Episodes
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In this episode, I sat down with Martin Poppelwell at the Melanie Roger gallery surrounded by his new work included in a recent group show.
Martin has established an impressive multi disciplinary practice, with paintings and ceramics complimenting one another.
Martin’s work is held in numerous public and private collections locally and internationally, including Te Papa Tongarewa, the Lawrence B. Benenson Collection in New York, Reydan Weiss Collection in NZ/Germany and Reverend Ian Brown Collection, Australia.
He is represented by SPA_CE Gallery in Napier and Melanie Roger gallery in Tamaki Makaurau.
There are images of the paintings and ceramics that we talk about on The Good Oil Martin Poppelwell Instagram Post for your reference.
You’ll hear Martin talk about how important to his overall practice studying ceramic design and production at the Whanganui Polytechnic has been, the origin of his grid motif and how it contributes to composition and philosophical approach to painting, how Samuel Beckett provided a new perspective on what his painting could be, the challenges he deliberately creates for himself in paintings and the time consuming, multi layered process he follows to prepare the surface of a canvas to make it look like there isn’t any preparation at all.
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For this episode, I visited Dame Robin White earlier this year at her home and studio in Masterton.
Robin is one of our most distinguished painters, holding, among other qualifications, a Diploma in Fine Arts from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. She has been appointed as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to painting and print making and has been the recipient of numerous awards including the New Zealand Arts Icon Award.
Her work is held in numerous public and private collections including Te Papa Tongarewa, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, The National Gallery of Victoria, The Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History, The National Gallery of Australia and The Dunedin Public Art Gallery. She is also the subject of several books, including the excellent ‘Something Is Happening Here - Robin White’ by Sarah Farrar, Jill Trevelyan and Nina Tonga, and has exhibited widely, including a major retrospective show in 2022 and 2023.
She is represented by McLeavey Gallery in Te Whanganui a Tara or Two Rooms gallery in Auckland.
There are images of the paintings and tapa cloth that we talk about on The Good Oil Dame Robin White Instagram Post for your reference.
You’ll hear Robin talk about the power of working collaboratively, her time living in Kiribati, her first encounter with Sam Hunt and their resulting friendship, how geometry and tone sit at the heart of some of her most famous paintings, the Gaylene Preston film about her that is currently in production, and you know that question I ask everyone about ‘what work or artist work they would love to live with? Well, Robin has a particularly insightful answer to that.
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In this episode I visit Gavin Hurley at his home and studio in Grey Lynn, Auckland.
Gavin graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. His works have been exhibited at, or are held in collections of, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and The Suter Te Aratoi o Whakatū, in Nelson. He is represented by Melanie Roger Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau and Space Gallery in Napier.
There are images of the paintings and sculptures that we talk about on The Good Oil Gavin Hurley Instagram Post for your reference.
You’ll hear Gavin talk about his inability to paint portraits of any living subjects, a misguided aspiration to be more business like (that nevertheless lead to a great body of work), the close and useful relationship between collage and painting in his practice, his love of old books and their paper stocks as reference and material, how mutton chop sideburns and beards make for great shapes to paint, and how revisiting works in preparation for a show at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery makes him realise how different life was when he painted them.
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In this episode I visit Seung Yul Oh at his home and studio in Pt Chevalier, Auckland
In the last 20 years since graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and then Master of Fine Arts from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland, Seung has established a widely celebrated practice encompassing sculpture and painting.
His work can be seen across Aotearoa, including at the Brick Bay sculpture park, as part of the exterior of the Te Pae Ōtautahi Convention Centre, and is held in numerous public and private collections including Te Papa Tongarewa, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, The Dunedin Public Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Victoria.
There are images of the paintings and sculptures that we talk about on The Good Oil Seung Yul Oh Instagram Post for your reference.
You’ll hear Seung talk about how pleasantly surprised he was by his secondary school art classes in NZ, how his Sonority minimalist colour field paintings are an examination of self through colours, the wholly emotional approach to choosing colour for those abstract minimalist paintings, contrasted with trying to be as much like a soulless robot as possible in actually applying the paint to create them, the importance of getting lost to allow discovery, but how difficult that can be sometimes and how he pushes through that, and how new loose mark making abstract works have prompted him to pluck up the courage to return to working with oil paint.
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In this episode I visit Michael Smither at his home and studio in the Coromandel.
