Willy (Wilamina) Russo

If you were to look up the phrase free spirit in the dictionary you would see a picture of gorgeous Alice Linford Forte next to it. The Western Australian artist loves to paint, surf and travel. Before COVID hit, Alice was making her way through central and south America. And as amazing as it all sounds, Alice doesn’t take it for granted. She knows hard work and a supportive family play a big role...

Chances are you've read one of the 80 books Andrew McLean has illustrated. Or maybe one of the 15 he and his wife Janet published together. Janet writes the words and Andrew, a painter and drawer, illustrates the pictures. And a lot has changed since their first book came out in 1978, but one thing remains the same, children love a great story.  Check out www.mcleanpicturebooks.com for all An...

Yuri Shimmyo tried to give up painting. But she couldn’t. It called her back. And after 40 plus years of painting, this year Yuri was selected as a finalist in the Archibald, one of Australia’s leading portrait prizes. We spoke about why she couldn’t leave the artistic life behind, the juggle of day jobs and creating art, and how her studio is at times a noisy place, with all her paintings talk to...

Nina Walton draws, paints and creates using needle and thread. It's not weaving, more so painting with thread as Nina puts it. We chat about the timing of life and when we come to things, the limiting nature of labels, the political commentary that accompanies working with thread and how there is beauty and hope in the dissolving of things. Check out her work at her website www.ninawalton.com or h...

Bright bold colours. Geometric shapes. You know a Jasmine Mansbridge piece whether you see it on the street or hanging on the wall. The Victorian based artist has a style full of energy and life, inspired by mother nature.  Check out her work at either www.jasminemansbridge.com or head to her instagram @jasmine_mansbridge.

Nathan Hawkes draws richly coloured works that are loose but also full of detail. They are almost fairytale like in the most beautiful of whimsical images. If they sound intriguing, they are.  Head on over to his instagram @n.a.t.h.a.n.h.a.w.k.e.s and you'll see exactly what I mean. Nathan joined me from his home in Sydney for this week’s Interview With An Artist.

Petra Pinn is a Sydney based artist who loves teaching her students, loves trawling through op shops, and hates being pigeonholed.  Her works include all the things she enjoys painting - people, pets, interiors, still lives, landscapes - and sometimes all in one gorgeous piece! Head to her instagram @petrapinn for a scroll through a colour rich selection of works that are full of life.

Young Archibald Special! This week we meet two amazing young artists Tillie Moyle, 13 and Thea-Bella Taylor 12, both are finalists in Australia's national portrait prize, the Young Archies.  You can check out Thea's work on her instagram or website - Quirky Critters . 

Sarah Bishop gets on with life.  Whether it's working on her rural property in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, raising her two children as they move into their teenage years, or drawing into the night with a scotch in hand and love for the madness that is hyper-realistic drawing. Sarah also paints, with her studio muse, the cutest pony you have ever seen, and a world of inspiration righ...

Josh Charadia graduated from a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2017. This year, a mere three years later, he was named a finalist in the Sulman, a prestigious Australian art prize. A proud moment for both Josh and his parents. When Josh was younger he would pester his father to get out his water paints and show Josh how to improve.   Roller coaster is a a word Josh uses a lot throughout our chat. An...

Noelle Rigaudie Instagram @noellerigaudie French born Australian artist Noelle Rigaudie makes pieces that would look at home in the palace of French King Louis XV. Elegant. Sophisticated. Refined. And made of cardboard. Yes, that's right, cardboard. What started as a fun craft exercise in 2006, turning a pizza box into a simple frame, has evolved to a fine art practice.  Ornate mirrors, styli...

Britty Em is a force of nature. Just like her paintings. Full of life and energy and passion, the Gold Coast artist creates colour filled works that stop you in your tracks. Head to her Instagram page   @britty.em and you'll see what I mean. At 17 Britty held her first solo show and it sold out. However she left the easel behind and opened her own design agency, after studying both fine art a...

Jo White creates with emotion.  It’s a feeling she’s following when painting scenes and people from regional Australia, an Australia of times gone by. Of farming families packing up station wagons for the annual beach holiday. Of shearing sheds and old trucks. Of social outings such as the local  cricket game or tennis at a friends. Traditions that continue today but back then, pre-...

