Talking with Painters

It was great to catch up with Denise Mimmocchi, Senior Curator of Australian Art of the Art Gallery of NSW, to talk about the exhibition Nolan: Origins which opened on the weekend.

We talk about the people, places and ideas that shaped Sidney Nolan’s work – from his time in the Wimmera and at Heide with John and Sunday Reed, to his experimentation with materials and the creation of his celebrated Ned Kelly paintings.

Nolan: Origins is showing at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 3 October 2026 to 7 February 2027.

Links

• Talking with Painters website – see the works discussed in this episode
• Talking with Painters on Instagram
• Talking with Painters on Facebook
• Maria Stoljar on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to the Talking with Painters newsletter

‘Boy and the moon’ c1939-40, oil on canvas on hardboard, 73.3 x 88.2 cm, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 1976

‘Self portrait’ 1943, Ripolin enamel on hessian sacking, 61 x 52 cm, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased with funds provided by the Art Gallery Society of New South Wales 1997

‘Ned Kelly’ 1946, Ripolin enamel on hardboard, 90.8 × 121.5 cm, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, gift of Sunday Reed 1976

Sidney Nolan ‘First-class marksman’ 1946, Ripolin enamel and alkyd on hardboard, 90.2 x 121.2 cm, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased with funds provided by the Gleeson O’Keefe Foundation 2010

Watch a 2 minute highlights video of this episode on the YouTube channel here

In this special episode of Talking with Painters, I’m bringing you my conversation with Richard Lewer recorded shortly after he was announced as the winner of the 2026 Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Richard won Australia’s most prestigious portrait prize for his powerful portrait of artist and Pitjantjatjara elder Iluwanti Ken, a striking full-length painting set against a powerful ochre background inspired by time spent with Iluwanti on country.

I also share some of my favourite parts from my longer 2025 conversation with Richard, where he talks about growing up in New Zealand, using art as a form of escape as a child, painting deeply personal works about family and grief, and creating his exhibition Steve, currently showing at the National Gallery of Australia. Along the way we also discuss this year’s Wynne and Sulman Prize winners, including works by Gaypalani Wanambi and Lucy Culliton.

Links

• Video highlights on YouTube
• Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes Exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW
• ‘Steve’ showing at the National Gallery of Australia
• Full 2025 interview with Richard Lewer
• Worse luck I’m still here, 2014, video and animation
• Talking with Painters on Instagram
• Join me on LinkedIn
• Sign up to the TWP newsletter
• Talking with Painters on Facebook

‘Iluwanti Ken’
Synthetic plolymer paint on canvas
198cm x 198cm
Winner 2026 Archibald Prize
Image: Art Gallery of NSW

‘The Waṉambi tree’ by Gaypalani Waṉambi
spray paint on etched steel
240cm x 240cm
Winner Wynne Prize 2026
Image: Art Gallery of NSW

‘Toolah, artist model’
by Lucy Culliton
oil on canvas
137.6 x 137.1cm
Winner Sulman Prize 2026
Photo: Art Gallery of NSW

‘We have grave concerns for your father’s health’
oil on epoxy-coated steel
80.5 x 141 cm
Finalist Sulman prize 2019

Watch a short highlights video of this episode on the TWP YouTube channel

In this special International Women’s Day episode I speak with acclaimed artist, and previous podcast guest, Ann Thomson about building a career in the male-dominated art world of the mid-20th century.

Born in 1933, Ann’s art education took place during the 1950s and early 60s, a time when male artists like Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan, John Brack and Charles Blackman dominated the Australian art scene.

Today Ann Thomson is one of Australia’s most respected and internationally acclaimed artists. A painter and sculptor, she has held more than 60 solo exhibitions, won numerous awards, and her work is represented in major public collections. As this episode is released, an exhibition of her work is also showing at Messums Gallery in London.

