By the way, this episode is part of a series I’m delivering this season for the McCahon House Parehuia Residency, celebrating their 20th Anniversary, where I’m volunteering the services of The Good Oil to highlight the wonderful and important work they do, and some of their very impressive alumni, which includes Neke.

Neke is Te Whare Papaīra, Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

She has several qualifications in arts and teaching, including Diploma of Design and Art, from Te Wānanga-ō-Rau-kawa.

Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, including Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Dowse Art Museum, and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. She is also the recipient of several art prizes and residencies, including the McCahon House Parehuia residency.

Neke is represented by Season Gallery in Tamaki Makaurau.

There are images of the works that we talk about on The Good Oil Neke Moa Instagram Post for your reference. I’ve also included a list of some of the te reo Māori that is in the episode, just in case you’re not familiar with all those words.

You’ll hear Neke explain that her practice is always a collaborative one, even when she is in the studio by herself, how and why her work is sometimes respected more overseas than it is in Aotearoa, the role of activism in the practice and works, how the historical pakeha definition of art and value systems devalued Maori practices and therefore excluded the preservation of some taonga, and how toi Māori is in a new evolutionary phase.

Graham has several qualifications to him name, including a Master of Fine Arts (with Hons) and a Doctor of Fine Arts, both from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. He has shown in numerous solo and group shows for over 25 years, and his work is held in many private and public collections, including in the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The Sarjeant Galley Te Whare o Rehua and the Dowse Art Museum, and has a long list of awards and residencies to his name.

He is represented by Gow Langsford Gallery in Auckland and Milford Gallery in Ōtepote Dunedin.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Graham Fletcher Instagram Post for your reference.

You’ll hear Graham talk about how the combination of a visit to a home in Mt Eden and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and architecture magazines have had an unexpected and huge impact in the eventual direction of his practice, the relationship between tribal works and contemporary paintings that appear as subjects in his work, the role of the surreal, perfect world of advertisements of the 1960’s as rich reference material and the main lesson that he has taken from Matisse.

Ruby holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Massey University College of Creative Arts, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, and is currently in the Master of Fine Arts program at Victoria College of Arts, Melbourne University.

Her work is held in numerous public and private collections in Aotearoa, including in the Arts House Trust Collection, and she won the supreme winner of the New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Award in 2021, and has exhibited in over a dozen solo and group shows since 2020.

She is represented by Jhana Millers Gallery in Wellington.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Ruby Wilkinson Instagram Post for your reference.

You’ll hear Ruby speak about the interesting role figuration has in her process of abstract painting, why she thinks the nature of a her intuitive painting practice is one that so readily translates to viewers, how her paintings can include a lot of private elements that viewers will never see, how she considers a single painting that we see, a layer of multiple paintings that she has created, and, as you’ll hear right throughout the episode, a theme of a young painter that is carefully guiding her evolution with a series of restrictions and deliberate lessons.

Grace holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts (with First Class Honours) from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland.

She has several awards and residencies to her name, including being the recipient of the 2026 Toi Tauranga Art Gallery Patrons Project and the 2017 Parlour Projects Residency in Hastings. Her work is held in numerous private collections in Aotearoa and internationally, and has exhibited in over 20 solo or group shows.

She is represented by Gow Langsford Gallery in Auckland and Ames Yavuz Gallery in Sydney, Singapore and London.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Grace Wright Instagram Post for your reference.

You’ll hear Grace speak about an experiment a few years into her practice which created an historical atmosphere that delivered a significant shift in the paintings, the constant wrestle she has with the paradox that exists in her practice, how reading broadly is an important experiential parallel to her painting, that she is drawing on a unique, unbiased mix including Baroque religious representation, mystics like Hilma af Klint and concepts held by quantum physics as a kind of collective awe of imperfect knowledge to explore painting.

John holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland.

He has work held in numerous public and private collections, including the Chartwell collection, the Pah Homestead collection and the Govett-Brewster Gallery collection, he has exhibited in over 35 solo or group shows, and has been the recipient of several art awards and residencies, including being the The Francis Hodgkins Fellowship recipient in 2015.

