded by all her paintings and drawings. Our conversation was so interesting, covering Wendy's career, her upcoming book with author Kate Forsyth , how to find your own voice in your artwork, and much more....

Thanks so much, Wendy, we loved meeting you!

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David Fairbairn lives and works in Wedderbern not far from Campbelltown with artist and partner Suzanne Archer. We were excited to go back to their amazing home and studios to interview David a few weeks ago.

We had an in-depth discussion with David about his upbringing, growing up in Africa, boarding school in England and finally reaching the sunny climes of Australia in his early 30’s. We spoke to him about his art practice, teaching art,  and recently joining the fold at Nanda Hobbs in Sydney.

David’s work will be at Sydney Contemporary, opening Thursday the 9th and we are very excited to see it there! 

Thanks, David, always a pleasure to talk to you and Suzanne in your wonderful home.

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Ember Fairbairn has based herself primarily in Melbourne and Queensland, satisfying her love of contemporary culture and the need to be immersed in remote parts of nature. Fairbairn’s practice focuses primarily on painting and she holds a Masters in Contemporary Art. Ember is based in the Yarra Valley.

Her exhibiting history spans from 2001 in both solo and group shows in artist run spaces and commercial galleries in Melbourne, Sydney, Singapore and New York. Awards include The 2020 Athenaeum Club visual Arts Research Award (2020), Gogo Art Series Award (2019) , Art150 Travelling Scholarship (2019), The Ravenswood Art prize for women (Finalist). Residencies include Montsalvat Art Centre and Yea Arts Festival.

'Within Fairbairn’s painting practice is an influence of nature, where she explores the metaphysical philosophy of ecology and her own body. The result is something akin to art as meditation; each consideration of process, colours, gestures playing out until the artist finds a resolution. The works reveal themselves in active gestures or layers of paint. They reveal a belonging, connecting Fairbairn’s time in the landscape, and evolving within nature. Spending time in nature becomes a meditation on being present in the moment, a feeling that comes through in her paintings, each gesture a methodology of grounding.'


You can find out more about Ember on her instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/emberfairbairn/

Also if you would like to book in here is the link to the Orpheum
Audience with an artist LIVE ...

https://www.movietkts.com.au/selecttickets.php?siteCode=CREMRN&sessionIndex=188880

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Tiarna Herczeg is one to watch - she is a young indigenous Artist from Sydney.


The best place to learn about her is on her social media pages
https://www.instagram.com/tiarna.herczeg/

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We really loved our chat with Peter Sharp! Very inspiring talk and we learned so much from Peter who was very generous with his words and the pastries he bought us!! We interviewed Peter in his studio in Sydney and talked about his teaching, his upcoming show, Fowlers Gap, being an artist, and much more..

Peter is represented by Nicholas Thompson gallery in Melbourne and his new show, Signal, opens on August 20th so get down there and check out his fantastic work. 

thanks so much for your time and support, Peter, we really appreciate it. 

'Peter Sharp has held solo exhibitions since 1989 in Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra, Melbourne and internationally in Germany. His work has been included in group exhibitions since 1987 throughout Australia and internationally in Paris, Chang Mai, Beijing and London. Sharp is a senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales School of Art and Design and has a Master of Fine Arts (1992) from the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales. His work was acquired by the Kedumba Drawing Award in 2007 and the Grafton Regional Gallery's Jacaranda Drawing Award in 1996. Sharp was a recipient of a Cite International des Arts Residence, Paris in 1997. A monograph Peter Sharp: Will to Form was published in 2012. Sharp has been a finalist in the Paddington Art Prize (2020, 13, 08), the Hazelhurst Art of Paper Prize (2019, 15, 13, 11, 07, 05, 03), the Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize (2018, 10, 06), the Dobell Prize (2010, 09), the Sulman Prize (2008, 98) and the Wynne Prize (2003, 96). His work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Artbank, regional and tertiary collections in Australia and significant corporate collections.' - Nicholas Thompson gallery

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Shuffle Studios is in Brookvale. 

To find out more about Tony check out his website.

https://www.shufflestudio.com/ 

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Spoiler alert - Nick Bishop is brilliant!!!

In this episode, he explains, how the NFT world can assist artists and galleries in fantastic ways. Nick explains the different layers of the web3 world, blockchain and NFTs in such an understandable way.

He runs a web3 venture capitalist company with three partners, Not Centralised. They will be holding a talk at Manly Art Gallery or the Northern Beaches council's creative open, on August 17th 6-8 pm. 'Metaverse and NFTs - the future of art and the value it unlocks.' Curious to know more about how art crosses over into technology and finance? Want to discover the world of NFTs (non-fungible tokens)? Here’s your place to start, with a presentation and conversation led by NFT/Metaverse experts Simo Leonelli, Sam Joel, Nick Bishop, and Mark Monfort.

link to Violeta Sofia 

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Element Ensemble is an improvisational sound experience by Peta Morris, Noah Bloom, Finlay Hogan and guest artists. 

