Meet the artists

Judy Watson, photographed by Richard Neylan-NolanJudy Watson is a Waanyi woman, born in Mundubbera in 1959, who has lived and worked in Queensland most of her life. While the stories passed down to her by her grandmother formed the foundation upon which all her work has been based, a visit in 1990 to Riversleigh Station in the heart of Waanyi country in north western Queensland and the place where her grandmother grew up, was pivotal in cementing Judy's connection to her family and their ancestral sites and stories - becoming a touchstone for her art practice from then on. Riversleigh Station, courtesy of Tomas Maltby & Encyclopaedia BritannicaJudy's work often tackles difficult subjects, inviting viewers to contemplate images layered with meaning and messages of concealed histories, including uncomfortable truths about Aboriginal massacres or desecration of sacred sites. Judy has been quoted as saying she hopes the message "leaks in like a deadly poison dart and implodes in the viewer, leaking its contents slowly".While Judy trained as a printmaker, her practice now spans a variety of media including drawing, painting, video, installation and public art commissions. She is now one of Queensland's, and Australia's most renowned artists. Her work is held by many major Australian galleries, including National Gallery of Australia and the Museum of Contemporary Art, and internationally by institutions such as the British Museum, Tate Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2006, she was one of eight Aboriginal artists whose work featured in the Musee du Quai Branly project in Paris, and just last year, her work 'Tow Row' was installed at the front entrance of the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. State Library of Queensland also holds some of Judy's work. in our collection.On Friday, 10 August 2018, Judy will be a special guest and the focus of State Library's 'Portrait of an Artist' series, featuring the screening of an extended interview recorded as part of the James C. Sourris AM Portrait of an Artist Collection and followed by a Q&A session with the artist. This is a free event, open to everyone. Bookings via our website.

Anne Wallace, That was long ago (detail), 2005, oil on canvas.The Queensland Library Foundation invites you to the James C. Sourris AM Collection: Portrait of an Artist featuring Anne Wallace. Anne Wallace is one of the most recent additions to the James C. Sourris AM Collection of contemporary Australian artist interviews, which are part of the Australian Library of Art at the State Library of Queensland.Anne's work is influenced by a number of factors including the differing Queensland architectures she observed in her grandparent's houses, the time periods before she was born and when she was growing up, books and films for example those about mid-century America and music such as "The Smiths". A lot of Anne's works refers to something, such as a poem, and although you can appreciate the painting without knowing the reference, knowing the reference allows you to fully appreciate the painting. Many of Anne's works have alluded to crimes and scenes of crimes and she is currently interested in witches and historic "old crones". Anne hopes that each of her paintings is recognisable as hers but that each is "unique" with a different image and feeling.Following the screening of Anne’s interview, she will be available for discussion with the audience.The event takes place on Friday the 30th of September between 6:30-7:30 pm in SLQ Auditorium 2, level 2, State Library of Queensland. Book now at https://www.eventbrite.com... We look forward to seeing you there. Bec Kilner, Published Content Technician

Inspired by the QAGOMA exhibition Madonna Staunton : Out of a Clear Blue Sky, our guest blogger artist Normana Wight reviews Pennant an artists' book from the collections of the Australian Library of Art.This is a book of some size and weight; in timber and paper, it is a sculptural ‘objet d’art.’The shape suggests the pennant of the title. If it were in your own house, it would probably sit upright and open on your mantelpiece, so that you would experience its poetry and message as you walk past – from left to right(.?.)As happens with some artists’ books, it arrives in a box, then opens out into a small scale complete exhibition. Just for you to view.It strikes me as a good idea to include in this blog, the artists own description of the works’ evolution.“Books often evolve as a response to found material chosen to act as covers, sometimes sourced from derelict furniture. This adds a sculptural element to the concept. In the instance of Pennant the inner folds mimic the profile of the boards, playing with the theme of reverie in repose. Pennant perhaps refers to a Dream Ship.”Viewer/readers can not only experience this enigmatic and exciting book, at the State Library, but over the road at The Queensland Art Gallery there is a new exhibition of Madonna’s work in which she has returned to painting which, like all her work, is rich in poetry, mysticism, and the world of the mind.Madonna Staunton interview: The James C Sourris AM Collection

The Australian Library of Art documents the fine arts in Australia including the arts, crafts and history of the book. State Library invites you to explore these collections.

Gain a unique insight into the life and work of contemporary Australian artists through the James C. Sourris AM collection of artist interviews

In conversation with curator Nicholas Tsoutas, Luke Roberts shares intimate details of the spectacle and grandeur of Pope Alice.