He is represented by Robert Heald Gallery in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Ivan Anthony in Auckland and Darren Knight Gallery in Sydney / Gadigal land.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil John Ward Knox Instagram Post for your reference.

You’ll hear John speak about the pace and footprint he wants for himself and the practice, the active role of writing as a parallel to works and exhibitions, a belief that his role as an artist is to create space for someone to exist, but also how viewers can implicate themselves in the duration, or destruction, of the objects that he creates, his relationship to rural, small town and big city Aotearoa, and how he managed to sustain eight years of painting from a single $38 tube of paint.

Simon is of Ngāi Tahu, Chinese and Pākeha descent. He has a Diploma of Fine Arts, with Honours, from Otago Polytechnic, and has works held in numerous public and private collections including The University of Waikato collection, at The Arts House Trust and the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu collection. He has also been the recipient of several art awards and residencies.

He is represented by Sanderson Gallery in Auckland, Gallery Thirty Three in Wanaka and De Nova gallery in Ōtepoti.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Simon Kaan Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear Simon speak about the influences of his Chinese, Māori and European whakapapa on his life and practice, how the absence of a Western art aesthetic growing up made art school more challenging, but also allowed him to create his uniquely own work, the significant influence of Marilyn Webb, his encounters with Ralph Hotere and a kind of parallel of Ralph's painting that Simon sees in his own work, and his ongoing collaboration with ceramicist and uku maker, Wi Taepa

Sarah has a Master of Fine Arts, with first class honours, from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. She is a multidisciplinary artist who has worked across photography, sculpture and painting, exhibiting in Australia and Aotearoa for more than 20 years. She has been the recipient of several art prizes and residencies, including the McCahon Residency Parehuia. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections including the Art Gallery of South Australia and the Te Haerenga Collection.

She is represented by Laree Payne Gallery in Kirikiriroa.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Sarah Smuts Kennedy Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear Sarah speak about how she identified the need to move her practice from pictorialising problems to regenerating solutions, how her practice is guided by her spiritual team, that her art practice, her garden, her work in regenerative horticulture and her own healing are all closely linked, and that her time at the McCahon Residency allowed her to find a way into mark making and eventually painting that was nothing short of a revelation.

In this episode, I visit Richard Killeen at his home and studio in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Richard is over five decades into one of the most celebrated practices in New Zealand. He has work held in numerous public and private collections, including The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetū and the Fletcher Collection.

He is represented by McLeavey Gallery in Te Whanganui a Tara and Ivan Anthony in Auckland.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Richard Killeen Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear Richard speak about the lessons that he took from the writing of James Joyce to apply to painting, how the interesting part of art is what you don’t see, his love for museums, how he has applied and always evolved the use of technology in his practice and why getting feedback from Philip Clairmont that his work was a disgrace to humanity was great to hear.

In this episode, I visit Raukura Turei at her studio in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Raukura is Ngā Ra-u-ru Kītahi Taranaki, Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki.

Her work has been the subject of several solo exhibitions including at, but not limited to, Season, The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū, The Dowse Art Museum, day01 in Sydney Gadigal, Sumer Gallery, and at Corban Estate Arts Centre. Her work has also been included in numerous group shows, including Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, and is held in collections including The Chartwell Collection and the Dowse Art Museum collection.

Raukura holds a Masters of Architecture from the University of Auckland.

There are images of the works that we talk about on The Good Oil Raukura Turei Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear Raukura speak about the benefits of working outside Western norms of art and drawing on whakapapa instead, the interesting overlap of the practice being in part driven by art skills acquired at secondary school, and then critical thinking from a degree in architecture, the first time she incorporated uku, or clay, into her practice, how she considers the work she does with uku to be a collaboration with it, and with equal parts confidence and humility, acknowledging that her practice sits with other Māori, and Māori wahine especially, practitioners and researchers past and present.

In this episode, I speak with Nigel Brown at Artis Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Nigel has work held in numerous public and private collections, including the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetū, The University of Auckland Art Collection, The Fletcher Collection, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

He is represented by Artis Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau, The Division Gallery in Picton and Milford Galleries in Dunedin and Tāhuna.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Nigel Brown Instagram Post for your reference.

