Talking With Painters

Jenny Sages was born in Shanghai, China, to Russian parents. Her family migrated to Australia in the 40s when she was a teenager. After studying at the Franklin School of Art in New York she returned to Australia where she worked as a freelance illustrator and writer, mainly in fashion and travel, for various magazines including Vogue. It wasn’t until the early 80s, when she went on a trip to the remote Kimberley ranges in Western Australia, that her career in fine art really began.  It was there that she fell in love with the people and landscape of the Australian outback and she began her career as a full time painter. It was the beginning of annual trips to remote communities of the Northern Terrirtory and Western Australia where she became friends with aboriginal artists including those amongst Australia's most famous - Emily Kngwarreye and Gloria Petyarre. Sages not only paints the Australian landscape but is also an acclaimed portraitist and creates intricate abstract works. Apart from winning the W

Acclaimed artist Belynda Henry has been painting professionally for over 20 years and has exhibited in over 25 solo shows across Australia.  Her works inspire an emotional response from many of her viewers achieved through her masterful use of colour, shape and brushstroke. Her shows sell out quickly, often within the first hour of the works becoming available, and she receives many commissions. Henry predominantly paints landscapes but she was also a finalist in the Archibald prize for portraiture in 2016.  She has been selected as a finalist in many other art competitions including four times in the prestigious Wynne prize for landscape painting. Our conversation took place in Henry's studio in a secluded valley on the central coast of NSW so the sounds you hear in the background are the birds of the Australian bush. We not only hear about how she achieved success in the art world but also of advice she received from significant people in her life which helped her get there.  She also talks about how to

Harley Oliver was introduced to art at an early age. Born in New Zealand, he grew up in London with a history of painters in his family. He started oil painting at the age of eight so it was no surprise that he ended up at the Wimbledon art school.  But he studied there in the late sixties and early seventies when painting landscapes, which he was exploring at the time, was not in fashion and certainly not encouraged. Harley’s interests then moved to film and television and in our conversation he talks about how his career as an editor and producer brought him ultimately to Australia. Along the way he has always found time for painting and in the last few years his art has taken centre stage. Since 2014 he has had two solo shows of his impressive work at Stanley Street Gallery in Sydney.   Links to things we talk about in the show: Harley Oliver Stanley Street Gallery Wimbledon College of Arts Gold or a blue dress? Amanda Keller Anh Do's Brush with Fame Talking with Painters video clip of Ha

Alan Jones' work crosses over painting, sculpture and collage. His most recent show was of exquisite painted wooden collages, many of which depicted the coastal landscape of Moonee Beach in NSW. With 22 solo shows and over 130 group shows under his belt, Jones has received many awards, including the Kilgour Prize, Mosman Art prize, Paddington Art Prize and Brett Whiteley Travelling Scholarship and has been finalist in many others.  His portraits have been hung in Australia's prestigious Archibald Prize three times including last year with his portrait of Pat Corrigan. His work took a personal twist when he was living in Windsor near the Hawkesbury river in Sydney.  An amazing coincidence, which we talk about in this episode, set him on the path of exploring his ancestry and bringing his art closer to home. In this episode of the podcast, Jones also talks about his experiences of painting Pat Corrigan and Adam Goodes for the Archibald and gives insights into his process and techniques. You can see a short v

Reg Mombassa, also known as Chris O’Doherty, has been exhibiting his paintings and drawings at Sydney’s Watters Gallery, nationally and internationally for over 40 years. In 2007 there was a major survey of his work at the SH Ervin Gallery in Sydney. He is also one of the leaders of a group of artists which created designs for the Mambo surf clothing label in the 80s and 90s.  A recent documentary aired on the ABC in Australia looked at those artists and their influential and anti authoritatrian approach. But of course Mombassa is renowned not only as an artist but also a musician. In 1976 he founded the iconic Australian band Mental as Anything with fellow art student Martin Plaza and in 1990 he formed his band Dog Trumpet with his brother Peter O’Doherty. The music in the introduction to this episode is from the song ‘Made in the World’ from their album Medicated Spirits. Mombassa has also had a creative input into major public events such as the Sydney Olympics closing ceremony and Sydney New Year's Eve

When I started this podcast I thought 40 minutes should be the maximum length of each episode, but that meant leaving out some interesting parts of the conversation. So here are a few clips from those interviews which didn't make it into the original episodes - a mixture of ideas on painting, life experiences and childhood memories. The artists are: Francis Giacco Katherine Hattam Louise Hearman George Raftopoulos Abdul Abdullah Joanna Braithwaite Nick Stathopoulos John Bokor Lucy Culliton Susan O'Doherty Euan Macleod Juliet Holmes à Court I've had an enjoyable 6 months getting the last 12 episodes to you and look forward to bringing you more in 2017 after a bit of a break -  I'll be back in late January with some more conversations with great Australian painters. So, until then, keep safe and thanks for listening! Maria Stoljar   Works we refer to in this episode:  Abdul Abdullah 'You see monsters' Abdul Abdullah Type C print 2014 Lucy Culliton 'Good Room Spring' 2010  

Juliet Holmes à Court is a Sydney painter who has been exhibiting regularly since 1991.  Her work is all about capturing the sense or feeling of her subject. Her paintings are filled with light and movement and take the viewer to a place where the tangible becomes intangible. She has had 13 solo shows, four since 2006 with Australian Galleries, Sydney. She has been included in many more group shows and has received numerous art prizes. She’s also been finalist in many other competitions including eight times in the Portia Geach portrait prize. In our conversation, we discuss her approach to painting, including the importance of taking risks in creating art. She also talks about her techniques and views on teaching. She’s one of the most sought after teachers in Sydney - her classes often have waiting lists and her workshops at the Art Gallery of NSW sell out quickly. She lives and works on Scotland Island, which is an island in Pittwater, in northern Sydney. Her home is literally among the gum trees which s

Euan Macleod is one of Australia's and New Zealand's most significant artists. He is best known for his powerful and symbolic paintings which set figures in a landscape. He has won many art awards including the Archibald, Wynne, Sulman, Blake, Tattersall's and Gallipoli art prizes.  He has had over 100 solo shows and been involved in over 200 group shows across Australia and internationally. His works are held in almost every major public collection in Australia and of course many private collections. Macleod's work has taken him all over the world, including remote places like Central Australia and Antarctica, and he has just returned from a trip to Yellow Mountain in China. We talk about his approach to landscape and figure painting and his views on interpretation of his work. He also shares information about his process and technique and talks about the unsettling experience of winning the Archibald in 1999. Scroll down to see a short video of Macleod in his studio. Feature photograph by Andrew Merry Cu

Susan O'Doherty is a contemporary painter who also works in mixed media assemblages which she creates with found objects.  Her work often deals with social issues but also examines the nature of time, recollections and past experiences. She has exhibited in over 25 solo shows across Australia and New Zealand and has been involved in many more group exhibitions. Her current work deals with the issues she's been focussing on in the last few years, particularly the treatment of women in our society and the violence which exists not only in our communities but also in the home. She addresses these themes in her upcoming Sydney show 'Pinned to the Wall'. Her work is also touring the country in another show, ‘Moving House’, which is a collaboration with her partner, artist Peter O’Doherty, and looks at life when the family is frequently on the move. She also painted over 450 portraits for her 2008 show '900 Eyes - Domestic Lives' and we talk about how she went about preparing for that exhibition. Susan also give

Lucy Culliton is a contemporary realist painter who creates works across landscape, still life and portraiture. To give you an idea of Lucy Culliton's popularity, in 2014 Sydney's Mosman Art Gallery held a major survey of her work which contained over 100 works. That exhibition attracted more than 20,000 visitors. This year she was named as a finalist in all three Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes at the Art Gallery of NSW and she has been a finalist in those competitions many times before. She has received many art awards including the Portia Geach Memorial award, the Mosman Art prize and the Kedumba drawing prize.  She has exhibited in over ten solo exhibitions and her work is held in many public and private collections including the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of NSW. I met Lucy Culliton at her home in Bibbenluke, a small town in south eastern NSW.  She showed me around her property and introduced me to her many animals. She also opened up her studio to my iphone!  You can see a sh