Immerse yourself in soundscapes and visual projections inspired by the local environment and created by Element Ensemble, a three-piece improvisational music group.

See Element ensemble perform as part of the creative open on August 13th 7-8 pm at Curl Curl Creative Space, 105 Abbott Rd, Nth Curl Curl NSW 2099. Book online for tickets here. Bring a pillow to sit on, chairs will be provided if needed.

The podcast was recorded by Fiona, as Julie was unwell,  at Noah's house on the Northern Beaches. 

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We spoke to Ash at her studio and gallery space, Hake House of Art, in Brookvale. She is a young vibrant artist with a smart head on her shoulders, once represented by a gallery, she decided to go it on her own, and the results have proved she made the right decision.

We spoke to her about being a 4th generation artist, setting up a gallery space, colour psychology, techniques, overseas residencies, and much more...

Hake House of Art is taking part in the Northern Beaches Council Creative Open, on August 13th and 14th so head down and check out the studio spaces and see a group exhibition of fantastic artists. 1/275 Harbord Road, Dee Why, 2099. 9-3pm

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Many thanks to LOTTIE Consalvo for speaking to us on zoom - we enjoyed the chat very much sorry if the Audio is not great - rain rain go away.

You can find out about LOTTIE Consalvo on her website

https://www.lottieconsalvo.com

Lottie instagram feed https://www.instagram.com/lottieconsalvo/

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Aidan Gageler is a recent graduate of Camberwell Arts College in London, graduating with a 1st in Fine Art Photography. Since moving back to Newcastle, Australia, he has taken a job at Bundanon Trust and is taking his time thinking and talking about his art practice.

After finding old photography paper in a flea market in Poland, he explored the possibilities of developing the paper and using them to create an artwork in itself, no longer taking the photos but using the photographic process instead.

We really enjoyed our chat with Aidan and we hope to catch up again when we get a chance to visit Bundanon. Aidan's show will be on at the Onwards Gallery in Newcastle in August so go check it out. 

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Brett Piva artist  and super community arts man of Newcastle.

 Find out about Brett on his website

https://www.brettpiva.com

You can find out about his group space Onwards here

https://www.onwardsgallery.com

Many thanks Brett 

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It's difficult to describe the work of James Drinkwater, he really is indefinable. His confidence and talent shine in his work, bold and edgy, full of energy and texture.

James was always destined to be an artist as we discovered in our chat, an aunt providing the nurturing and example to become an artist alongside a close and loving family. He won the Brett Whiteley scholarship in 2014, propelling him further into a dynamic career. He is represented by two major galleries, Nanda Hobbs, Sydney, and Nicholas Thompson, Melbourne.

'James Drinkwater studied at the National Art School, Sydney (2001) and has held solo exhibitions since 2004 in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, and internationally in London and Singapore. A survey exhibition The sea calls me by name was held at Newcastle Art Gallery in 2019.

James Drinkwater’s work has been included in group exhibitions throughout Australia and internationally in Berlin, Leipzig, and London. He has been awarded the Brett Whiteley Travelling Scholarship (2014), the John Olsen National Art School Life Drawing Prize (2002) and has been a finalist in the Wynne Prize, Sulman Prize, John Glover Art Prize, Paddington Art Prize, Doug Moran Portrait Prize, Dobell Drawing Prize, and the Salon de Refuses.

James Drinkwater has undertaken international residencies in Germany, Kenya, Paris, and Tahiti. His work is held in the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Artbank, and several significant regional and tertiary collections.'

He has recently embarked on a new project creating a ballet inspired by William Dobell’s, ‘Storm approaching Wangi’, to be performed at Lake Macquarie's MAP Mima in November. We cant wait to see it!  
.
He also has an exhibition coming up at Nicholas Thompon in Melbourne coming up - 27 JUL TO 13 AUG.

Thanks to James for having us and Ben Adams for the Photos! 

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Harriett Watts many thanks for welcoming us into your studio. Harriet has always been interested in change and ephemerality - she is fascinated about materials and how we can become more focused on sustainability. 

You can find out more about Harriett on her instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/hettywatts/?hl=en

or on linked in

https://au.linkedin.com/in/harriet-watts-587649118?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

The art show at the V&A called Food that Fiona mentioned can be read about here https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/about-the-exhibition-food-bigger-than-the-plate

To learn about The forty-nine studio have a look at the instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thefortyninestudio/?hl=en

The artist in UK who re

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Tara Axford welcomed us into her home in Sydney last week to talk with us about her work, and her 25-year career as art director of publications such as The Good Weekend magazine.

