Australian Women Artists

The Podcast 

Episode 1

Jo Bertini

Jo Bertini is a painter, art educator, lecturer and writer. She is known internationally for her paintings and drawings of desert landscapes here in Australia as well as India and the US. 

She’s not only a landscape painter but she’s a highly regarded portrait painter having been shortlisted for the prestigious Portia Geach Memorial Award at least 14 times (I say ‘at least’ as I tried counting them, but I suspect there’s more). 

Arthouse Gallery describes her work thusly (?): Jo Bertini’s paintings traverse well-worn landscapes in an exploration of the true nature of wilderness. Drawing from the traditions of artists on scientific and ecological survey expeditions into the most remote and inaccessible regions, Bertini celebrates her long and intimate engagement with the desert. Her work bears witness to natural and human histories of nomadism observing the seasonal rhythm of landscapes and the people connected to them. With loose yet refined brushwork, Bertini depicts the fragile beauty of the world's remote desert landscapes connecting to what is seen and felt within. An innate longing that she expresses through her visceral, emotive paintings that serve as an act of devotion to the natural world.

It's stunning really. And the conversation was so engaging. Jo thought she might have 'gone on a bit' and that I could cut bits out. I tried....I couldn't. It was so interesting. 

Her work has been acquired by private and public collections both nationally and internationally and is on display in many public art galleries, museums and institutions. 

Head to the link in my bio to hear our conversation. Alternatively, search in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Enjoy!

Video photo image: Thomas Studer

Hi everyone, welcome to the trailer for Australian Women Artists. My name is Richard Graham. You may know me from my podcast Really Interesting Women which I started in 2020. It has since evolved into a popular Instagram account by the same name. 

It was from that project that Australian Women Artists evolved. After interviewing and profiling a number of Australian women artists I became more aware of just how underrepresented and undervalued they were and are in this country despite the stunning artistic works that have been produced since the mid nineteenth century. 

I wanted to shine a light on those works by talking to the artists themselves, to experts on artists from history as well as covering many other topics and events of interest. 

Given that my other project is called Really Interesting Women and this project is focussing on Australian Women Artists, I’ve been asked a number of times how I found myself in this women’s rights/gender equality space and it’s because, firstly, the injustices should concern everyone, but secondly, in 2000 my wife and I swapped roles and I became the primary carer for our 3 young daughters, the youngest of whom was 7 months old. She’s nearly 25 now. I decided to lean in to that fairly unique (for the time) first-hand experience by highlighting the incredible contributions women have made, not only to my life, but to this country as a whole.

This project is for artists and art lovers and art curious. I’m hopefully asking the questions even non artists (like me) would want to hear. 

The new Instagram account is, unsurprisingly, @australianwomenartists and the podcast (by the same name) will be published on all major platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify as well as many others. I’d love you to follow that account and the podcast. 

It’s been a revelation to me and even Katy Hessel who wrote the international best seller, The Story of Art Without Men, wrote about the Australian Women Artists she discovered while visiting here recently...I feel like my art history has been overturned. 

Tune in and follow me and you’ll see what all the fuss is about. Hope to see you very soon. 

Richard

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Episode 11 Belynda Henry

Belynda Henry is a very significant figure in contemporary Australian art, renowned particularly for her evocative landscape paintings. 

Landscapes are to her a deeply felt experience and that experience is then reflected in her immersive artistic process – sights, sounds and the feel of the environment she’s painting in. 

A multiple finalist in prestigious awards such as the Wynne and Archibald Prizes, Belynda has held over 30 solo exhibitions and achieved international acclaim, with her works acquired by collectors worldwide. 

In 2019, she was included in Thames & Hudson’s publication, ‘A Painted Landscape’, which featured the works of leading Australian landscape painters such as Elizabeth Cummings, John Olsen and Ann Thompson, in other words, esteemed company.

She’s about to have her 5th exhibition in New York. And we discuss, amongst many other things, the appeal of her Australian landscapes to an international audience. 

Head to the link in my bio to listen to our conversation. 

Images

1.   BH image supplied (@nicholas_samartis)

2.   Jilliby Creek, 2025 oil and wax on linen 122x122

3.   Golden Wattle, 2025 oil and wax on linen 152x122

4.   Eucalyptus No. 3, acrylic and pastel on canvas 215x215

5.   Full Moon Shimmer, acrylic and pastel with oil and wax on linen 152x122

6.   Louise Olsen, a beautiful summary, 2016 Archibald Prize finalist, acrylic and pastel on polyester canvas 157x116

Australian Women Artists

Podcast ep. 10

Louise Olsen

A fascinating conversation with Louise Olsen.

A successful artist who, like many others before her, was able to combine that with an incredible skill for design. When I say incredible...she co-founded the now iconic global brand, Dinosaur Designs. 

We, of course, discussed her beautiful art and her processes and methodologies, her very talented mother’s art, spending two years painting in isolation in 2020 with her father John Olsen in his rural retreat, Dinosaur Designs and her first family exhibition with her artist husband and daughter amongst many other things.  

I started to feel like I was getting to know the Olsen family quite well! And I reckon Louise is quite the polymath. She has this ability to connect ideas and concepts from different fields...all with art and design at the core. 

And one of the secrets? Take your sketchbook wherever you go. It will leave an impression far greater than any photo.

Head to the link in my bio to find the podcast, or go to your favourite podcasting platform and search ‘Australian Women Artists’

‘To be an artist is to be an explorer’ Louise Olsen (AWA, 2025)

Australian Women Artists

Podcast episode 9

Annika Romeyn

Annika Romeyn is an important figure in contemporary Australian art. 

This is in no small part due to her unique approach to depicting the Australian landscape and the innovative techniques she uses. Her work engages with cultural and environmental themes, and it has been described as bridging traditional landscape art and contemporary artistic practices. 

More recently she’s been a finalist in the Pro Hart Outback Art Prize, winner of the Mandy Martin Art and Environment Award, winner of the Burnie Print Prize, Winner of the National Works on Paper and the Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize amongst many others. She’s had nearly 20 solo exhibitions and many more group exhibitions. 

We talked broadly about her very distinctive and striking works that use one colour to amazing affect...and how her approach to colour has evolved over the years. 

One happy accident was discovering a rust stain on a floor of her studio that led to using a rusted steel sheet as a pallet (you’ll see it in the Instagram photos). Her work combines elements of drawing, printmaking and painting and the results are stunning. 

Join me for our conversation by heading to the link to the podcast in my bio. 

Annika is represented by the fabulous @flinderslanegallery in Melbourne and we are having this conversation in her amazing Canberra studio.

1. Image:RG

2. Guerilla Bay, 2019 watercolour monotype on paper 168x228

3. Endurance 7, 2021 watercolour monotype on paper with watercolour additions 228x168

4. Old Mutawintji Gorge 1, 2023 watercolour monotype on paper 168x228

5. Wana Karnu 2024, rust and ink on paper 240x360

6. The palette (image RG)

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Episode 8

Petrina Hicks

A really enlightening conversation with Petrina Hicks – one of Australia’s most acclaimed and influential contemporary photographers.

 She initially trained in commercial photography and recounts how this influences her seemingly simple and stylised minimalist aesthetic.

 Petrina is renowned for her large-scale, hyperreal photographs that explore female identity and challenge traditional representations of women.

Her work is characterized by the presentation of beautiful images which, on closer inspection have been described as ‘simultaneously unsettling and surreal’. 

