The Good Oil

In this episode I visit Ayesha Green at Jhana Millers Gallery in Te Whanganui-a-Tara before she embarked on a move to the United Kingdom.

Ayesha is Ngāti Kahungunu, Kai Tahu. Among several qualifications, she has a GradDipArt, Specialising in Museums and Cultural Heritage, and a Master of Fine Arts from the Elam School of Fine Arts, both from the University of Auckland.

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 Dowse Art Museum, the MTG in the Hawkes Bay Tai Ahuriri and The Dunedin Public Art Gallery. She has exhibited at a number of public art galleries including the Tauranga Art Gallery,, Auckland Art Gallery, City Gallery in Wellington and Te Uru in Titirangi, and has a long list of awards and residencies to her name.

Ayesha is represented by Jhana Millers Gallery.

You’ll hear Ayesha speak about the sense of responsibility she has to her whanau, hapu and iwi in her practice, her want to interrogate and poke fun at propaganda, her relationship with Joseph Banks and the English Royal Family, the backhanded compliment that the current coalition government is paying to Māori and the role of botanicals and textiles in her paintings

We started by talking about Ayesha's childhood.

Links

Ayesha Green Jhana Millers Artist Web Page

The Good Oil Instagram

In this episode I visit Laura Williams at her studio in Eden Terrace, Tamaiki Makaurau.

Laura is a self taught artist that has a Masters in Sociology from the University of Auckland. She has numerous exhibitions under her belt, including work being shown public galleries including Te Uru Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland, the SUter Gallery in Nelson and at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, and has work held in collections in Aotearoa, Australia and the US. She has been awarded several artist residencies, including the Wassiac Project Summer Artist Residency and the Golden Foundation Artists Residency. Laura is represented by Page Galleries in Wellington and Laree Payne Gallery in Kirikiriroa.

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

You’ll hear Laura speak about how her paintings are her version of hoarding, her inability to resist being puerile and mischievous, how she has harnessed the power of her ADHD and Asberger's in her practice, the influence of her Catholic upbringing, not being able to square the lifestyles of some priests with the teachings of Catholicism verse the more dedicated lifestyles of nuns…and her perverse satisfaction of hearing people talking about not liking her paintings.

Please note their are adult themes discussed in this episode - there are references to pornography and sexual assault, please make an informed choice about listening any further.

We started by talking about Laura’s exposure to art as a kid and getting trouble with nuns.

Links

Laura Williams Instagram

Page Galleries Laura Willliams Artist Page

Laree Payne Gallery Laura Willliams Artist Page

The Good Oil Instagram

In this episode I visit Claudia Kogachi and Josephine Jelicich at their home in Auckland.

Claudia graduated with a BFA with first class honors from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. She has received numerous awards and art residencies including the Supreme Winner of the NZ Painting and Printmaking Award and Karakare House Artist Residency. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections including The Dowse ARt Museum and the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Punu O Waiwhetu. Claudia is represented by Jhana Millers in Wellington and Phillida Reid in London.

Josephine has a BFA from Massey University, with an additional years study at Nelsons Centre For Fine Woodworking. Her work has featured in shows including at Depot Art Space and Object Space, and is held in numerous private collections.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Claudia Kogachi and Josephine Jelicich Instagram Post.

A quick correction and apology especially to Josephine's Mum Nina - I persist throughout the interview in incorrectly referring to Claudia and Josephine's show at Laree Payne Gallery as ‘Nina’s For Flowers’. The correct title of that show is ‘Nina or Flowers’. Please also excuse some occasional background traffic noise.

I started by speaking just to Claudia, and you’ll hear her talk about how her paintings are an important record of memory, how she enjoys people identifying universal human themes in what are paintings of her personal experience and that her practice is an expression of joy and fun, but that it also helps her manage an awareness of mortality and grieving the loss of family.

Then Josephine joined us and we spoke about how working together for a show made complimenting depends on each other's practices, their mutual admiration for one another's work and how Claudia doesn’t feel like a work is finished until it has one of Josephine's frames around it.

Links

Claudia Kogachi Instagram

Josephine Jelicich Instagram

Jhana Millers Claudia Kogachi Web Page

Phillida Reid Claudia Kogachi Web Page

Laree Payne Nina For Flowers Exhibition Web Page

The Good Oil Instagram

In this episode I visit Jeffrey Harris at his studio in Ōtepoti.

Jeffrey is a self taught artist that is over 50 years into his practice. His work is held in numerous public and private collections, including The Auckland At Gallery Toi O Tamaki, The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetu, The Fletchers Collection, Te Papa and The Dunedin Public At Gallery. Jeffrey has also been the subject of a book by Justin Paton, titled ‘Jeffrey Harris’, and has received several honors and awards.

There are images of the paintings we talk about on the The Good Oil Jeffrey Harris Instagram post.

In this episode you’ll hear Jeffrey talk about how he considers his bright palette an antidote to lots of NZ painting, how a chance encounter in the NZ Women's Weekly and then correspondence with Michael Smither connected Jeffrey with important figures in NZ Art History that his work now stands alongside, how the awareness of having limited time left is demanding that he makes the best works he possibly can, how a sense of being on the outside looking in with family has influenced his paintings of human relationships, working on single paintings for decades and how he feels about where paintings end up, for better and sometimes for worse.

Links

Jeffrey Harris Instagram Page

Suite Gallery Jeffrey Harris Web Page

The Good Oil Instagram

In this episode I visit Emily Hartley-Skudder at her residency at the Francis Hodgkins Fellowship in Otēpoti at the University of Otago.

