Australian Women Artists

Australian Women ArtistsThe PodcastEp. 15    Virginia CuppaidgeVirginia 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 ArtistsThe PodcastEp. 14 Susan BairdSusan 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 ArtistsThe 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 SutherlandJane 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:Obstruction, Box Hill, 1887 oil on canvas, 41.3x31.1cmThe mushroom gatherers 1895 oil on canvas 41.8x99.3The mushroom gatherers (detail)Little Gossips, 1888, oil on canvas, 48.5 x 36.0After autumn rains, 1893, oil on canvas 61x112Field naturalists, 1896 ol on canvas 80.9x121.3

Australian Women ArtistsThe podcastEpisode 12 Wendy Sharpe AMThere 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 182x1452. Lilikoi Kaos - Circus Oz, 2016 oil on canvas 210x1663. Self Portrait with Bernard Ollis 2009 oil on canvas 180x2004. One of the eight 5m long panels for the Annette Kellerman mural for the Cook +       Philip Pool in Sydney5. Wendy Sharpe, Self-portrait as Diana of Erskineville, 1996 Archibald winner oil           on canvas 210x1726. Black Sun - morning to night, 1986 Sulman Prize (joint) winner, oil on canvas     triptych: 138 x 92 cm each

Australian Women ArtistsThe PodcastEpisode 11 Belynda HenryBelynda 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 122x1223.   Golden Wattle, 2025 oil and wax on linen 152x1224.   Eucalyptus No. 3, acrylic and pastel on canvas 215x2155.   Full Moon Shimmer, acrylic and pastel with oil and wax on linen 152x1226.   Louise Olsen, a beautiful summary, 2016 Archibald Prize finalist, acrylic and pastel on polyester canvas 157x116

Australian Women ArtistsPodcast ep. 10Louise OlsenA 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 ArtistsPodcast episode 9Annika 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 ArtistsThe podcastEpisode 8Petrina HicksA 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.        PH2.        Shenae and Jade, 2005 lightjet print 85.5x803.        Lauren with Fruit 2011 lightjet print 145x1444.        The Unbearable Lightness of Being 2015 pigment print 77x1005.        Shewolf 1 2016 pigment inkjet print 100x1296.        Peach study 2018 pigment inkjet print 100x1007.        Mnemosyne II 2024 archival pigment print 90x1208.        Memento mori I 2024 pigment print on cotton rag 120x90

Australian Women ArtistsThe PodcastEpisode 7Dr 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. Self portrait, 1932 oil on canvas 76.2x61.2 AGNSWSelf portrait, 1934 oil on canvas 43.1x36.3 Nat. Portrait GalleryArchibald Prize Winner, Madame Elink Schuurman, 1938, oil on canvas 87x68Nora Heysen with her Archibald winning portrait, Photo:Tim Clayton/Fairfax mediaPortrait of Nora Heysen at work, 1939 gelatine silver photograph 18.5x14.2 Harold Cazneaux Matron Annie Sage, 1944, oil on canvas 76.6x56.4 Aust War MemorialIntentionally 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 belowInterior The Cedars (image: RG) which hosted Nellie Melba, Laurence Olivier, Edmund Hillary, Anna Pavlov, Marcel Marceau. If the walls could talk!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 ArtistsThe podcastEpisode 6Eliza GosseEliza 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.   Paintings1.    Grapefruit, Burnt Toast and Raspberry Jam 2023 acrylic on canvas 132x1222.    Eucalyptus and Gum-nuts Collected From An Afternoon Walk 2023 acrylic on canvas 152x1823.    Ocean Views Can be Glimpsed Beyond 2023 acrylic on canvas 180x1504.    In My Grandmother’s Garden (a preview glimpse from Eliza’s new solo show at Edwina Corlette Gallery opening 9/5/255.    Breakfast at Ours (Archibald finalist) 2023 oil on board 2 panels, 137.5x86.6 and 145.5x97