Ep 45: Wendy Sharpe

Wendy Sharpe is one of Australia’s most acclaimed and significant painters. She won the Art Gallery of NSW’s Sulman prize in 1986 and has been powering through the art world ever since.

She went on to win Australia’s most well-known art award, the Archibald prize, she’s won the Portia Geach – twice – and many other awards. She’s reportedly been finalist more times than any other artist in the Sulman prize and this year is no exception with her brilliant work ‘Erskineville train station’.

Sharpe has had 57 solo shows, has received many major commissions which include Australian Official War Artist to East Timor, the first woman to do so since World War II.

Her work is bold, energetic, vibrant – spanning from a suburban street, to a circus tent, taking in scenes from around the world from China to Egypt, and even Antarctica.

We weren’t able to cover everything she’s done in her career but in this episode you’ll hear us talk about women in the arts, including the dreaded term ‘woman painter’, the real and the imagined and lots of insights into the wonderful process of painting.

We met in her huge studio in St Peters in Sydney an absolute Aladdin’s cave of materials, art books, posters, sketchbooks, and mountains of painting rags. She was engaging, interesting and generous with her knowledge of painting and I really enjoyed meeting her.

To hear the podcast interview press ‘play’ below the feature photo above.

Two videos of Sharpe in her studio and talking about the exhibition ‘Salient Western Front’ on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel can be seen below.

Current and upcoming events

Finalist Sulman prize at Art Gallery of NSW, 12 May – 9 September 2018
‘Salient: contemporary artists at the Western front’ travelling exhibition currently showing at New England Regional Art Museum until 3 June 2018
Solo show ‘Secrets’ Maitland Regional Art Gallery, 26 May – 19 August 2018
Solo show ‘Paris Windows’ King Street Gallery on William, 14 August – 8 September
State Library of NSW – artist in residence – exhibition 2018 date tba