It was his first ever Archibald entry and he has been selected this year again with his portrait of lecturer and feminist Susan Carland.

What you might not know about Greensmith, though, is that he’s also a renowned plastic and reconstructive surgeon and was the leader of one of the teams which worked together to separate Bangladeshi conjoined twins Krishna and Trishna, who were joined at the head, in 2009.  That complex operation was a success and made world headlines.

Greensmith still works as a surgeon but is increasingly turning his attention to painting and now spends up to two days a week in his studio.

In this interview, we talk about his life, doubts and fears as an artist, but also a lot about the painting process –  colour, glazing, the pitfalls of using photographs, how the knowledge of anatomy helps in painting a realist portrait and lots more.  It was an incredibly informative and interesting conversation.

To hear it press ‘play’ below the feature photo or listen however you get your podcasts.

You can see a short video of Greensmith in his studio on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwfLddLa5B0

‘The inner stillness of Eileen Kramer’, 2017, oil on linen, 86 x 51cm

‘The serenity of Susan Carland’, 2018, oil and walnut alkyd on wood panel, 103 x 83cm

Works in progress in Greensmith’s studio