Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep 68 Suzanne Archer

Across six decades, Suzanne Archer has forged a singular career in Australian art, marked by independence from curatorial trends and sustained commitment to difficult subjects.

From youthful abstraction through immersion in the Australian bush to a fearless confrontation with death and time.

Suzanne has won major prizes including the Wynne Prize for landscape and the Dobell Prize for Drawing, and her work is held in significant public collections nationwide.

Her constant evolution is fascinating.

We discussed many aspects of her career. The origins of her artistic journey, her immigration to Australia in the 1960s and the incredible effect living on the NSW South Coast had on her, how she made a living in those early days from art, residencies in New York and Paris and Zimbabwe and how those experiences taught her to never shut down what is possible, how moving to the country and that sense of space had a profound effect on her and her art.

We had this conversation at Nanda Hobbs Gallery in Sydney when her recent exhibition, Manifestation, was showing.

Suzanne is represented by Nanda Hobbs, Sydney

Images

1. SA in front of a detail of Gorge Country – Wedderburn, 2024 oil on canvas 198 x 408

2. Brown velvet, 2025 oil on canvas, 153 x 153

3. Arty-Fact 2013, cloth bag, collaged embroidery, cardboard, acrylic paint, canvas mat

4. Derangement, 2010, ink, charcoal, pastel on 2 sheets of white paper (winner Dobel Prize)

5. Waratahs Wedderburn, 1994, oil on canvas, 240 x 242

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep 67 Tracey Deep

For over twenty years, Tracey Deep has been transforming forgotten remnants of the natural world—from dried botanicals to recycled organic and industrial materials—into captivating, tactile sculptures.

Her art celebrates the regenerative power of the earth through the art of what’s been called intentional imperfection.

Today her work spans gallery exhibitions, immersive installations and major public artworks across Australia. Whether delicate and intimate or monumental in scale, her sculptures invite us to slow down and reconnect with the natural world.

But I think the best description of Tracey is... a creative adventurer, a biology enthusiast, and magical botanical sculptor.

“My passion for working with nature, my love for art has been the inspiration behind where I am today. Mother nature is my teacher, creating floralsculpture installations over decades has been the most inspiring tool in training my eye to assemble unique forms, patterns, shapes & tones together to create “living art”.” Tracey Deep

We had a wonderful conversation as, amongst many things, we discussed her creative journey, her fabulous (and random) gathering process, and her devotion to protecting our land and environment.

Tracey is represented by Saint Cloche Galleries (@saint_cloche)

Head to the link in my bio to hear our conversation or go to wherever you find your podcasts.

Images of Tracey and her work were supplied by the artist

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep 66 Dagmar Cyrulla

Dagmar Cyrulla is an Australian contemporary artist whose work grew out of a lifelong interest in people, relationships, and the emotional texture of ordinary life.

Born in Germany and raised in Sydney from age one, she developed an art practice that blends portraiture, domestic scenes, and psychological observation into stories about human connection.

She is a distinguished figure in the Australian art scene, frequently appearing as a finalist for prestigious awards such as the Archibald, Doug Moran Portrait Prize, Dobell Drawing Prize, Portia Geach, Fishers Ghost and many more.

She has been described, wonderfully I think, as a seasoned storyteller of the contemporary human condition.

“My work is about feelings, based on how we relate to one another. My aim is to engage the viewer in the same thought process as mine, so as to open an opportunity to self questioning. My paintings are stories which hopefully reflect my love of people. The life experiences I use to develop my work include; Father and daughter relationships, power relationships, relationships to parents, being and having a role model, sibling rivalry etc. I have clarity with each artwork in regard to the ideas I am exploring, however it is more important for me to be engaged emotionally with each work. I play with colour and light to help create the mood that I want the viewer to experience.” Dagmar Cyrulla

Head to the link in my bio for our conversation and or from wherever you get your podcasts.

