Listen in here to the latest Episode of ‘Talking with Painters’ with Maria Stoljar, where she interviews my stoic and incredible friend and fellow Australian artist Filippa Buttitta who I’ve painted for this year’s Archibald Prize. I will assure you that after listening to the podcast about Filippa’s own journey painting her Archibald subject brain surgeon, Professor Dr Charlie Teo, Filippa will leave you feeling nothing but touched and inspired.
DR JULIE KEYS - ACCLAIMED AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR REVIEWS 'COME SHOWER WITH ME'
Feeling extremely humbled and privileged to have struck up a wonderful friendship with the amazing Australian author Julie Keys, whose debut novel The Artist's Portrait which was shortlisted for The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers in 2017 and published by Hachett Australia is going gangbusters. Julie became fascinated by my art and my journey as an artist and attended my exhibition Come Shower With Me currently on at The SHAC Robertson NSW. She was kind enough to put pen to paper and write a review. Read about it here.
Louisa Chircop – Come shower with me
I met Louisa on Instagram. She followed me. I followed her back. She posted photos of artwork. Hers. Striking images with elements of the surreal that centred on scenes of her showering. I pressed the screen to get a closer look. But those phones, they’re just not big enough.
I’d developed a fascination for visual arts. This happened while I was doing background research for a novel I was writing. I became absorbed – went to exhibitions, listened to talks, sat in on workshops, poured myself into textures and scents and images, taking in the debates and controversy on what made art and artists great, all the while wondering if I was really getting it. That whole visceral reaction people talked about eluded me. I felt distant, aloof until I came across something of Rothko’s from the 1930’s; streamlined bodies standing on a subway their heads curved forward like hooks. My chest thumped. I sucked in a breath. The next time was over a painting by Vida Lahey.
Half a dozen years later I was trying to get a better look at Louisa’s work on a dodgy phone beneath poor lighting. Something had caught my attention. I was curious. The paintings, it turned out, were part of an exhibition. Come shower with me. I DM’ed Louisa.
I have not lost that awkward, slightly uncomfortable feel of going to an exhibition and of being around art. Not that I want things too sweet. I crave art that widens my eyes, gives me that cold shiver, makes me want to look. The gallery was light and warm. I relaxed. It was an easy space to be in and Louisa’s work encouraged me to stand closer, stand further away, scrunch my eyes, hold out my hand, see everything.
Showering is mostly a solo activity for me, a sanctuary, a place of contemplation. But there I was being invited to join Louisa in that private moment when thoughts disassembled, dripped from your hair and fingers and swirled around your skin, ingesting body parts with tarry thick ideas before they disappeared down the plughole if you didn’t get hold of them. I walked the shape of a U in the gallery absorbing pieces of Louisa’s gaze, bold fragments, exchanging energy in my own conversation with each canvas, craning my neck for one last look before I moved onto the next one.
Then, I found the artist, the flesh and blood one. This was the first time Louisa and I had met in real life. There were no profound questions from me. My head was full of thoughts and impressions and sensations that I needed to process. The questions would come later – after I’d had time to stew on it. What I did instead was position Louisa in front of the largest canvas, took photos then got someone to take photos of the two of us together, tourist style – post shower. And for some reason that seemed exactly the right thing to do.
Louisa Chircop – Come shower with me
The SHAC, Robertson
February 22nd to March 16th
SHORTLISTED FOR THE MUD LITERARY PRIZE 2020. A story about art, murder, and making your place in history.
'An intriguing read with compelling descriptions of early 20th-century Sydney in all its squalor, debauchery and fascinating historical detail.' Who Weekly
Read More about Julie Keys here.
SEMI FINALIST - 2019 DOUG MORAN NATIONAL PORTRAIT PRIZE
I’m over the moon and so grateful to make it to the semi finalists for the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 2019. What an honour to be selected amongst this fine bunch of Australian talent. The judges of the 2019 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize are artist and 2013 DMNPP winner Nigel Milsom, Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne, Kelly Gellatly, and Peter Moran, Managing Director of the Moran Health Care Group. Peter’s parents Greta and Doug Moran established the Moran Arts Foundation in 1988. (See Judges comments below).
Judge Nigel Misom: “If portraiture is one of the means used to communicate our individuality, connection to each other, and the world around us, look no further than the 2019 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize Semi-Finalists. The variety and scope of the selected portraits are vast, yet they all seem to share a commonality, that is, the painter and subject have united to share in the ‘magic’ of creativity.”
Judge Kelly Gellatly: “While the sheer volume of entries to this year’s Doug Moran Portrait Prize was initially overwhelming, it was a privilege to experience such a breadth of contemporary portraiture and to be able to get a glimpse into how some of Australia’s most talented artists are currently exploring, and pushing, the genre. For the judges, the shortlisted artists collectively demonstrate the way in which portraiture can and should be much more than the sheer skill of capturing of a likeness. The power of portraiture instead manifests from the almost intangible coming together of artist and subject; a tension or ‘rub’ that encourages the viewer to remain with a work and to return to it time and again, well beyond the initial moment of recognising the subject.”
The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize…
Founded by Doug & Greta Moran and family in 1988, the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (DMNPP) is an annual Australian portrait painting prize supporting Australian artists. The prize has encouraged both excellence and creativity in contemporary Australian portraiture by asking artists to interpret the look and personality of a chosen sitter, either unknown or well known. With a first prize of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) it is Australia’s richest art prize.
Finalists announced - 16 Oct
AUSTRALIA'S 'PORTRAIT ARTIST OF THE YEAR' - NEW SEASON LAUNCH CAMPAIGN FOXTEL ARTS
Here's something I've never done before! I got asked to feature in this years new season Australia's Portrait Artist Of The Year promo for Foxtel Arts. I'll be attempting a portrait of the wonderful Margaret Pomeranz, Australian film critic, writer, producer and television personality. It's going to be lights, camera, action! alongside two other wonderful Australia painters, Tony Costa and Adrian Lockhart. What a wonderful opportunity to be supported by the arts, should be heaps of fun! Thank you Foxtel Arts!
Foxtel Arts New Season Launch Campaign 'Portrait Artist Of The Year' 2018