Willy (Wilamina) Russo

@lil.montefiore

www.lilimontefiore.com

My guest this week is artist Lili Montefiore. I first came across Lili at the 2020 National Art School Grad show.

Lili had these eye-catching works. Her paintings were these everyday settings but in vibrant pinks and greens and oranges. And the hooped skirt that had slogans embroidered and embossed all over it. Phrases like, give us a smile and you’re too pretty to be running at night, and whore. Cat calls that most women have heard at some point.

I wasn’t the only one who took note of her work. M Contemporary Gallery in Rushcutters loved it too. They invited Lili to join a group show, which then resulted in Lili being offered her own solo show in March 2022.

In today’s episode of interview with an artist, we talk about

LIli’s magical wholesome childhood growing up on a peninsula in Lake Macquarie; the shocking transition for Lili going from a tiny school based on Steiner principles, to a large state based high school with 100’s of kids; how art was her saviour and solace as a shy person; how the enthusiasm and passion of her cohort, rubbed off on each other and lifted each other up; and how she is getting her head around the business side of being a professional artist.

Lili is one who’s career you will want to watch grow.

I also have this thing for names that roll off the tongue so we kick the interview off with me asking Lili about her last name.

Interview With An Artist is hosted and produced by radio host, arts broadcaster and artist mentor Willy (Wilamina) Russo.

Do you need help figuring out the right next step in your artistic practice? Book a one-on-one session with Willy today. 

@gretalaundyart

www.gretalaundyart.com

Greta paints and draws stunning colour filled abstract works. Working intuitively, Greta gets her pieces started and then hands the reigns over to them to finish, likening the process to being carried away on the energy of the colours. Don’t be fooled though. It’s not all about what colours sit best beside each other.

Greta’s work begins from a deeper place of inspiration. Psychology and sociology and feminist theory. They all play a role in bringing Greta’s artwork to life.

In today’s episode of Interview With An Artist, we chat about a range of things including how Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins played a role in sparking her latest series titled Insignia, about finishing her Bachelor of Fine Arts and the touchstones it gave her, and we also we do a bit of a deep dive on criticism - how to give it, how to receive it and the role it plays in the life of an artist.

Interview With An Artist is hosted and produced by radio host, arts broadcaster and artist mentor Willy (Wilamina) Russo. Do you need help figuring out the right next step in your artistic practice? Book a mentoring session with Willy today.

@adamnorton64 www.adamnorton.net

UK born, Australian based artist Adam Norton creates work in a mix of forms such as installations, painting and film.

His creative practice revolves around how technology impacts the human experience. The perfect question to marry his love of science and art.

In today’s episode of Interview With An Artist, we chat about Adam’s childhood in Africa and how it influences his work today, what it was like studying art at Oxford, and the cumulative process of Adam’s work and how it can start as a small object made in the studio and then evolve into him being in a space suit.

A couple of other highlights from our conversation was Adam’s social media /pub conversation analogy, and why his broom is the one thing in his studio he couldn’t go without.

Interview With An Artist is hosted and produced by radio host, arts broadcaster and artist mentor Willy (Wilamina) Russo.

Do you need help figuring out the right next step in your artistic practice? Book a mentoring session with Willy. 

@christinalowryartist www.christinalowryartist.com

Christina Lowry is a Queensland based artist working in fine art photography. And yes, she has a license to collect dead things. “Don’t look in the bottom draw of the freezer!" is a common warning in her household. Christina also has a bug collection and has studied the practice of preserving and pinning bugs.

You see, Christina takes inspiration for her fine art photography from the 17th century Dutch masters. And in order to create her works of art, she goes to extreme lengths to ensure the authenticity of each composition. Such as getting replica glassware handmade in Prague and then shipped to Australia for one of her shoots.

And this extreme attention to detail is paying off. In 2021 Christina was a finalist in the Whitehall, the Gosford and the Ravenswood art prizes.

In today’s episode of Interview With An Artist, we talk about how as a 17 year old doing her fine arts degree, Christina marvelled at the mature aged students, we talk about how each of her roles a a jeweller and commercial photographer helped towards her fine art career, and we also find out just exactly how far Christina will go to get the right pieces for her composition.

Interview With An Artist is hosted and produced by radio host, arts broadcaster and artist mentor Willy (Wilamina) Russo.

If you need help taking the right next step in your artistic practice, book a one-on-one mentoring session with Willy at www.wilaminarusso.com

@kowneart www.kateowenartwork.com.au

When Julia Green of Greenhouse Interiors slides into your DM's saying "Hey, I like your work, let's chat," it's a BIG moment. 

Kate Owen cracked the champagne that evening and has been painting her heart out ever since. Creating everyday, showing up on socials, and generally doing her best to make the most of the fantastic opportunity that is being represented by Greenhouse Interiors. 

It didn't start there though, it rarely does. Kate is the epitome of someone who sees an opportunity and runs with it. And throughout her life in regional New South Wales, it has served her well. She has satisfied her creativity working in fashion, homewares, special occasion cake making and now painting. 

Tune in to find out how Marie Kondo helped Kate prepare for life as an artist, the advice Catherine Cassidy offered that Kate still reflects on today, and what it is like to be represented by and work with, Greenhouse Interiors. Oh and yes Kate's studio, if you don't know and lust after it already, you soon will. 

Interview With An Artist is hosted and produced by radio host, arts broadcaster and artist mentor Willy (Wilamina) Russo. 