Links

•

Ann Thomson on Instagram

•

Ann Thomson at Messums

• Talking with Painters YouTube channel
•

Talking with Painters on Instagram

•

Talking with Painters on Facebook

•

Maria Stoljar on LinkedIn

•

Sign up for the Talking with Painters newsletter

•

Podcast interview with Thomson on her life and art

•

Podcast interview with Thomson on Ian Fairweather

•

Podcast interview with Thomson in her 90th year

• Video highlights of this episode

https://youtu.be/94aHBnKwR2w?si=SCWA0GDPvevSDMyM

Watch highlights from this conversation on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel

I loved this conversation with Mary Tonkin at the S.H. Ervin Gallery in Sydney, before the start of her survey exhibition Among the Trees (opening 3 January 2026). The show brings together paintings, drawings and ceramics dating from 2008, works that reflect Mary’s deep relationship with her family farm in Victoria’s Dandenong ranges and with painting from life. Her painting ‘Ramble Kalorama’, measuring almost 19 metres long, is a magnificent meditation on what it is to be in the Australian landscape and was a huge hit at the 2022 Sydney Contemporary Art Fair.

Mary Tonkin has won many awards and her works are held in major public institutions and private collections. She is represented by Australian Galleries.

NB: When Mary speaks about her teacher Geoff in this conversation she is referring to Geoff Dupree.

Links

• Mary Tonkin on Instagram
• Mary Tonkin at Australian Galleries
• ‘Among the Trees’, S.H.Ervin Gallery, 3 January to 1 March 2026
• Highlights YouTube video
• My instagram reel of ‘Ramble, Kalorama’ at Sydney Contemporary (2022)

https://youtu.be/84JSU210-38?si=78SsLYUPGalbja-g

‘Ramble, Kalorama’ (2017–2019) at Sydney Contemporary, 2022
18.9m x 1.8m (21 panels)
Oil on linen

‘Coprosma Madonna, Kalorama’ 2021-22
oil on linen 320 x 610cm
Photographer Matthew Stanton

‘Madre, Kalorama’ 2008
oil on linen 244cm x 508 cm
Photographer John Brash

‘A scream, Kalorama’ 2023
oil on linen 214 x 366cm
Photograph Matthew Stanton

‘Regent, Kalorama’ 2012 charcoal on paper 241 x 271cm Photographer John Brash

‘Saint Anthony Beaten By Devils’ 24.5cm x 39.5cm
Sassetta, c1423, 1424
Pinacoteca Nazionale

A highlights video from this episode will also be coming soon to the Talking with Painters YouTube channel

In this episode, I visit the studio of acclaimed abstract painter Aida Tomescu just days before the opening of her exhibition Messiaen at Fox Jensen Gallery in Sydney. The exhibition continues until 20 December 2025.

• Aida Tomescu on Instagram
• Aida Tomescu website
• Aida Tomescu at Fox Jensen Gallery
• Talking with Painters website
• Talking with Painters on Instagram
• Subscribe here for my monthly newsletter

Previous TWP YouTube videos of Aida Tomescu:

• Aida Tomescu – extended interview
• Aida Tomescu talks with Maria Stoljar (uncut)
• Aida Tomescu in her studio (2017)
• Aida Tomescu talks with Maria Stoljar about ‘Tuckson: the abstract sublime’
• Aida Tomescu’s 2019 show ‘The Open Wounds of White Clouds’

Previous podcast conversations with Aida Tomescu:

• Episode 33 – Aida Tomescu
• Episode 63 – Aida Tomescu on Tony Tuckson
• Episode 116 – Aida Tomescu (uncut)

Messiaen II 2024
200x460cm
oil on Belgian linen
Photo: Jenni Carter

Messiaen III 2025
200 x 306cm
Oil on Belgian linen
Photo: Jenni Carter

Messiaen 2013
oil and pigments on canvas
184 x 153 cm
This is the work Tomescu refers to at the beginning of the episode

Watch an edited video version of this episode on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel here

Podcast listeners see the works we talk about here or go to talkingwithpainters.com (ep 169)

When I travelled to Hobart for the announcement of the Hadley’s Art Prize, I not only interviewed the winner, Sophie Cape (you can hear her in the previous episode), but also had the privilege of speaking with twelve of the other outstanding finalists (see images of works below)

At $100,000 the Hadley’s is Australia’s richest landscape art prize, and the calibre of work this year was outstanding. With 29 finalists in total, I would have loved to talk with every single one, but time was short in the lead-up to the celebrations! Even so, these conversations give you a cross-section of artists and approaches to depicting the Australian landscape — from bold abstraction to meticulous realism.