Michael is one of Aotearoa's most accomplished painters, exhibited his first solo show in 1961, he is now into the 7th decade of his practice. His work is held in numerous public and private collections including Te Papa Tonga-rewa, The Fletcher Collection, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and The Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
Michael has received several awards and honours, including being the recipient of the 1970 Frances Hodgkins Fellowship and he was appointed to the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004 for services to the arts. He has also had several books about him published, including the comprehensive and excellent ‘Michael Smither - Painter’ by Trish Gribben.
There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Michael Smither Instagram Post for your reference.
You’ll hear Michael talk about the importance and influence of the 12 Stations of The Cross on him, and then his rendering of it for his then local church, St Josephs in Taranaki, poaching fish and painting political protests with Ralph Hotere, his love for English painter Sir Stanley Spencer and his influence on his practice, the relationship between his landscape paintings and his portrait paintings and the new, and I must say very impressive, series of portrait paintings of his Dr, Dr David Wilson.
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In this episode I visit Emily Wolfe at Melanie Roger Gallery in Tamaki Makaurau while she was in Aotearoa for the opening of her show ‘Long Distance.’
Emily graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland in 1996, then completed her Master of Fine Arts at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, graduating in 2000.
Emily has exhibited consistently since then, with over twenty solo shows. She has several awards and residencies throughout the United Kingdom and is held in numerous public and private collections including the University of Auckland Art Collection.
Emily is represented by Melanie Roger Gallery in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau, Page Galleries in Te Whanganui A Tara Wellington and Benjamin Parsons in Oxford in the UK.
There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Emily Wolfe Instagram Post for your reference.
You’ll hear Emily talk about never being sure of a painting is going to work out, the hope that she’ll one day get better as a painter, spending too much time inside, including not being able to bring herself to leave the studio to join Don Binney's outdoor landscape class at Elam, the importance of imperfection in subject matter, the parallels she found in the layers of London clay and time as an archaeologist and layers of paint as a painter… and the joy she’s discovered in dehumidifiers.
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In this episode I visit Ayesha Green at Jhana Millers Gallery in Te Whanganui-a-Tara before she embarked on a move to the United Kingdom.
Ayesha is Ngāti Kahungunu, Kai Tahu. Among several qualifications, she has a GradDipArt, Specialising in Museums and Cultural Heritage, and a Master of Fine Arts from the Elam School of Fine Arts, both from the University of Auckland.
Her work is held in numerous public and private collections including Te Papa Tongarewa, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, The Dowse Art Museum, the MTG in the Hawkes Bay Tai Ahuriri and The Dunedin Public Art Gallery. She has exhibited at a number of public art galleries including the Tauranga Art Gallery,, Auckland Art Gallery, City Gallery in Wellington and Te Uru in Titirangi, and has a long list of awards and residencies to her name.
Ayesha is represented by Jhana Millers Gallery.
You’ll hear Ayesha speak about the sense of responsibility she has to her whanau, hapu and iwi in her practice, her want to interrogate and poke fun at propaganda, her relationship with Joseph Banks and the English Royal Family, the backhanded compliment that the current coalition government is paying to Māori and the role of botanicals and textiles in her paintings
We started by talking about Ayesha's childhood.
Links
Ayesha Green Jhana Millers Artist Web Page
The Good Oil Instagram
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In this episode I visit Laura Williams at her studio in Eden Terrace, Tamaiki Makaurau.
Laura is a self taught artist that has a Masters in Sociology from the University of Auckland. She has numerous exhibitions under her belt, including work being shown public galleries including Te Uru Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland, the SUter Gallery in Nelson and at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, and has work held in collections in Aotearoa, Australia and the US. She has been awarded several artist residencies, including the Wassiac Project Summer Artist Residency and the Golden Foundation Artists Residency. Laura is represented by Page Galleries in Wellington and Laree Payne Gallery in Kirikiriroa.
There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Laura WIlliams Instagram Post for your reference.
You’ll hear Laura speak about how her paintings are her version of hoarding, her inability to resist being puerile and mischievous, how she has harnessed the power of her ADHD and Asberger's in her practice, the influence of her Catholic upbringing, not being able to square the lifestyles of some priests with the teachings of Catholicism verse the more dedicated lifestyles of nuns…and her perverse satisfaction of hearing people talking about not liking her paintings.
Please note their are adult themes discussed in this episode - there are references to pornography and sexual assault, please make an informed choice about listening any further.
We started by talking about Laura’s exposure to art as a kid and getting trouble with nuns.