A quick note of thanks to Lydia Baxendell for her excellent thesis, ‘Nigel Brown and NZ National Identity’ which proved especially useful research material. Thanks Lydia.

In the episode you’ll hear Nigel speak about being witness to a tension between Colin McCahon and James K Baxter about the value of art school, what painting techniques he learned from McCahon and others to apply to his own practice, the reasons he includes text borders in works and the power of words, how he believes each painting can humanise space, and that he considers his practice a kind of research offering, as an alternative to accepted, formal research of academia.

Star is Ngāti Wai and Ngāti Ruanui. She received a Diploma of Fine Arts from Otago Polytechic School of Art in 1995. She has work held in numerous public and private collections, including The Fletcher Collection, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The University of Auckland Art Collection and the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetū. In 2020 and 2021 her practice was the subject of a major survey show exhibited at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, and in 2014 she was included in the Five Maori Painters exhibition held at The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

Star is represented in Tāmaki Makaurau by Tim Melville, and in Te Whanganui-a-Tara by Page Galleries

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Star Gossage Instagram Post for your reference.

You’ll hear Star speak about how she was first drawn to painting by the texture of materials rather than images, the presence of the past, the present and the future that appear in her paintings, the finely balanced process of painting figures to capture their essence, a desire to return to creating purely abstract works, and her deep connection and still evolving understanding of place in Pākiri.

Jacqueline was educated at the Canterbury College School of Art, that would later become the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury. She is now into her 8th decade of what remains a remarkable painting practice. She has work held in numerous public and private collections, including The Fletcher Collection, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, The Aigantighe Gallery in Te Tihi-o-Maru, The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The University of Auckland Art Collection and the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetū.

Jacqueline is represented in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland by Gow Langsford Gallery

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Jacqueline Fahey Instagram Post for your reference.

You’ll hear Jacqueline speak about how her practice is born out of hard work rather than talent (although we might beg to differ), of being willing to risk not being ‘acceptable’ in a societal sense to ensure she could pursue making paintings she wanted to, hiding in plain view with her painting trolley to capture domestic moments in the family home, what she sees in Goya paintings that are still painfully relevant today, and the necessity for her to keep painting at the age of 95, but talks about what might be, heaven forbid, her last painting.

A couple of quick corrections before we get into the conversation. I refer to Jacqueline's cat as Elvis, their name is Alvin. Sorry Alvin. By the way you might also Alvin in the background in the episode. When discussing the painting ‘Look Mum They Killed Her’ about the killing of the American Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, I mistakenly refer to that event happening in Israel, it happened in The West Bank.

Also please note, if you’re listening with any sensitive ears, Jacqueline and I refer to the title of a painting that includes an expletive.

We started by talking about her friendship with, and valuable life lessons learnt from, Rita Angus.

Among other qualifications, John holds a Bachelor in Art and Design from AUT, and has won the Kaipara Foundation Award in 2012 (which is the Swiss Residency award he refers to in our conversation) and the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award in 2019.

John’s is a practice I’m excited to bring to your attention if you haven’t seen his work before. I first started really taking notice of his paintings only a few years ago, and in that time he’s evolved a really strong painting practice, both in technical execution and in representation of subjects, supported by years of engaging in other practice disciplines.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil John Brown Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear John speak about the thorough conceptual approach he takes with a subject before he even picks up a brush, but how that is then at least in part abandoned and replaced by the process of painting to create a work, the constant risk of him painting over what might be some of his best work, but also how he is unwilling to remove his mistakes because they contribute to such rich layering, the portraiture that is included in the work that you might never notice and how he deals with his self doubt of if he is even a painter, and if the work is any good.

Andrews holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland.

He is now over 27 years into his practice, and his work is held in numerous public and private collections, including The Fletcher Collection, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, The Chartwell Collection, The National Gallery of Victoria, The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and The Arts House Trust. He has been the recipient of art prizes and residencies, including the Tylee Cottage residency in Whanganui.

Andrew is represented by Robert Heald Gallery in Wellington Te Whanganui a Tara and Ivan Anthony Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Andrew McLeod Instagram Post for your reference.