In this episode, you’ll hear from the following artists: Michaye Boulter, Belinda Street, Neil Haddon, Valerie Sparks (Honourable Mention), Peter Griffen, Harrison Bowe (People’s Choice winner), Melanie McCollin Walker, Denise Lamby (Residency Prize winner), Julz Beresford, Raymond Arnold, Richard Klecociuk and Melissa Kenihan.

Links

• YouTube video highlights of this episode
• YouTube video of interview with winner Sophie Cape
• Podcast interview with winner Sophie Cape
• Talking with Painters Newsletter
• Talking with Painters on Instagram
• Talking with Painters on Facebook
• Maria Stoljar on LinkedIn
• Hadley’s Art Prize website

Michaye Boulter
Atmospheres,
oil on linen 102 x 153

Neil Haddon
‘A view of water’
Acrylic oil and lacquer on aluminium
140 x 130

Valerie Sparks (Honourable Mention)
‘The Long View’
Pigment inkjet print on paper

Peter Griffen
‘Small Rocks and Wild Grass’
Mixed media on canvas 91 x 122cm

Belinda Street
‘Newcastle Harbour’
Oil on canvas 90 x 90cm

Harrison Bowe (Winner People’s Choice Award)
‘Of Peaks and Tides’
Oil and enamel and beeswax on linen

Melanie McCollin Walker
‘Quiet Refuge’
Acrylic on linen 156 x 156cm

Denise Lamby (Winner Residency Prize)
Memory of the Land
Recycle tea bags canvas 90 x 90cm

Julz Beresford
‘A Stillness at the Water’s Edge’
Oil on canvas 93 x 93

Raymond Arnold
‘The ‘blue,yellow’ Red Gum’
Digital print

Richard Klecociuk
‘Ancient light’
Coloured pencil and ink
108 x 83cm

Melissa Kenihan
‘Living Memory’
Oil on linen 55 x 155 cm

Watch an edited video version of this conversation on the YouTube channel here

Sophie Cape has just taken out the $100,000 Hadley’s Art Prize for landscape with her powerful painting Thunder Shifts the Shivering Sands.

It’s a raw and visceral work on canvas made using rust, charcoal, soil, pigment and binder.

In this episode I talk with Sophie about what winning the prize means for her at this point in her career. She also tells me about her incredible path to painting — from training as an elite athlete with Olympic ambitions to finding her way into the art world after injury changed the course of her life.

Sophie has received multiple awards and residencies over her career. She has exhibited in over a dozen solo shows and her work is held in many public and private collections. She is represented by Olsen Gallery.

A highlights video from this conversation will be up on my YouTube channel soon. I also spoke with 12 of the other finalists, and those conversations will be heading to YouTube shortly as well.

During my time in Hobart, I was a guest of Hadley’s at the beautifully restored Hadley’s Orient Hotel (built in 1834) and is the venue for the exhibition. The show runs until 21 September, accompanied by a series of talks – you can find more information on their website here .

Links

• Podcast listeners – see images of the works we talk about here
• Sophie Cape on Instagram
• Sophie Cape at Olsen Gallery
• Australian Story: Adrenaline Brush: Sophie Cape
• Sign up for the Talking with Painters newsletter
• Talking with Painters on Instagram
• Talking with Painters on youTube
• Talking with Painters on Facebook

Thunder Shifts the Shivering Sands
Rust, charcoal, soil, pigment and binder on canvas
2024
148cm x 160cm

Romper Stomper, 2014, oil, acrylic, bitumen, charcoal, and soil on canvas, 209 x 203cm
Winner, Portia Geach Memorial Award, 2014

Australia has lost one of its great painters. William Robinson has passed away at the age of 89.

I was lucky enough to meet Bill in 2020 when I interviewed his close friend, artist Davida Allen. At Davida’s suggestion, Bill joined the conversation —and what unfolded was something special.

In this re-released episode you’ll hear Bill’s warmth, humour and generosity as the two artists reflect together in his Brisbane studio.

Watch an edited video version of this conversation on the YouTube channel here

It’s one of the most thrilling days on the Australian art calendar—and this year, Julie Fragar has taken out the Archibald Prize with a captivating portrait of fellow artist and colleague Justene Williams.