Links
Laura Williams Instagram
Page Galleries Laura Willliams Artist Page
Laree Payne Gallery Laura Willliams Artist Page
The Good Oil Instagram
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In this episode I visit Claudia Kogachi and Josephine Jelicich at their home in Auckland.
Claudia graduated with a BFA with first class honors from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. She has received numerous awards and art residencies including the Supreme Winner of the NZ Painting and Printmaking Award and Karakare House Artist Residency. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections including The Dowse ARt Museum and the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Punu O Waiwhetu. Claudia is represented by Jhana Millers in Wellington and Phillida Reid in London.
Josephine has a BFA from Massey University, with an additional years study at Nelsons Centre For Fine Woodworking. Her work has featured in shows including at Depot Art Space and Object Space, and is held in numerous private collections.
There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Claudia Kogachi and Josephine Jelicich Instagram Post.
A quick correction and apology especially to Josephine's Mum Nina - I persist throughout the interview in incorrectly referring to Claudia and Josephine's show at Laree Payne Gallery as ‘Nina’s For Flowers’. The correct title of that show is ‘Nina or Flowers’. Please also excuse some occasional background traffic noise.
I started by speaking just to Claudia, and you’ll hear her talk about how her paintings are an important record of memory, how she enjoys people identifying universal human themes in what are paintings of her personal experience and that her practice is an expression of joy and fun, but that it also helps her manage an awareness of mortality and grieving the loss of family.
Then Josephine joined us and we spoke about how working together for a show made complimenting depends on each other's practices, their mutual admiration for one another's work and how Claudia doesn’t feel like a work is finished until it has one of Josephine's frames around it.
Links
Claudia Kogachi Instagram
Josephine Jelicich Instagram
Jhana Millers Claudia Kogachi Web Page
Phillida Reid Claudia Kogachi Web Page
Laree Payne Nina For Flowers Exhibition Web Page
The Good Oil Instagram
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In this episode I visit Jeffrey Harris at his studio in Ōtepoti.
Jeffrey is a self taught artist that is over 50 years into his practice. His work is held in numerous public and private collections, including The Auckland At Gallery Toi O Tamaki, The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetu, The Fletchers Collection, Te Papa and The Dunedin Public At Gallery. Jeffrey has also been the subject of a book by Justin Paton, titled ‘Jeffrey Harris’, and has received several honors and awards.
There are images of the paintings we talk about on the The Good Oil Jeffrey Harris Instagram post.
In this episode you’ll hear Jeffrey talk about how he considers his bright palette an antidote to lots of NZ painting, how a chance encounter in the NZ Women's Weekly and then correspondence with Michael Smither connected Jeffrey with important figures in NZ Art History that his work now stands alongside, how the awareness of having limited time left is demanding that he makes the best works he possibly can, how a sense of being on the outside looking in with family has influenced his paintings of human relationships, working on single paintings for decades and how he feels about where paintings end up, for better and sometimes for worse.
Links
Jeffrey Harris Instagram Page
Suite Gallery Jeffrey Harris Web Page
The Good Oil Instagram
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In this episode I visit Emily Hartley-Skudder at her residency at the Francis Hodgkins Fellowship in Otēpoti at the University of Otago.
Emily graduated from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with First Class Honours in 2012. She has been the recipient of several scholarships and awards, and her work is held in numerous public and private collections including The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, The Hocken Collection, The Stevenson Collection and The Wellington City Council Me Heke Ki Pōneke Collection and the Gardner Family Collection.
There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Emily Hartley-Skudder Instagram Post.
In this episode you’ll hear Emily talk about the influence of film and film sets i her practice, the important role of photography, the fertile ground that bathrooms offer her to explore, her nod to the still life painting tradition, pushing back against what is the traditional colour palette in New Zealand painting, how she considers layering of paint as sculptural and avocado coloured baths.
Links
Emily Hartley-Skudder Instagram Page
Jhana Millers Gallery Emily Hartley-Skudder Artist Web Page
Jonathan Smart Gallery Emily Hartley-Skudder Artist Web Page
The Good Oil Instagram
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In this episode I visit Hamish Coleman in his studio in Otepoti.
Hamish graduated from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors in 2012, and has been the artist in residence at the Dunedin School of Art. He has exhibited throughout New Zealand, with his work held in public and private collections. Hamish's work walks a fascinating line of presenting what feels like a new, fresh approach to painting, while simultaneously capturing a sense of the somehow familiar New Zealand you’ve always known.
There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Hamish Coleman Instagram Post.