 She explores themes of powerful women, identity, and animals, tracing the boundaries between humans and animals. He subjects are juxtaposed against simple backgrounds and, as a result, she has a very distinctive style which often draws inspiration from mythology, fairy tales, and historical art imagery.

 Petrina has had numerous solo and group exhibitions, including a major retrospective at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2019-2020. 

 Her photographs are held in Australian and international collections.

 Head to the link in my bio to hear our conversation. 

She is represented by Michael Reid Galleries head to https://michaelreid.com.au/artist/petrina-hicks/

For available works

1.        PH

2.        Shenae and Jade, 2005 lightjet print 85.5x80

3.        Lauren with Fruit 2011 lightjet print 145x144

4.        The Unbearable Lightness of Being 2015 pigment print 77x100

5.        Shewolf 1 2016 pigment inkjet print 100x129

6.        Peach study 2018 pigment inkjet print 100x100

7.        Mnemosyne II 2024 archival pigment print 90x120

8.        Memento mori I 2024 pigment print on cotton rag 120x90

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Episode 7

Dr Anne-Louise Willoughby on Nora Heysen 

Nora Heysen was a precocious talent who sold her first work at 16 to Dame Nellie Melba. Encouraged by her father, artist Sir Hans Heysen, Nora had enormous early success.

By the time she was 20 her paintings had been purchased by the state galleries of NSW, SA & Qld and held her first solo exhibition at the Royal Sth Aus Society of Arts in 1933. She was 22.

She was the 1st woman to win the Archibald and was our 1st woman war artist. 

But then...inexplicably, she fell from public view. 

In the late 1980s she was ‘rediscovered’ and a retrospective of her work put her, once more, in the spotlight. She lived to witness this and enjoy the accolades she deserved and the reputation that allowed her to move from her father’s enormous shadow. 

It was a great conversation with Dr Anne-Louise Willoughby and her book is a revelation.

Nora Heysen: A Portrait (freemantlepress.com.au)

Head to the link in my bio to hear our conversation.

1. Self portrait, 1932 oil on canvas 76.2x61.2 AGNSW
2. Self portrait, 1934 oil on canvas 43.1x36.3 Nat. Portrait Gallery
3. Archibald Prize Winner, Madame Elink Schuurman, 1938, oil on canvas 87x68
4. Nora Heysen with her Archibald winning portrait, Photo:Tim Clayton/Fairfax media
5. Portrait of Nora Heysen at work, 1939 gelatine silver photograph 18.5x14.2 Harold Cazneaux 
6. Matron Annie Sage, 1944, oil on canvas 76.6x56.4 Aust War Memorial
7. Intentionally hung together by Art Gallery SA (image: RG). One is by one of Australia’s greatest artists. The other is by…well, I’m going to say another of Australia’s greatest artists. Intentionally hung by AGSA next to each other. Would you know which was Hans and which was Nora? Answer below
8. Interior The Cedars (image: RG) which hosted Nellie Melba, Laurence Olivier, Edmund Hillary, Anna Pavlov, Marcel Marceau. If the walls could talk!
9. Nora Heysen at 92 in front of Hans Heysen’s Red Gold. Brenton Edwards 

Top Hans Heysen Poppies 1907 oil on canvas. Bottom Nora Heysen, Scabious, 1930 oil on canvas

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Episode 6

Eliza Gosse

Eliza Gosse paints quiet suburban scenes focused on post-war and mid-century architecture and design. Her style is influenced not only by her love of nostalgia, but by her studies in architecture. Her flat two-dimensional painting style and muted colour schemes give off a warmth and welcoming (I think). The fact that she rarely paints figures is to allow the viewer to picture themselves in these gorgeous scenes. 

But when she does paint figures...they go alright too. Twice chosen as a finalist in the Archibald!

Eliza Gosse graduated with a Master of Fine Art from the Nat Art School, Sydney in 2019. Her work has been exhibited in public and private galleries since 2016. Gosse’s work has been selected for numerous awards and prizes including the Archibald Prize (2023, 2022) and Wynne Prize (2020), Paddington Art Prize (2023, 2021) and won the Mosman Alan Gamble Award (2022) and the John Olsen Drawing Prize (2017). In 2024 she was awarded a Bundanon Trust Residency. 

It was a great, easy conversation. I’m sure you’ll enjoy her story. 

Eliza Gosse is currently practicing in Sydney and represented by Edwina Corlette Gallery (Brisbane) and Olsen Gallery (Sydney) and this conversation took place in her fabulous converted pizza restaurant in Sydney.

To listen to our conversation, head to the link in my bio or search ‘Australian Women Artists’ wherever you find your podcasts. 

Paintings

1.    Grapefruit, Burnt Toast and Raspberry Jam 2023 acrylic on canvas 132x122

2.    Eucalyptus and Gum-nuts Collected From An Afternoon Walk 2023 acrylic on canvas 152x182

3.    Ocean Views Can be Glimpsed Beyond 2023 acrylic on canvas 180x150

4.    In My Grandmother’s Garden (a preview glimpse from Eliza’s new solo show at Edwina Corlette Gallery opening 9/5/25

5.    Breakfast at Ours (Archibald finalist) 2023 oil on board 2 panels, 137.5x86.6 and 145.5x97

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Episode 5 Margaret Ackland

Margaret is a four times Archibald finalist and is renowned for her expressive and vibrant use of colour. 

Besides the Archibald accolades, she has had 36 solo exhibitions, been a part of 37 group exhibitions, and I’m almost not exaggerating when I say about a thousand other finalist awards including Portia Geach Memorial Award, Hazelhurst Art on Paper, Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, The Blake Prize and the Salon des Refuses. 

She is represented in a range of national and private collections. Her work was on the front cover of the 2023 July edition of Art Almanac, and she has been featured in Italian Vogue and on ABC TV’s ‘Compass’ series. 

In other words, I reckon one of this country’s great artists. We’re having this conversation in her fabulous Sydney studio.

Images referred to in our conversation

1. Taken by RG

2. From Vestiges exhibition. Vestiges, 2013 oil on canvas 183x152

3. From Social Distancing exhibition. Apocalypse Now (June 2020) watercolour on paper 25x25

4. From Balancing Act exhibition. A Balancing Act, 2022 watercolour on paper 85x90

5. From Lifelines exhibition. Lifelines, 2024 watercolour on paper 150x100

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Episode 4

Jennifer Higgie on Clarice Beckett

Jennifer Higgie is an internationally respected arts writer and art historian who has lived and worked in London for many years. 

She is a novelist, screenwriter, art critic and former editor of the London-based contemporary arts magazine Frieze. She was the presenter of Bow Down, a podcast about women in art history, and has just published Season 2 of Artist’s Artists - the podcast she hosts for the National Gallery of Australia. 

Her latest books are The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World; and The Mirror and the Palette: 500 Years of Women’s Self-Portraits.

Her own life is worthy of its own podcast for Australian Women Artists, but she is my guest today and joins me at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, to discuss the incredible Australian artist, Clarice Beckett. 

I think it would be fair to say Clarice Beckett is one of the most original artists of early twentieth-century Australia. She is known for her innovative use of colour and tone and light to create quite an incredible atmosphere in which the subject matter of a painting exists. This ‘tonalism’ was controversial and criticised, but she persisted and soon became its greatest exponent surpassing, many say, her outspoken teacher Max Meldrum.

But, as you will probably come to appreciate with these artists in history, Clarice was very much underappreciated in her lifetime and, after her death she was largely forgotten until an incredibly fortunate and lucky set of circumstances led to her rediscovery.

It’s an amazing story and one that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. 

