Talking with Painters

By Maria StoljarArts Visual Arts Design

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Talking with Painters episodes

August 12, 2016 Ep 5: Abdul Abdullah
Abdul Abdullah is a four time Archibald finalist and this year he has paintings hanging in both the Archibald and Sulman prizes in the Art Gallery of NSW. He has won several art prizes including the Blake Prize for Human Justice in 2011 and has been finalist in many others.
Abdul's art delivers a strong message. Issues of identity and the current political environment concerning the Muslim community in Australia are front and foremost in his work.

We talk about how he sees 9/11 impacted the Muslim community and how after that event 'it became apparent that in the popular imagination Muslims in Australia had become the 'bad guys''. We also talk about the 2005 Cronulla riots and how he came about painting retired police officer Craig Campbell for the Archibald. He also gives insights into his painting process and photographic art.

Abdul's work is currently included in four shows in Victoria and NSW with another three coming up over the next few weeks, including a solo show in Melbourne in November.

Current and upcoming exhibitions:

'Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes' 2016 - Art Gallery of NSW - 16 July - 9 October 2016, Sydney, NSW
'Painting, more painting' - Australian Centre of Contemporary Art - 29 July - 25 September 2016, Melbourne, Victoria
'Coming to terms' (solo exhibition) - Fehily Contemporary/Mossgreen Sydney - 4 August - 3 September 2016, Sydney NSW
'The Public Body' - Artspace - 25 August - 23 October 2016, Sydney NSW
'Burden' - (solo exhibition) - Fehily Contemporary - 9 November - 3 December 2016, Melbourne, Victoria
'Jogja Calling' - 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art - 22 October to 17 December 2016, Sydney, NSW
'Basil Sellers Art prize 5' - Ian Potter Museum of Art- 19 July - 6 November 2016, Melbourne, Victoria

Show notes (links to things and people we talk about in the show):

Abdul Abdullah
Fehily Contemporary
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah (Abdul's brother)
Archibald prize
Sulman prize
Indonesian artist Hahan
Tracey Moffatt
'Hero cop Craig Campbell left behind by the Cronulla riots' SMH, January 17 2016
SBS documentary: Cronulla Riots - The day that shocked the nation
'Combatting Prejudice with Art' - Abdul Abdullah - TEDx Youth Sydney
Blake Prize for Human Justice
Ian Strange

32 min
August 05, 2016Ep 4: George Raftopoulos
George Raftopoulos held his first solo show when he was still in his third year of university at only 20 years of age. He has been exhibiting ever since in Australia and internationally in New York, Hong Kong and Paris. He has a relentless energy and rebellious attitude which comes through in his art.
I had been aware of Raftopoulos’ work for some time but it wasn’t until I started following him on Instagram that I really got a sense of what his art was about. His prolific output, imagination, humour and bold aesthetic were something I used to look forward to on my feed. Then suddenly one day he deleted it all! I thought – what is going on? Well, I found out in this interview.
We talk about his early years when his was the only Greek family in the small NSW town of Grenfell, the moment in his teenage years which defined which direction his life would take, his process, inspiration, purpose and the effect of the internet on the art world.
Scroll down to see a short video made in 2018 of Raftopoulos passing on his thoughts on painting and creativity to art students in Sydney.
Links to people and things we talk about in the show
George Raftopoulos
George Raftopoulos on Instagram
John Olsen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNCf5h8NXB8
George Raftopoulos in front of his recent work ‘The Raw RΩAR’

‘Aeschylus of the Underworld’ 150 x 180cm, oil on polyester (2010)
‘The ROSE of no mans LAND’, 2017, mixed media on Japanese linen, 183cm x 183cm
‘BANGAREE’
‘ProtoTYPOS’
‘GRECCO corroborree’
31 min
August 05, 2016 Ep 4: George Raftopoulos
George Raftopoulos held his first solo show when he was still in his third year of university at only 20 years of age. He has been exhibiting ever since in Australia and internationally in New York, Hong Kong and Paris. He has a relentless energy and rebellious attitude which comes through in his art.
I had been aware of Raftopoulos' work for some time but it wasn't until I started following him on Instagram that I really got a sense of what his art was about. His prolific output, imagination, humour and bold aesthetic were something I used to look forward to on my feed. Then suddenly one day he deleted it all! I thought - what is going on? Well, I found out in this interview.

