Talking with Painters

She’s won the Wynne prize, the Geelong Contemporary art prize, the Kedumba Drawing prize, the Tattersall’s art prize and others. She’s also an acclaimed sculptor and, as with her paintings, likes to work in large scale.  Her incredible installation selected for the Seville Expo in 1992 was 11 metres high and took 3 months to complete when it was shipped over to Spain.

I had a great conversation with Ann in her huge studio in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. We talked about why we need musicians and artists, what makes a strong painting, how to tap into creativity and lots more.

Her work is included in the forthcoming show ‘6 artists | 7 days’ at Defiance Gallery which opens on 23 September 2018.

Thomson grew up in Brisbane and this episode starts at a time when she was 9 years old, during WWII, when her school had been closed down amid fears of enemy attacks.

Press ‘play’ beneath the feature photo above to hear the podcast interview.

Scroll down to see video of Thomson in her studio.

Feature photo of Ann Thomson above (cropped)  by Greg Weight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubcRerANudU&t=2s

‘Ebb Tide’ 1987, oil on linen, 400 x 550cm

‘Breakwater’, acrylic and collage on linen, 2014, 91 x 122cm  (Winner Tattersall’s Art Prize 2016)

‘The Glowing’, 2015, acrylic on linen, 122 x 153cm

‘Newhaven I’ 2018, acrylic on canvas, 122 x 153cm

Water and Air series Vase V 2018, painting on ceramic 17.5 x 18.5 x 18.5

Fish Trap series V 2018, oil stick on paper, 25 x 25cm

‘Australia Felix’ (detail) 1992, installation, Seville

‘Australia Felix’ (detail) 1992, installation, Seville

But it might also be considered less serious – just a pretty picture painted in a domestic setting. It was partly for that reason that Laura Jones initially resisted the flower as subject matter, until it was clear to her that that’s what she should be painting.

Her exploration of the flower has developed over the years and took an interesting direction in her spectacular recent show ‘Too Much, Not Enough’ at Sophie Gannon Gallery. The show sold out quickly and a waiting list is in place for collectors.

Jones is also a passionate environmentalist and her show at Olsen gallery last year resulted from residencies in the Great Barrier Reef after a severe bleaching event. Those works were both awe-inspiring and shocking.

In this episode, we talk about the flowers and the reef as well as Jones’ portraiture and a lot about process and colour.

Jones grew up in Kurrajong near the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. This episode starts off with her talking about a time when she was studying for her Masters at the College of Fine Art at the UNSW, working part time as a florist and planning to move into a new studio which was to become the creative Birmingham studios in the Sydney suburb of Alexandria.

Feature photo above (cropped) by Rachel Kara

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgPxcoQmXi8

‘Healing Flower’ 2018, oil on linen, 183 x 152cm

‘Banksia Speciosa on Striped Cloth’ 2016 oil on linen (from ‘Wildflowers’ exhibition)

‘Symbiosis’ 2017, oil on linen, diptych, 152 x 244cm overall, pictured in the studio

‘Capricorn’, 2017, oil on linen, 152 x 122cm

‘Back to You’ 2018, oil on linen, 183 x 152cm

‘Marieke reading’ 2015 oil on linen 142 x 112cm

‘Jenna’ 2015, oil on linen, 71 x 61cm

‘Selfie’, 2016, oil on linen, 71 x 61cm

Her recent show at Flinders Lane Gallery, ‘Bundanon Floor to Sky’, drew on her time spent within the landscape of Bundanon, the gift that artist Arthur Boyd and his wife Yvonne gave to the Australian people. Bundanon is a property of over 1000 hectares on the Shoalhaven river in NSW which offers residencies to artists and writers, an extensive education program and much more.

From her time at Bundanon, Kalabishis has produced an astonishing body of work. Her triptych ‘Bundanon Floor to Sky – You are always a part of me now (after Van Morrison)’, which is over three and a half metres long, immerses the viewer into that lush landscape from the roots of the trees to the sky above. Other works in the series, too, explore the area from the ground all the way up to the troposphere, far above the landscape.