Head to the link in my bio for my podcast conversation with Jennifer Higgie on the incredible Clarice Beckett.

Jennifer's books, including  The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World; and The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution and Resistance: 500 Years of Women’s Self-Portraits can be found at the following link: https://www.jenniferhiggie.com/books-publications 

Australian Women Artists 

The Podcast

Episode 3   eX de Medici 

I should start by saying that eX de Medici is a very private person (but very generous - delicious pastries and coffee on arrival!). She eschews social media, is very private about her personal life, and rarely allows herself to be photographed (or filmed). Her art does the talking for her. I was very fortunate to therefore have this opportunity to have this wonderful conversation with her in her fabulous studio in Canberra.

eX de Medici’s paintings have been described as ‘a mirror to society's ills, using beauty to draw viewers into confronting uncomfortable truths about violence, corruption, and environmental destruction’. 

The paintings are beautifully crafted, meticulous, symbolic, and address difficult themes. She deliberately chooses watercolours to work with - which is apparently considered a 'woman's medium' - literally and figuratively weaponising those watercolours to fight conservatism.

And the use of watercolours was a by product of her government grant to head to LA to study tattooing in the 80's. All of which had her the subject of fierce debate in a Senate Estimates Committee. 

She grew up in Canberra in the midst of punk and experimental art - and the influences on her work are obvious. 

It's a fascinating story. 

She has exhibited extensively across Australia and internationally, and her pieces are held in major collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, and various state galleries. She has won the National Works on Paper prize and has been a finalist in several prestigious awards, including the Dobell Prize for Drawing, the National Self-Portrait Prize, and the Singapore Art Prize. But, and I’m hazarding a guess here, I suspect she is just as pleased with the difficult conversations her work provokes. 

Head to the link in my bio to hear our conversation for Australian Women Artists

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 2          Tamara Dean

Tamara Dean is a critically acclaimed Australian photo media artist whose practice encompasses photography, installation, and moving image. She is known for her evocative and often surreal photography, particularly her series that explore themes of nature, human interaction, and the environment...almost like her subjects are in an intimate relationship with nature. 

She has received numerous awards including the Goulburn Art Prize, the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize, the Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography Award and the Olive Cotton Award. She is a three-time finalist of the National Photographic Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery and her work has been acquired by the National Gallery of Australia, Parliament House Art Collection, Art Gallery of South Australia; Artbank Australia and the Francis J. Greenburger Collection, New York, amongst others. 

There's a beautiful, often ethereal quality to her work and, as I mentioned, many of the scenes are set against the immensity of nature. You can feel the story behind a lot of these works. 

This conversation took place just before her exhibition The Flower Duet (7 Feb-8 March 2025) at Michael Reid Gallery in Sydney. It's sooo worth seeing. Michael Reid describes it as her 'magnificent entanglements of human and natural worlds reaching a wild crescendo with her operatic new series of lushly romantic, hyper-floral photographs, The Flower Duet – a landmark body of work in which lithe figures plunge through prismatic thresholds in a dazzling pas de deux with camellias, roses and other blooms.'

You can have a sneak peak going to her instagram @tamaradean

Just a heads up about the zoom sound - my sound, not so good (you'll still understand it all), Tamara's is good. And that's the important voice. 

Image of Tamara , Jack Sewell

Image in video: Ebenezer Rock Drop, 2015 archival pigment print on cotton rag. 150x200cm unframed of 3+1 AP

Tamara is represented by Michael Reid (@michaelreidart)

Head to the link in my bio to have a listen to our conversation. Really enjoyed this. Alternatively, head to where you get your podcasts and search 'Australian Women Artists'.

Follow me on @australianwomenartists and the sister account @reallyinterestingwomen and you won't miss out on anything.

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Ep. 14 Susan Baird

Susan Baird has a distinctive approach to capturing the unique light and atmosphere of the Australian bush. As such, she has established herself as one of the country's most evocative contemporary painters. 

 She is known for her sensitive plein air paintings of the Australian landscape, especially of the area surrounding the historic mining town of Hill End in rural NSW where she has her studio.

 And it’s the light at Hill End which has fascinated and captivated her for decades. It’s fascinating listening to her describe it and the effect it has on her. It sounds so overwhelmingly beautiful that it makes me think that maybe I could paint it. Maybe. Actually not ever, but it’s fabulous that Susan can capture it so well.  

 Living and working between Sydney and Hill End, Susan has built a distinguished career spanning over four decades and has been the recipient of several residencies and a finalist in numerous awards, including the Calleen Art Award (7 times), Fishers Ghost Art Award, Paddington Art Prize (6 times), Mosman Art Prize (3 times), Blake Art Prize and the NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize (twice). 

 And the paintings are magnificent in real life. We are having this conversation at her latest exhibition at Defiance Gallery, 12 Mary Place, Paddington, Sydney where you can see the works for yourself from 3-24 May.

Head to the link in my bio to listen to our conversation. Try to ignore the few construction noises that pop up every now and then in the background...a natural hazard in the inner suburbs of Sydney I’m afraid. 

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

(I'm afraid the recording starts with a bit of an echo off the gallery walls - but it does settle.) 

Episode 13 Emily George on Jane Sutherland

Jane Sutherland (1853–1928) was a pioneering Australian landscape painter and a key figure in the plein-air movement and the Heidelberg School. 

She defied Victorian-era gender expectations by pursuing a professional art career, encouraged by her father. She became an instrumental figure in the Heidelberg School despite having to leave the camps as women weren't allowed to stay. So she'd pack everything up every afternoon and head home. 

Her male contemporaries (McCubbin, Tom Roberts, Charles Conder) would paint what was considered heroic bush narratives. Jane Sutherland captured beautifully intimate scenes of rural Australian life often capturing women and children and putting them front and centre which was unusual for the time.

It's been said that these quieter scenes challenged the male-dominated nationalistic art of the time. Her works often contained deeper commentary on societal constraints. This perspective was one of the reasons she was a trailblazer.

She faced the dual barriers of gender discrimination and later physical disability, yet maintained her artistic vision throughout.

To discuss Jane Sutherland I was fortunate enough to be talking to Emily George. Emily is an arts professional with experience working as a gallery assistant, art advisor and client liaison. She holds a double Bachelor of Arts majoring in Art History and Film Studies from Sydney University with a focus on women artists and feminist history, and continued her studies achieving a Master of Art Curating from Sydney University shortly after. She has worked at Arthouse Gallery for the past four years.

Images of some of the works we discussed:

1. Obstruction, Box Hill, 1887 oil on canvas, 41.3x31.1cm
2. The mushroom gatherers 1895 oil on canvas 41.8x99.3
3. The mushroom gatherers (detail)
4. Little Gossips, 1888, oil on canvas, 48.5 x 36.0
5. After autumn rains, 1893, oil on canvas 61x112
6. Field naturalists, 1896 ol on canvas 80.9x121.3

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Episode 12 Wendy Sharpe AM

There can be no dispute that Wendy Sharpe is one of Australia’s most acclaimed artists. 

She is known for her strong figurative paintings, her use of narrative and a sensuous use of paint. (For my benefit – and maybe others as well - figurative art, according to the Tate Gallery in London, describes any form of modern art that retains strong references to the real world and particularly to the human figure.)

Wendy’s accolades and awards are incredibly impressive: she has won the Sulman Prize, the Archibald Prize, the Portia Geach Memorial Award (twice), the Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize...in fact, she’s been a finalist for the Archibald Prize eight times and the Sulman Prize an astonishing thirteen times. 

