Willy (Wilamina) Russo

S.A.S Veer is the brainchild of Sally Veer, an artist working in the realms of quilting and watercolour painting. Sally's quilts are pushing the boundaries into the art world and challenging the traditional depiction of "just a blanket". With a genuine desire to create sustainably, S.A.S Veer is partnering with Australian designer Lee Matthews to work with their offcuts. 

In today’s episode of Interview with an Artist, we learn about the impact Sally’s Oma (grandma) had on her, how her relationship with Lee Matthews began and what it taught her, and how she is navigating that line between artwork and well, quilt!

Head on over to S.A.S Veer on instagram @s.a.s.veern to see her intricate and detailed work.

Enjoy meeting the wonderful Sally Veer.

Performance artist Ida Sophia is based in Adelaide, South Australia. Her 2021 show Regret was an emotional tribute and reckoning with one of the heaviest emotions we have.  For 28 days Ida sat for 6 hours a day, not speaking, not eating, not making eye contact. She faced a huge floral installation and wore a cape upon which people pinned small plaster tablets they had written their regrets on.

Watch her performance on ABC Artworks - Ida comes on at about 19 minutes 30 second mark. I strongly urge you to check it out.

In today’s episode of Interview With An Artist, we talk about the training and preparation that goes into a work like regret, how the idea came into being for the show, and about giving space to emotions that maybe we try and push aside.

Ida Sophia is a woman of great capacity and deep thought, and it is my absolute pleasure to have her on the show this week.

www.idasophia.art and Instagram @idasophia_artist

www.wilaminarusso.com

From Broken Hill to Florence to Bronte, Melanie Vugich has made the most of the opportunities that have come her way. The Australian painter works in vibrant, rich colour combinations, which is a nod to her career in fabric design. 2021 has been a great year for Melanie with two strong solos and three amazing collaborations. And although it may have seemed to all come quite quickly for the artist, it's actually been a long road. This week on Interview With An Artist we talk about how Melanie established a career in fabric design, how it was grief that took her to the easel full time, and how her collaborations came about, including one with Oscar de la Renta. 

Check out Melanie's work on instagram @melanievugich

Bluethumb was founded by brothers Ed and George Hartley and their uni mate Phil. The tech company is based out of Adelaide, is about to turn ten years old and has over 15,000 artists on the platform. Earlier this year Bluethumb announced they are launching a new platform for the secondary art market called Podium. I was keen to chat to them about the new venture and the inspiration behind it.

Ed Hartley joined me for today’s show to talk about how Bluethumb got started, the role it’s playing in the Australian art scene and the big picture goals for Podium.

Australian born, LA based artist George Byrne is a man of many talents. You most likely know his work via his Instagram feed @george_byrne or his stunning book Post Truth. It took George a few years to get into his groove but now that he's there, his art is going from strength to strength. 

In today's episode we talk about how he left photography but eventually found his way back, how LA became his muse, the attention to detail that went into creating his book and what some of the misconceptions might be about his art.

George and I spoke in early October when he was in hotel quarantine in Sydney. He’s back in the country for his solo exhibition Innervisions opening on the 27th of October at Olsen gallery.

A blown up car engine. A suspended drivers licence. The offer to paint a portrait or two. 

It doesn't sound like the genesis for one of the most important exhibitions of our times, but it is. Sydney based artist Justine Muller shares her story of how she became connected to the people of Wilcannia and well known artist Badger Bates. A friendship that lead to the creation of the exhibition 'Barka, the forgotten River' which has been touring for the last three years. 

You can find Justine on instagram @justinemullerartist

This is a wonderful story and I'm so grateful to Justine for sharing it. 

Today we’re talking creative accounting. No, not tax dodging or illegitimate expense claims, accounting for creatives.

Jodie Dean founded AccountArts after a long career in the corporate world. The business is a marriage of Jodie’s love for design and creativity with her expertise in bookkeeping and accounting. We talk about how she got started and the type of support she provides. Also we discuss some of the common mistakes creatives make with their accounting and her number one tip for keeping creative finances sorted.

We kept the conversation pretty general as everyone’s financial situation is different, however I hope there are some tips in there for you, that help you get your moola in order.

You can find AccountArts at www.accountarts.com or on Instagram @account_arts

Enjoy meeting Jodie Dean.

Sydney based artist Matilda Michell loves reading 17th Century painting texts. That is, when she can get her hands on them and when she can make sense of them! Matilda has a real affection for the classics and Dutch masters.

This is definitely one of the most technically focused conversations on the podcast and I think that speaks to what really drives Matilda.

In today’s episode we cover a range of themes including:

Matilda also made a really interesting point about the importance of limiting her visual input in a time in history where every style is being widely practiced.

You can see Matilda’s rich and broody work over on instagram @matildamichell

Melbourne based maker James Price creates work that makes him happy. And in return, it makes his collectors happy too. It hasn’t always been that way though. There is so much in this episode thanks to James’s generosity. I’m a big fan of the deep feelers and the big thinkers, and James Price definitely falls into that category.

James spent a decade in New York, climbing the corporate ladder of the creative agency world. At 27 he found himself the manager of a team of creatives and a partner in a business. Sounds awesome right? And some of it was. But there was also a part of James that wanted more. He wanted to be challenged and he wanted to learn. And ultimately, he wanted to get back on the tools creating.

On today’s episode of Interview With An Artist we cover a range of topics including:

Check him on on instagram @theartofjamesprice

Allison Bellinger is the driving force behind AK Bellinger Gallery. A conversation with a good friend, artist Vanessa Stockard, helped spark the gallery into life. That was in 2016. Fast forward to today and Allison is looked up as one of the leading Australian galleries.

Be it to Russia, South Africa, Asia, America, or her Inverell locals, Allison is bringing some of the most exciting art to the scene.

On today’s episode we talk about how Allison finds her artists, what makes a great gallerist artist relationship, how Allison sees the role of art prizes, and what trends she’s noticed in the Australian art scene recently.

There's also a bit of gushing about Kiata Mason and Galah magazine at the end. 

Follow Allison and the gallery at @akbellingergallery