Her large scale portrait of Justene, appearing to float in space and surrounded by model figures and structures drawn from Justene’s creative universe, commands the viewer’s attention. Julie talks with me about the portrait and its elements, her approach to colour and her tips for a productive sitting. This episode also includes Julie’s moving acceptance speech.

Also announced today:

•

Jude Rae, winner of the Wynne Prize (and two-time podcast guest)

•

Gene A’Hern, winner of the Sulman Prize (video interview coming soon!)

Scroll down for images of the winning works

• Podcast listeners click here to see images of the works
• Julie Fragar’s website
• Julie Fragar on Instagram
• Ep 28: Jude Rae
• Ep 97: Jude Rae ‘424-428’
• My chat with Sulman winner Gene A’Hern
• TWP on Instagram
• TWP on Facebook
• Maria Stoljar on LinkedIn
• Sign up to the TWP monthly newsletter

https://youtu.be/h4NfQDN803I

Julie FragarFlagship Mother Multiverse (Justene)
oil on canvas
240 x 180.4 cm

Jude Rae
Pre-dawn sky over Port Botany container terminal
oil on linen
200 x 150.4 cm

Gene A’Hern
Sky painting
oil and oil stick on board
240 x 240 cm

Watch this interview on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel here

Step into the gripping world of Richard Lewer — where drawing, painting, and video meet the raw edges of human experience.

Richard doesn’t look away from life’s toughest stories. From the deeply personal — like the final days of his father’s life — to the harrowing and socially charged, including the tragic death of an Indigenous child in custody and the haunting Snowtown murders, he takes it all on. But never with shock tactics. His work is quietly powerful — full of feeling, sensitivity, and a surprising touch of humour. And the surfaces he paints on? Anything but traditional — think steel, aluminium, formica table tops, even billiard tables.

Richard is a multi-award-winning artist whose work has appeared in major public and private collections. He’s been a finalist multiple times in the Archibald and Sulman Prizes, and his recent acquisition by the National Gallery of Australia will soon be part of an upcoming exhibition and tour.

This was the perfect time to sit down for a deep conversation — just ahead of his new show ‘The stories that persist are not always true’ opening on 10 April at Hugo Michell Gallery.

Richard is also represented by Jan Murphy Gallery in Brisbane and Suite Gallery in New Zealand.

Links

• Art work mentioned in this episode (for podcast listeners)
• Richard Lewer on Instagram
• Exhibition opening on 10 April at Hugo Michell Gallery
• YouTube video- Richard Lewer talks with Maria Stoljar about his commissioned work at the Art Gallery of NSW
• Boxing match Richard Lewer vs Luke Sinclair 2001, video, documentation of performance as art
• Worse luck I’m still here, 2014, video and animation
• Never Shall be Forgotten – A Mother’s Story, 2017, video and animation
• Talking with Painters on Instagram
• Join me on LinkedIn
• Sign up to the TWP newsletter

https://youtu.be/4bei8rp-Tto?si=VJHHvFMwMcg6_2oU

‘We have grave concerns for your father’s health’
oil on epoxy-coated steel
80.5 x 141 cm
Finalist Sulman prize 2019

I’m not the boy who cried wolf, 2025
80 x 120 cm
acrylic on laminate tabletop

Richard’s medical disasters
acrylic on linen
181.5 x 152.7cm
Finalist Sulman prize 2023

NGV Confessions (one wall of several)
Acrylic on pegboard

The serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals that God had made. He said to the woman ‘Did God really say that you must not eat from any tree in the garden?’. She replied ‘We may eat fruit from all the trees in the garden except for the…, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 153 x 153 cm

‘The 2006 Granny’ 2024
acrylic on linen
200.0 x 200.0 cm

‘The 2006 Granny’ 2024
acrylic on linen
& 41.0 x 31.0 cm

https://youtu.be/Du-Lad05_vk?si=lW4hXdAYI9jmNEfo

Body of work ‘Steve’ acquired by the National Gallery of Australia

Catch up on the latest YouTube videos and Instagram reels, and don’t miss the chance to be part of my next Loading Dock interview at the Art Gallery of NSW!