She has held over 70 solo exhibitions around Australia and internationally. She’s been awarded many international artist residencies including Paris (twice), Egypt, The Arctic, Antarctica (twice), Mexico, China, Ethiopia. 

But it’s the breadth of her contributions to the arts and humanity that are just as fascinating for me, we explored those in our conversation. 

I joined Wendy in her fabulous Sydney studio for this conversation.

images on instagram:

1. Magda Szubanski, Comedy and Tragedy, 2020 Archibald Finalist oil on linen 182x145

2. Lilikoi Kaos - Circus Oz, 2016 oil on canvas 210x166

3. Self Portrait with Bernard Ollis 2009 oil on canvas 180x200

4. One of the eight 5m long panels for the Annette Kellerman mural for the Cook +       Philip Pool in Sydney

5. Wendy Sharpe, Self-portrait as Diana of Erskineville, 1996 Archibald winner oil           on canvas 210x172

6. Black Sun - morning to night, 1986 Sulman Prize (joint) winner, oil on canvas

     triptych: 138 x 92 cm each

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Ep. 17.      Janet Laurence

Janet Laurence is a leading Sydney based artist who exhibits nationally and internationally. 

For four decades, she has captivated audiences with her multidisciplinary practice spanning photography, sculpture, installation, and video. Her work is a profound expression of her deep concern for the environment, ethics, and the intricate interconnectedness of all living things. 

She employs a diverse range of natural materials, including living plant matter, minerals, and oxides. Underlying themes of alchemical transformation, history, and perception weave through her evocative installations. 

She is known for her immersive environments and significant public artworks, often created in collaboration with architects, scientists, and environmentalists. She is an expert at translating scientific concepts into an artistic visual experience. Her work often explores fragility and loss but balances these themes with hope and empathy.

Janet invites viewers to forge a deeper, more experiential relationship with the natural world. Her works are both visually stunning and deeply thought-provoking, making her a vital voice in contemporary artistic discourse. 

She has represented Australia at international exhibitions including the 1997 Venice Biennale and has participated in major exhibitions in Europe, Asia, and North America. 

We had this conversation in her Sydney studio (shared with some pretty noisy engineers upstairs that you may hear) and she was about to leave for Berlin to set up her new exhibition. 

Head to the link in my bio to listen to our conversation. 

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 16    Emma Coulter

Emma is a leading figure in contemporary Australian art, renowned for her bold explorations of colour, space, and perception. 

Her practice spans painting, sculpture, site-specific installation, and large-scale public art, consistently pushing the boundaries of how art interacts with its environment and audience. 

You may have seen her work that wraps around the Metro Tunnel’s building façade in central Melbourne spanning more than 100 metres. In fact, she has completed over 30 site-specific installations, including more than 10 major public art commissions. 

One of the most defining features of Emma’s art is her use of colour. She works with a carefully curated palette of pre-mixed, commercially produced paints through which she aims to evoke an immediate, visceral response in viewers. As a result, her art is instantly recognisable through that vibrant colour, geometric clarity, and spatial ambition. 

Emma is a regular finalist in Australia’s top art prizes and has received a steady stream of awards and grants. She has exhibited widely, both nationally and internationally. Since her first solo show in 2005, she has participated in numerous institutional, commercial, and artist-run exhibitions, with highlights including installations in New York and Germany. 

Her current exhibition, 'superimposition' is at James Makin Gallery in Melbourne until 24 May. So quick sticks if you want to see it. 

www.emmacoulter.com.au

www.jamesmakingallery.com

Instagram images:

1.        Emma Coulter. Image from our conversation (supplied by artist) (you can see why I thought she had designed her own dress!)

2. and 3. spatial deconstruction #23 (resilience), 2021 to 2023 synthetic polymer paint on precast façade 120 metres long x 7 metres height (wraps Swanston St and Flinders Lane facades)

4.      spatial deconstruction #15 (gemstone with fireplace), 2016 synthetic polymer paint on wall, floor and architrave, existing fireplace. 280h x 350l x 100d (winner 2016 Linden Art Prize)

5.      let them feel the light, 2023 painted aluminium, coloured glass and LED panels. 12 metres H x 10 metres W and variable depth ranging from 150 to 300cm total length climbing up over 25 metres wrapped around curved brick wall with integrated steel fixings. 

6.      Hybrid models for the future, 2024 synthetic polymer paint on linen 167x167x3.2cm

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Ep. 15    Virginia Cuppaidge

Virginia Cuppaidge stands as a significant figure in contemporary abstract painting, whose work was formed in Australia and then blossomed in New York where she moved to be in the epicentre of abstract art. 

We talked about arriving in NY in 1969 and being wide eyed for a year. Taking it all in. She was surrounded by the works of Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Lee Krasner. It was an enormously influential time for a 26-year-old from Brisbane.

Virginia's paintings are characterised by their luminous colour fields, ethereal atmospheric effects, and beautiful handling of space. Her distinctive use of acrylic paint—applied in thin, transparent layers (at times 40 layers!) — creates a sense of depth and radiance that invites contemplation.

Over her five-decade career, Virginia has exhibited widely in prestigious galleries and museums across the United States and Australia. Her work resides in major collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.

After spending nearly fifty years in New York's vibrant art scene, Virginia returned to Newcastle Australia in 2008, bringing with her a wealth of experience and a unique artistic perspective. And I caught up with her in her Newcastle studio. 

And her work and innovation continues. Virginia has an exhibition currently at the Maitland Regional Gallery until 22 June 2025.

Images:

                  1               Lyon, 1972 synthetic polymer paint on canvas                  1985hx3060wx40d

                  2               Bellegreen 1972 acrylic on canvas 200x305

                  3               Big Blue 1972 acrylic on canvas 200x305

                  4              The Big Orange, 1972, acrylic on canvas, 200 x 305cm

                  5               Californian Dream 1975 acrylic on canvas 200x305

                  6               Skyspace Moonlight 2023, acrylic on canvas, 40x90

                  7               Skyspace Desert Moon 2023, acrylic on canvas 40x90

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Ep. 20.    Louisa Chircop

Louisa stands as a compelling figure in contemporary Australian art.

Her work transcends geographical boundaries while exploring the intricate connections between identity, memory, and cultural heritage. She has established herself as a versatile artist working primarily in mixed media, photomontage, collage, and painting, creating works that speak to both personal and collective experiences of displacement, belonging, and the search for meaning in an increasingly fragmented world. 

She is the daughter of Maltese Australian parents, and her formative years were shaped by the complex legacy of her grandparents, who left Malta after WWII. And that influence would remain part of her art to this day. 

Throughout her career, Louisa has received numerous accolades and significant recognition including winning the James Gleeson Prize for Surrealism twice and her work has been acquired for the Kedumba Collection, one of Australia’s most highly regarded public collections of contemporary drawing. She has been a finalist in the Dobell Prize for Drawing, the Portia Geach Memorial Award, the Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize, and the Hazelhurst National Art on Paper Prize amongst many others.

Her most ambitious and historically significant project, "Grotto Girl," is currently showing in Malta. It seems to me to represent the culmination of her artistic journey and her most profound engagement with her Maltese heritage.

 We’re having this conversation between Sydney and Malta

Images

1.        LC by Henry Zammit Cordina

2.        Whiteley paints Rembrandt then I paint Whiteley and Rembrandt, 2019,mixed media and photomontage on Arches 76x56

3.        Bath Blues after Whiteley 2019 mixed media ad photomontage on Arches 76x56

4.        Self as water feature 2020 mixed media and photomontage on watercolour paper 103x66

5.        Beneath the Paper Rain, mixed media and photomontage on hand painted archival pigment print on cotton rag, 173x130

6.        The installation on the 450 year old well in the central courtyard

Australian Women Artists

The podcast 

Ep. 18 

Ann Thomson

Ann Thomson stands as one of Australia’s most eminent contemporary painters and sculptors. 

