Talking with Painters

Ep 172: Ann Thomson on International Women’s Day

08 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A short highlights video will be uploaded to the TWP YouTube channel  In this special International Women’s Day episode I speak with acclaimed arti...

Ep 171: Mary Tonkin

28 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch highlights from this conversation on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel I loved this conversation with Mary Tonkin at the S.H. Ervin Gall...

Ep 170: Aida Tomescu – ‘Messiaen’

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A highlights video from this episode will also be coming soon to the Talking with Painters YouTube channel In this episode, I visit the studio of accl...

Ep 169: 12 finalists, 12 landscapes

04 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch an edited video version of this episode on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel here Podcast listeners see the works we talk about here or ...

Ep 168 Sophie Cape wins the Hadley’s Art Prize

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch an edited video version of this conversation on the YouTube channel here Sophie Cape has just taken out the $100,000 Hadley’s Art Prize for la...

Ep 167 Remembering William Robinson with Davida Allen (2020)

27 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Australia has lost one of its great painters. William Robinson has passed away at the age of 89. I was lucky enough to meet Bill in 2020 when I interv...

Ep 166: Julie Fragar wins the 2025 Archibald Prize

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch an  edited video version of this conversation on the YouTube channel here It’s one of the most thrilling days on the Australian art calendar—...

Ep 165: Richard Lewer

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch this interview on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel here  Step into the gripping world of Richard Lewer — where drawing, painting, an...

Ep 164: New Videos, Loading Dock Invite & What’s Next

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

Robert Malherbe and Keith Burt (live at the Tweed Regional Gallery)

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

See the video version of the interview on YouTube here My conversation with two remarkable Australian artists, Robert Malherbe and Keith Burt was in ...

Ingrid Hedgcock at the Margaret Olley Art Centre

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ingrid Hedgcock, director of the Tweed Regional Gallery, shows me around the amazing Margaret Olley Art Centre which is the relocation of Margaret Oll...

Sophie Perez and Sarah McDonald (with edited version on YouTube)

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

See an edited version of this episode (5 mins) on the talking with Painters YouTube channel An artist’s residency provides more than just unin...

Karen Black

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Podcast listeners click here to view the works Through layers of paint in varying translucency, Karen Black explores not only the physical nature of t...

Laura Jones wins the 2024 Archibald Prize

09 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the video version of my interview with Laura Jones here on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel Congratulations to previous podcast guest L...

The Loading Dock Interviews (also on YouTube)

19 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

See the video version of this episode on the TWP YouTube channel here.  This is my 5th collection of Loading Dock Interviews of entrants to the Archi...

Caroline Zilinsky

21 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

See highlights of this interview on the YouTube Channel Caroline Zilinsky’s paintings freeze pivotal moments in our culture’s history, enc...

The Story Behind the Painting (Part 2)

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Podcast listeners click here to see images of the work Over the years, podcast guests have shared some fascinating back stories to paintings they hav...

The story behind the painting: Fantauzzo, Flint, Quilty and Dobell

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Podcast listeners click here to see images of the works Over the years, podcast guests have shared some fascinating back stories to paintings they hav...

Inspiration from the archives | The Flow State

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Podcast guests talk with me about the flow state! See below for timestamps and links to each guest’s full podcast interview and video 3:39 Julie...

Jan Senbergs

02 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Above photo of Jan Senbergs by Riste Andrievski Click play for my podcast introduction to this interview and scroll down for the transcript. Podcast l...

‘Kandinsky’ with co-curator Jackie Dunn and artist Desmond Lazaro

05 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

See a video version of the interview with curator Jackie Dunn here See a video version of the interview with artist Desmond Lazaro here The largest ex...

James Powditch live at the AGNSW

21 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a conversation between James Powditch and Maria Stoljar in front of an audience at the Art Gallery of NSW, recorded by the Art G...

Inspiration from the Archives | Risk

07 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Risk. Some painters want it in their toolbox while others are terrified by it. But nearly every painter will tell you that you need it in order to mo...

Inspiration from the Archives | Colour (Part 2)

10 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

More inspiration from the archives! Here are another 12 past podcast guests talking with me about colour. Links to full podcast conversations and YouT...

Inspiration from the Archives | Colour (Part 1)

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode I’m bringing you some gems from the archives. Leading artists talk with me about colour! Episodes of featured artists: Jo Bertini ...