In this episode you’ll hear Hamish speak about finding unique, painterly source material in video stills, the presence of an Aotearoa Gothic aesthetic in his work, a want to include the equivalent of white noise into paintings, the use of interference paint pigments, how hard he works to make the work look effortless and the ongoing drive to paint motivated by not quite being able to put his finger on what he is trying to capture.
Links
Hamish Coleman Instagram Page
Season Gallery Hamish Coleman Artist Web Page
The Good Oil Instagram
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In this episode I visit Gretchen Albrecht at her recent show at Two Rooms gallery in Auckland.
After graduating from the The Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland with an Honors Degree in Painting in 1963, Gretchen quickly established what has become one of the most enduring and impressive abstract practices in NZ, with her much celebrated West Coast paintings and Hemisphere works, and continues to evolve her practice 60 years later.
Her work is held in numerous public and private collections including Te Papa, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, The Fletcher Collection, The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, The University of Auckland Art Collection and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Gretchen is a Francis Hodgkins Fellow and was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2000 for services to painting.
There are images of the paintings we talk about on The Good Oil Gretchen Albrecht Instagram post for your reference.
In this episode you'll hear Gretchen speak about the influence of her builder father and seamstress mother, being taught by Louise Henderson, the stored experiences of life that she draws on in her practice, her advice to young artists, the possibilities that different shaped stretchers offer and the secret figurative references she includes in her work for her to enjoy.
Links
Gretchen Albrecht Instagram
The Good Oil Instagram
Two Rooms Gretchen Albrecht Artist Web Page
Nadine Milne Gallery Gretchen Albrecht Artist Web Page
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In this episode I visit Imogen Taylor in her studio in Henderson, West Auckland.
Imogen has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Post Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts from the Elam School of Arts at the University of Auckland. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections including the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, The Fletcher Collection and The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki. In 2017 Imogen was the artist in residence at McCahon House, and in 2019 was the recipient of the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship.
There are images of the paintings we talk about on The Good Oil Imogen Taylor Instagram post for your reference.
In this episode you’ll hear Imogen talk about how she aspires to embody the same qualities that are reflected in the materials that she uses, her celebration of NZ regionalism in her practice by applying a drag sensibility to it, her clear appreciation for modernism, wanting to protect illegibility in painting, how heartbreaking she finds parting with work when it leaves the studio, she shamelessly reveals herself to be a colour nerd and not a very good painter.
Links
Imogen Taylor Instagram Page
Micheal Lett Imogen Taylor Artist Web Page
The Good Oil Instagram Page
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In this episode I visit Kirstin Carlin in her studio in Mt Roskill, Auckland.
Kirstin has a Master of Fine Arts from the Glasgow School of Art.Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, and she has exhibited widely locally and internationally, including at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
She is represented in NZ by Melanie Roger Gallery in Auckland, and regularly exhibits with The Central Art Gallery in Christchurch.
There are images of the works we talk about on The Good Oil Kirstin Carlin Instagram post for your to reference.
In this episode you’ll hear Kirstin speak about how she is influenced by slightly obscure Scottish painters, how much work never makes it out of the studio, how a throw away exercise in problem solving opened up unexpected new approaches to painting, a constant awareness of colour combinations the world presents, obsessing over Matisse… and some of her unlikely reference material.
Links
Kirstin Carlin Instagram Page
Melanie Roger Gallery Kirstin Carlin Artist Web Page
The Central Art Gallery Kirstin Carlin Artist Web Page
The Good Oil Instagram Page
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In this episode I speak with an honorary NZ painter that holds an Australian passport, Jude Rae.
Jude has a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of Sydney, a Graduate Diploma in Professional Art Studies from the University of NSW and a Master of Arts in Painting from the University of Canterbury.
Her work is held in numerous NZ and International public and private collections, including The Fletcher Collection, The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhtu, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Taimaki and Te Papa. She is represented in NZ by Two Rooms gallery in Auckland.
In this episode you’ll hear Jude speak about her formative and influential time spent in Christchurch, how doubt in her painting is a baseline state for her, her exploration of the complexities of vision mixed with our other senses and trying to capture that in her work and the unforgettable experience of driving through a Colin McCahon landscape for the first time.
Links
Jude Rae Instagram
Two Rooms Jude Rae Artist Page
The Good Oil Instagram Page
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In this episode I visit Dick Frizzell in his home and studio in Mt Eden, Auckland.