Her early passion for art was fostered by influential art figures in Brisbane and in 1957, she relocated to Sydney to pursue formal studies. Her paintings are celebrated for their vibrant, expressive compositions and their ability to evoke a sense of place without resorting to literal representation. Her style is marked by bold brushwork, dynamic colour relationships, and, as a curator described it, ‘a refusal to allow any element to recede passively into the background’. 

Another hallmark of Ann’s work is her ability to oscillate between abstraction and landscape, often within the same piece. Although the term ‘abstraction’ doesn’t necessarily resonate with her. 

Over the course of her career, Ann has received numerous accolades. In addition to the Wynne Prize, she has been awarded the Sydney Morning Herald Art Prize, the Kedumba Drawing Prize, the Geelong Contemporary Art Prize, and the Tattersall’s Art Prize in Brisbane. 

Her legacy is evident not only in her own prolific output but also in the generations of artists she has influenced and inspired. As she continues to paint and exhibit well into her ninth decade, Ann Thomson remains a vital force in contemporary art, her work a testament to the enduring power of creativity and the endless possibilities of abstraction

We are having this conversation in Ann’s fabulous Sydney studio.

Head to the link in my bio to hear our conversation

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Ep. 21 June Tupicoff

June Tupicoff has been described as "one of Australia’s very best artists” and "the great Australian painter you’ve probably never heard of".

June is a Brisbane based artist whose work focuses on an inherent interest in the Australian landscape.

She actually grew up in the lush, rural environment of Victoria, and, I dare say as a direct result, developed an early sensitivity to the Australian landscape—a theme that evolved and matured with her move to Qld. 

By the 1970s, she had begun to establish herself as an artist, initially working primarily in abstraction. Eventually her artistic focus began to shift from pure abstraction to a more overt engagement with the Australian landscape in particular the unique ecosystems of coastal south-east Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. 

Her paintings and pastel drawings are notable for their sensitive rendering of light, colour, and form, and her work has been described as demonstrating, ‘a deepening commitment to environmental observation and a nuanced understanding of place.’

Head to the link in my bio to hear about 'the great Australian painter you’ve probably never have heard of’. 

June is represented by @philipbacongalleries

Images:Pale skyline, 2022

pastel on Sennelier card, 50 x 65 cm

Grass trees, 2022
pastel on Sennelier card
50 x 65cm

Spanning the slope, 2022
pastel on Sennelier card, 50 x 65 cm
Lilac sent downwind, 2024
pastel on Mi-Teintes paper, 52 x 72 cm
Sun-bleached fen, 2024
oil on linen, 138 x 184 cm

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 23    Yvette Coppersmith

Yvette Coppersmith stands as one of Australia's most distinctive contemporary artists.

Her career has been marked by a profound exploration of portraiture, identity, and the human condition. She has challenged traditional boundaries between painting and photography while examining themes of gender, representation, and psychological depth. 

She graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts and won the inaugural Metro Prize in 2003 and has previously been selected as a finalist in the Darling Portrait Prize, Arthur Guy Memorial Award, Geelong Contemporary Art Prize, the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, the Portia Geach Memorial Award. 

And, in 2018, after multiple Archibald finalist hangings, she became the 10th woman to win the Archibald Prize for her painting Self Portrait, after George Lambert. 

It’s been said that her sophisticated exploration of portraiture has contributed to a renewed interest in this traditional genre. I can vouch for the fact that it has had that effect on me.  

It was a fascinating discussion where we spoke about her amazing portrait of Gillian Triggs which (somehow) didn’t win the Archibald and, of course, her self-portrait the following year, which did! We talked about her fascinating process and how she creates these portraits that seem to me to go well beyond the surface image. 

Her work is held in numerous public and private collections and she is represented in Australia by Sullivan + Strumpf. 

 Head to the link in my bio to hear this podcast conversation. 

Images

1.        YC. Supplied by artist. Taken at Hong Kong Art Basel, 'Heirloom' solo show

2.        Yvette Coppersmith Self-portrait, after George Lambert (winner Archibald                   prize 2018) oil and acrylic on linen 132 x 112 cm

3.        John Safran (Archibald finalist 2009) oil and acrylic on plywood 120 x 180                   cm

4.        Professor Gillian Triggs (Archibald finalist 2017) oil on linen 137.5 x 110 cm

5.        Banded Field, 2022, Oil on jute, 99cm x 122cm, Finalist Ravenswood                             Women’s Art Prize

6.        Self-portrait with Egret, 2018 Oil on linen 107 × 87 cm

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 22

Belinda Fox

Belinda stands as one of Australia's most accomplished contemporary multidisciplinary artists, whose work traverses the boundaries between printmaking, painting, ceramics, sculpture, drawing, and glass. 

It's a lovely wide ranging discussion covering her career as a master printer collaborating with the likes of John Olsen and Tim Storrier and their generosity which is an integral part of who she is as well, her decision to change her career path from facilitating the vision of others' to developing and expressing your own artistic voice, her growing international presence and the incredible value of residencies both in Australia and overseas and how she got the best out of them.

Her journey is really quite a remarkable evolution from dedicated student to internationally recognized multidisciplinary artist. 

Her career was built on technical mastery and thrives on collaborative experiences and an unwavering commitment to exploring the complexities of contemporary human existence. 

She has received a number of awards including the Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Award, Paul Guest Drawing Prize and Burnie Print Prize and been a finalist in many other awards. 

We are having this conversation in her fabulous Melbourne studio. 

Belinda is represented by @arthousegallery and @australiangalleries and Maybaum Gallery, CA, USA. www.maybaumgallery.com (@maybaumgallery)

The images are a sneak preview of Belinda's upcoming exhibition, Tipping the Scales (her fifth solo exhibition with Maybaum Gallery in San Francisco). They presenting a new body of paintings that explores growth and the restorative energy of nature in a time of deep uncertainty. In a world marked by conflict, displacement, and environmental crisis, these works offer a quiet resistance—an intentional act of optimism. They seek to tip the scales toward compassion, healing, and a sense of renewal.

Created using layering of watercolour, ink, pen, collage, spray acrylic, and encaustic wax

Images 1-4: Pia Johnson; 5-8: Andrew Curtis

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 24 Leila Jeffreys

Leila Jeffreys is a distinguished contemporary artist renowned for her captivating photographs, moving image works, and installations that primarily feature birds. 

Leila moved to Australia from PNG and pursued formal training in photography which helped her create her unique approach...to animal portraiture. 

Her extraordinary photographs were loved by the public and she gained international recognition and featured alongside the world's most respected photographers as part of Civilisation: The Way We Live Now, a 2023 exhibition at London's Saatchi Gallery.

We talked about her early days as a photographer for Rolling Stone and how she never felt like she could get what she really wanted from the photos she took of people. And then a lightbulb moment when she followed her instincts and started photographing birds. But in a way no one had before – as portraits taken in studios. 

The resulting photographs are breathtaking. She loved photographing birds of prey. They seemed to exude a confidence (even arrogance!) that comes with being at the top of the tree. Have a look at the last couple of photos in the insta carousel to see what she means. 

Head to the link in my bio to have a listen.

