The Good Oil
by Graeme Douglas
The Good Oil is dedicated to long form conversations with Aotearoa / New Zealand painters about their lives and practices.
Podcast episodes
Season 2
EP 24 Michael Smither
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.
EP 23 Emily Wolfe
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.
EP 22 Ayesha Green
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
EP 21 Laura Williams
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
EP 20 Claudia Kogachi and Josephine Jelicich
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