• Justin Williams (video)
• Justin Williams – ep 60 podcast interview
• Robert Malherbe and Keith Burt (video)
• Loading Dock Interviews Playlist
• Nic Plowman (Instagram reel)
• Sam Eyles (Instagram reel)
• The Art Room
• Sign up to the TWP newsletter
• Join me on LinkedIn

See the video version of the interview on YouTube here

My conversation with two remarkable Australian artists, Robert Malherbe and Keith Burt was in front of a fabulous audience at the Tweed Regional Gallery.

Robert and Keith completed residencies at the gallery’s Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio, drawing inspiration from objects in Margaret Olley’s recreated home studio at the gallery. The result of their residencies is A Dictionary for Painting, a stunning exhibition on display until March 2, 2025. In this episode, Robert and Keith share their creative highs and lows, offering an intimate glimpse into the making of their works.

Special thanks to Tweed Regional Gallery for recording this event and sound engineer Dan Harcombe for his expertise. A video version of this interview will be online soon – and don’t miss my earlier interview with Robert from 2021, linked below.

Links

• Podcast listeners click here to see images of the works
• Robert Malherbe
• Keith Burt
• Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre
• Ep 162 – Ingrid Hedgcock
• Ep 161 – Sophie Perez and Sarah McDonald
• Ep 120 – Robert Malherbe
• Robert Malherbe on the YouTube channel
• John Honeywill
• Sarah MacDonald Instagram reel – what to take on a residency
• Sign up to my monthly Newsletter
• TWP Instagram
• TWP Facebook
• https://youtu.be/qbeENrJo6Nc?si=ZpIcNoNDKF7276_fMy LinkedIn

https://youtu.be/qbeENrJo6Nc?si=ZpIcNoNDKF7276_f

Selection of work by Robert Malherbe

Selection of work by Keith Burt

Robert Malherbe (b.1965)
Olley’s table 09 2024
oil on linen
81 x 66 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery
© The artist

Keith Burt (b.1969)
Bird 2024
oil on canvas
30 x 25cm
Courtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery
© The artist

Keith Burt (b.1969)
Floral jug 2024
oil on canvas
40 x 40cm
Courtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery
© The artist

Robert Malherbe (b.1965)
Olley’s table 06 2024
oil on linen
81 x 66 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery
© The artist

Margaret Olley (1923–2011)
Still life with cornflowers 1995
oil on board
66.9 x 90.1 cm
On loan from University Art Collection, Chau Chak Wing Museum, The University of Sydney
Donated through The Hon R P Meagher bequest 2011
© Margaret Olley Art Trust

Keith Burt
Urban Artists
Oil on canvas
Winner 2020 Brisbane Portrait Prize
84 x 66cm

Robert Malherbe
The Stoic, 2011
oil on linen
76 x 61cm
(Portrait of Nicholas Harding)

Keith Burt (b.1969)
Jar 2024
oil on canvas
40 x 40cm
Courtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery
© The artist

Keith Burt (b.1969)
Vase 2024
oil on canvas
40 x 40cm
Courtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery
© The artist

Robert Malherbe (b.1965)
Olley’s table 12 2024
oil on polyester
51 x 41 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery
© The artist

Ingrid Hedgcock, director of the Tweed Regional Gallery, shows me around the amazing Margaret Olley Art Centre which is the relocation of Margaret Olley’s home studio from Paddington in Sydney.

Famous for being like an Aladdin’s cave of eclectic objects, the recreated home studio contains the sources of many inspirational items which appear in Margaret Olley’s paintings. Over an astonishing 21,000 items were relocated from Sydney to the gallery.

Ingrid, having been involved in the project almost from its inception, is the ideal person to share insights into the creation of this extraordinary tribute to Olley.

This is the second of three episodes recorded at Tweed Regional Gallery. The previous episode is my conversation with Sophie Perez and Sarah McDonald undertaking a residency at the gallery and the following episode will be my conversation with Robert Malherbe and Keith Burt at the gallery about the exhibition ‘A Dictionary for Painting’.

