Talking with Painters

He’s known chiefly for his landscape paintings which are created with layers of glorious colour and a variety of marks. His drawings and plein air works have an immediacy which take us into his experience – whether it’s a boab tree a bird or a portrait. His art is always interpreted from life or from drawings made en plein air and brought back into the studio.

But paradoxically what is most important to him as a landscape painter is in fact people. Those who are the custodians or owners of the landscape are just as important to him as the landscape itself and he needs to connect with them in order to create his work.

He’s painted landscapes around the world from Europe to China but it’s in Australia that he’s spent most of his painting life – interpreting the landscapes of far northern Queensland to Bruny Island in Tasmania, from the Kimberley coast in Western Australia to the central desert areas where he’s created his art with the indigenous people of those lands.

He’s had 40 solo shows, his work has been hung in the Art Gallery of NSW, is contained in the collections of many regional galleries, in corporate and major private collections and his upcoming show of paintings from Western Australia’s Kimberley coast opens at King Street Gallery on William in Sydney in March 2019.

I spoke with Luke in historic Hill End about 4 hours from Sydney where he has his studio in the midst of a wonderful artists’ community.

To hear the interview press ‘play’ beneath the feature photo above.

See a short video of Luke in his studio below.

Upcoming show

Show notes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htLK3TzbUNo

‘Fireflies, Bullecourt’, 2017, oil on board, 160 x 360cm

‘Pinnacles Between, Belle Île’, 2018, oil on board, 160 x 240cm

Sun up, WA, 2018, oil on board,120 x 160cm

‘Spring Sun – HIll End’, oil on board, 2016, 60 x 85cm

                                         ‘Gallipoli Study 6, 2014, gouache and pastel on paper, 40 x 55cm

‘Goanna’, 2018, etching, 71 x 53cm

‘Wedgie’ 2012, mixed media on paper, 76 x 56cm

Ink on paper, Instagram, @luke_sciberras

‘Buffalo country, Katherine, NT’, 2016, oil on board, 124.5 x 162.5cm, finalist Wynne prize 2016

In this episode I look at a few of the paintings themselves with artist Aida Tomescu.  I spoke with Aida about her own life and art in episode 33 where you can hear a great story of her arrival in Australia from communist Romania and her rise to becoming one of our most respected painters. She has won many awards including the Wynne prize, the Sulman prize and the Dobell prize and has exhibited in over 30 solo shows.

We talk about the paintings, paint, what the paint’s doing, guessing the intention of the artist and ponder on what effect it’s having on the viewer.

You don’t have to see the exhibition to appreciate these episodes but if you get a chance to go why not listen to it as you’re walking around? You’ll see I’ve marked at the top of this page the point where we speak about each work so you can see them in any order you like.

The book accompanying the exhibition, edited by curator Denise Mimmocchi, ‘Tuckson’ is widely available including from the Art Gallery of NSW bookshop.

Images are reproduced with the kind permission of the Art Gallery of NSW.

To hear the episode just press ‘play’ under the feature photo above.

Scroll down to also see a YouTube version of this episode with images

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ8052xpX8c&t=1061s

John Anthony Tuckson
White lines (vertical) on ultramarine (1970—1973)
diptych: styrene-based house paint, polyvinyl acetate and pigment on hardboard
213.5 x 244.6 cm board overall
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Gift of Annette Dupree 1976
© Estate of the artist. Licensed by Copyright Agency
Photo: AGNSW

John Anthony Tuckson
Yellow 1970—1973
synthetic polymer paint on composition board
(a-b) 213.5 x 244 cm overall
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by Loti Smorgon AO and Victor Smorgon AC, 2011

John Anthony Tuckson
Late drawing, no. 19 (TD 353) 1968—1973
charcoal on cartridge paper
228 x 76 cm
Collection of Watters Gallery

John Anthony Tuckson
No title [White sketch] circa 1973
synthetic polymer paint
213.5 x 91.5 cm
Collection: National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Bequest of Lucy Swanton 1982

John Anthony Tuckson
Swirl circa 1962—circa 1965
PVA on hardboard
122 x 182.2 cm
Private Collection, Sydney

John Anthony Tuckson
Untitled 1973
synthetic polymer paint and charcoal on hardboard
214 x 122.5 cm
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Purchase 2013
© The estate of the artist. Licensed by Copyright Agency
Photo: AGNSW

Tony Tuckson, who died about 45 years ago, is considered by many to be one of Australia’s most significant abstract expressionist artists but he kept his art under wraps for most of his painting life.