Images:

1.        LJ supplied by artist. Image by Cameron Bloom

2.        Celery, 2019 Giclée print on archival fine art paper
 112 x 89 cm Series: High Society

3.        Redmond Red-Capped Robin, 2015 Giclée print on archival fine art paper
 52 x 61 cm Series: Songbirds

4.        Topper – burrowing owl. 2014, Giclée print on archival fine art paper

91x72

5.        Banded Stilt egg, 2024 Giclée print on archival fine art paper
 110 x 86 cm  Series: Stillness

6.        Red-head, 2022, Giclée print on archival fine art paper
 110 x 71 cm140 x 90 cm Series: The wound is the place where the light enters

7.        Burnt Branch, 2022, Giclée print on archival fine art paper
 86 x 110 cm Series: The wound is the place where the light enters

8.        Soren, Wedge-tailed Eagle 2014, fine art inkjet print on archival cotton rag paper
 44 x 35 inches Series: Prey

9.        Darcy Brown Falcon 2014, fine art inkjet print on archival cotton rag paper
 44 x 35 inches Series: Prey

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 31 Eleanor Louise Butt

My guest on today’s podcast for Australian Women Artists is contemporary artist Eleanor Louise Butt. 

She’s celebrated for her abstract paintings where colour, texture, line, and form converge to bristle with gestural energy and movement...we explore that during our conversation because I find that fascinating. 

Her work evolves from studio experimentation and her approach to artmaking is deeply philosophical, viewing painting as a form of visual conversation. She describes observing her paintings developing "like a conversation, whereby each mark influences the next.” Again, something we needed to explore.  Eleanor has received numerous accolades throughout her career. 

She won the Muswellbrook Art Prize for painting and the George Hicks Award. She’s been a finalist in multiple prestigious prizes, including the Geelong Contemporary Art Prize, Len Fox Painting Award, Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize, Muswellbrook Art Prize, Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, Waverley Art Prize, Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize, and M-Collection Art Award. Her work is held in significant public and private collections globally.

Head to my bio to have a listen to her episode.

She will have work at the Sydney Contemporary where she will also be giving a talk (link below).

Eleanor’s artist talk at Sydney Contemporary, Sep 11 2-3pm, is listed here: https://sydneycontemporary.com.au/event/artist-talk-eleanor-louise-butt-chloe-in-conversation-on-the-booth/

She is represented by @comagallery

 1. ELB image supplied by artist 

2.Unfolding Abstraction, Thinking Three-Dimensionally 2022 Oil on linen 152 x 168cm with drop-shadow

3.Unfolding Orange Abstraction 2023 Oil on cotton 25.5 x 35cm 

4. The Garden’s Embrace oil on linen, 167x127

5. Eleanor’s Porthmeor Studio, Cornwall, UK 2019

6. Within the Garden (Autumn Painting 2) 2022 oil on cotton 160x200 purchased by MCA

Australian Women Artists
 
 The Podcast
 
 Episode 28
 
 Artists of Influence: Carol Jerrems (influencing Tamara Dean, ep. 2)

Welcome to another edition of AWA artists of influence. 

For those who’ve heard some of these podcasts, you’ll remember that the last question I ask is: Is there an Australian woman artist who has inspired or influenced you and if so, who and how?

I’ve decided to explore a little further the artists who were named as influences by my podcast guests. 

In ep. 2 I asked this question of critically acclaimed Australian photomedia artist Tamara Dean. And her response was Carol Jerrems.

Carol Jerrems (1949-1980) stands as one of Australia's most significant photographers, despite a career tragically cut short. 

In her brief but prolific working life, she created an extraordinary body of work that captured the spirit, struggles, and raw beauty of Australian youth in the 1970s.

Head to the link in my bio to hear about Carol (or whichever platform you find your podcasts).

Both Tamara and I refer to Carol’s work, ‘Vale Street’ (1975). This platform prevents the image being reproduced but copy and paste this link in your browser to have a look.

https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/46.1979/

And while you’re looking at Carol’s work, take a look also at Tamara Dean’s photographic work and see if you can see the influences on her that she talks about. You can see more of Tamara’s work at www.tamaradean.com.au

Images

1.     CJ by Stuart Holmes

2.     Self Portrait, Kingsgate Hyatt Hotel Room, 1973 Kings Cross

3.     Rita on the couch at Killcare Beach, 1976 NGA

4.     Edols seeing Gulpilil with a bucket 1974 NGA

5.     Jenny Bonnette 1974 NGA

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Ep 29 Anne Ryan on artist Lesley Dumbrell

I was very lucky to have had the opportunity to have a fabulous conversation with Anne Ryan on the incredible Australian artist, Lesley Dumbrell. 

 Anne Ryan is one of Australia's leading art curators. She serves as Curator of Australian Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where she oversees the prestigious collection of Australian prints, drawings and watercolours. She pursued her studies at the Univ. of Syd and NSW and served as the Sarah & William Holmes Scholar in the Depts of Prints & Drawings at the British Museum. 

 Anne has curated various exhibitions and publications focusing on historical and contemporary Australian art and artists with a particular interest in women artists. Amongst many other things, she has curated the annual Archibald, Wynne, and Sulman Prizes eight times since 2015. 

 Lesley Dumbrell is a pioneering abstract painter celebrated for her precise geometric abstract paintings and mastery of colour and rhythm. Over more than five decades, she has forged her own path in a male-dominated genre, becoming a leading figure in the country’s abstraction movement and a passionate advocate for women in art, notably co-founding the Women’s Art Register in 1976 which archives living female artists. 

 Lesley’s work explores the dynamic interplay between colour, perception, and environment, and is held in major national collections, including the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. 

 She very recently, at age 82, attended her first comprehensive solo exhibition at AGNSW...her first survey in a state art museum – curated by none other than my guest, Anne Ryan.

 It’s a fabulous insight and Anne was fortunate enough to have spent a great deal of time with Lesley in putting not only the exhibition Thrum together, but the amazing book that accompanied that exhibition. 

Head to the link in my bio to find the podcast.

Images – supplied by AGNSW

1.   LD 

2.   Solstice, 1974 liquitex on canvas, 173x296

3.   Spangle, 1977 liquitex on canvas 149x210

4.   Columbine, 2008 liquitex on canvas 172x228

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast 

Episode 28

Artists of Influence: Anne Ferguson (influencing Jo Bertini, ep. 1)

Hi everyone and welcome to a special edition of AWA. In light of a recent delay in recording of a podcast episode I came up with the idea of elaborating on an aspect of the podcast. 

For those who’ve heard some of these podcasts, you’ll remember that the last question I ask is:  Is there an Australian woman artist who has inspired or influenced you and if so, who and how?

And, because there were a lot of names given to me that I wasn’t aware of (which is no surprise to those who’ve listened to the podcasts – but that’s precisely why I’m doing this...to become more aware)...I thought it might be appropriate to then highlight those artists who were named as influences, by the artists I’ve had a conversation with...if that makes sense. 

And I wanted to do a bit of my own research on that influential artist as well as finding some of their art and putting it up on Instagram. So, if you’re interested I’d love it if you went over to the Instagram account (@australianwomenartists) and started following that and you could see the pieces being spoken about. 

So, the first time I asked this question was to Jo Bertini....

Images:

1. Anne Ferguson at work

2. Australian Servicewomen's memorial, 1999

3. and 4. Waterfall sculpture, 1977

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Ep. 27. Adrienne Doig

Adrienne Doig is one of Australia's most distinctive contemporary artists.

She has spent over three decades transforming the landscape of self-portraiture. Her art is celebrated for its wit, humour, and incisive social commentary, often realised through textiles, embroidery, video, and performance. 