Kalabishis also combines ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, with native Australian plants, taking them out of the domestic setting into the landscape. Bones and shells also form part of the imagery which she creates through a combination of sculpture and digital technology.

Last year she was awarded the Eutick Memorial Still Life Award and has won many other awards including the Rick Amor drawing prize. She has exhibited in 18 solo shows and her work is held in the National Gallery of Australia and many other institutions and private collections.

Kalabishis grew up in Melbourne – her parents were Greek migrants – and this conversation starts with her memories of work experience at the National Gallery of Victoria when she was 16.  It was 1985 and the ‘Golden Summers’ exhibition was showing  at the gallery. The exhibition was very popular at the time and included works by Australian impressionists of the Heidelberg school including Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts.

Kalabashis talks about her recent exhibition and generously reveals much about her process which takes advantage of 21st century technology.

To hear Maria Stoljar’s conversation with Gina Kalabishis press ‘play’ under the feature photo above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gCFCuYbiWM

‘Passing Pulpit Rock – Distant Sky (after Nick Cave and Else Torp)’ 2017, oil on linen, 124 x 86cm (winner of the Eutick Memorial Still Life Award 2017)

‘Romeo and Juliet (after Dire Straits)’, 2018, oil on linen, 153 x 122cm

‘Bundanon Floor to Sky – You are always a part of me now (after Van Morrison)’, 2018, oil on linen, 215 x 366cm

‘Lost – found (after McCubbin)’, 2015, pastel on velour paper, 50 x 35cm

‘Marion’ 2013, oil on linen, 121 x 137cm

There are also the stills from movies and TV shows from Jaws and Rambo to Magnum PI and the Dukes of Hazzard. Welcome to the wonderful world of Marc Etherington’s art.

Etherington is a self-taught artist who took up painting when he was housebound one snowy winter in Canada 12 years ago. He’s been selected as a finalist in the Archibald Prize for the last four years in a row and twice for the Sulman Prize.

His portraits of artists Del Kathryn Barton, Ken Done and Paul Williams stopped me in my tracks in the Art Gallery of NSW and the story behind this year’s self-portrait ‘Me and Granny’ reveals as much about his personality as his painting skill.

His use of colour and composition combine with his imagination to take us into an alternate reality at times nostalgic, absurd or humorous but always tapping into something we can connect to.

Pop culture references from 80s and 90s TV shows and movies are interpreted in his distinctive style and trigger memories for those who loved them.

He’s been in over 20 group shows, has had 6 solo shows and his much awaited show ‘Couch Potato’ opens at Michael Reid in Sydney on 9 August 2018, about a week after this podcast goes online.

This interview was recorded in Etherington’s home in Sydney where he had wooden sculptures he’d been working on on the bookcase nearby. He’s self-effacing, honest and committed to his art and it was a thoroughly enjoyable interview.  To hear it, press ‘play’ beneath the feature photo above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL-4x7TEdeo

‘Del Kathryn Barton and Magic Dog’, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 89 x 120cm, finalist Archibald Prize 2015

‘King Ken (Ken Done in his studio)’, 2016, acrylic on canvas 155.5 x 201cm, finalist Archibald Prize 2016

Paul (Paul Williams in his studio), 2017, acrylic on canvas, 144 x 164cm, finalist Archibald Prize 2017

‘Me and Granny’, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 143 x 163.5cm, finalist Archibald Prize 2018

Seinfeld painting

‘The first time I met Michael Jackson was in the belly of a crocodile’ acrylic on plywood

2016 work

‘If I met Chuck Norris at Comic Con’

Instagram caption: ‘This is me and my future dog called Granny. I’m not gonna stop carving these until I find him. Which hopefully is soon because my hands hurt’

Painting of Robert Smith, singer of The Cure, with sculpture of his chewing gum collection

‘That’s life though’, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 140 x 160cm,  finalist in Sulman Prize, 2017

Selection of iPhone paintings for upcoming show ‘Couch Potato’ at Michael Reid Sydney (photo: Instagram page of Michael Reid @michaelreidart)

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

But you’ll also be turning corners and seeing what’s beyond the buildings and fences around you without ever leaving that 2D plane. His wonderful use of perspective and colour takes us to a moment in twisted space which is surprising and brimming with optimism.