In this episode I spoke with the Art Gallery of NSW’s senior curator of Australian art (and mastermind of this show) Denise Mimmocchi and we talk about his life and career.

You can then follow on in episode 63 and listen to my conversation with renowned Australian abstract artist Aida Tomescu where we talk about a few of the works in depth.

If you happen to be in Sydney before the show ends and get a chance to get there you could listen while you look. You’ll see in the notes to episode 63 that I’ve marked the point where we speak about each work so you can skip ahead to any work you like.

Images of all the works I talk about with Aida are also reproduced on the page of episode 63 with the kind permission of the Art Gallery of NSW.

The exhibition is current until 17 February 2019. Details here.

The book ‘Tuckson’ (pictured below) is available at the Art Gallery of NSW book shop.

The book ‘Tuckson’ by Denise Mimmocchi is available at the AGNSW bookshop

Spending weeks at a time in her childhood sailing  on the ocean spending time staring out at that vastness, Michaye’s very being is connected with the water.

So it’s no surprise that she paints what she knows. In her recent show, ‘Shelter’, at Sydney’s Arthouse Gallery, her works of Tasmanian seascapes were breathtaking. They depict the Australian coastlines and ocean often with no sign of human life when the sun is not out in full force, creating a low light which darkens the land making the sky and the water the main players in her work.

We talk about her childhood memories but also about her current work and studio practice. Notably she’s been a finalist in the prestigious Glover landscape prize 7 times as well as many others. She’s had 20 solo shows and her work is also held in various public and private collections around Australia, including the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and Parliament House, Canberra.

We start this conversation at a time when Michaye was just 2 years old when her parents built a boat  when they were living in Brisbane in Queensland and they decided to take the family back to Canada with Michaye and her baby sister on board.  It would be the start of a childhood of travel and life on the sea.

To hear the podcast episode press ‘play’ beneath the feature photo above.

Scroll down to see a short video of Michaye talking about her work at Arthouse Gallery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ3fjK5stjU

‘Cloudy Bay Lagoon’, 2017, oil on linen, 122 x 152cm , (finalist Glover Prize 2017)

‘Incoming’, 2018, oil on linen, 152 x 188cm

‘Reveal’, 2018, oil on linen, 92 x 112cm

‘Portal’, oil on hand beaten steel, 42 x 62 x 6cm

‘Present’, 2018, oil on linen, 122 x 152cm

Gerhard Mausz in his workshop hand beating steel which form the support for a number of Boulter’s works.

‘Blue hour’ oil on wood, eucalypt, brass, LED light, 22 x 24 x 25cm (box dimensions, 146 (overall height), collaboration with Linda Fredheim

Williams depicts the world outside the mainstream, usually set in nature or a seemingly imaginary or folkloric world.  He’s interested in the characters who represent the archetypal outsider such as Baba Desi, the wizard living in the Dandenongs and ‘The Family’ cult leader Anne Hamilton-Byrne. He feels, though, that not all outsiders live on the fringes of society and that it could include all of us to some extent.

From working on fishing trawlers to single handedly building his own cabin in the forest, Williams does not seek out the safety of the comfortable life and it’s only been relatively recently that he has found a stability of sorts in comparison to his earlier, less predictable, life.

His current show Arcana II, showing at Galerie L’Inlassable in Paris, depicts scenarios inspired from a tarot card reading by a Parisian clairvoyant. The works are mysterious with a hint of foreboding. Powerful colour combinations and brushwork makes the viewer linger.

He believes he is a relatively unknown in Australia but that that has given him the freedom to work without restraint.

It was a  thoroughly enjoyable conversation. To hear it just press play beneath the feature photo above!

Scroll down to see a short video of Williams in his studio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0py0oSjQXkU

‘Love at the end’ 2018, oil on canvas, 205 x 207cm (This is the painting we talk about at about 26m50s – when we’re talking about colour)

‘Apple orchard orgy’, 2016, oil monad pigment on canvas, 214.3 x 198.1cm

In the studio – progress shot of ‘Apple orchard orgy’ (we talk about this at 30m)

Works from The Attachment Series, 2012

‘Devola’, 2017, oil , pigment, enamel, sand on canvas, 203 x 152cm

‘Sphinx with head basket, 2014, stoneware ceramic, 25 x 13 x 13cm

Whether its hundreds of rectangles crammed onto the canvas or wavy forms filled with psychedelic stripes, your eye is going to be subjected to a feast of colour and form.