This episode turns out to be, for me at least and I hope you, an excellent lesson in art history and how to look at paintings, both of which are Andrew actually talking about his practice. Although you’ll also hear him talk about being Gen X, and as a result what he’s not afraid of in painting, a want for his next painting to always be his best, how he views paintings as an arrangement of attention and a frozen choreography of brush strokes and how a key aspect of his job is to work in the visual subconscious world we all populate.

Please note, if your’re listening with children or a priest present, Andrews enthusiasm in the interview leads to some occasional colourful language.

Seraphine has conducted a practice for over 30 years, in that time always exploring and evolving subject matter, use of materials and her overall approach to painting. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, including The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and the Dowse Art Museum, and she has been the recipient of several awards and residencies, including the Rita Angus Artist Residency.

Seraphine holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury.

She is represented by Michael Lett Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland and Station Gallery in Naarm, Melbourne and Gadigal, Sydney.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Seraphine Pick Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear Seraphine speak about a want to not know how to approach a new mode of making to keep her practice interesting, her collaborations with ceramicist Jaime Jenkins and how that is influencing her practice, the sound and silence of her paintings, a want to more and more make paintings into objects and the need to see human vulnerability in paintings in the age of AI.

Darryn is of Ngāpuhi descent. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury and a Master of Fine Art from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

His work is held in numerous public and private collections, including The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The New Zealand High Commission. He has been exhibiting consistently for over 30 years, with work in over 40 group or solo shows, including in major public gallery exhibitions.

He is represented by McLeavey Gallery in Te Whanganui A Tara, PG Gallery 192 in Christchurch and Milford Galleries in Queenstown.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Darryn George Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear Darryn speak about reconnecting with Maoridom and marae, developing his language through a combination of American minimalist abstract painters, kowhaiwhai patterns and Maori carvers, his willingness to work collaboratively across industries to achieve the best outcome in large scale painting, how his practice is influenced by and explores the intersection of Maori oral, and European written history and some advice from his gallerist Peter McLeavey that he’s never forgotten and still applies.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John is of Aitanga Hauiti and New Zealand Irish descent. His work is held in numerous public and private collections including Te Papa and Sargeant Gallery Collection, he has exhibited widely including at City Gallery Wellington, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, at the Dowse Art Museum and Pataka at Porirua. He is represented by Gow Langsford in Auckland, Paul Nache gallery in Gisborne. Page Galleries in Wellington, the Diversion Gallery in Picton and Central Art Gallery in Christchurch.

In this episode you’ll hear John talk about how painting portraits of his community elders allowed him an unexpected opportunity to learn about his whakapapa, how he learned more about what paint can do from house paint and painting houses than he did at art school, the creative license he applies to mythologies to bridge cultural gaps, his occupation of the twilight zone, the deliberate variation of surface of a support he prepares to paint on… and how he is an intuitive abstract painter, accidentally making representational paintings.

Page Galleries John Walsh Web Page

Gow Langsford John Walsh Web Page

Paul Nash Gallery John Walsh Page

The Central Art Gallery John Walsh Web Page

John Walsh Wikipedia Web Page

John Walsh Instagram

The Good Oil Instagram

Karl has built one of the most immediately recognisable practices in NZ art, painting almost exclusively garden scenes since his first solo exhibition in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. His works are held in numerous public and private collections including Te Papa, The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetu, The Fletcher Trust Collection and the Suter Art Gallery. He is represented by Page Galleries in Wellington, Gow Langsford in Auckland and Milford Galleries in Dunedin and Queenstown.

In this episode you’ll hear Karl talk about the deep history we all have with gardens and the control we exert over nature, the influence of his artist father and landscape gardener mother, encountering and being influenced at a young age by Phillip Trustam garden paintings, his subtle but constant experimentation, the slightly surreal experience of work being collected by Charles Saatchi and… narrowly avoiding a life managing the flow rate of sultana’s in cereal packets in the food technology industry.

Gow Langsford Karl Maughan Web Page

Page Galleries Karl Maughan Web Page

Milford Galleries Karl Maughan Web Page

Karl Maughan Instagram

The Good Oil Instagram

Katherine has only seriously committed to a painting practice in her 40's. Despite that, her work has been in high demand since self represented sell out shows at the Allpress Gallery space in Freemans Bay Auckland in 2018 and 2019. Katherine holds a MFA from from Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting with Honors from the Kendall Collage of Art and Design in Michigan, in the United States.