Marisa Veerman's work will stop you in your tracks. Firstly because it's breathtaking. Secondly because you will be doing your best to try and figure out what it is. Is it a photo? Is there some stitching on it? But the finish kind of looks like a painting?  Marisa's work is true mixed media. Her grounding in fine art photography combined with her career in textiles and visual merchandising m...

Luke Shadbolt is part storm chaser, part stunt man, part photographic artist. He puts himself in some incredible and sometimes dangerous situations, to capture the power of the ocean.  His images illustrate mother nature's mighty force with an intensity and emotion that is impossible to ignore.  And that's important to Luke, he wants you to take notice. He wants to remind you of the beau...

Robert Brownhall drowned as a three year old. He was revived and given a slim chance of making it through the night. But he did. Now in his early 50s, it's only in recent years that Rob decided to revisit the trauma that has coloured his life. Literally. From the subject matter he paints, to the golden hue in his work,  to his preference for being up high whether in the tops or trees or build...

Miranda Lorikeet sat bored in front of a computer at the age of 22. A receptionist for an insurance company, the role was anything but creative. Enter Microsoft Paint. Like most desktops, Ms Paint was installed. Miranda unleashed her creative urges and began what would soon become an artistic career as one of the very few, and very talented Ms Paint Artists. She creates wanderlust landscapes with...

Edward Waring grew up in a time when the good glasses and the good crystal were saved for special occasions.  Objects too precious for the everyday, However now, head along to your local op shop and you’ll find shelves of them. Crystal vases and glass sets noone wants any more.  That is until Edward gets his hands on them. Edward is an assemblage artist with a fabulous ability to look at...

Jayde Chandler needed a couple of glasses of good wine, and an encouraging nudge from her husband to exhibit her first painting. The piece was included in a fundraiser for drought relief and sold for $2000. Not bad for a painting that never had any intention of being seen publicly. That was two years ago now and Jayde’s creative practice has gone from strength to strength. In between raising four...

Claudia Miranda took a chance. In 2018 she was a mum with a young baby and a steady job. But it wasn’t enough. There was a calling within her to create. So she took the leap and picked up a pen. Inspired by Picasso’s The Kiss, she drew her first piece. The Lovers. And it sold, quickly. So she drew another. And that sold. And before Claudia knew it, she had commissions out the door and brands knock...

Ema Shin is a softly spoken textile artist born in Japan to a lineage of both Japanese and Korean family. She now lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children.  Ema uses the age old craft of embroidery and weaving to create powerful, feminine pieces. Pieces that honour the women in her life, such as her mother and her grandmother. You see in Korean family trees, it’s tradition is to t...

Laura Jones cares. Behind the broad brush strokes and bold colours of her paintings there is great thought. Thought about what is happening to the environment and to our society. Laura observes the way we humans are impacting the world and responds with her paint brush. A creative evolution that has so far incorporated landscapes, still life and an Archibald finalist portrait. Laura has a breadth...

Leah Fraser has a wild imagination. The self-confessed history and fantasy nerd paints whimsical mythical paintings. Pictures of characters who could easily have epic novels written about them. And although the artist has been away from the canvas, raising her two babes. She’s back. And she’s excited. Excited to see the evolution of her work as her life expands. Leah joined me from her Sydney stud...

Looking at a painting by Beth Gibbeson is like getting a sneak peak into her soul. Her pieces are big, bold, colour rich works based on warm tones. Because Beth hates to be cold. And her life is big and bold. She has lived in Egypt, she's married and has four children, she plays her studio music LOUD. From impromptu dance parties with her kids, to finding what she was good at when she was young, t...

At the tender age of 12 David Hinchliffe was seduced by the bohemian artists painting in his Brisbane inner city suburb. It was the 1960's. These artists drank WINE at a time when beer was the standard. They painted all day while others toiled in "real jobs".  Drawn to creativity, David tried his hand at the canvas and found there was something there. He sold his first piece at age 12 for $20...