Ann Thomson in her 90th year

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Watch an edited version of this conversation (4 mins) on the YouTube channel here Ann Thomson, one of Australia’s most important artists, might...

Francis Giacco at his Australian Galleries exhibition

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the edited video version of this podcast episode on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel The exhibition of Francis Giacco’s paintings...

When I won that art prize (part 4) – Georgia Spain

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the final episode of the series ‘When I won that art prize’ we go back to 2021 when a 27 year old Georgia Spain won the Sir John Sulman Prize a...

When I won that art prize (part 3) – Megan Seres

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I’m taking you back to my interview with Megan Seres who won the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize in 2016.  Megan received the $1...

Archibald winner Julia Gutman

06 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You can see an edited video version of the interview with Julia Gutman here Australia’s most famous art prize was awarded yesterday at the Art G...

When I won that art prize (part 2)- James Drinkwater

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In part 2 of the series ‘When I won that art prize’ we go back to episode 29 when James Drinkwater recalled winning the Brett Whiteley Tra...

When I won that art prize (part 1) – Prudence Flint

22 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Golden moments from the archives! While I’m busy updating my YouTube channel and taking a break from new interviews, I’m thrilled to bring...

Idris Murphy: Backblocks (live at the S.H.Ervin Gallery)

18 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

See the YouTube video of Maria Stoljar’s earlier conversation with Idris Murphy here Last Thursday I was thrilled to speak with Idris Murphy, ...

Yvette Coppersmith

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

See video highlights of this interview on the YouTube channel here For those of you interested in portraiture in Australia, Yvette Coppersmith needs ...

Anthony White

02 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The gestural marks in Anthony White’s work are often bold and demanding of the viewer’s attention. These abstract works vary from swirlin...

Paul Newton (part 2)

28 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Most artists know that painting a portrait in a tradition where colour and form appear realistic takes years of training where trial and error play an...

Paul Newton (part 1)

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It was the 80s. Paul Newton had finished a science degree and was a singer in a band. He sensed, though, that this was not meant to be his life’...

Belinda Street

27 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard to define what makes a good landscape painting but, if you investigate the backstory, you might find the artist has a close connection...

Nicholas Harding (2019)

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We lost one of our greatest artists last night. Nicholas Harding – landscape, still life and portrait painter – and my heart sank when I h...

Fred Fowler

15 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You can also see a short video of Fred in his studio here There is something mesmerising about Fred Fowler’s paintings. The multitude of small, col...

Jacqui Stockdale and ‘Heads of the Family’

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jacqui Stockdale is a previous podcast guest . I asked her back onto the show after I saw a series of moving portraits she posted on Instagram.  Her...

Idris Murphy

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

See an edited video version of this conversation on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel here  ‘Colour, for me, is the main game’ Id...

Luke Sciberras (uncut)

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For over 25 years, previous podcast guest Luke Sciberras has been immersing himself in landscapes across the world, returning to his studio to draw on...

Daniel Boyd

03 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Click play for the podcast episode – you can also watch an edited video version of this episode on the TWP YouTube channel.  Most artists remem...

Sam Leach

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Scroll down to watch two videos of Sam on the TWP YouTube channel. In 2010 Sam Leach won the Archibald and Wynne Prizes, two of Australia’s most...

Blak Douglas, Nicholas Harding, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s that time of the year! The winners of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes have been announced at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and ...

Del Kathryn Barton – ‘the women who fell to earth’

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of Australia’s most significant artists returns to the podcast! Del Kathryn Barton spoke with me the day before the opening of her spectacular e...

Steve Lopes -‘Encountered’

10 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

See video highlights of this conversation on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel It’s not often that an artist gets to see almost a quarte...

Marikit Santiago

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Marikit Santiago is one of Australia’s most impressive artists, combining a skilful representational painting technique with powerful imagery. M...

Summer Series – Tom Carment

27 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I interviewed the acclaimed artist Tom Carment for the podcast in 2019 and this episode is the extended audio recording from video I filmed in his stu...

Summer Series – Nicole Kelly

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is the second episode of my summer series where I’m bringing you longer conversations with past podcast guests, from recordings when taking vid...

Ep 121: Summer Series – Joshua Yeldham

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In podcast episode 101 I spoke with leading Australian artist Joshua Yeldham in the lead-up to his sell-out show ‘Providence’ at Arthouse Gallery ...