He’s had over 50 solo shows exhibiting from London to Paris to Berlin to Shanghai to Auckland and right across Australia. Many major art institutions have acquired his work and his paintings are held in many private collections.

He’s also found time to make his mark in art education holding leading positions in universities and is well known for his time as the director of the National Art School in Sydney, a position he held for over a decade. He continued painting throughout that time but for approximately the last 10 years he’s been a full time artist working 7 days a week.

Ollis was born in Bath, England and grew up in a working class family.  This episode starts at a point in our conversation when he was in his early twenties after he had completed his qualifications at  Cardiff College of Art and Design and was considering his next step. Would it be a Diploma of Education, a course in Art Therapy or should he pursue the almost impossible dream of getting into the Royal College of Art?

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

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

Current events 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibClT-JjL8E&t=30s

‘Rhodens Lane, Sydney’, oil on linen, 100 x 153cm

‘Self portrait after Matisse’, 2017, oil on canvas

‘Self portrait with brushes’, 2015, mixed media, 156 x 122cm

‘Enchantment’, oil pastel on paper, 80 x 140cm

‘Ponte Vecchio Florence Night’ 2016, mixed media, 102 x 141cm

‘Marrakech Bathroom’ 2017 oil pastel on Arches paper, 52 x 36cm

She has been shortlisted in the famous portrait prize two years in a row, this year with a striking painting of choreographer and dancer Meryl Tankard.

She took up drawing and painting over 15 years ago and honed her craft while still acting. It  was inspiring to hear her talk openly about the catalyst for taking that direction – in the middle of a struggle with post-natal depression.

She has had three shows including most recently an exhibition of beautiful mixed media works of the underwater world of Gary the crab which she’s planning to make into a children’s book ‘Blue bottle bubbles’. She’s also delving into abstraction and her work will be included in at least two shows later this year.

We talk about her journey to becoming a painter and her inspirational attitude towards her future as an artist – a wonderful mix of curiosity and determination.

She’s one of the most dynamic, down to earth and funny women you’ll ever meet and we had a lot of fun recording this interview.

To hear the interview press play under the feature photo above.

A short video of Smart in her studio on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel can be seen here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4oaKBm9weQ&t=6s

‘Lunch in the Outback’, acrylic on canvas, 108.5 x 108.5cm, finalist Archibald Prize 2018

‘The mayor of Bondi’, oil and acrylic on canvas, 77 x 77cm,finalist Archibald prize 2017

‘pink jelly so wanted to dance with Gary but his claws…’, 76cm x 96cm, mixed media, from the Blue Bottle Bubble series.

‘the serenity of garys pink garden sometimes brought on an almighty howl…he felt a million after that’ 76 x 96cm, mixed media.

Abstract work in progress

‘I go walkin around midnight’ (based on Smart’s midnight walks with her father in country South Australia)

His powerful painting which won the Gallipoli Art Prize this year contains that little bit of poison. It lures the viewer with an evocative sunset only to reveal the reminders of battle trenches and detritus scattered across the landscape.

Lopes has been painting figurative work for over twenty years starting at a time when it was decidedly unfashionable. He has been acknowledged by art critic John McDonald as ‘one of the most dedicated artists you’ll find anywhere’ and his outstanding works in his distinctive figurative style have captured the attention of art collectors and institutions alike.

He seeks to deal with the figure and the landscape together, depicting the relationship we have with our surrounds and does that in any way he can get the paint onto the surface, always looking for a way to push it further.

He has exhibited in 30 solo shows across Australia and in London and Hong Kong and his work has been hung in many more group shows. His work is held in the National Gallery of Australia, the Parliament House Collection and other public institutions and private collections.

Lopes is also known for his portraiture, recognised as a finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize, Black Swan Prize the Percival Portrait Painting prize and has been selected in the Salon des Refusés exhibition several times.

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

A short video of Lopes in his studio on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel can also be seen below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPFwYQtDEt4

‘Exposed Wood, Mont St Quentin’, 2018, oil on canvas, 140 x 180cm, winner of the Gallipoli Art Prize 2018, collection of the Gallipoli Club.