Dagmar (@dagmarcyrulla) is represented by Lennox St Gallery (@lennoxstgallery) and Wagner Contemporary (@wagnercontemporary)

Etre is showing at Lennox St till 25 April

Images

1. DC

2. The keeper of secrets, 2009, pastel on paper 205 x 142

3. Etre III, 2025, oil on linen 50 x 40

4. Le marriage, 2024, oil on linen, 82 x 61

5. Woman bathing after Rembrandt, 2025 oil on linen, 41 x 36

6. After Hopper study II, 2025 oil on paper on board 45 x 25

7. Wendy Paris and Minerva, oil on canvas

8. If you can’t stand the heat, 2010, oil on canvas

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Episode 65 Shay Docking

Artists of Influence: Shay Docking (influencing Margaret Ackland, ep. 5)

Welcome to another edition of AWA artists of influence.

For those who’ve heard some of these podcasts, you’ll remember that the last question I ask is: Is there an Australian woman artist who has inspired or influenced you and if so, who and how?

I’ve decided to explore a little further the artists who were named as influences by my podcast guests.

If you’d like to hear in more detail about Shay Docking, then follow the link in my bio to a ‘mini’ podcast about this extraordinary woman.

In ep. 5, I asked this question of critically acclaimed Australian contemporary artist Margaret Ackland. And the artist that was an influence on her was Shay Docking.

Shay Docking is one of the most original landscape painters of the twentieth century. The extraordinary work she produced deserves greater recognition.

Examples of Shay’s work are displayed at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, the National Gallery Victoria and the Art Gallery of NSW as well as other major state and regional galleries across Australia and NZ.

And Shay Docking was such a good friend and influence on Margaret Ackland that, in 1987, Margaret painted a portrait of Shay for the Archibald Prize and was a finalist. The same portrait won the Portia Geach Memorial Award the following year.

Head to my Instagram account to have a look at Shay’s work (a larger carousel of her works will follow) and Margaret Ackland’s beautiful portrait of Shay Docking. And make sure you have a listen to her episode on Australian Women Artists.

Margaret Ackland is represented by

@flinderslanegallery

@stanley_street_gallery

Images

1 Margaret Ackland’s award-winning portrait of her friend, Shay Docking

2 Shay Docking’s Volcano Blue Lake and Plains, 1979, pastel and acrylic on paper on board 76 x 98

More images of Shay’s work to follow on instagram

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep 64 Celia Gullett

Celia Gullett has developed a beautiful distinctive practice over several decades. Her abstract works explore colour, light and surface with what’s been described as, ‘remarkable sensitivity’.

Her career has unfolded gradually, shaped by long periods of study, reflection and... life.

A major turning point in Celia’s artistic development came in the mid to late 1990s when she began studying at the Charlie Sheard Studio School in Sydney. And we’ll talk about the importance of that to her remarkable journey.

Her work gained recognition through art prizes and exhibitions. She became a repeat finalist in both the Mosman Art Prize and the Paddington Art Prize and just last year won the Allan Gamble Award at the Mosman Art Prize.

Celia spoke about growing up in the country and that even as a young girl, she was acutely aware of sensory moments and being observant (a necessary skill in the country!).

We also talked about her art school experiences and what it did and didn’t provide. Which led to her needing to get out in the world to develop her language. It was really interesting talking about her seminal experience at the Charlie Sheard Studio School. His mantra that stuck with her...It’s not what you paint, it’s how you paint it.

Of course, we discussed the fabulous influences on her personally and artistically from her time in Florence and Rajasthan. But always – colour, light and surface...and the importance of treading your own path.

We had our conversation in Celia’s fabulous Sydney studio.

Celia (@celia.gullett) is represented by Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane (@janmurphygallery) and Sophie Gannon Gallery, Melbourne (@sophiegannongallery)

Image of CG supplied by artist. Photographer: @markrogers_photo

More images to follow in subsequent post

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 63 Camie Lyons

Camie Lyons is a Sydney-based contemporary artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, painting, and drawing.

