Kia ora, welcome to episode 35 of The Good Oil, conversations with Aotearoa painters.

In this episode, I speak with Nigel Brown at Artis Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Nigel has work held in numerous public and private collections, including the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetū, The University of Auckland Art Collection, The Fletcher Collection, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

He is represented by Artis Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau, The Division Gallery in Picton and Milford Galleries in Dunedin and Tāhuna.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Nigel Brown Instagram Post for your reference.

A quick note of thanks to Lydia Baxendell for her excellent thesis, ‘Nigel Brown and NZ National Identity’ which proved especially useful research material. Thanks Lydia.

In the episode you’ll hear Nigel speak about being witness to a tension between Colin McCahon and James K Baxter about the value of art school, what painting techniques he learned from McCahon and others to apply to his own practice, the reasons he includes text borders in works and the power of words, how he believes each painting can humanise space, and that he considers his practice a kind of research offering, as an alternative to accepted, formal research of academia.

In this episode, I visit Star Gossage at her home and studio in Pākiri.

Star is Ngāti Wai and Ngāti Ruanui. She received a Diploma of Fine Arts from Otago Polytechic School of Art in 1995. She has work held in numerous public and private collections, including The Fletcher Collection, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The University of Auckland Art Collection and the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetū. In 2020 and 2021 her practice was the subject of a major survey show exhibited at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, and in 2014 she was included in the Five Maori Painters exhibition held at The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

Star is represented in Tāmaki Makaurau by Tim Melville, and in Te Whanganui-a-Tara by Page Galleries

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Star Gossage Instagram Post for your reference.

You’ll hear Star speak about how she was first drawn to painting by the texture of materials rather than images, the presence of the past, the present and the future that appear in her paintings, the finely balanced process of painting figures to capture their essence, a desire to return to creating purely abstract works, and her deep connection and still evolving understanding of place in Pākiri.

In this episode, I visit Jacqueline Fahey at her home and studio in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Jacqueline was educated at the Canterbury College School of Art, that would later become the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury. She is now into her 8th decade of what remains a remarkable painting practice. She has work held in numerous public and private collections, including The Fletcher Collection, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, The Aigantighe Gallery in Te Tihi-o-Maru, The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The University of Auckland Art Collection and the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetū.

Jacqueline is represented in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland by Gow Langsford Gallery

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Jacqueline Fahey Instagram Post for your reference.

You’ll hear Jacqueline speak about how her practice is born out of hard work rather than talent (although we might beg to differ), of being willing to risk not being ‘acceptable’ in a societal sense to ensure she could pursue making paintings she wanted to, hiding in plain view with her painting trolley to capture domestic moments in the family home, what she sees in Goya paintings that are still painfully relevant today, and the necessity for her to keep painting at the age of 95, but talks about what might be, heaven forbid, her last painting.

A couple of quick corrections before we get into the conversation. I refer to Jacqueline's cat as Elvis, their name is Alvin. Sorry Alvin. By the way you might also Alvin in the background in the episode. When discussing the painting ‘Look Mum They Killed Her’ about the killing of the American Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, I mistakenly refer to that event happening in Israel, it happened in The West Bank.

Also please note, if you’re listening with any sensitive ears, Jacqueline and I refer to the title of a painting that includes an expletive.

We started by talking about her friendship with, and valuable life lessons learnt from, Rita Angus.

In this episode, I visit John Brown at his home and studio in the Hawkes Bay.

Among other qualifications, John holds a Bachelor in Art and Design from AUT, and has won the Kaipara Foundation Award in 2012 (which is the Swiss Residency award he refers to in our conversation) and the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award in 2019.

John’s is a practice I’m excited to bring to your attention if you haven’t seen his work before. I first started really taking notice of his paintings only a few years ago, and in that time he’s evolved a really strong painting practice, both in technical execution and in representation of subjects, supported by years of engaging in other practice disciplines.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil John Brown Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear John speak about the thorough conceptual approach he takes with a subject before he even picks up a brush, but how that is then at least in part abandoned and replaced by the process of painting to create a work, the constant risk of him painting over what might be some of his best work, but also how he is unwilling to remove his mistakes because they contribute to such rich layering, the portraiture that is included in the work that you might never notice and how he deals with his self doubt of if he is even a painter, and if the work is any good.

In this episode, I visit Andrew McLeod at his home and studio in Whanganui.

Andrews holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland.

He is now over 27 years into his practice, and his work is held in numerous public and private collections, including The Fletcher Collection, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, The Chartwell Collection, The National Gallery of Victoria, The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and The Arts House Trust. He has been the recipient of art prizes and residencies, including the Tylee Cottage residency in Whanganui.

Andrew is represented by Robert Heald Gallery in Wellington Te Whanganui a Tara and Ivan Anthony Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Andrew McLeod Instagram Post for your reference.

This episode turns out to be, for me at least and I hope you, an excellent lesson in art history and how to look at paintings, both of which are Andrew actually talking about his practice. Although you’ll also hear him talk about being Gen X, and as a result what he’s not afraid of in painting, a want for his next painting to always be his best, how he views paintings as an arrangement of attention and a frozen choreography of brush strokes and how a key aspect of his job is to work in the visual subconscious world we all populate.