In this episode we talk about, amongst other things, colour, why she paints in oils when acrylics would appear to be the obvious choice, and how, when she was at art school, her approach was not at all in fashion.

Harper has been exhibiting for over 30 years and has had over 25 solo shows. In 2015, one of Australia’s leading art institutions, Heide Museum of Modern Art, held a major survey of her work called ‘Colour Sensation: The Works of Melinda Harper’. Her work is contained in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of NSW and other public and private collections.

I caught up with Harper at her home near the town of Castlemaine, in the beautiful goldfield regions of Victoria.

To hear the podcast interview press ‘play’ under the feature photo above.

A short video of Harper in her studio will be posted to this website, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct8FlM4jq50

‘Untitled’, 2011, oil on canvas

‘Untitled’, 2003, oil on canvas, 180 x 150cm

‘Untitled’, 1998, oil on canvas, 183 x 152cm (Permanent Collection, Art Gallery of NSW)

‘Untitled’, 2000, oil on canvas, 183 x 152.3cm (Permanent collection, National Gallery of Victoria)

‘Untitled’, 1999, oil on canvas, 121 x 110cm (private collection, Melbourne)

She’s also been a finalist in the Archibald Prize for the last 3 years in a row with stunning self portraits. And she’s only 24.

But the road to this success has not been smooth. Experiencing dyslexia as a child, she struggled both academically and socially in her early years and had to learn strategies to fit in. There’s also been an intermittent struggle with depression and she speaks openly about those experiences and how they have impacted her fascinating self portraits.

Painting on canvas has never really interested her. She’s  more interested in transforming materials into ideas. Those materials have ranged from wax and copper to marble.

Walsh displays wisdom beyond her years and it was great to meet her.

Press ‘play’ which appears beneath the feature photo to hear the podcast episode.

Scroll down to see a short video of Walsh in her studio.

https://youtu.be/4AkEXoIyAhg

‘Numb to touch – (self portrait)’, oil on copper, 40.5 x 28cm (finalist Archibald prize 2018)

View of ‘Numb to touch (self portrait)’ in perspex frame (photo courtesy of Natasha Walsh Instagram page)

‘Within the studio (self-portrait)’ oil on marble 10cm x 10cm (winner Kilgour prize 2018)

Three of the twenty works in ‘Timepiece’, exhibition at Dominik Mersch Gallery in 2017, all oil, pigment and goat’s milk on copper.

Installation view of ‘Timepiece’ exhibition at Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, 2017

‘luciana, 1936’, oil, bee’s wax and dammar resin on panel

‘Self portrait’ oil on copper 25 x 22.5cm  (finalist Archibald prize 2016)

‘One minute til midnight’, 2017, oil on copper, (finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 2017)

‘The Scent of rain (self portrait)’ 2017,  oil on copper 25 x 22..5cm (finalist Archibald prize 2017)

He’s probably best known for a particular kind of landscape which he returns to time and time again. He paints those flat areas of the Australian farmlands and bush, the places where at first glance there doesn’t seem to be much going on, where the horizon seems to stretch out forever. Places like Moree and the Darling Downs.  But he always seems to find a way to interpret those spaces which injects an excitement into the image and that invariably involves multiple layers of paint energetically applied.

Furlonger’s not concerned with traditional rules of landscape painting or the restrictions of gaining an exact likeness in portraiture. His methods appear to be instinctive in one sense but, on the other hand, also drawn from keen observation. What emerged from talking with him, though, was his constant struggle to avoid stagnation and his desire to always be looking for a new approach until even that method is exhausted and it’s time to move on.

He’s a multi award winning artist and has had 35 solo shows. His work is held in the National Galleries of Australia and Victoria and the Art Gallery of NSW as well as many other public and private collections.

We recorded this conversation when his work was hanging in Defiance Gallery’s show  ‘Six Artists | Seven Days’ which was brought about together with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy when six artists were taken to one of the AWC’s sanctuaries  in Newhaven in the Northern Territory. Scroll down to see a short video taken at the gallery.

