Collector's note:Kerrie Lester is one of Australia's best-known visual artists with her works exhibited in collections across Australia including the National Portrait Gallery which has her paintings of Cathie Freeman, Fred Hollows, Margaret Fink and James Morrison. She discusses her career, inspirations, frustrations and the joy of painting.
Recorded at Mosman, NSW. 30 November, 2004
(there is a slight buzz on the tape from a faulty lead)
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TAPE 1
Intro
Discusses being 'born an artist' and trained with Joy Ewitt and then various art schools. Went to National Art School which, at the time, covered all areas of visual art.
Continues about importance and influence of art school at Seaforth and then NAS East Sydney Technical College when aged 19. Moved from sculpture to painting. “I did anything with my hands”
Lots of great people like Stephen and Sandra Norrie, Sarah de Teliga, Robert Rosen and the Mental As Anything people. It was a unique time as far as people. Bill Brown, John Firth Smith, Sid Ball etc were teaching and John Coburn was head of college.
Discusses lifestyle of arts students.
Invited by Kym Bonython to have an exhibition at his galleries. This was major for a student and the Phillip Morris Company bought a painting for their collection.
Discusses lack of women students at the time and how it changed around. It is a usually a man's domain.
Explains what was in the first exhibition. There was a lot of woven canvas and this still relates to the work I do today. One piece had 25 ft of old underwear – it was called Credit Squeeze and all the underwear were going through a mangle.
I then received an invite to show at Hogarth gallery by Clive Evatt.
Discusses Arts Ball tradition of Sydney.
Cell Block theatre with Madam Lash
We used to stay all night and do great stuff – one night we'd stay and paint all the lockers green and then we changed them to blue – things like that.
After the inevitable 'fight' with Clive (Evatt) I left and this coincided with the birth of my two sons. Eileen Channon invited me to show at her gallery.
Around this time I started as a lecturer at the Arts School associated with the NSW University.
Discusses her own paint style including collage and stitching.
Stitching is with mariners needle. For a while paintings relied too heavily on found objects however moved away from that approach.
Discusses the 2004, 30-year retrospective of her work staged by the NSW arts council and Mosman Council.
Joined Australian Galleries and has exhibition every two years.
I paint every single day. I am possessed./ I can paint for hours. When I was younger I could stay awake for three days but I now get too puffed.
Discusses Archibald Prize and her history with this exhibition.
First submission was of Warren Fahey! And has been in it for the past 15 years and in 2003 the Storeman and Packer's Prize of self portrait 'always the bridesmaid'. Never been rejected and also hung in Sullman and Wynne four times – all three with paintings.
Discusses her work in the National Portrait Gallery (James Morrison, Margaret Fink, Fred Hollows, Cathie Freeman) and in Australian Museum, Maritime Museum and the National Gallery Collections.
Role of Sydney Beaches in her art as inspiration.
Discusses Australian colours and how she uses over exaggeration of colours to focus on the obvious.
Discusses simple pleasure of creating art. And also the beautiful torture.
Discusses the role of the gallery in the process of creating and marketing support.
Discusses charity work. Painted jeans, eggs, a tile from opera house, doors etc
Discusses business side of creating art.
Discusses the culture of the arts in Australia.
Discusses inspiration and influence of Australian urban life.
Discusses artists attachment to particular painting and how an artist lets go.
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