Photo of Ingrid Hedgcock supplied by Tweed Regional Gallery

• Podcast listeners click here to see images of the Margaret Olley Art Centre
• Margaret Olley Art Centre
• ‘A Dictionary for Painting’, exhibition with Robert Malherbe and Keith Burt at the Tweed Regional Gallery until 2 March 2025
• Scott Bevan on William Dobell
• Ben Quilty (ep 80)

‘The Hat Factory’, Margaret Olley Art Centre

‘The Yellow Room’, Margaret Olley Art Centre

See an edited version of this episode (5 mins) on the talking with Painters YouTube channel

An artist’s residency provides more than just uninterrupted time to work; it’s also a valuable space for risk-taking, experimentation, and self-reflection.

That’s what I learned when I caught up with Sophie Perez and Sarah McDonald during my recent visit to the Tweed Regional Gallery. They were there for a residency in the Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence studio. Both are accomplished landscape painters working in oils, have exhibited in solo and group shows across the country and both made the trek across Australia to immerse themselves in this experience – Sophie from Victoria and Sarah from South Australia. It was wonderful to hear their thoughts on the value of the residency and what has come from it.

This is the first of three podcast episodes which I recorded on my visit to the Tweed Regional Gallery a couple of weeks ago. I was invited to facilitate a conversation in front of an audience with Robert Malherbe and Keith Burt, two leading painters who recently completed funded residencies at the gallery. Their new works, now hanging in the exhibition A Dictionary for Painting, are inspired by objects from Australian art royalty Margaret Olley’s glorious home studio, which has been relocated within the gallery. The gallery recorded the conversation and it will be coming soon to the podcast. I was also lucky enough to have an impromptu chat with gallery director Ingrid Hedgcock, an expert on Margaret Olley, who will be joining me on the next episode.

Links

• Podcast listeners click here for website page and images of works
• Sign up to the Talking with Painters newsletter
• Sophie Perez website
• Sarah McDonald website
• Sophie Perez Instagram
• Sarah McDonald Instagram

https://youtu.be/jxJybTWc81s?si=8neVQgRZyTP1x7y6

Wall of Sophie Perez’ work

Wall of Sarah McDonald’s work

Work mentioned by Sarah at about 9min 40s

Work mentioned by Sophie at about 18min 30s

Work mentioned by Sophie at about 21 min

Podcast listeners click here to view the works

Through layers of paint in varying translucency, Karen Black explores not only the physical nature of the female form but through her use of abstraction and considered use of colour she brings out another dimension – an emotional layer.

There is a strong sense of a spontaneous response in her paintings so you may be surprised to hear that reading and research play as much a role in her process as creating those drips and brushstrokes.

Karen talks with me in this episode about her fascination with recent research on frequencies and vibrations which occur in all matter. That interest informs her most recent body of work which will be on view in her upcoming solo show ‘alternative frequency’ at Ames Yavuz in Sydney.

Karen has been acclaimed with awards and residencies and her work is in the collections of many public institutions. She has been repeatedly shortlisted in the Archibald and Sulman prizes, among many others, and has work hanging in both those prize exhibitions in the Art Gallery of NSW this year. She has also been recognised for her ceramic work, two of which have been acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria.

In this podcast episode Karen talks with me about her childhood memories of art, how she came to painting, the story behind her current show and some interesting aspects of her process.

Links

• Sign up to the TWP newsletter
• Karen Black on Instagram
• Karen Black at Ames Yavuz
• Karen Black at Sutton Gallery
• Solo show ‘alternative frequency’ at Ames Yavuz Gallery, 31 August to 5 October 2024

‘Both of us’
oil on canvas
61 x 92 cm
Finalist Sir John Sulman Prize 2024
Source: AGNSW website

‘Head wind’ 2024,
oil on polyester, 183.3 x 153 cm
Image courtesy of the artist

‘Licking the rain’ 2017
oil on canvas
152.5 x 122 cm
Finalist Sir John Sulman Prize 2017
Source: AGNSW website

‘I Will Shade You from the World’
2022
Oil on canvas
213.6 x 198.5cm
Image courtesy of the artist

Vivian Vidulich
oil on polyester
183 x 152.5 cm
Finalist – Archibald Prize 2024
Source: AGNSW website

‘Crown legs arms’ 2016
earthenware, 23ct gold leaf
69.0 × 29.7 × 29.2 cm
Collection, National Gallery of Victoria

Watch the video version of my interview with Laura Jones here on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel

Congratulations to previous podcast guest Laura Jones on winning the Archibald Prize – Australia’s most famous portrait prize – with a sensitive and meaningful portrait of writer and environmentalist Tim Winton.

