Willy (Wilamina) Russo

Noelle Rigaudie

Instagram @noellerigaudie

French born Australian artist Noelle Rigaudie makes pieces that would look at home in the palace of French King Louis XV. Elegant. Sophisticated. Refined. And made of cardboard. Yes, that's right, cardboard. What started as a fun craft exercise in 2006, turning a pizza box into a simple frame, has evolved to a fine art practice.  Ornate mirrors, stylish sideboards, beautiful chairs, pieces that dance on the boundary of fine art and functional furniture. 

We talk everything from second careers, to her big break with Sibella Court and Antrhopologie, to securing gallery representation with Sally Dan Cuthbert.  Noelle also has some fantastic advice for gallery goers, and sticking to her roots, it involves an analogy cheese shopping at a market. 

Britty Em is a force of nature. Just like her paintings. Full of life and energy and passion, the Gold Coast artist creates colour filled works that stop you in your tracks. Head to her Instagram page  @britty.em and you'll see what I mean.

At 17 Britty held her first solo show and it sold out. However she left the easel behind and opened her own design agency, after studying both fine art and architecture.  With a 10 years absence from the art world, Britty decided the time was right to come back. And what a re-entry it’s been. She was picked up by a gallery almost immediately and has seen her following grow year on year.

It took us a few month to finally align calendars so you’ll hear my exclamation. It’s a wide ranging conversation about her work and also the direction of the art world in general.

Britty Em joined me from her home on the Gold Coast for this week’s Interview With An Artist

Jo White creates with emotion. 

It’s a feeling she’s following when painting scenes and people from regional Australia, an Australia of times gone by. Of farming families packing up station wagons for the annual beach holiday. Of shearing sheds and old trucks. Of social outings such as the local  cricket game or tennis at a friends. Traditions that continue today but back then, pre-internet, pre-mobile phones, pre-colour TV, they were lifelines of connection.  And regardless of whether people grew up on the land or in the city, lovers of good art love Jo’s work.  

Head to her Instagram page @jowhitestudio and I guarantee you will feel the emotion I'm talking about.

Jo joined me from her home in Armidale in regional New South Wales for this week's Interview With An Artist.

Marisa Veerman's work will stop you in your tracks. Firstly because it's breathtaking. Secondly because you will be doing your best to try and figure out what it is. Is it a photo? Is there some stitching on it? But the finish kind of looks like a painting? 

Marisa's work is true mixed media. Her grounding in fine art photography combined with her career in textiles and visual merchandising marry beautifully to result in Marisa's art. Portraits of women and girls, caught mid movement, creating an exquisite and surprisingly calming viewing experience. 

Unique is a word I don't use lightly, but it's appropriate when describing Marisa's work. Head to her Instagram page @marisa_veerman to see what I mean.

Marisa joined me from her home in Brisbane Queensland, for this week's Interview With An Artist. 

Luke Shadbolt is part storm chaser, part stunt man, part photographic artist. He puts himself in some incredible and sometimes dangerous situations, to capture the power of the ocean.  His images illustrate mother nature's mighty force with an intensity and emotion that is impossible to ignore.  And that's important to Luke, he wants you to take notice. He wants to remind you of the beauty and the power of the ocean. He's also is more interested in the process than the end result. The trait of a true artist. 

Head to his Instagram @lukeshadbolt and you will see a feed of the most amazing range of photos, including a few of his wife and new baby. You see Luke's just become a Dad for the first time and it's brought the sometime level of danger in his work, right into focus.

Luke joined me from his Australian base on the central New South Wales coast for this week's Interview With An Artist. 

Robert Brownhall drowned as a three year old. He was revived and given a slim chance of making it through the night. But he did. Now in his early 50s, it's only in recent years that Rob decided to revisit the trauma that has coloured his life. Literally. From the subject matter he paints, to the golden hue in his work,  to his preference for being up high whether in the tops or trees or buildings .  Rob Brownhall paints with a sensitivity that speaks to his deep thinking nature.  Head to his instagram page @robertbrownhallartist to see what I mean. 

He joined me from his home in Brisbane for this week's Interview With An Artist. 

Miranda Lorikeet sat bored in front of a computer at the age of 22. A receptionist for an insurance company, the role was anything but creative. Enter Microsoft Paint. Like most desktops, Ms Paint was installed. Miranda unleashed her creative urges and began what would soon become an artistic career as one of the very few, and very talented Ms Paint Artists. She creates wanderlust landscapes with little naked women running around, climbing mountains, and swimming in lagoons. And also still life pieces that make the ordinary seem somehow more exciting. Vibrant and playful, Miranda's work captures a mood that you just want more of. You'll see what I mean on her Instagram @mirandalorikeet

Miranda joined me from her home in Sydney for this week's Interview With An Artist. 

Edward Waring grew up in a time when the good glasses and the good crystal were saved for special occasions.  Objects too precious for the everyday, However now, head along to your local op shop and you’ll find shelves of them. Crystal vases and glass sets noone wants any more.  That is until Edward gets his hands on them.

Edward is an assemblage artist with a fabulous ability to look at things and see a way of putting them together, to breathe new life into them. From his Champagne Tables, to his Memory Sticks to his Tables of Limited Knowledge, Edward creates beautiful art with things considered out of date. Head to his instagram page @edwardwaring and you'll find a treasure trove of beauties.

Edward joined me from his home in Sydney, for this week’s Interview With An Artist. 

Jayde Chandler needed a couple of glasses of good wine, and an encouraging nudge from her husband to exhibit her first painting. The piece was included in a fundraiser for drought relief and sold for $2000. Not bad for a painting that never had any intention of being seen publicly. That was two years ago now and Jayde’s creative practice has gone from strength to strength. In between raising four young children and helping out on the cattle and sheep property she runs with her husband, Jayde creates vibrant colour rich paintings.

Jayde joined me from north west regional Queensland for this week’s Interview With An Artist.

Head to her Instagram @jayde_chandler_art and follow for regular hits of colour and joy.

Claudia Miranda took a chance. In 2018 she was a mum with a young baby and a steady job. But it wasn’t enough. There was a calling within her to create. So she took the leap and picked up a pen. Inspired by Picasso’s The Kiss, she drew her first piece. The Lovers. And it sold, quickly. So she drew another. And that sold. And before Claudia knew it, she had commissions out the door and brands knocking for collaborations. You see Claudia creates with heart and soul. And you can feel that when you look at her work or scroll through her instagram feed. Her comments are small pearls of wisdom, little dopamine hits for your heart.

I sat down with Claudia, 1.5 ms apart, in her Sydney home, for this week’s Interview With An Artist.