Her creative approach is deeply informed by her background as a dancer, translating the rhythm and fluid lines of human movement into physical forms. Working primarily with bronze and charcoal, she often sources inspiration from the Australian landscape, using natural materials like eucalyptus branches to anchor her organic silhouettes.

Camie has received extensive academic training in Melbourne and Sydney, supplemented by international residencies in countries such as Sweden and Bulgaria. Her professional portfolio includes major commissions for prestigious brands like Tiffany & Co. and the Hilton Hotel, alongside numerous solo exhibitions across Australia and Asia.

Today, her work is held in prominent public and private collections globally, reflecting her status as a significant figure in the contemporary art world.

We discussed the discipline of being a professional ballet dancer and her work as an artist and the fabulous influences of one over the other. How her work, despite being in the hard and heavy medium of bronze, is still very intuitive. Very little planning. I found that fascinating. We also talked about the random things that can happen in life and taking the opportunities they may present and the importance of risk and believing in your own process.

To hear our conversation, head to the link in my bio.

Camie (@camie.lyons) is represented by Australian Galleries (@australiangalleries) in Sydney and Melbourne

Images

1 CL

2 Girl is gone, 2025 bronze 98 x 85 x 51

3 Slow tumbling house 2025 bronze 60 x 54 x 49

4 Moving young to a new planet 2025 acrylic and pencil on linen

5 Apple and pear 2019 bronze 14 x 14 x 14

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 62. Deborah Halpern OAM

Deborah Halpern is one of Australia’s most celebrated multi-disciplinary artists, renowned for her vibrant, whimsical public sculptures that have redefined Melbourne’s urban landscape.

Rather than pursuing austere minimalism, which still dominated many sculpture departments, she embraced exuberance. Colour became central to her practice...and over a career spanning more than four decades, Deborah has explored a vast array of mediums, including sculpture, painting, pottery, glass blowing, and printmaking, though she is most famously identified with her monumental mosaic works... large-scale sculptures constructed from fibreglass and steel armatures, clad in hand-cut ceramic tiles.

It was a lovely languid conversation about her journey, her processes and, amongst other things, how her international residencies gave her exposure to international artists and had a huge impact on her and her work.

It was also really interesting hearing about her seminal 10m sculpture ‘Angel’ which graced the outside of the National Gallery of Victoria...in particular the constant hurdles she faced in physically making it and finding the finance to finish it.

She’s a big advocate for the benefit of art and public art in particular. Her work is meant to bring joy. To ‘elevate and escalate the art experience’, as she puts it.

To listen to the conversation, head to the link in my bio.

Deborah Halpern is represented by @arthousegallery, Sydney
@niagaragalleries, Melbourne

See more of her works at

www.deborahhalpern.com

Images:

1 DH by Mia Mala McDonald

2 Family 2024 (all works are glass, steel, fibreglass) 345 x 220 x 88

3 Ophelia 1992 (the face of Melbourne)

4 Bodrig the Powerful Owl 2025 116 x 100 x 60

5 Angel 1988

6 Flying Fish 2025 50 x 56 x 30

7 Creature with Green Eyes and Tail 2026 59 x 39 x14

8 Winged Victory 2026 127 x 56 x 110

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Ep.61 Julz Beresford

Julz Beresford is known for her amazing gestural depictions of rivers, bushland and alpine terrain.

She has a very distinct, energetic approach to landscape painting which we’ll discuss. Her works showcase the movement and light of the worlds she grew up in... The Snowy Mountains and the Hawkesbury River.

And I wanted to find out how she is able to bring those memories and sensations to the studio.

Her quite rapid rise came after...a very unusual career hiatus in London which, it turns out, became very helpful to the way she works.

Julz is represented by Michael Reid Sydney (@michaelreidsydney)

And her upcoming exhibition Between Dust & Rain, with former guest @carlylecerf will be at Michael Reid Murrurundi (@murraart) from 1 - 31 May 2026

Images