On Friday I interviewed Laura shortly after the announcement and I’m bringing you that 5 minute conversation in this episode but I’ve also gone through the archives to my podcast conversation with Laura in 2018 to bring you something extra.

When I interviewed Laura a few years ago it was after she had finished a residency on the Great Barrier Reef where she was studying the terrible bleaching events which occurred there (and continue to occur) and her concern surrounding those events is not unconnected with her winning portrait in this year’s Archibald Prize.

Because it was after seeing Tim Winton’s documentary on the ABC, Ningaloo Nyinggulu, about the fight to save the Ningaloo reef that Laura requested an Archibald portrait sitting. They have in common a sense of urgency that we must act now on climate change and are doing everything they can to bring attention to the devastating and inevitable consequences of inaction.

One of the most interesting parts of my conversation with Laura was when she explained how coral bleaching occurs. It’s complex and scientific but she explained it in a way that anyone could understand so I thought I would bring you that part of the interview today .

The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes exhibition continues until Sunday 8 September 2024. The Archibald finalist works then go on tour across 5 venues across NSW and for the first time, to the Northern Territory. The Wynne Prize finalist works will tour to four venues in regional NSW.

• 2018 podcast interview with Laura Jones (ep 53)
• Laura Jones’ Archibald Prize acceptance speech (Instagram)
• YouTube version of my Archibald interview with Laura
• Incognito Art Show
• Studio A

Tim Winton
Oil on linen, 198 x 152.5cm
Image: Art Gallery of NSW, Jenni Carter Winner 2024 Archibald Prize

See the video version of this episode on the TWP YouTube channel here.

This is my 5th collection of Loading Dock Interviews of entrants to the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes.

Six brave painters fronted my camera and microphone as they delivered their work to the packing room at the Art Gallery of NSW via the loading dock.

Thankyou to these artists (tap on their name for their Instagram page):

• Andrew Bischoff
• Mila Kalik
• Joshua Van Gestel
• Simon Weir
• Linda Lockyer
• Mary Shackman

Tickets for the ‘Artists in Conversation’ talk with me and Marikit Santiago at the Art Gallery of NSW

Sign up for the Talking with Painters Newsletter here.

https://youtu.be/T-26mfmJMqw?si=L_YMco2XH8Hwwsup

See highlights of this interview on the YouTube Channel

Caroline Zilinsky’s paintings freeze pivotal moments in our culture’s history, encouraging us to reflect upon our times, whether it’s the absurdity, the horror or the humour.

At the risk of being labelled a conspiracy theorist, she’s attracted to the dilemmas brought on by the internet era and shines a light on the things that trouble most of us: our loss of privacy, shortened attention, a heightened focus on appearance, a growing indifference to human suffering and the increasing power assumed by tech giants.

Her paintings often depict a political or social narrative and although she accepts some are too confronting to hang above the sofa, there’s something about the levity in her use of line, colour and form which invites us to venture into the darker corners of our culture, causing us to linger and question.

Caroline is also well known for her portraiture and landscape painting. She won the Portia Geach Memorial Award portraiture prize in 2020 (the same year she won the Evelyn Chapman award) and has been a finalist in many others including the Archibald and Darling portrait prizes.

This interview took place at the mid-career survey show of Caroline’s work ‘Exquisite Cadaver’ at the University of Newcastle Gallery. Curated by Gillean Shaw, it was a collection of 40 stunning works spanning over 2 decades.

The interview was also filmed and a 6 minute video of highlights can be seen here on the YouTube channel.

Feature photo: Phillip Antonio Lemos

• Caroline Zilinsky on Instagram
• Caroline Zilinsky at Nanda\Hobbs
• Sign up to the TWP newsletter
• TWP YouTube channel
• Loading Dock interview
• My AGNSW Artists in Conversation interview with Caroline
• Ceal Floyer

https://youtu.be/qW9UOk7RA7I?si=Sc30OmX9unO_Mitu

‘Kubla Khan’
2022
oil on linen
107 x 106.7 cm

‘Exquisite Corpse’
2024
Oil on linen

‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ 2023
oil on linen
138 x 138cm