Emily graduated from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with First Class Honours in 2012. She has been the recipient of several scholarships and awards, and her work is held in numerous public and private collections including The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, The Hocken Collection, The Stevenson Collection and The Wellington City Council Me Heke Ki Pōneke Collection and the Gardner Family Collection.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Emily Hartley-Skudder Instagram Post.

In this episode you’ll hear Emily talk about the influence of film and film sets i her practice, the important role of photography, the fertile ground that bathrooms offer her to explore, her nod to the still life painting tradition, pushing back against what is the traditional colour palette in New Zealand painting, how she considers layering of paint as sculptural and avocado coloured baths.

Links

Emily Hartley-Skudder Instagram Page

Jhana Millers Gallery Emily Hartley-Skudder Artist Web Page

Jonathan Smart Gallery Emily Hartley-Skudder Artist Web Page

The Good Oil Instagram

In this episode I visit Hamish Coleman in his studio in Otepoti.

Hamish graduated from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors in 2012, and has been the artist in residence at the Dunedin School of Art. He has exhibited throughout New Zealand, with his work held in public and private collections. Hamish's work walks a fascinating line of presenting what feels like a new, fresh approach to painting, while simultaneously capturing a sense of the somehow familiar New Zealand you’ve always known.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Hamish Coleman Instagram Post.

In this episode you’ll hear Hamish speak about finding unique, painterly source material in video stills, the presence of an Aotearoa Gothic aesthetic in his work, a want to include the equivalent of white noise into paintings, the use of interference paint pigments, how hard he works to make the work look effortless and the ongoing drive to paint motivated by not quite being able to put his finger on what he is trying to capture.

Links

Hamish Coleman Instagram Page

Season Gallery Hamish Coleman Artist Web Page

The Good Oil Instagram

In this episode I visit Gretchen Albrecht at her recent show at Two Rooms gallery in Auckland.

After graduating from the The Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland with an Honors Degree in Painting in 1963, Gretchen quickly established what has become one of the most enduring and impressive abstract practices in NZ, with her much celebrated West Coast paintings and Hemisphere works, and continues to evolve her practice 60 years later.

Her work is held in numerous public and private collections including Te Papa, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, The Fletcher Collection, The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, The University of Auckland Art Collection and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Gretchen is a Francis Hodgkins Fellow and was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2000 for services to painting.

There are images of the paintings we talk about on The Good Oil Gretchen Albrecht Instagram post for your reference.

In this episode you'll hear Gretchen speak about the influence of her builder father and seamstress mother, being taught by Louise Henderson, the stored experiences of life that she draws on in her practice, her advice to young artists, the possibilities that different shaped stretchers offer and the secret figurative references she includes in her work for her to enjoy.

Links

Gretchen Albrecht Instagram

The Good Oil Instagram

Two Rooms Gretchen Albrecht Artist Web Page

Nadine Milne Gallery Gretchen Albrecht Artist Web Page

In this episode I visit Imogen Taylor in her studio in Henderson, West Auckland.

Imogen has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Post Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts from the Elam School of Arts at the University of Auckland. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections including the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, The Fletcher Collection and The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki. In 2017 Imogen was the artist in residence at McCahon House, and in 2019 was the recipient of the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship.

There are images of the paintings we talk about on The Good Oil Imogen Taylor Instagram post for your reference.

In this episode you’ll hear Imogen talk about how she aspires to embody the same qualities that are reflected in the materials that she uses, her celebration of NZ regionalism in her practice by applying a drag sensibility to it, her clear appreciation for modernism, wanting to protect illegibility in painting, how heartbreaking she finds parting with work when it leaves the studio, she shamelessly reveals herself to be a colour nerd and not a very good painter.

Links

Imogen Taylor Instagram Page

Micheal Lett Imogen Taylor Artist Web Page

The Good Oil Instagram Page

In this episode I visit Kirstin Carlin in her studio in Mt Roskill, Auckland.

Kirstin has a Master of Fine Arts from the Glasgow School of Art.Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, and she has exhibited widely locally and internationally, including at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

She is represented in NZ by Melanie Roger Gallery in Auckland, and regularly exhibits with The Central Art Gallery in Christchurch.

There are images of the works we talk about on The Good Oil Kirstin Carlin Instagram post for your to reference.

In this episode you’ll hear Kirstin speak about how she is influenced by slightly obscure Scottish painters, how much work never makes it out of the studio, how a throw away exercise in problem solving opened up unexpected new approaches to painting, a constant awareness of colour combinations the world presents, obsessing over Matisse… and some of her unlikely reference material.

Links

Kirstin Carlin Instagram Page

Melanie Roger Gallery Kirstin Carlin Artist Web Page

The Central Art Gallery Kirstin Carlin Artist Web Page

The Good Oil Instagram Page

In this episode I speak with an honorary NZ painter that holds an Australian passport, Jude Rae.

Jude has a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of Sydney, a Graduate Diploma in Professional Art Studies from the University of NSW and a Master of Arts in Painting from the University of Canterbury.

Her work is held in numerous NZ and International public and private collections, including The Fletcher Collection, The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhtu, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Taimaki and Te Papa. She is represented in NZ by Two Rooms gallery in Auckland.

In this episode you’ll hear Jude speak about her formative and influential time spent in Christchurch, how doubt in her painting is a baseline state for her, her exploration of the complexities of vision mixed with our other senses and trying to capture that in her work and the unforgettable experience of driving through a Colin McCahon landscape for the first time.

Links

Jude Rae Instagram

Two Rooms Jude Rae Artist Page

The Good Oil Instagram Page