Ann Thomson, in her 90th year, talks with Maria Stoljar

Ann Thomson might be in her 90th year but she shows no signs of putting down the brush. Ann has been a guest on the Talking with Painters podcast twice – talking about her life and art in episode 54 and later talking about her memories of meeting Ian Fairweather episode 86 (links below) and I caught up with her when a powerful collection of works dating from 2001 to the present were being exhibited at Defiance Gallery in Sydney. In 2024 a survey show to be curated by Terence Maloon will open at S.H Ervin Gallery in Sydney and will continue to Orange Regional Gallery and solo shows at Messums in London and with Stephane Jacob in Paris are also on the calendar. Although Ann resists being categorised as an abstract artist, it's her masterful use of colour and marks that will most likely grab you first - those luscious brushstrokes and drips. But subjects do emerge - a landscape, tribal elements, creatures of the ocean. You’ll also see collaged passages. Ann is well known for using a textured ‘tarred paper’ used by builders in the past. She loves it so much she believes she owns all remaining rolls in existence! But she doesn’t treat the material as a precious commodity. If you look closely at ‘Calypso’ for example, you’ll see the section of collaged paper is splattered with drips of paint. That’s because it had previously been lying on the floor of Ann’s studio acting like a drop sheet. She later pasted the paper onto the canvas where it exists surrounded by glorious brushstrokes, its own history intact. Ann Thomson is one of Australia's most important painters and you can find out more about her through the links below.
#AnnThomson #TalkingWithPainters #australianartist

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▶︎Ann Thomson on the Talking with Painters podcast

♦️Maria Stoljar hosts the Talking with painters podcast and is the creator of this YouTube channel. You can connect with her here: