Art Wank – Details, episodes & analysis

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We had the pleasure of interviewing Euan in his studio, where we were immersed in his incredible artworks and drawings. Euan shared insights into his life as an artist, his views on the art world, and his creative process. With a career spanning over 50 exhibitions and numerous accolades, his achievements speak for themselves. See more below! 

Thanks for your time Euan.

Euan is represented by King Street on William in Sydney. Euan and photographer Craig Potton have collaborated on a stunning hardcover book ‘Look Out’, capturing the awe inspiring landscape and thought-provoking human connection to the iconic Southern Alps of New Zealand.

Available now with signed limited edition etching. Contact the gallery via email art@kingstreetgallery.com.

Euan is also represented by Niagara Galleries in Victoria, Bowen and PG Galleries in NZ. 

'Euan Macleod was born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1956. He was awarded a Diploma of Fine Arts (Painting) by the Ilam School of Fine Arts, Canterbury University, in 1979, before moving to Sydney in 1981. He has held more than fifty solo shows in New Zealand and Australia and has taken part in numerous group exhibitions in Australasia and internationally.

Euan's work is represented in many private and public collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, and the Metropolitan Museum, New York. Euan has won art prizes in Australia, including the Archibald in 1999, the Sulman Prize in 2001, the Blake Prize in 2006, the New South Wales Parliament's inaugural Plein Air painting prize in 2008, the Tattersall’s Landscape Prize in 2000 and 2009, the Gallipoli Art Prize, 2009, and the King’s School Art Prize in 2011.

In 2010 Piper Press, Sydney, published a monograph, Euan Macleod: the Painter in the Painting, written by Gregory O'Brien. 

Surface Tension: the art of Euan Macleod 1991-2009, a Tweed River Art Gallery touring exhibition, curated by Gavin Wilson, toured six regional Australian galleries, beginning at the S H Irvin Gallery, Sydney, in November 2010.

The touring exhibition, Euan Macleod - Painter, curated by Gregory O'Brien, travelled to several New Zealand regional galleries between 2014 and 2017.

​In 2019 Macleod collaborated on High Wire, a book of drawings and words, with Lloyd Jones. It was published in 2020.' -Euan Macleod website 

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Julie recently sat down with Michelle Grey and Susan Armstrong, the co-founders of Arts Matter, for an interview. Unfortunately, Gary couldn’t join as he is currently overseas.

Arts Matter is a membership platform that offers a series of intimate programs in contemporary spaces around Sydney. What Michelle and Susan have built is truly remarkable. They come from diverse backgrounds, yet both are perfectly suited to running this kind of platform. Their impressive CVs speak for themselves, and we’re fortunate to have them creating such a dynamic, multidisciplinary arts program in Sydney.

When are you signing up?!!!

'Arts-Matter is a membership platform that hosts a series of intimate programs in contemporary Sydney spaces with the creative minds shaping our shifting culture. Through a series of thoughtfully curated conversations and experiences spanning the cultural gamut - from art, music, fashion, film, theatre, dance and literature - we cultivate community, spark debate, and thrive on bridging cultural, social and gender divides.

But most importantly … we've always believed the best part about Arts-Matter is our incredible community of members, creatives, friends and family. While our programs are always about supporting the cultural arts, community is at the heart of everything we do.'

Thanks for speaking to us ladies and keep doing what you are doing!!

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Thanks to this weeks guest on the podcast, Zoe McPhail Prineas, an MFA student that Fiona met at NAS. we interviewed her at her solo show at Laila gallery in Sydney. 

'Zoë graduated from the National Art School in Darlinghurst in 2023, having completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Zoë was awarded the Bird Holocomb Foundation Master of Fine Art Scholarship. Her postgraduate studies in a Masters of Fine Arts will commence in 2024.

“Art has always punctuated my life, though it wasn’t until I went to NAS [The National Art School] that it became my dominant language. One month into NAS, I was calling myself an artist, and seeing the world with a new perception and sense of freedom. I’ve always had a lot to say, and art allows me to express things visually.

I chose printmaking as my studio specialisation, and was introduced to the field of expanded printmaking by our head of department. The field of expanded printmaking strips back the medium to the basic idea of the “trace”. I began to understand that print was anything that left a mark. Printmaking also has such strong ties to culture, as it has historically been a means for cultural production (think newspapers and billboards). I love to use this insight as a foundation of my practice.”' - UTSVERTIGO 2024 by Raphaella Katzen

Thanks Zoe and all the best for your Masters, we cant wait to see what happens next for you…

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Emily Ball is an artist and teacher from the UK - she described herself as WHAT SHE IS NOT - an artist who paints things as they look or an abstract painter she is somewhere in between. She wants to make visual poetry. She is a self described magpie. 

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=emily+ball+artist&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Emily advise was so valuable and encouraging about how to keep going as an emerging artist and suggestions of how to grow.

If you would like to purchase Emily's book 

Emily's courses can be found on the website Emily Ball at Sea White. http://www.emilyballatseawhite.co.uk

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You are going to love this one!!

We spoke to Emilya, the 'wizardess of lightbulb moments', founder and director of Art Pharmacy, an art consultancy in Sydney. 

We spoke to Emiya about her illustrious art career in the UK and Australia, and how Art Pharmacy came about. She is a wonderful powerhouse of knowledge, culture, and art, brimming with ideas and interesting projects. She has also written a book, Making Art Matter, which builds a bridge between artists and organisations, governments and the corporate world. Art Pharmacy is also launching an exciting NFT platform that will be a game changer for artists.

'Art Pharmacy is a specialist project manager and purveyor of authentic culture. We pride ourselves on our grass-roots connection to creative communities, common-sense advice, and a nimble approach. We like to understand the “why” of a project and we aren’t afraid to ask questions and bring fresh perspectives. We have no commercial affiliations with any galleries, so we are free to recommend the most suitable artists based on your brief and budget, which we do by utilising our huge and ever-growing community of artists. We are constantly looking for fresh artist talent and maintain an engaged artist community as a priority. We prefer to support local artistic talent where possible.'

Art Pharmacy is a valuable part of the Australian art world. Thanks for talking to us Emilya, and thanks to your wonderful team in the office too.

We also mention the wonderful artist James McGrath so check out his work...

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Amanda O'Bryan from Creative Queen Bee spoke to us about her childhood and about publishing a book called Daily Acts of Creativity.

We really enjoyed talking to Amanda about her creative journey she began life as a graphic designer, she has been also been a painter and a printmaker, and even a designer who worked on the TV show Better Homes and Garden.

Amanda shared with us how she has turned around a creative life from burn out and has unpacked the creative process and how a creative life can be beneficial to us,

You can find out more about Amanda on her website

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=amanda+obryan+the+creative+queen+bee&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

and her https://www.instagram.com/creativequeenbees/?hl=en

You can purchase her book on AMAZON https://www.amazon.com.au/Daily-Acts-Creativity-everyday-creative/dp/0648824608/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UYO8L5U23JMD&keywords=Amanda+obryan&qid=1643690631&s=books&sprefix=amanda+obryan%2Cstripbooks%2C440&sr=1-1

Thanks Amanda 

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This week we had the most fascinating and in-depth chat with artist and teacher, Luke Thurgate. Luke has just completed a Masters's degree at the National Art School in Sydney, whilst also being a teacher so he gets to use the staffroom! That's not all that was exciting about Luke's episode on Art Wank,  we get into the nitty-gritty of his MA, exploring myth, ideologies, semiotics, his exceptional large-scale figure drawings, religion, teaching, connection, and much more... We really covered it all. Thanks for talking to us Luke, we really appreciate it.

The MA grad show opens at NAS next week, Friday 21st Jan, so go see it, it will be amazing to see Lukes's drawings in real life. They are spectacular. 

If you want to look at some of the artists Luke mentions here are the links -
Nicola Samori
Chelsea Lehmann
Heidi Yardley
Odd Nerdrum
Michael Landy

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 We are back ... 2022 is going to be a great year - we are excited about all the things we are wanting to do this year ..  and we are starting with a fabulous artist who is owning it and is in our opinion is killing it in the art world ....

Thanks so much to Jordy Kerwick for chatting to us from France .. you can find out more about him on  https://vigogallery.com/artists/113

Vivo Gallery describes Jordy as

"An outsize and generous character, Australian born Jordy Kerwick lives in a Chateau and former school in the South of France. Inspired by his wife and kids he makes paintings he and they think are awesome; tigers, bears unicorns and snakes, are juxtaposed with his favourite books, still life flowers, trees, nudes, and chief like feather arrangements within folkloric almost fairytale narratives. The paintings are natural, fun, punkish and unapologetic. Vigo will have a solo show for Jordy Kerwick in June 2022."

Jordy's instagram is https://www.instagram.com/jordykerwick/?hl=en

Jordy is with galleries in 
Sydney, London, New York,  Paris,  Greece, check out his socials for details of where and when he's showing next.

Thanks 
Fiona and julie 

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Ana Young is an interdisciplinary artist represented by Curatorial and Co. She is wise, articulate, and an intelligent thoughtful painter. We learned a lot from this conversation. We spoke to her before we were asked to open the Movers and Shakers exhibition by Louise Chircop, it was just a. coincidence we talked about it in the podcast, and then Louise approached us the next day! We had the best chat with Ana about being a woman in the arts, her art education as a mature student, her sculptural works, and much more. 

Thanks, Ana, we loved talking to you. 

'My wall works and 3d constructions are informed by my relationship to the natural world connections between time, silence, and memory. recording via Plein air notations I observe changes in light, volume, space within a particular locale painting are a process of addition/ attrition, they grow skins. A sense of delay occurs as I go back and forth, facilitating processes of change. The paintings acquire their own rhythm. Stillness, optical sensations moments of entering a particular space are critical to their resolution.

Sculptural constructions encompass the human traits of accumulation and collecting the idea of the "wunderkammer", voyaging and discovery, and the humble everyday utensils and paraphernalia are grouped in uncategorised assemblages constructed, they question temporal and associative versions of past physical presences and emotional states we are left to puzzle their connective roles these " remains" and simple fragments speculate and offer the possibility of new stories beyond their physical entities.'

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Zoe Grey is a painter from Marrawah in Tasmania 

You can find more about her on her website 
https://www.zoe-grey.com/about

or on her instagram, https://www.instagram.com/zoe__makes/?hl=en

You can read the article from artist profile we discussed here https://artistprofile.com.au/zoe-grey/