From as early as the 1970s John Walker was one of the most influential  and imitated painters working in the UK; he exhibited alongside Andy  Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, represented his country at the 1972 Venice  Biennale, had extensive survey shows at both the Tate and Hayward  galleries and was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1985.

On the occasion of Walker's exhibition at Messums London, we present a conversation between John and Jonathan Watkins. Jonathan Watkins is an English curator, and the former Director of the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham.

Ceramic artist Kitty Shepherd specialises in slipware, the technique of painting on damp clay  using coloured slip and through her designs she creates dynamic and  joyful works of art that evoke feelings of nostalgia and joy. Kitty  arrived in Spain rather by accident, but the circumstances had a  positive and direct effect on her work. Her upbringing might be  considered unorthodox and Kitty talks candidly to radio broadcaster Ian Rutter about her mysterious  father, her maverick mother and an idyllic Sussex childhood.

Narbi Price is a painter. Born 1979 in Hartlepool, he lives and works in Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

He was the Journal Culture Awards Visual Artist of the Year 2018, and the winner of the Contemporary British Painting Prize 2017. He was featured in Phaidon's Vitamin P3 - New Perspectives in Painting and was a prizewinner in the John Moores Painting Prize 2012.

He has recently completed an AHRC funded PhD at Newcastle University in partnership with Woodhorn Museum.

Interview with Ian 'Mouseman' Cartwright', head carpenter and great grandson of Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson who founded Robert Thompson's Craftsmen Ltd the oak furniture company famous for it's great craftsmanship and the handcarved mouse on each piece they make.

Podcast interview with gallery owner Johnny Messum and the artist Jo York.

"My work comes from a strong sense of place derived from walking in the  landscape; absorbing it in all weathers, seasons and moods. Landscapes  are full of layers; geological and historical, industrial and personal-  they carry traces of what’s gone before, and this is what fascinates and  intrigues me. I abstract ideas from the landscapes I know well, using  observation, imagination and memory. Current work is exploring margins  in those areas where land, sea, water and sky, shift and merge and  change, and the wild landscapes of North Yorkshire, Cornwall and  Scotland are recurring themes.

Paintings are made slowly, building multiple layers and often  scraping back and incising detail, before glazing over the top, to  create a complex picture surface. Acrylics are central to my practice as  I love their flexibility and immediacy, but I also work in oils, mixed  media, textiles and print."

Hugo Burge is the owner and led an 8 year restoration of Marchmont House, winner of Sothebys Historic House restoration award of the year in  2018.  Hugo has plans to now bring it alive as ‘a Home for Makers and   Creators’ in the Scottish Borders.

He is also a sculpture collector and has a passion for the arts and crafts movement.

Hugo Burge is the owner and led an 8 year restoration of Marchmont House, winner of Sothebys Historic House restoration award of the year in 2018. Hugo has plans to now bring it alive as ‘a Home for Makers and Creators’ in the Scottish Borders.  He is also a sculpture collector and has a passion for the arts and crafts movement.

Podcast interview with gallery owner Johnny Messum and the artist Jo York.

Paintings are made slowly, building multiple layers and often scraping back and incising detail, before glazing over the top, to create a complex picture surface. Acrylics are central to my practice as I love their flexibility and immediacy, but I also work in oils, mixed media, textiles and print."

Recorded on Wednesday 14 April 2021.

From lacemakers to vascular surgeons; Savile Row tailors to molecular  scientists, potters to violinists or racing car drivers – those from  apparently unrelated professions all use their hands.

After a lifetime spent in the medical profession, conducting surgery  in war zones and trauma wards to reach the peak of his profession,  Kneebone combines his experiences as a doctor with insights from the  fields of art, science and music to understand the importance of manual  dexterity for our well-being and wider culture.

Kneebone, who is Professor Of Surgical Education at Imperial College,  London, has written numerous papers and essays about how the loss of  manual skills is impacting on our creativity, productivity and mental  health and will also be discussing his podcast, Countercurrents as well  as his new book, ‘Expert; Understanding the Path to Mastery’ in which he  reveals the process by which humans learn how to perfect their skills.

‘Roger Kneebone is a legend’ Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters

‘Fascinating and inspiring’ Financial Times

‘The pandemic has made the necessity of relying on experts evident to all . . . this is a rich exploration of lifelong learning’ Guardian

Recorded on Wednesday 21 April 2021

Online talk by author and biographer William Feaver as he discussed the life and work of the artist Lucian Freud.

Though ferociously private, Lucian Freud spoke every week for decades  to his close confidante and collaborator, the art critic, curator,  artist and lecturer William Feaver – about painting and the art world,  but also about his infamously colourful life and loves. The result is a  unique biography, shot through with Freud’s own words, ‘The Lives of  Lucian Freud’ was shortlisted for the 2019 Baillie Gifford Prize.

Feaver is currently an academic board member of the Royal Drawing School.