This Wild Song | Honest conversations with Australian artists about art, business and life

Freya Jobbins is a Sydney based contemporary artist working with assemblage, collage, installation and printmaking. Better known for her plastic assemblages created from deconstructed dolls and plastic children’s toys, Freya also creates larger site specific installations and sculptures. Art has always been a part of Freya but it wasn’t until recently that she went to art school in her early 50’s.  Prior to this she was a police woman and became the first female weapons instructor, but a serious car accident ended that career.  It was a very long road to recovery, and please note that we do touch on domestic violence, PTSD, and a suicide attempt in this conversation.  This was 20 years ago and we want to assure you that Freya is in good health.   / Freya’s TWS portrait and interview is on our website at https://thiswildsong.com.au/freya-jobbins/ Music: Rapture by Myfawny Hunter www.myfanwyhunter.com Editing: Bear Beat Productions www.bearbeatproductions.com  To support TWS and continue the conversation go to www.patreon.com/thiswildsong If you like what you hear please Subscribe, Review and Share!

Charlotte Watson is a New Zealand artist based in Melbourne. She completed her degree in Christchurch majoring in sculpture and we discuss how this has informed her drawing, which is now Charlotte’s main medium. In this episode we discuss social media and privacy, how important reading is to her practice - particularly ‘The Sick Bag Song’ by Nick Cave, and how we need to also address the economy when working towards gender equality in the arts.   / Charlotte’s TWS portrait and interview is on our website at https://thiswildsong.com.au/charlotte-watson/ / Charlotte’s new work ‘All Our Secrets Are The Same’ opens at Bundoora Homestead Art Centre on the 22nd of September 1-4pm, and the exhibition continues until the 11th of November. https://www.charlottewatson.org/ Music: Rapture by Myfawny Hunter www.myfanwyhunter.com Editing: Alana Helbig www.alanahelbig.com To support TWS and continue the conversation go to www.patreon.com/thiswildsong If you like what you hear please Subscribe, Review and Share

Kirstin Berg creates immersive environments by combining and manipulating unconventional materials such as fire ash, bush debris and hard rubbish into sculptures and wall works. Her work revolves around her concern for environmental and human crisis and the redemption found in transforming our losses. In this episode we discuss the value of structure and protecting your studio time to help your productivity.  Plus the importance of support networks, self criticism, self care and setting your own pace.   / Kirstin’s TWS portrait and interview is on our website at https://thiswildsong.com.au/kirstin-berg/ / You can see Kirstin’s work on her website at https://www.kirstinberg.com/ Kirstin’s exhibition The Dreamers is currently showing at Counihan Gallery in Brunswick, Melbourne until August 19th. Music: Rapture by Myfawny Hunter www.myfanwyhunter.com Editing: Alana Helbig www.alanahelbig.com To support TWS and continue the conversation go to www.patreon.com/thiswildsong If you like what you hear please Subscribe, Review and Share!

Michelle Hamer maps contemporary social beliefs, ideals, fears and aspirations through text and urban environments.  Her hand stitched and drawn works capture in-between moments that characterise everyday life and are based on photographs she’s taken and found text. Despite Michelle planning out her art education as a child she ended up becoming an architect, but a change in her health led her back to art again.  In this episode we discuss becoming a professional artist without going to art school, and how she’s built her career and community from nothing.  We also talk in depth about Michelle’s research trip to the American/Mexican and Israeli/Palestinian borders.  Plus resilience, self promotion, her success in receiving grants, and what she’s learnt about grant writing along the way. / Michelle’s TWS portrait and interview is on our website at https://thiswildsong.com.au/michelle-hamer/ / You can see One Wall Two Jails, the work that resulted from Michelle’s research trip on her website at www.michellehamer.com   Music: Rapture by Myfawny Hunter Editing: Alana Helbig  This Wild Song is a not for profit project.  To support TWS and continue the conversation go to www.patreon.com/thiswildsong If you like what you hear please Subscribe, Review and Share!

Megan Evans is an interdisciplinary artist, working in video, photography, sculpture and installation.  These media build on a traditional background in painting and drawing. Megan's work is informed by social issues and it examines the nature of belonging and the impact of colonisation on identity, both self and nation. Identity is a recurring issue in Australia for both artists and the broader public alike. Who we are as individuals and national entities is problematic to define. Megan has been practicing since the 1980’s and started out as a woodwork teacher but never taught a class.  She fell into becoming a community artist and became known for her large public murals.  Her work has now developed into a multi disciplinary practice working with photography, sculpture, film and textiles.  In this episode we discuss colonisation and Megan’s search for her culture, including how she got shingles along the way.   / Megan’s TWS portrait and interview is on our website at https://thiswildsong.com.au/megan-evans/ / See Megan’s work at www.meganevansartist.com and the Women’s Mural at the-womens-mural-doc-project.com.au Music: Rapture by Myfawny Hunter Editing: Alana Helbig  This Wild Song is a not for profit project.  To support TWS and continue the conversation go to www.patreon.com/thiswildsong If you like what you hear please Subscribe, Review and Share!