We talk about his early years when his was the only Greek family in the small NSW town of Grenfell, the moment in his teenage years which defined which direction his life would take, his process, inspiration, purpose and the effect of the internet on the art world.
Links to people and things we talk about in the show

George Raftopoulos
George Raftopoulos on Instagram
John Olsen
Instagram

31 min
July 23, 2016Ep 3: Louise Hearman
Louise Hearman is an acclaimed Melbourne artist and winner of the 2016 Archibald Prize for portraiture.
She also won the prestigious Doug Moran National portrait prize in 2014 and has been the winner of several other art prizes. She is well known for her enigmatic and, at times, eerie portrayal of people and landscapes.
She has had 12 solos shows and has been involved in many more group exhibitions.
In this interview Hearman talks about how, even as a small child, her drawings contained elements of the work she would later create. She also explains why her works are predominantly untitled and what she initially intended to enter into the 2014 Doug Moran prize. She also tells why she likes working on masonite and what it is she calls ‘bungle bungles’ (and when to retire them).
Upcoming events
Louise Hearman, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 29 September – 4 December 2016. The exhibition will then travel to TarraWarra Museum of Art in 2017.
Show Notes (links to people and things we talk about in the show)
Louise Hearman
Richard Tognetti
Satu Vanska
Barry Humphries
2016 Archibald Prize – AGNSW
Bill Henson
Doug Moran National Portrait prize
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney – Exhibition – Louise Hearman
STUDIO: Australian Painters on the Nature of Creativity
Nick Stathopoulos
Natasha Bieniek
India Mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J-BYZAgXpM
‘Barry’ (2016) oil on masonite 69.5cm x 100cm
‘Bill-1383/Bill-1384’ – Hearman’s dyptich which won the 2014 Doug Moran National portrait Prize
‘Untitled 1283’ oil on masonite, 61cm x 61cm
28 min
July 23, 2016 Ep 3: Louise Hearman
Louise Hearman is the winner of the 2016 Archibald Prize. In this interview she talks about her early beginnings and her wins in the Doug Moran and Archibald prizes
28 min
July 16, 2016Ep 2: Katherine Hattam
Katherine Hattam is a multi award winning painter and printmaker whose works are held in most of Australia’s major public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and Art Gallery of NSW.
She has exhibited in over 20 solo shows and many more group shows and has won numerous art prizes including the Banyule and Robert Jacks drawing prizes.
In this conversation, Hattam begins by talking about the experience of growing up as the daughter of Melbourne art collectors and modern art patrons Hal and Kate Hattam. Hal Hattam was a gynaecologist and later a successful painter in his own right and Kate Hattam was once reported to be the ‘highest paid woman in Australia’ in her job as the advertising manager of the upmarket Melbourne department store Georges.
They held an extensive art collection of works of their artist friends which included Arthur Boyd, Fred Williams, John Brack, Clifton Pugh, Charles Blackman and Jan Senbergs. Portraits of her parents painted by Clifton Pugh and John Brack can be found in the National Portrait Gallery.
Hattam’s career initially focussed on drawing but her work eventually turned to painting and mixed media. In this interview she also talks about her techniques and preferred mediums, balancing motherhood and her art career and themes which arise in her paintings.
See below for a list of current and upcoming exhibitions and scroll down further for links to people and things we talked about in the show.
A video taken after this interview in March 2020 at Katherine’s exhibition at Sydney’s Arthouse Gallery can also be seen below.
Current and upcoming exhibitions:
‘Visiting Painting’ – Horsham Regional Art Gallery – 16 July to 11 September 2016, Horsham, Victoria
‘National Works on Paper’ – Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery – 16 July to 11 September 2016, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
’72 Derwents’ – solo show – Arthouse Gallery – 12 August 2016, Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, NSW
Bruny Island Art Prize – Bruny Island Arts – 24 September – 2 October 2016, Bruny Island, Tasmania
‘Art of Parts’ – Art Gallery of NSW – 17 September – 13 November 2016, Sydney, NSW
Show notes: (links to people and things we talked about in the show)
Katherine Hattam
Portrait of Hal Hattam by Fred Williams
Portrait of Kate Hattam by Clifton Pugh
Fred Williams
Charles Blackman
John Perceval
Arthur Boyd
Jan Senbergs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJqZoskqNws&t=10s
The Integrity of the Personality, mixed media, (2014) Art Gallery of New South Wales
‘Today’ Mixed media on linen 198 x 110cm
‘Double Helix’ 120 x 240cm
‘Yellow Chair’ Lithograph, 73 x 50cm
‘Love On’ 2006, oil paint, pencil and collage on linen, 50 x 60cm
33 min
July 16, 2016 Ep 2: Katherine Hattam
Katherine Hattam is a multi award winning painter and printmaker whose works are held in most of Australia's major public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and Art Gallery of NSW.
She has exhibited in over 20 solo shows and many more group shows and has won numerous art prizes including the Banyule and Robert Jacks drawing prizes.