If you need help figuring out the right next step in your artistic practice, book a one-on-one mentoring session with Willy. 

Book mentoring - www.wilaminarusso.com

Sign up for Mentor Musings - the newsletter helping artists take the right next step. 

Instagram: @wilamina_russo

2022 was another big year in the art scene. Gallery openings got canceled, digital viewings had to continue to suffice, and NFT's exploded on to the market.

It was really Beeple’s collage work, Everydays: The First 5000 Days, sold via Christie’s for $69 US million that got everyone stirred up. That was March. Since then, the NFT/crypto market has been a rollercoaster ride.

And I'll be honest, it still seems like something pretty foreign to me and probably a lot of artists I know and have spoken to.

However, Saatchi Art are looking to change that.

My last guest of the season is Monty Preston. Monty is a manager of Art Advisory and Curation at Saatchi Art. Monty is part of a team working with artists and collectors to help them make the leap into the NFT space. 

You can find Monty and all the information we talk about on saatchiart.com/nft

Enjoy meeting Saatchi Art's Monty Preston.

Interview With An Artist is hosted and produced by radio host, arts broadcaster and artist mentor Willy (Wilamina) Russo.

Do you want helping figuring out the right next step in your artistic practice? Book a mentoring session with Willy on www.wilaminarusso.com

Adelaide based artist Tom Keukenmeester learnt the ropes working as an apprentice of sorts for artist Lucy Bonnin.  A move to Sydney, a hung over meeting with legendary art dealer Rex Irwin, and years of continually doing the work and today the painter and sculptor is now with Martin Browne Contemporary.

In today’s Interview With An Artist, Tom and I talk about the importance of mentors and artist friendships, how his vision for his future helped him determine what opportunities to say yes and no to, and how he found himself moving from painting to ceramic sculptures with surprising success.

You can see Tom’s work over on instagram @tomkeukenmeester 

This is the second last episode for Season 3. Season 4 will commence in February 2022.

In 2022 I will be starting a monthly newsletter for artists called Mentor Musings. It will have things I’ve noticed from sessions, tips and tricks from the mentoring community, and also up coming Australian prizes that could be of interest. If you would like to receive it sign up at www.wilaminarusso.com. That is also the best way to be notified when mentoring opens up again in 2022.

Interview With An Artist is hosted and produced by radio host, arts broadcaster and artist mentor Willy (Wilamina) Russo.

Do you want helping figuring out the right next step in your artistic practice? Book a mentoring session with Willy on www.wilaminarusso.com

Sarrita King almost fell into painting. Her late father was the highly respected  artist, William King Jungala, a man from the Gurindji clan. Before he died in 2007, he passed on to Sarrita and her sister Tarrise King, a love of art, community and storytelling.

Sarrita lives in Garramilla, or Darwin, with her partner and her two young children, painting amongst the chaos of family life. With a career as a professional artist spanning almost 15 years, Sarrita’s work is held in collections around the world.

In today’s Interview With An Artist, we chat about how Sarrita left her journalism degree to pursue art; her manager Keith and the tight knit bond between Sarrita, Tarrise and Keith; and how Sarrita loves her galleries so much and how deep the relationship is with them.

Catch her work @sarritaking_artist

Interview With An Artist is hosted and produced by radio host, arts broadcaster and artist mentor Willy (Wilamina) Russo.

Do you want helping figuring out the right next step in your artistic practice? Book a mentoring session with Willy on www.wilaminarusso.com

Kirthana Selvaraj is exploring her place in the world through her art. Painting herself into the halls of some of the longest standing and most traditional institutions. Her self portrait, The Green Suit, was an Archibald finalist in 2021 and a Portia Geach finalist in 2020. I remember seeing it and there was just something about the expression in her face and the way the suit hung on her that hit me. 

Kirthana paints about the experience of being in a queer brown body and trying to find her place in the world, or even just see it.

In today’s episode we talk about the painting of that epic self portrait and her mum’s reaction when she saw what Kirthana was wearing in it; about how her artistic practice is helping her claim her place, and how an approach of lifting each other up, of collaboration over competition, is surely a better way forward.

Kirthana is a deep thinker and such an eloquent communicator. I loved speaking with her and hearing her thoughts, I am sure you will love hearing her story.

You can stay across her work on Instagram at @kirthanasart

Interview With An Artist is hosted and produced by radio host, arts broadcaster and artist mentor Willy (Wilamina) Russo.

Do you want helping figuring out the right next step in your artistic practice? Book a mentoring session with Willy on www.wilaminarusso.com

The 2021 National Emerging Art Prize was the hottest Australian prize for emerging artists. Victorian based artist Andrea Sinclair took out the painting prize with her portrait of Flossie.

So who is Andrea? How long has she been painting for? And what’s been her career trajectory to date?

In today’s Interview With An Artist, Andrea and I talk about:

One of the things I am most excited for with Andrea’s work to come, is her passion for women of a certain age. You know the cool ones, the fierce ones, the ones that even though they’re not the pretty young things any more, they have a vibe about them that just speaks volumes. Like Flossie! Andrea has a plan to bring them front and centre and celebrate them.

You can catch Andrea’s work on her instagram @andrea.sinclair.art

Enjoy meeting the 2021 National Emerging Art prize winner, Andrea Sinclair.

Interview With An Artist is hosted and produced by arts broadcaster and artist mentor, Willy (Wilamina) Russo. 

Do you want helping figuring out the right next step in your artistic practice? Book a mentoring session with Willy - link below.

www.wilaminarusso.com