Wanda Gillespie uses sculpture and photography to explore fictions and ideas around history, culture, ritual and ceremony.  Wanda’s work questions the nature of reality through narrative and her sculptures are often presented as historical artefacts.  An interest in the mystical, paranormal spirit world is central to her work.  Wanda is a New Zealand artist and was based in Melbourne until she returned to Auckland three years ago.  We discuss the differences between the two cities and how she’s rebuilding her community.  We also chat about how Wanda has funded her practice with grants and what she’s learned about writing grant applications over the years, how she fits in studio time around the kids, and the process of wood carving.   Artist resources we mention: + Artists Alliance for New Zealand artists  + National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) for Australian artists  + THRIVE Mastermind    / Wanda’s TWS portrait and interview is on our website here. / See Wanda’s work at wandagillespie.com   Music: Rapture by Myfawny Hunter myfanwyhunter.com Editing: Alana Helbig alanahelbig.com   To support TWS and continue the conversation go to www.patreon.com/thiswildsong   If you like what you hear please Subscribe, Review and Share!

Catherine Nelson is an Australian artist, living in Belgium and the Netherlands, who uses digital technology as her paintbrush creating landscape ‘paintings’ and animations. After completing her art education in painting at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney Catherine quickly moved into the world of film and television.  She created visual effects for films such as Moulin Rouge, Harry Potter, 300 and Australia.  Her job as a visual effects artist has taken her around the world having lived in Milan, London, Rome, Reykjavik, Bratislava, Brussels and Australia. In this episode we chat about Catherine’s art education, her love of travel and how working in film has influenced her practice.  We also talk about Other Worlds, a series of constructed worlds that she’s well know for, the intense labour involved and how she’s creating her own landscape paintings. / Catherine’s TWS portrait and interview will be on our website in July 2018 thiswildsong.com.au / Catherine’s new animated piece we discuss is called EveryNothing and you can see an excerpt on her website at catherinenelson.com Music: Rapture by Myfawny Hunter Editing: Alana Helbig  This Wild Song is a not for profit project.  To support TWS and continue the conversation go to www.patreon.com/thiswildsong If you like what you hear please Subscribe, Review and Share!

Lily Mae Martin is a visual artist working predominately with drawing.  She was born in Melbourne and currently resides in Regional Victoria.  Lily Mae’s distinctive style is influenced by the mark-making of etching and the layering techniques of master painters, and characterised by delicate and detailed cross-hatching with a fine pen. She is represented by Scott Livesey Galleries. In this episode, we chat about Lily Mae’s path from Melbourne to Berlin to England to Berlin to Regional Victoria, and what happened with her practice in-between.  She also had her daughter while living overseas and we discuss how she makes time for her practice, her support team, self promotion and how admin is always the first thing to go.   / Lily’s TWS portrait and interview is on our website at thiswildsong.com.au/lily-mae-martin/ / See Lily’s work at lilymaemartin.com   Music: Rapture by Myfawny Hunter myfanwyhunter.com Editing: Alana Helbig alanahelbig.com   To support TWS and continue the conversation go to patreon.com/thiswildsong If you like what you hear please Subscribe, Review and Share!

Erika Gofton is an artist based in Melbourne, and her work is fundamentally about empathy.  She is especially interested in exploring the intersubjective relationship of mother and child, in particular that liminal state of adolescence; the heightened internal fear and anxiety of being close yet distant in the same breath. Erika is also the founder and Director of The Art Room, an independent art school in West Melbourne.  In this episode we discuss art education in depth - from Erika’s challenging experiences at university to creating art classes and sharing what she wishes she’d learned at art school with her students. We also chat about how becoming a mother has positively impacted her practice, community, honesty and being an introvert.   / Erika’s TWS portrait and interview is on our website at thiswildsong.com.au/erika-gofton/ / See Erika’s work at erikagofton.com / Learn more about The Art Room the-art-room.com.au   Music: Rapture by Myfawny Hunter myfanwyhunter.com Editing: Alana Helbig alanahelbig.com   To support TWS and continue the conversation go to patreon.com/thiswildsong If you like what you hear please Subscribe, Review and Share!

This Wild Song (TWS) celebrates Australian female visual artists through portraits, interviews, exhibition and events. Created by Melbourne artist Ilona Nelson, this long term and large scale project seeks to address gender equality in a positive way and support Australian based artists.  Gender inequality is still prevalent in the arts: 74% of visual art graduates are women yet only 34% of museum exhibitions are by women for example.  Melbourne artist Elvis Richardson has a fantastic project called The Countess Report where she gathers data on gender representation in Australian contemporary arts, you can see her research at thecountessreport.com.au Ilona found after hosting only the second TWS forum the same questions kept being asked: If you could start again, what would you do differently?  How do you run your arts business?  How do you structure your days?   How do you fit in your practice when you’re a parent?  Are formal qualifications necessary for a successful career?  And so, she decided to create this podcast to answer these questions.  Plus we’ll also discuss self care, representation, self promotion and women in the arts.  The podcast is a series of honest conversations with TWS artists about art, business and life.  It’s designed to be a resource for artists by addressing the realities and practicalities of being a professional artist, and the ‘business’ of art. In this episode Ilona shares the story of TWS of how it began and has evolved over the years, the concept behind the portraits, and how she has financially supported the project.    / Learn more about the project and TWS artists at thiswildsong.com.au / Follow us on instagram @thiswildsong   Music: Rapture by Myfawny Hunter myfanwyhunter.com Editing: Alana Helbig alanahelbig.com   To support TWS and continue the conversation go to patreon.com/thiswildsong If you like what you hear please Subscribe, Review and Share!