To hear the interview press ‘play’ beneath the feature photo above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we_hFi9ijkg&t=47s

‘Grainfield Cultivation Moree’ 2014 acrylic bound pigment on canvas, 118 x 133cm (finalist Wynne prize 2014)

‘Desert, Newhaven XXI’, 2018, mixed media on paper, 29.5 x 21cm

‘Self-portrait at Moree’, 2014, acrylic bound pigment on canvas, 162 x 120cm (finalist Archibald prize 2014)

‘South East Queensland – Red Soils’, 2004, colour woodcut on cream wove paper, 54.5 x 89.8cm (permanent collection, AGNSW)

‘Figure’, 1994, gouache on thick white wove paper, 50 x 40.5cm (permanent collection, AGNSW)

‘Boats in Monsoon, Burnett Heads’, 2017, acrylic bound pigment on canvas, 111.5 x 137cm

When I visited her Melbourne studio I was bowled over by a huge horse she had sculpted – a life-sized Phar Lap in the middle of the studio piled high with a large collection of masks on its back; masquerade masks which she first came upon on a trip to india and kept collecting. Bright, expressive and slightly creepy.

Horses and masks feature again and again but her work is never predictable. She’s always shaking it up a bit, adding a touch of shock value along the way. Her photographic art work ‘Historia’, of a topless female Ned Kelly, would have raised the eyebrows of one or two historians.

Over the time she spent in Sydney in the late 90s she painted prolifically and was awarded five art prizes in less than two years and has won several prizes since then including the Moran Contemporary Photograhic award. She has exhibited in 20 solo shows and has a show coming up at Sydney’s Olsen gallery in November 2018.

Stockdale’s work is held in public institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, many private collections, and has even been hung in the Louvre in Paris. She is also one of only 20 artists recently commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to create work for its 20th anniversary.

This conversation was recorded before an audience at Town Hall Gallery in Melbourne on 22 September 2018 in the midst of a show brought together by the artist Ilona Nelson, through her creative project ‘This Wild Song’.

To hear the podcast interview press ‘play’ under the feature photo above.

Scroll down for a short video of Stockdale in her studio.  More videos of podcast guests can be seen on the  Talking with Painters YouTube channel.

Feature photo by Martin Nahon (cropped)

Current and Upcoming events

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GBipC3_Hcg

‘Mind over matter’, 2010, oil on linen

‘Duel of the Mount I’, 2018, C Type Print, 130 x 100cm

‘Duel of the Mount II’ 2018, C Type Print, 130 x 100cm

‘The Quiet Stage’, oil on linen, winner Kings School Art prize 1998

‘Two Birds of a Feather’, 1998

‘Historia’, 2016, Type C Print, 140 x 110cm

‘Kelly’, 2016, C Type Print, 140 x 110cm

‘Man of Quinn’, 2016, Type C Print, 140 x 110cm

One thing’s for sure. You’re going to venture in for a closer look. At first it might look familiar but as you get closer you realise it’s not a place that you’re likely to find on this earth.  You’ll discover things you didn’t notice at first glance; a closed gate with its key lost in the painting, a bridge taking you to another place, a red flag warning you to reconsider.

Those elements are not accidental. They’ve been deliberately placed by the artist who is himself looking for answers where spirituality is key. Even the symbols in his portraiture lend themselves to a metaphoric interpretation.

He’s had twenty five solo shows in Australia and the UK, has been a finalist in the Archibald six times, seven times in the Wynne Prize and is hugely popular. McKenzie’s shows often sell out and his superb mid-career survey show ‘The Adventurous Gardener’ currently at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery in Sydney has been what could be called a blockbuster for a regional gallery, with 2000 people going through the doors on the first weekend.

We recorded this episode in McKenzie’s studio with some of his paintings in progress propped up on milk crates against the walls destined for Martin Browne Contemporary and his November solo show.

To hear the conversation press ‘play’ beneath the feature photo above. Or listen however you get your podcasts.

Scroll down to see a video of McKenzie talking about his survey show ‘The Adventurous Gardener’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzVHMan9j7Y

‘More than many sparrows’, 2018, oil on linen, 197 x 350cm

Initial sketch for ‘More than many sparrows’

‘Matt Corby’, 2014, oil on linen, 197 x 153cm

‘Man moves mountain’, 2014, oil on linen, 229 x 198cm  (Finalist Wynne prize, 2014)

‘In danger of knowledge’, 2017, oil on linen, 137 x 228cm

‘Firestarter’, 2011, oil on linen (finalist Wynne prize 2011)

‘Andrew Upton’, 2010, oil on linen, 198 x 228cm (Archibald finalist 2010)