Dick is some six decades into a practice that is as diverse in output as it is long. He is responsible for some of the most iconic contemporary images of NZ art that reflect a drive of restless creativity that embraces artistic impression and applied art.
Dick holds a Diploma of Fine Art from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury. He has had countless exhibitions in the last 50 years and has also authored or illustrated several books. His work is held in numerous public and private collections including The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, Te Papa, The Fletcher Collection, The Ballin Collection and at your cousins house.
Dick is represented by Gow Langsford in Auckland, Page Galleries in Wellington, The Central Art Gallery in Ototahi and Milford Galleries in Dunedin and Queenstown.
In this episode you’ll hear Dick talk about how landscape painting offered a new subject and important salvation at a critical point in his life and practice, how his time at Ilam in the early 1960’s intersected with some of Aotearoa’s most influential painters… the steady flow of cease and desist letters arriving in his letterbox, the presence of Colin McCahon in his paintings… his fear of professionalism and how dumb the word ‘cauli’ is.
Links
Dick Frizzell Instagram
Gow Langsford Dick Frizzell Artist Web
PageMilford Galleries Dick Frizzell Artist Web Page
The Central Art Gallery Dick Frizzell Artist Web Page
It’s All About The Image book
The Good Oil Instagram Page
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In this episode I visit Arie Hellendoorn in his home and studio in Lower Hutt, Wellington.
Arie holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Massey University. He has exhibited in galleries in Australia and NZ for over 15 years and is held in several public and private collections including the Chris Parkin Collection and the Wellington City Council Collection. He is represented by Suite Gallery in Wellington and Auckland.
You’ll hear Arie talk about how he came to his hybrid approach that mixes representation, abstraction and portraiture, his interest in the microscopic and human anatomy informing his practice, the careful optical considerations of colour and colour mixing to create the effects he wants, the diverse range of unlikely tools he uses for applying paint and sourcing his favourite brushes by stealing them from his daughters watercolour set.
Links
Arie Hellendoorn Instagram Page
Suite Gallery Arie Hellendoorn Artist Page
The Good Oil Instagram Page
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In this episode I visit Stanley Palmer in his home and studio in Mt Eden, Auckland.
Stanley has established one of the most enduring practices in NZ, now into his 7th decade of painting and print making. He has been exhibiting regularly since 1958 including in NZ, Australia, Italy, Japan and India. In 2002 he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to fine art.
His work is held in countless public and private collections including Te Papa, The University of Auckland art collection, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu and the The Govett Brewster Art GalleryStanley is represented by Melanie Roger Gallery in Auckland, Solander Gallery in Wellington and The Central Gallery in Christchurch
In this episode you’ll hear Stanley talk about the influence of writing in his practice, the inspiration of encountering tapa cloths at the Auckland Museum early in his career, his distrust of commercially manufactured paints and painting water colours for his aunts to get out of having to instead mow their lawns.
Stanley Palmer Wikipedia WebPage
Melanie Roger Gallery Stanley Palmer Artist Web Page
Solander Gallery Stanley Palmer Artist Web Page
The Central Gallery Stanley Palmer Artist Web Page
The Good Oil Instagram Page
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In this episode I visit Hannah Ireland in her home and studio in Mt Eden, Auckland.
Hannah is Ngāti Hinē and Ngapuhi. While still an emerging artist, she has quickly established herself as unique painter, employing a fresh and gutsy approach to every aspect of her practice, from supports, materials and mark making that made an immediate and lasting impression on me the first time I encountered her work, and every time since.
Hannah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors from the University of Auckland. She has won several awards, including being Molly Morpeth Canaday Award Supreme Winner in 2021 and the University of Auckland Chancellors Award for top Maori and Pacific Scholars. She will present her first public solo show at Te Uru Gallery in Titirangi Auckland in August this year, and has several dealer gallery shows to her name since 2020. She is represented by Jhana Millers in Wellington and Laree Payne in Hamilton.
In this episode you’ll hear Hannah talk about how her nana’s family photo albums inspired an interest in portraits as an outcome of observation, a determination not to be pigeonholed and using that as a motivation to keep experimenting in materials and supports, learning to embrace not being in control of materials to let surprises happen, that silliness is always very important, and a key moment of discovery in her practice born out of squishing her art school peers faces into a photocopier.
Hannah Ireland Instagram
Jhana Millers Hannah Ireland Artist Web Page
Layree Payne Gallery Hannah Ireland Exhibition Web Page
Sanc Gallery Hannah Ireland Exhibition Page
The Good Oil Instagram Page
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