In this conversation, Hattam begins by talking about the experience of growing up as the daughter of Melbourne art collectors and modern art patrons Hal and Kate Hattam. Hal Hattam was a gynaecologist and later a successful painter in his own right and Kate Hattam was once reported to be the 'highest paid woman in Australia' in her job as the advertising manager of the upmarket Melbourne department store Georges.

They held an extensive art collection of works of their artist friends which included Arthur Boyd, Fred Williams, John Brack, Clifton Pugh, Charles Blackman and Jan Senbergs. Portraits of her parents painted by Clifton Pugh and John Brack can be found in the National Portrait Gallery.

Hattam's career initially focussed on drawing but her work eventually turned to painting and mixed media. In this interview she also talks about her techniques and preferred mediums, balancing motherhood and her art career and themes which arise in her paintings.

See below for a list of current and upcoming exhibitions and scroll down further for links to people and things we talked about in the show.

Current and upcoming exhibitions:

'Visiting Painting' - Horsham Regional Art Gallery - 16 July to 11 September 2016, Horsham, Victoria
'National Works on Paper' - Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery - 16 July to 11 September 2016, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
'72 Derwents' - solo show - Arthouse Gallery - 12 August 2016, Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, NSW
Bruny Island Art Prize - Bruny Island Arts - 24 September - 2 October 2016, Bruny Island, Tasmania
'Art of Parts' - Art Gallery of NSW - 17 September - 13 November 2016, Sydney, NSW

Show notes: (links to people and things we talked about in the show)

Katherine Hattam
Portrait of Hal Hattam by Fred Williams
Portrait of Kate Hattam by Clifton Pugh
Fred Williams
Charles Blackman
John Perceval
Arthur Boyd
Jan Senbergs

33 min
June 17, 2016Ep 1: Francis Giacco
Most Australians have heard of the Archibald prize, the nation’s most famous portrait prize, partly because of the controversies which seem to follow it. When Francis Giacco won in 1994, that year was no exception. In this conversation, he recalls the day he won and how the win influenced his career.
Francis is a contemporary realist painter and lives in Sydney. He has won and judged numerous art competitions. In 2014 he won the prestigious Percival Prize for Portraiture with his portrait of Charles Blackman. He has had many solo shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and his work was selected to appear in the ABC production of Rake.
In this interview, Francis talks about his childhood influences, travels overseas, teaching at Julian Ashton Art school, his art process, people he has met along the way and how his painting was eerily affected just prior to his diagnosis with lymphoma five years ago.
Show notes:
Francis Giacco
Julian Ashton Art School
Jeffrey Smart
Brian Dunlop
Justin O’Brien
Kunsthistorisches museum, Vienna
Johannes Vermeer’s ‘The Art of Painting’
Jackson Pollock’s ‘Blue Poles’
Archibald prize
Margaret Olley
Doug Moran Portrait Prize
Australian Galleries

‘Homage to John Reichard’ (1994) oil on marine ply 202cm x 188cm
‘Sunset Siesta’ (2015)
‘Charles Blackman’ 2010
32 min
June 17, 2016 Ep 1: Francis Giacco
Most Australians have heard of the Archibald prize, the nation's most famous portrait prize, partly because of the controversies which seem to follow it. When Francis Giacco won in 1994, that year was no exception. In this conversation, he recalls the day he won and how the win influenced his career.
Francis is a contemporary realist painter and lives in Sydney. He has won and judged numerous art competitions. In 2014 he won the prestigious Percival Prize for Portraiture with his portrait of Charles Blackman. He has had many solo shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and his work was selected to appear in the ABC production of Rake.

In this interview, Francis talks about his childhood influences, travels overseas, teaching at Julian Ashton Art school, his art process, people he has met along the way and how his painting was eerily affected just prior to his diagnosis with lymphoma five years ago.
Show notes:

Francis Giacco
Julian Ashton Art School
Jeffrey Smart
Brian Dunlop
Justin O'Brien
Kunsthistorisches museum, Vienna
Johannes Vermeer's 'The Art of Painting'
Jackson Pollock's 'Blue Poles'
Archibald prize
Margaret Olley
Doug Moran Portrait Prize
Australian Galleries

32 min