Ep 120: Robert Malherbe

19 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Whether it’s a moody vase of flowers, a reclining nude or the incredible ridges of the Blue Mountains, Robert Malherbe depicts his subject matter in...

Ep 119: Justin Paton, curator of ‘Matisse: Life and Spirit’

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A video version of this episode can be viewed here Justin Paton is the co-curator of the most exciting exhibition to arrive on Sydney’s doorstep sin...

Ep 118 Fiona Verity and Julie Nicholson from the Art Wank podcast

28 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fiona Verity and Julie Nicholson have a lot in common; they were both born in the UK, both met their husbands while backpacking in Australia, are both...

Ep 117: Julian Meagher

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Watch highlights of this episode on the YouTube channel The impacts of COVID have challenged the world in a multitude of ways, but for Sydney artist J...

Ep 116: Aida Tomescu (uncut)

17 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

See the YouTube video version of this podcast episode here Fresh out of Sydney lockdown, the incredible works of Aida Tomescu are showing both in Sydn...

Ep 115: The Archibald Winners

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Scroll down for transcript If you’ve been listening to this podcast over the years, you would probably know I’m a self-confessed Archibald tragic....

Ep 114: Kim Leutwyler

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Many Australians may have seen Kim Leutwyler’s work without ever having set foot in a gallery. In 2019 her impressive Archibald painting of televisi...

Ep 113: Georgia Spain

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of Georgia Spain’s paintings was taking up more than its fair share of her Tasmanian studio. So she thought one way of freeing up some room ...

Ep 112: Jo Bertini

10 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jo Bertini’s recent exhibition at Sydney’s Arthouse Gallery, ‘Songs of Dry Hills’, alluringly portrayed the landscape she is drawn to repe...

Ep 111: Joanna Logue – ‘Alone on the Marsh’

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

‘Everyone has a COVID story’ Joanna Logue told me when we spoke recently about her show with Scott Livesey Galleries in Melbourne. Part o...

Ep 110: Robin Eley

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve all been there. You see an artwork and think ‘surely, that is a photo’. But as you get closer and read the description, you accept...

Ep 109: Filippa Buttitta (with Louisa Chircop)

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In early 2020, as COVID was sweeping the world, Filippa Buttitta (pictured right) was facing her own personal crisis. She had been working on her ent...

Ep 108: Guido Maestri

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

See my video of Guido Maestri painting in the field on the TWP YouTube channel A riverbank in the Australian bush would be the perfect plein air locat...

Ep 107: Guy Warren

14 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

‘National treasure’, ‘legend,’ ‘inspiration’. These were just some of the reactions from my Instagram followers wh...

Ep 106: Vincent Namatjira

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The name Namatjira is a famous one. Vincent Namatjira’s great-grandfather, Albert Namatjira, was one of Australia’s great painters, uniquely depic...

Ep 105: Summer Series – Tony Costa

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Costa won the Archibald prize in 2019 with his stunning painting of contemporary artist Lindy Lee. I caught up with him a few weeks later in his ...

Ep 104: Summer Series – Susan Baird

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019 I travelled 4 hours west of Sydney, past the Blue Mountains, driving through winding bush roads until I arrived at Hill End, the historic gold...

Ep 103: Summer Series – Euan Macleod

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

My recent conversation with leading artist Euan Macleod is the first in a summer series of extended audio recordings from videos I’ve taken of my po...

Ep 102: Antonia Perricone Mrljak

11 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Antonia Mrljak’s art exudes a dynamic force. It mirrors her personality – one of energy, vibrancy and a sure sense of direction. She is on...

Ep 101: Joshua Yeldham

09 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joshua Yeldham’s imagery is steeped in nature. His large works range from portraying the landscape with its stunning mystical trees, to figures ...

Ep 100: Archibald Wynne and Sulman tour

01 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An edited version of this episode is also a video which you can see here: When I started this podcast in July 2016 with no knowledge of audio recordi...

Ep 99: Wendy Sharpe and ‘Magic’

21 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You can also watch this episode as a video here. To hear the episode as an audio podcast click on ‘play’ above. Leading artist Wendy Sharp...

Ep 98: Wayne Tunnicliffe, curator of ‘Streeton’

11 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the late 19th century, impressionism swept through the art world. In Australia, a group of young artists embraced the new movement – they wou...

Ep 97: Jude Rae and ‘424-428’

21 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After months of disruption and pessimism wreaked by the global pandemic, seeing Jude Rae’s exhibition ‘424-428’ at The Commercial in...

