Ep 95: Louisa Chircop

Talking with Painters

Creating her work through intuition, Louisa Chircop takes us into another world – the world of her subconscious.

Dreamlike landscapes containing disembodied limbs, headless figures and mysterious forms – some representational others more abstract – create a surrealist atmosphere which draws the viewer closer to see what the artist has unearthed and portraits take on an extra layer of meaning.

Her work crosses painting, mixed media, photomontage and sculpture and she has exhibited in nine solos shows. She has won several prizes including the James Gleeson Prize for Surrealism twice and her work was acquired for the Kedumba Collection, one of Australia’s most highly regarded public collections of contemporary drawing. Louisa has also been a finalist in many other prizes including the Portia Geach Memorial Award and the Dobell prize for Drawing.

Figures and characters from art history also come through in her work and her deep knowledge of the history of art is something she passes on to her university students who she lectures in painting and drawing.

Recording this interview in Louisa’s studio in Sydney was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Her enthusiasm is infectious as you will hear in this interview. To listen to the podcast episode click play beneath the photo above.

A short video of Louisa in her studio will be uploaded to the Talking with Painters YouTube channel and to this website soon.

Above photo of Louisa in her studio by Simone Silverman

Show Notes

• Louisa Chircop
• Louisa Chircop on Instagram
• Roy Jackson
• Juz Kitson
• Hans Bellmer
• Kiata Mason
• Idris Murphy
• Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthy Delights
• Philip Guston
• Movers and Shapers on Instagram
• Hazelhurst Arts Centre

https://youtu.be/nt4j7czd-BA

Louisa Chircop in the studio

‘Juz Kitson Imitating Venus’, 2018, oil on canvas, 220 x 167cm

‘Shower and Demons’ (Study for self portrait – A Shower with St Anthony) 2020, mixed media and photomontage on Arches, 76 x 56cm

‘Bacon whispers sweet nothings’ (Bacon murmure des mots doux) 2019, mixed media and photomontage on Arches 56 x 76cm

‘Morther Dreaming – right/wrong’ 2016, mixed media on Arches, 56 x 76

‘A Garden of Earthly Delights – Happiness is like glass, it soon breaks (Panel 1)’, 2017, mixed media and photomontage on Arches, 130 x 102cm

‘Juz Kitson – Love and Interrogation’, 2018, oil on canvas, 167 x 130cm