WILLIAM ROBINSON

William Robinson has reached the greatest heights available to an Australian artist and is the only living Australian artist with a gallery dedicated to his work, the William Robinson Gallery at Old Government House in Brisbane. Reaching international acclaim, William Robinson: Genesis has just opened in Washington DC, and will travel to Paris in January 2018. He works across subjects from epic landscape paintings to characterful portraits and, increasingly in recent years where age restricts his ability to be in the landscape, still-life. In his 81st year, he remains committed to taking his paintings into new territory.

“Not knowing how the picture is going to be resolved is a very important thing. I think you need to look suspiciously at your work.

YOU COULDN’T PRACTISE FULL-TIME AS AN ARTIST until you were 53. Would it have changed your practice to have more time to paint earlier?

Shirley and I have been married 59 years this year and we had six children – so that was not an option. I believe an artist has to get a life rather than a career. They have to experience the wide variety of things that life can give you, all the changes that can happen, and if that can