'As a mixed media artist working with prints, collage, mixed media, fibre arts, and photography, I am interested in the push-pull of constantly searching for something... Are we developing something new or are we constantly referencing and influenced by the past?I draw inspiration from my surrounds, I find patterns, textures, imperfections. The forgotten, the weathered, the discarded appeal to me. '

We talked to Tara about working full time and making time for art, her process of collecting her 'pocket finds' and sharing them with her large online following, her online course with Fibre Art Take Two, what success means to her, and much more.

Tara has a show at Gosford Regional Gallery on 24th June, with the Makers Studio, so go see it.

Thanks so much for talking to us, Tara, and showing us your beautiful work and studio.

Links -
Studio Print Studio printing tiny books
Blurb printing - for printing of catalogues
Pro Camera by Moment

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Many thanks to Suzanne Archer for welcoming us into your home and studio. We enjoyed your hospitality and generosity so much.

Suzanne will be showing at Nicholas Thompson Gallery from 15 June to 2 July.

You can get THE BOOK - The Song of the Cicada from Nicholas Thompson Gallery. https://www.nicholasthompsongallery.com.au/artists/suzanne-archer/

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Lily Cummins is an artist from the  Southern Highlands.  We had a great chat about studying and residencies.  Her practise examines both the self and the emotive bonds and attachments

Lily feels that she attaining a Masters has given her practise a great deal of rigger,
It really helped her grow as an artist and a person to keep studying and gain a masters.

Lily studied at NAS and graduated from her masters in 2018
you can find Lily on her website
http://www.lilycummins.com

Lily is inspired and likes a huge spectrum of artists - Folk and Outsider art  James Castle, Miro, Matisee, Rachel Whiteread, William Kentridge. 

Lily also works at the new art space in the southern highlands - The fantastic space called Ngununggula in Bowral.

https://www.ngununggula.com

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Thanks to Utopia Gallery and Helen Eager for showing us your work and talking to us at your amazing studio. 

'Helen Eager has sustained a solo exhibition program for over three decades with her drawings, paintings and prints. Over the years, the shift from domestic interiors to pure abstraction has been a consistent evolution, her love of colour and light a constant thread.

Helen Eager studied at the South Australian School of Art in the 1970s. A Masters degree at COFA in the late eighties focused on large-scale works on paper, which took her drawing to a new level. A residency at the Greene St Studio in New York in 1988 was pivotal as Eager's work evolved towards pure abstraction.'

Helens work can be found on the Utopia website https://www.utopiaartsydney.com.au/artworks.php?artistID=7-Helen-Eager

  Helen is a part of Vivid this year - her work will be on the 

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Marina Debris is a great pseudonym for this American, Australian-based artist and activist. She uses trash washed up on the beach to create 'trashion', such as in 2020, a dress made out of hundreds of discarded face masks. Marina has also created installation work, such as, 'The Inconvenience Store', for Sculpture by the Sea, which was a mock-up shop, created with re-used materials displaying trash for sale. She is a passionate advocate for recycling, reuse, and buying less. She has used art as a medium to talk about, teach and create discussion around environmental issues and animal rights.

We had a great chat about all things 'rubbish!',  thanks, Marina.

Marina has a Wikipedia page with all her publications and information so check it out here. 

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We spoke to Malcolm Greenwood at his studio in Mosman. What a lovely man. He showed us around his amazing studio full of pots, bowls, and plates, some of 400 makes a week for Australia's top restaurants and hotels such as Bennelong and the Baillie Lodges Group. He started out in business management and then a realisation that his health was suffering from the stress he started his journey in ceramics. We talked to him about the perception of ceramics in Australia, how he makes his ceramics, mentorship, and much more. it was a great chat and we were so happy to meet Malcolm and learn about his successful career and how he gives back by teaching master classes.

'Malcolm Greenwood began working with clay while studying for a degree in Business Administration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.A., in 1976. After moving to Boston, he began studying various Japanese pottery techniques with visiting Japanese potter, Makoto Yabe, including throwing, ‘neriage’, glaze formulation, and firing techniques.

While living in Nigeria (1978 to 1979) Malcolm built a wood-fired kiln, producing pots using local materials. In addition he traveled throughout much of West Africa, studying the traditional pottery techniques and various collections of antique and contemporary pottery. The form and texture of many of the African pots have had an influence on the development of his work.

On returning to the U.S.A. in 1979, he again worked with Makoto Yabe. During this period Yabe’s most significant influence on his professional development as a potter, was with regards to the philosophy of making and firing pots.