Please note, if your’re listening with children or a priest present, Andrews enthusiasm in the interview leads to some occasional colourful language.

In this episode, I visit Seraphine Pick at her home and studio in Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.

Seraphine has conducted a practice for over 30 years, in that time always exploring and evolving subject matter, use of materials and her overall approach to painting. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, including The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and the Dowse Art Museum, and she has been the recipient of several awards and residencies, including the Rita Angus Artist Residency.

Seraphine holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury.

She is represented by Michael Lett Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland and Station Gallery in Naarm, Melbourne and Gadigal, Sydney.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Seraphine Pick Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear Seraphine speak about a want to not know how to approach a new mode of making to keep her practice interesting, her collaborations with ceramicist Jaime Jenkins and how that is influencing her practice, the sound and silence of her paintings, a want to more and more make paintings into objects and the need to see human vulnerability in paintings in the age of AI.

In this episode, I visit Darryn George at his home and studio in Ōtautahi.

Darryn is of Ngāpuhi descent. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury and a Master of Fine Art from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

His work is held in numerous public and private collections, including The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The New Zealand High Commission. He has been exhibiting consistently for over 30 years, with work in over 40 group or solo shows, including in major public gallery exhibitions.

He is represented by McLeavey Gallery in Te Whanganui A Tara, PG Gallery 192 in Christchurch and Milford Galleries in Queenstown.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Darryn George Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear Darryn speak about reconnecting with Maoridom and marae, developing his language through a combination of American minimalist abstract painters, kowhaiwhai patterns and Maori carvers, his willingness to work collaboratively across industries to achieve the best outcome in large scale painting, how his practice is influenced by and explores the intersection of Maori oral, and European written history and some advice from his gallerist Peter McLeavey that he’s never forgotten and still applies.

In this episode, I sat down with Martin Poppelwell at the Melanie Roger gallery surrounded by his new work included in a recent group show.

Martin has established an impressive multi disciplinary practice, with paintings and ceramics complimenting one another.

Martin’s work is held in numerous public and private collections locally and internationally, including Te Papa Tongarewa, the Lawrence B. Benenson Collection in New York, Reydan Weiss Collection in NZ/Germany and Reverend Ian Brown Collection, Australia.

He is represented by SPA_CE Gallery in Napier and Melanie Roger gallery in Tamaki Makaurau.

There are images of the paintings and ceramics that we talk about on The Good Oil Martin Poppelwell Instagram Post for your reference.

You’ll hear Martin talk about how important to his overall practice studying ceramic design and production at the Whanganui Polytechnic has been, the origin of his grid motif and how it contributes to composition and philosophical approach to painting, how Samuel Beckett provided a new perspective on what his painting could be, the challenges he deliberately creates for himself in paintings and the time consuming, multi layered process he follows to prepare the surface of a canvas to make it look like there isn’t any preparation at all.

For this episode, I visited Dame Robin White earlier this year at her home and studio in Masterton.

Robin is one of our most distinguished painters, holding, among other qualifications, a Diploma in Fine Arts from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. She has been appointed as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to painting and print making and has been the recipient of numerous awards including the New Zealand Arts Icon Award.

Her work is held in numerous public and private collections including Te Papa Tongarewa, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, The National Gallery of Victoria, The Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History, The National Gallery of Australia and The Dunedin Public Art Gallery. She is also the subject of several books, including the excellent ‘Something Is Happening Here - Robin White’ by Sarah Farrar, Jill Trevelyan and Nina Tonga, and has exhibited widely, including a major retrospective show in 2022 and 2023.

She is represented by McLeavey Gallery in Te Whanganui a Tara or Two Rooms gallery in Auckland.

There are images of the paintings and tapa cloth that we talk about on The Good Oil Dame Robin White Instagram Post for your reference.

You’ll hear Robin talk about the power of working collaboratively, her time living in Kiribati, her first encounter with Sam Hunt and their resulting friendship, how geometry and tone sit at the heart of some of her most famous paintings, the Gaylene Preston film about her that is currently in production, and you know that question I ask everyone about ‘what work or artist work they would love to live with? Well, Robin has a particularly insightful answer to that.

In this episode I visit Gavin Hurley at his home and studio in Grey Lynn, Auckland.

Gavin graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. His works have been exhibited at, or are held in collections of, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and The Suter Te Aratoi o Whakatū, in Nelson. He is represented by Melanie Roger Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau and Space Gallery in Napier.

There are images of the paintings and sculptures that we talk about on The Good Oil Gavin Hurley Instagram Post for your reference.

You’ll hear Gavin talk about his inability to paint portraits of any living subjects, a misguided aspiration to be more business like (that nevertheless lead to a great body of work), the close and useful relationship between collage and painting in his practice, his love of old books and their paper stocks as reference and material, how mutton chop sideburns and beards make for great shapes to paint, and how revisiting works in preparation for a show at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery makes him realise how different life was when he painted them.