‘Warren Ellis’, 2018,  oil on canvas, 180 x 130cm  (finalist Percival Painting Prize 2018)

Portrait of Warren Ellis, 2017, etching, 70 x 50cm edition 20

‘Man with bird’, 2001, paper etching, 76.4 x 56.2cm, collection of the National Gallery of Australia

‘The Nek, Foxhole’, oil on canvas, 180 x 130cm

‘The Late Riser’, 2017, 120 x 130cm, oil on canvas

‘Votive Landscape and Figure’, 2017, oil on canvas, 100 x 100cm

Using a variety of techniques, he says he creates a kind of inventory or document of the state of the earth, revealing both the energy and beauty of it. To do that he physically immerses himself in nature, spending long periods at a time camping and observing the country from Tasmania to central Australia to Arnhem land.

Wolseley has had over 25 solo shows and the exhibition Midawarr | Harvest is currently travelling around the country. It is a collection of his works and those of aboriginal elder Mulkun Wirrpanda with whom he has developed a special bond over many years.

His work is held in most important Australian art institutions and of course many private collections.

But probably the most interesting part of our conversation is where he talks about literally collaborating with nature to produce his work.

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

A short video with audio of John talking about his work and video of his Australian Galleries show can be seen on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel and is also below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FsnMSGU03w

‘Distant glimpses of the great floodplain seen through a veil of trees and hanging vines’ 2017, watercolour, graphite and colour pencil, ink, oil paint, dry pastel, abrasion, scratching out and nature printing, with collages of frottage, wood relief, linocut and intaglio, printed Japanese tissue papers on woven paper, 10m in length.

‘Buwakul climbing a tree beside the flood plain on Garranari’ 2016, watercolour graphite and rakushuishi atsukuchi (Japanese tissue), 222 x 140cm

‘Insect life stories No 14: Kamarooka grey box beetle’ 2017, three relief print from found wood, chine-collé over watercolour, edition 10, 53cm x 28cm

‘Beetles in the salt – Lake Tyrrell’ 2014 – 18, watercolour and etching on paper, 130 x 220cm

‘Ephemeral water with new growth – Murray-Sunset National Park’ (2009 – 2012), collection of National Gallery of Victoria, watercolour, charcoal and pencil, main panel 153.4 x 327cm sheet,

She went on to win Australia’s most well-known art award, the Archibald prize, she’s won the Portia Geach – twice – and many other awards. She’s reportedly been finalist more times than any other artist in the Sulman prize and this year is no exception with her brilliant work ‘Erskineville train station’.

Sharpe has had 57 solo shows, has received many major commissions which include Australian Official War Artist to East Timor, the first woman to do so since World War II.

Her work is bold, energetic, vibrant – spanning from a suburban street, to a circus tent, taking in scenes from around the world from China to Egypt, and even Antarctica.

We weren’t able to cover everything she’s done in her career but in this episode you’ll hear us talk about women in the arts, including the dreaded term ‘woman painter’, the real and the imagined and lots of insights into the wonderful process of painting.

We met in her huge studio in St Peters in Sydney an absolute Aladdin’s cave of materials, art books, posters, sketchbooks, and mountains of painting rags. She was engaging, interesting and generous with her knowledge of painting and I really enjoyed meeting her.

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

Two videos of Sharpe in her studio and talking about the exhibition ‘Salient Western Front’  on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel can be seen below.

Show notes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwe-9U5G1Wg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfSQ6roLcEs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sXWFbWjnBY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ESdZSoJGuo

‘Erskineville train station’, 2018, oil on canvas, 145 x 83cm

‘Self portrait – as Diana of Erskineville’, 1996, oil on canvas, 210 x 172cm, winner of Archibald prize 1996.

‘Three o’clock in the morning’, 1997, oil on canvas, 30cm x 30cm

‘Mr Ash Flanders, actor’, oil on linen, 164 x 152cm

‘Anything goes (Venus Vamp – burlesque star)’, 2013, oil on canvas, 152 x 122cm