She is represented by Sanderson Gallery in Auckland.

In this episode you’ll hear Katherine talk about accidentally finding her way to painting through interior design, a want to resurrect the flower in paintings after it’s demise at the hands of modernism and industrialisation, our attraction to beauty and connection to nature, the anthropomorphic projections in her work and the importance of the first layers in a painting.

Katherine Throne Web Page

Sanderson Gallery Katherine Throne Web Page

Katherine Throne Instagram

The Good Oil Instagram

Micheal holds a Bach of Fine Arts from Ilam at the University of Canterbury. His work is held in numerous public and private collections, including The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, The Suter Gallery Collection, The University of Auckland Art Collection and The Ballin Collection. He has won several art prizes including the Parkin Drawing Prize and is represented in Auckland by Foenander Gallery.

In this episode you’ll hear him talk about the transition from print making and drawing to painting, how those two first disciplines inform his work now, how he’s more concerned with creating an object from a landscape rather than purely representing it, how his preferred support of linen is as much a material for him as paint… and is fear of taking a reference photograph that might be a little too good.

Foenander Gallery Michael Dell Page

Michael Dell Website

Michael Dell Instagram

The Good Oil Instagram

Hiria graduated from Whitecliffe Collage of Design & Arts with an MFA, first class honours. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, including the University of Auckland Art Collection, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and The Waikato Museum. She is represented by Tim Melville in Auckland and Page Galleries in Wellington.

Sitting down to speak with Hiria was entertaining, fascinating, funny and disarming. You’ll hear her speak with a comfortable frankness about challenges that she has faced personally and those that still exist for her community. She talks about what is and isn’t tapu to paint for her, why cooking pots are an important subject in her practice… and about the pivotal role a naked man jumping out of a birthday cake has played in her career.

I started by asking about her childhood and first encounters with art.

Tim Melville Hiria Anderson-Mita Page

Page Galleries Hiria Anderson-Mita Page

Hiria Anderson-Mita Instagram

The Good Oil Instagram

In this episode you’ll hear Grahame talk about how honesty and accuracy have little to do with his landscape painting, how key it is for him to trust his own instincts, contrasted with his battles with his confidence and his imposter syndrome, despite being 50yrs into a hugely successful practice. He talks about how deeply he loves where he lives, while not pulling any punches speaking about the changing landscape at the hands of industry and environmental mismanagement, the importance of finding the right home and guardian for each painting and what painting he’d like to steal if he thought he could get away with it.

Sir Grahame Sydney Web Page

I know this is a bit presumptuous doing this so early in the life of this podcast, but the conversation with Grahame was a long one, with it being so entertaining and interesting I’ve decided to present all of it, but split it into two episodes.

In this, part one, you’ll hear Grahame talk about his early years and discovering Central Otago, his miserable move to London, establishing his practice, agonising over if $200 was too much to try to sell a painting for, his close proximity to so much of New Zealand contemporary art history including encounters with Derek Ball, Ralph Hotere, Jeffery Harris, Brent Wong, Colin MacCahon, Michael Smither and Peter Webb, and the bewildering experience of security not letting him into his first Auckland exhibition because he didn’t have a ticket.

Sir Grahame Sydney Web Page

Judy has a long and impressive record spanning four decades that is built on constant experimentation. She has represented Aotearoa at the Venice Biennale, is held in numerous public and private collections across NZ, Australia and Europe, and shows regularly with gallerists including Robert Heald in Wellington, Sullivan & Strumph in Sydney and Singapore and Mark Mueller in Zurich.

She clearly thinks deeply about her practice, as you’ll hear as we talk about her early career, how she is always seeking to translate her experience of the world into her paintings, the importance of the West Coast of Auckland to her and her work, her technical approach, her unorthodox and diverse range of tools, and how she is influenced by Rafeal Nadal.

Links

Judy Millar Web Page

Judy Millar Instagram

Robert Heald Gallery Judy Millar Page

Sullivan+Strumpf Judy Millar Page

MarkMueller Judy Miller Page