Malcolm returned to Australia in 1980, working in clay on a part-time basis until 1989, when he left the corporate world, finally, to begin a career as a full-time as a potter.'

malcolmgreenwood.com

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Misha Harrison is an artist from Wollongong, NSW, specialising in assembled plywood artworks. She carefully cuts, carves, sands, stitches and paints her artworks into life, depicting still life, portraiture, and abstraction. We spoke to Misha at a live interview at Sydney Road Gallery back in Feb, and at Fiona and I's exhibition back in February. Misha drove all the way from Wollongong and back to speak with us, thanks, Misha!!!! Since then she won the Jumbledonline 2022 Superstar competition, so we spoke to her again over zoom for this podcasts interview to ask her about that.

Misha's exhibition starts on May 5th at Sydney Road Gallery, Balgowlah, so go see it! 

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Michelle Connolly studio is so awesome, full of her assembled sculptures, paintings and creations. It's like stepping into a theatre, full of characters and stories between them. Michelle is very interested in outsider art, she sees something in that kind of work that she recognises. We had a great chat with her about living in the USA in North Carolina and how that shaped her work,  about how she makes her pieces with a variety of found objects and materials, her studio practice, and much more. She is a fascinating artist, bursting with creativity and life. 

Thanks for talking to us , Michelle, we loved meeting you and visiting your wonderful studio. 

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We had a fabulous chat with Donna Green in Utopia Gallery, Waterloo, surrounded by her beautiful exhibition, Vessel, which is on at the gallery from 2nd April - 30th April. Go have a look at these amazing ceramics, collages, and drawings, all speaking to each other in a visceral way. We talked to Donna about living in New York, how she came to ceramics, the technicalities of making her work, being a woman in the art world, and all things art! What a lovely woman, talented, humble, and forging new paths with her art! Very exciting to see. She is very inspiring! 
 
'Donna Green's ceramic vessels, although seemingly abstract, are all based on vases and urns that permeate human cultural history.

Thrown and altered, the bulbous shapes are melded into contorted, ambiguous forms. Glazes rich in colour, metallic or glossy, matte or layered, drip and pour over the surfaces.

Donna Green is included in the current "Clay Dynasty" exhibition of Australian Ceramics at the Powerhouse.' - Whats on Sydney

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Hedley Roberts is an artist from the Uk - he is based in Margate in Kent. His first introduction to art was an encyclopaedia on art that his parents bought him when he was 10 years old. 

We had such a fabulous chat with him about what being an artist is and how its evolved over time.

He simply states that you need
Time, Space and a network of people.

Hedley says find the activity that takes you back to core, a safe place it maybe drawing or reading, taking photographs, writing in a note book, scrapbooks  - as you will have bumps in the road - find the thing that is unchallengeable and then you can use this when you hit those bumps.

He is an artist who has been working for many years. He is predominantly interested in painting although he studied printmaking - he is an academic who has studied for a very long time, he first went to art school at 15 years old and did a degree at Central Saint Martins with the artist Helen Chadwick, and also attended the Royal College of Art and ended up lecturing after his masters at 23 years old.

You can find out more about Hedley on his website.

https://www.hedleyroberts.co.uk.

Hedley talks about what kind of artist do you want to be in the book Navigating the Art World which you can order from Delphian Gallery - see link below.

https://delphiangallery.com/artists/


The artist support pledge is a UK concept you can find out more about it here https://artistsupportpledge.com

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We interviewed Billy Bain in 2021 for a public live stream with Northern Beaches Council Creative Tool Kit, a professional development scheme for creatives in the area.  Before the interview, we visited Billy's studio in Avalon to see the new work he is creating for his upcoming show, 'Being Manly', at Manly Art Gallery and Museum opening March 25th. His ceramic creations and paintings depict characters or identities of Australian sport, the pub and beach culture. Billy has a background in Australian surf culture, previously competing at a high level before realising his calling was in the arts. 

Thanks Billy for chatting with us and doing the live stream with us and we cant wait to see the exhibition!

'Mythologies of the Australian male have long been ingrained in our country's national post-colonial identity. Stoic, white, able-bodied, and heteronormative. But what defines the Aussie bloke nowadays? And more importantly, what does it mean to be a bloke that falls outside the archaic definitions of what being an Australian man entails?

Billy Bain explores representations of Australian masculinity through taking perceptions of the Australian male and playfully deconstructing them. By interrogating and subverting representations of the Australian male in popular culture and the everyday suburban life he exists within, Bain seeks to create works that humour our Australian sense of identity. By “taking the piss” out of these perceptions of who he is meant to be, Bain reclaims power and autonomy over his sense of identity as an Indigenous man..

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Matthew Wright is from Western Australia he began his creative  life by studying Jazz music at University.  He did a short course in painting and has been working away building his painting practise.

He is a self taught - you can find out about his visual art practise from his website
 https://www.matthewwrightart.com

You can also find Matthew on social media - here is his instagram link.

https://www.instagram.com/matthewwrightart/?hl=en

Many thanks for the chat Matthew it was heaps of fun we love your laid back WA style - best of luck with the growth of your art career. 

Fiona and Julie