She has an unwavering commitment to placing herself—literally and figuratively—at the centre of her creative practice. 

Her formative years were characterized by an early exposure to both traditional craft techniques and contemporary artistic movements. This dual influence would become a defining characteristic of her mature work. 

I don’t think it’s any exaggeration to say that Adrienne’s contribution to Australian contemporary art extends far beyond her individual works. Her innovative and pioneering use of traditional craft techniques has been instrumental in breaking down the hierarchies that traditionally separated craft from fine art. 

She’s had around 2 dozen solo exhibitions and is held in many public and private collections both here and overseas.

Head to the link in my bio to listen to our podcast conversation

Adrienne is represented by Martin Browne Contemporary and some of her works are available there.  

Images:

1.        AD supplied

2.        Feminist Cliche (Dresden Plate), 2012 Patchwork, applique and embroidery on linen 99 x 77 cm

3.        Self-portrait as Aphrodite, 2023, Mixed Media 67.5 x 16.5 x 16.5 cm

4.        Scene 1, 2020, embroidery, applique and paint on needlepoint 59 x 94 cm

5.        Extra, 2018, Embroidery on tapestry, 42 x 45 cm

6.        On the Edge, 2015, Acrylic, fabric, patchwork, applique and embroidery on canvas, 110 x 84 cm

7.        Jenny Kee, Flamingo Park, 2022, Acrylic on wood, Dimensions variable

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 26. Kim Anderson

Kim Anderson’s artistic journey began in Ballarat, Victoria, where she was born and raised. Her formal artistic education commenced at the University of Ballarat, where she pursued her Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours.

During these formative years, she began developing her distinctive approach to drawing and exploring the themes that would later define her mature work.

Her art demonstrates a deep understanding of drawing as both a technical discipline and a means of emotional expression. She has stated that her work “has always primarily been inspired by images of the body, both its exterior surfaces and delicate inner structures.”

In 2020 Kim was a finalist for the National Works on Paper Award, the Wyndham Art Prize, the Swan Hill Drawing Prize, the Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award, and the Kedumba Drawing Award. And subsequent years provided many more accolades.

In the last 5 years or so Kim’s work has gained increasing recognition within the Australian art world to the point where recently she was listed among the Top 100 Australian Collectable artists of 2025.

We had a great discussion on her influences including 17 years as a dancer, international residencies and the emotional impact on not only creating these artworks, but then walking into an exhibition where they all hang together.

Kim is represented by the fabulous @flinderslanegallery

NB the artwork that I found so evocative I incorrectly named in the conversation. I meant to say ‘Protection’

Head to my bio for the link to our podcast conversation.


Kim Anderson images:

1. KA photo supplied
2. Fugue #2, 2024, Ink, graphite, charcoal and cold wax on paper, mounted on board
100 x 60cm finalist in the Paul Guest Drawing Prize at Bendigo Art Gallery
3. The Dance II, 2023 Ink, charcoal and graphite on paper 75cm x 75cm
4. Protection, 2018 ink, charcoal & pastel on paper, 116cm x 80cm
5. Metamorphosis 2023 Ink, charcoal and graphite on paper 75cm x 105cm
6. Only Breath and Shadows, 2022, Ink, charcoal and graphite on paper, 100cm x 64cm finalist Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 25  Amber Boardman

Amber Boardman is an American-born artist who would eventually establish herself as a significant figure in the contemporary Australian art scene. 

Her early life was shaped by the cultural landscape of the US, which would later inform her artistic exploration of social dynamics and digital culture. Her artistic development was informed by her dual interest in traditional fine arts and emerging digital media. And, as a result, her work developed to blend classical painting techniques with contemporary concerns about internet culture and social media's influence on human behaviour. 

Her formal art education began in the US, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Georgia State University, continued her studies with a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York, and after migrating to Australia, completed a PhD in Fine Art at the University of New South Wales in 2018. 

So, as I see it, Amber’s life and art seem defined by a number of things: the interaction between painting and animation, American and Australian influences, and how the internet shapes social norms and individual identity. 

Over the past two decades, she has exhibited her work internationally, with shows in New York, London, Rome, Amsterdam, Miami, Atlanta, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane

Amber is represented by Chalk Horse Gallery (Sydney), Sophie Gannon Gallery (Melbourne) and Sandler Hudson Gallery (Atlanta, USA)

Head to the link in my bio to listen to our podcast conversation.

Images

1.        AB supplied by artist

2.        Coffee Extremist, 2023, oil on canvas 152.4 x 121.9 cm

3.        The Rock of Sysyphus, Chasing Gains 2023 oil on canvas 152.4 x 182.9 cm

4.        Black Friday Sale 2019 oil on linen 213.4 x 182.9cm

5.        Crowd Surfing 2019 oil on linen 213.4 x 182.9cm

6.        Massive Touch Network 2019 oil on polyester 274.3 x 182.9cm

7.        Self-care exhaustion 2018 acrylic on polyester 183 x 183 cm

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 32 Dr Bronwyn Bancroft AM

Bronwyn Bancroft is a proud Bundjalung Woman and Artist.

 Her career has included both national and international exhibitions and her work has been acquired by all major Australian galleries, state libraries, and private collections. She has undertaken numerous public commissions, which allow her to reach and educate audiences beyond traditional gallery spaces.

Bronwyn’s artistic style is immediately recognizable for its bold use of colour, intricate patterns, and dynamic compositions that exude life and energy. Her work is distinctly contemporary, incorporating modern painting techniques and innovative compositional structures.

She has also been a trailblazer in children's literature, having published nearly 50 books. She's been a director of her own company, Designer Aboriginals, since 1985. And in 1987 was one of the first Australian fashion designers to be invited to exhibit her works in Paris. 

 She has a long history of involvement in community and arts administration, has a Diploma of Visual Arts, two master's, and a PhD in visual arts.

 Bronwyn Bancroft is an artist, an author and illustrator, a leader and mentor. She has inspired and directly supported countless emerging artists, sharing her hard-earned wisdom and nurturing new talent.

 Bronwyn has a retrospective opening on October 24th at Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative in Leichhardt NSW. Copy and paste this link in your browser for details:

https://boomalli.com.au/events/i-am-gurgun/

Head to the link in my bio for our podcast conversation. 

Images

1.        BB

2.      You don't even look Aboriginal, 1991, watercolour, photograph, collage on                  paper 110x75.7

3.        My Woman, My Country, 1995, watercolour, gouache on paper, 76x75.5

4.        Cloud over past generations, 1991, colour screenprint 56.6x65.6

5.         Lionsville Livin’, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 300x200

6.          Vivid Festival 2025, 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘛𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭 created by Dr. Bronwyn Bancroft                 in collaboration with Chas Clarkson

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 34 Margaret Olley AC – a conversation with Professor Lisa Slade

This is a fascinating and impassioned insight into the life of one of Australia’s most beloved artists.

I’m talking with Professor Lisa Slade about the legendary Australian artist, Margaret Olley.

Professor Lisa Slade is the Hugh Ramsay Chair in Australian Art History in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne. She is both a curator and art historian and between 2015 and 2024 she was Assistant Director, Artistic Programs at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Until 2024 Lisa was Chair of The National Cultural Heritage Committee and between 2014 and 2019 she served as the Chair of Artlink Australia. She is a national voice for artists and art history with decades of experience as a keynote speaker, broadcaster, mentor and educator.