Ep 96: Scott Bevan on William Dobell

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Reading Scott Bevan’s biography of 20th century artist William Dobell is like viewing one of Dobell’s portraits; Scott takes us behind the exterio...

Ep 95: Louisa Chircop

11 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Creating her work through intuition, Louisa Chircop takes us into another world – the world of her subconscious. Dreamlike landscapes containin...

Ep 94: William Mackinnon and ‘Learning to love the wind’

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

William Mackinnon is a previous podcast guest. In this episode we talk about his show with Hugo Michell Gallery, ‘Learning to love the wind&#821...

Ep 93: Belinda Fox

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Belinda Fox’s work is extraordinary. Whether it’s an intricate bird in mid-flight or abstract geometric forms, she combines paint, printmaking...

Ep 92: Tim Maguire

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Maguire is one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists, acclaimed internationally for his astonishing large scale paintings.  From afar...

Ep 91: Colin Pennock

17 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Colin Pennock’s work could be described as landscape painting but it certainly doesn’t fall into that category in any traditional sense. ...

Ep 90: Emily Imeson

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A true plein air painter, Emily Imeson has spent the last two years living a nomadic lifestyle travelling around Australia with her partner in their b...

Ep 89: Lucas Grogan

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There’s no mistaking a Lucas Grogan work. Whether it’s a mural, an ink drawing or an intricate quilt, his detailed monochromatic pa...

Ep 88: Peter O’Doherty and ‘The distance between us’

22 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Since episode 87 the world has changed. Those huge changes to our whole society and way of life, brought about by the threat of COVID-19, have coinci...

Ep 87: Davida Allen in conversation with William Robinson

08 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Davida Allen and William Robinson, two of Australia’s leading painters, are not only both Archibald winners and Queenslanders but have been frie...

Ep 86: Ian Fairweather (part 2): Ann Thomson

23 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Few other artists have captured Australia’s imagination quite like Ian Fairweather. This is the second part of a double episode on this 20th ce...

Ep 85: Ian Fairweather (part 1): Claire Roberts

22 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Learning about someone through their letters is a fascinating exercise and this is precisely what Claire Roberts set out to do when she amassed over 7...

Ep 84: David Griggs

02 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Stepping into David Griggs’ Sydney studio in the lead up to his show at Roslyn Oxley9 gallery was a sensory experience. The scale of his pa...

Ep 83: Philip Wolfhagen

19 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Driving to Philip Wolfhagen’s home outside Launceston, Tasmania, was a dreamlike experience. Unlike the dry landscape of drought-affected NSW (w...

Ep 82: Best of 2019

31 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Looking back at the artists of 2019! Listen to this podcast episode for highlights of my conversations with the amazing Australian painters listed bel...

Ep 81: Lisa Slade, curator of ‘Quilty’

08 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This is not the first time curator Lisa Slade has brought the paintings of Ben Quilty to viewers in Australia, but of those previous exhibitions none...

Ep 80: Ben Quilty

16 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you are interested in the arts in Australia you will know of Ben Quilty. He is one of the country’s most acclaimed contemporary artists. In t...

Ep 79: Kathrin Longhurst

03 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

During the Cold War, the Soviet Bloc and the West were separated in various ways but probably none so dramatically as the Berlin Wall. Erected in 1961...

Ep 78: Tom Carment

14 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Carment has been painting and writing for over 45 years but it was in his mid twenties that he decided his work would be created solely from life....

Ep 77: Susan Baird

22 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As a child, it never occurred to Susan Baird that she might one day be a painter. She left school at 16 and, after a year of study, found a job workin...

Ep 76: Tim Storrier

25 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Storrier’s work sweeps you into his imagination: burning ropes in the desert, clothes wrapped around a torso-shaped void, mood-filled skies ...

Ep 75: Nicole Kelly

04 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Nicole Kelly is one of Australia’s most interesting emerging artists. Her landscapes and portraits are filled with reminiscence and emotion. She’...

Ep 74: The Archibald

17 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s your guide to the paintings of the 13 podcast guests whose works were shortlisted in the 2019 Archibald prize. Go to episodes 72 and 73 f...

Ep 73: The Wynne

17 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s your guide to the paintings of the seven podcast guests whose works were shortlisted in the 2019 Wynne prize. Go to episodes 72 and 74 fo...