‘Faceless The Congressional Hearing of Mark Zuckerberg’ 2020
oil on linen
122 x 122cm

‘Man of Few Words’
2020
Ink on AGNSW archive manila folder
30 x 21cm (paper size), 60 x 47cm (framed size)

‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ 2023
Oil on linen
112 x 122cm

‘Plastic Fantastic’, 2023
oil on linen
56 x 62cm

‘Refract Back’, 2023
Oil on linen
112 x122 cm

‘Too Long; Didn’t Read (Universal Declaration of Human Rights)’
2023
Oil, Oil Stick and Digital Configuration on Canvas
97 x 87cm

‘Me and Ellie’, 2004-2005
oil on linen
71 x 454.5cm
‘My Brother Adrian’
oil on linen
72.5 x 54cm

Podcast listeners click here to see images of the work

Over the years, podcast guests have shared some fascinating back stories to paintings they have made, stories which you could never have guessed just on viewing the work.

Sometimes that back story has made me look at the work in a totally different way and I’m bringing you another eight artists’ works in addition to those in ep 155.

Click on the artist’s name below for the full podcast episode (and any YouTube videos) and see images of the works we talk about below.

• Davida Allen
• Jacqui Stockdale
• Sam Leach
• Sam Leach YouTube video
• Robin Eley
• Peter O’Doherty
• Kathrin Longhurst
• Tom Carment
• Nicholas Harding

Links mentioned in this episode

• TWP YouTube channel
• Sign up for the TWP Newsletter
• TWP Loading Dock video
• NGV Triennial highlights – Instagram reel
• Memorial service for Jan Senbergs

I dream of Sam Neill when I go to bed, 1986
Davida Allen
National Gallery of Victoria © Davida Allen
Collection: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased 1986 (P22-1986)

Drawings of George Stirling
Jacqui Stockdale

George Stirling from the Heads of the Family series
Jacqui Stockdale

Sam Leach
Machine-assisted memory of Harewood Farm, Meadows
oil on linen
51 x 51 cm

Robin Eley
‘Self Portrait’, 2010, oil on Belgian linen, 39″ x 25″
Runner Up, Doug Moran portrait Prize, 2010

Peter O’Doherty
Edgecliff high rise, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 198x167cm

Kathrin Longhurst
Poster Girl, 2011, oil on canvas
Finalist Portia Geach Memorial Award, 2011

Tom Carment
Where I scattered my father’s ashes, Oratunga, SA
watercolour on paper
45.3 x 52 cm

Nicholas Harding
Robert Drewe (In the swell)
2006
oil on canvas (frame: 140.4 cm x 125.0 cm, support: 138.0 cm x 123.0 cm)
Collection: National Portrait Gallery

Podcast listeners click here to see images of the works

Over the years, podcast guests have shared some fascinating back stories to paintings they have made, stories which you could never have guessed on merely viewing the work.

Sometimes that back story has made me look at the work in a totally different way and I’m bringing you a few of those to you in this episode. See images of the works we talk about below.

Links

• Tickets for talk with Caroline Zilinsky at the Art Gallery of NSW (Artists in Conversation)
• YouTube video – Anthony White
• Vincent Fantauzzo podcast episode
• Prudence Flint podcast episode
• Ben Quilty podcast episode
• Scott Bevan podcast episode on William Dobell

2:40 ‘Heath’, 2008, oil on canvas, 106 x 140cm (Collection of the Art Gallery of NSW, highly commended and winner of the Archibald Prize People’s Choice award 2008. Portrait of Heath Ledger)

10:40 ‘Baby’, 2015, oil on linen, 105 x 90.5cm (Finalist in Archibald Portrait Prize 2015)

15:45. ‘Kandahar’ 2011, oil on linen, 140 x 190cm
Photo: Australian War Memorial

18:00 ‘Captain S. after Afghanistan’ 2012, oil on linen, 210 x 230cm
Finalist Archibald Prize 2012
Photo: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling

20:30 ‘Margaret Olley’, 1948, oil on hardboard, 114.3 x 85.7 cm board
Collection: Art Gallery of NSW
Winner Archibald Prize 1948

23:45. ‘Storm Approaching, Wangi’, 1948, oil on cardboard on composition board, 32.9 x 56cm
Winner Wynne Prize 1948