Margaret stands as one of Australia's most beloved and accomplished artists whose distinctive still life paintings and vibrant use of colour established her as a central figure in twentieth-century Australian art. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she held over 90 solo exhibitions. Margaret Olley developed a unique artistic voice that celebrated the beauty of everyday objects while maintaining deep connections to both European artistic traditions and the distinctive character of Australian life. 

And, outside of her own work, it was what she did for art and artists generally through her benevolence and mentoring and much, much more, that is almost as astonishing.

Head to the link in my bio for our conversation

Instagram Images (more to follow)

Portrait Margaret Olley, Greg Weight 1991

Still life with pink fish, 1948, oil on cheesecloth on hardboard 76.3x97

Margaret Olley, William Dobell, 1948 oil on hardboard 114x85 Archibald winner
  

Portrait in the mirror, 1948 oil on hardboard 68x84
  

Chinese screen and yellow room 1996 oil on hardboard 75x75

Margaret Olley, Ben Quilty 2011 oil on linen 170x150 Archibald winner

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 33 Lottie Consalvo

Lottie Consalvo is one of Australia's most thought-provoking contemporary artists. 

Through her abstract paintings, sculptures, video and performance works, she transcends the boundaries of the visible and tangible, pushing into the mind's capacity to explore the unbound possibilities of our existence and what lies beyond. 

Lottie challenges conventional notions of reality and urges us to embrace what is unseen and unknown. She explores what she calls "the invisible world"—the realm of thought, imagination, dreams, and psychological states that exist beyond the tangible.

She’s had 19 solo shows and countless more group exhibitions and 15 performance-based works. In 2023 she was named as one of Australia’s 100 most collectable artists. She recently had her first solo show with her new gallery, Nanda Hobbs, and in 2025 she won the Muswellbrook Art Prize and was a finalist in the Mosman Art Prize.

Head to the link in my bio to have a listen to our conversation. 

Images (most of which are referred to in our conversation):

1.   Portrait by Ben Adams

2.   Bouquet of hope 2025, acrylic on linen, 180x120cm

3.   Do You Remember The Roses 2021, performance documentation

4.   In Awe 2024, acrylic on hardboard, 160x140cm 

5.   Like a bell under water 2025, Single-channel video

6.   Name-less (V) 2025, acrylic on archival paper, 59.4x42cm

7.   RaRa 2025, acrylic on hardboard, 200x120cm

8.   Sentimental 2025, acrylic on linen, 168x137cm

Australian Women Artists 

The podcast

Ep. 36 Del Kathryn Barton

Del Kathryn Barton is one of Australia’s most recognisable and collectible artists. 

She is known for her intricate and almost psychedelic works. Her practice spans painting, sculpture, and film. 

She is a two-time winner of the prestigious Archibald Prize - only the second woman to do that in the Prize’s 104-year history. 

Her art explores the complexities of the human experience, particularly femininity, sexuality, and motherhood, often blurring the lines between humans and nature with incredible hybrid forms.

From her award-winning painting to film collaborations with stars like Cate Blanchett, hersingular vision has made her a pre-eminent voice in Australian art.

We had a lovely, far-ranging chat and her outlook and advice has been honed over a long and very successful career not just in Australia but internationally. 

Head to the link in my bio to have a listen to the podcast. 

Instagram Images

1. DKB by Anna Kucera

2. You are what is most beautiful about me, a self portrait with Kell and Arella, 2008 Synthetic polymer paint, watercolour, gouache and pen on polyester canvas, 280x180 Archibald winner

3. Hugo, 2013 Watercolour, gouache and acrylic on canvas 200x180 Archibald winner

4. Mother (a portrait of Cate), 2011, watercolour, gouache, acrylic and pen on polyester canvas 240x180 Archibald finalist

5. Come of things, 2010, synthetic polymer paint, gouache, watercolour and pen on polyester canvas, 240 x 360

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 38 Robyn Sweaney

 Robyn Sweaney is a contemporary artist who began exhibiting her work regularly from about 1992. 

Her early work included still-life compositions, landscapes, and portraiture. 

After relocating to northern New South Wales, she was inspired by her surrounds by painting houses. She could merge her philosophical interests with visual storytelling. And the paintings are beautifully reminiscent. But not in a ‘I prefer the old days’ sort of way. She just captures a moment. 

More specifically... “Domestic dwellings divulge more than their mere exteriors, functioning as physical incarnations of the aesthetic, ideological and social structures influencing human behaviour. Informed by travel through familiar and unfamiliar rural and suburban places, Robyn finds that, ‘certain elements of place resonate an unexplainable reaction within me – something ignites deep within memory. The landscape is somehow opened up by the search itself and my response can reach beyond its visual appearance’.”

Her work has been described as emotional portraits of place, capturing the essence of lived experience through facades and fences. 

Robyn has been involved in over one hundred group exhibitions. She was the winner of the Wynne Trustees’ Watercolour Prize, AGNSW (2019) and has been the finalist of many major awards including multiple times for the Wynne Prize, Salon Des Refusés, Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Prize, Mosman Art Prize, Paddington Art Prize, Moran Prize, Portia Geach Memorial Award and has also been a finalist in the Sulman Prize. Her work is held in public and private collections throughout Australia.

Head to the link in my bio for our podcast conversation

Images 

RS image: Danny Sweaney, Oh Boy Agency

Dreams and Imaginings, 2024

acrylic on polycotton

40 x 50 cm, 42.5 x 52.5 cm

Endless Blue, 2024

acrylic on polycotton

50 x 70 cm, 52.5 x 72.5 cm

Out of the Blue, 2024

acrylic on polycotton

95 x 135 cm, 97.5 x 137.5 cm 

Parts of the whole, 2025

acrylic on polycotton

50 x 70 cm, 52.5 x 72.5 cm

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 37 Daphne Mayo and Vida Lahey - 

A conversation with Samantha Littley QAGOMA

Samantha Littley is a distinguished Australian art curator who, for the last 6 years has been the Curator of Australian Art at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art. With a diverse background spanning major cultural institutions including the Australian War Memorial, National Gallery of Australia, and Australian National University, Samantha brings extensive expertise to contemporary and historical Australian art and is the curator of the magnificent ‘Under a Modern Sun: Art in Queensland 1930s–1950s’ at the Queensland Art Gallery from 16 August 2025. 

Vida Lahey and Daphne Mayo feature in the exhibition. 

Vida Lahey was a pioneering Australian artist whose work and advocacy played a formative role in Queensland’s cultural development. Known for her vibrant still lifes, sensitive landscapes, and iconic painting "Monday Morning”. 

Daphne Mayo MBE was known for her work in sculpture, particularly the tympanum of Brisbane City Hall and the Women's War Memorial in ANZAC Square. She’s one of Australia's most significant C20th sculptors at a time when the field was overwhelmingly dominated by men. She created some of Brisbane's most iconic public monuments but also challenged societal expectations.

Their work together in advocating for arts and artists in Qld is legendary.

Head to the link in my bio for the episode

Images

1.  DM working on Bris City Hall Tympanum 1930

2.   Working on Qld’s Women’s War Memorial 1932

3.   Fat man 1940 bronze 29 x 9.8 x 15

4.   VL Monday morning 1912 oil on canvas 153 x 122.7

5.   Sultry noon (Central Station Brisbane) 1931 oil on canvas on plywood 44.7x49.2

6.   Building the bridge 1931 watercolour & gouache over pencil on wove paper on         cardboard 25.3 x 30.3

7.   Art and nature 1934 watercolour 52.5 x 60.6 (includes the relief by DM)

8.  A mixed bunch 1936 watercolour on cream wove paper 40 x 40