I interviewed the acclaimed artist Tom Carment for the podcast in 2019 and this episode is the extended audio recording from video I filmed in his studio.



A lot was going on creatively for Tom at the time. It was at about the same time as his book ‘Womerah Lane: Lives and Landscapes’ was released and his solo show at King Street gallery in Sydney was about to open.



As soon as I arrived at his Womerah Lane terrace I saw that it was overtaken by preparations for that show. Once Tom has created his work he then makes their frames from beautiful Tasmanian blackwood and the frames were in various states of completion throughout the dining area and the studio.



By coincidence, I’m publishing this episode as Tom is going through the very same process in the lead up to his next show with King Street Gallery which opens on 22 March 2022. It's taken over two months to make the frames. They are works of art in themselves with each corner joined with wooden keys and he thinks carefully about which work would best suit the timber of each unique frame.



When I spoke with Tom he had been living in Adelaide where he and his wife Jan had pared back their belongings and rented a one-bedroom worker's cottage where they had only intended to stay for a year. But since then Covid took hold and his upcoming show is called ‘Two years in South Australia’.



It's a beautiful body of work and what struck me in particular was a series of exquisite works of the lighthouse on Corny Point, Yorke peninsula, where he camped for several weeks and which he observed and painted at different times of the day.



Tom has won numerous art prizes (including the Gallipoli, Mosman and NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize) and has been shortlisted countless times in others including the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes and the Salon des Refuses. He has exhibited in over 25 solo shows and his work is held in public and private collections internationally. ‘Womerah Lane’, the latest of several books he has written, was shortlisted in the NSW Premier’s literary awards last year.



You can see the edited video version of this recording on my YouTube channel here and listen to the previous podcast episode (ep 78) where Tom talks with me about his life and how he became an artist here.



To hear this podcast episode click on 'play' beneath the above photo.



Upcoming show



Solo show 'Two years in South Australia' at King Street Gallery, Sydney, 22 March to xx April 2022



Links



Tom Carment websiteTom Carment at King Street Gallery 'Womerah Lane: Lives and Landscapes'YouTube Video of Tom Carment edited from this recording




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcvytTVt3Is




'Corny Point Lighthouse II', oil on marine ply, 16 x 21cm



'Yellowtail Mackeral on Robert's plate', oil on linen, 30.5 x 38cm



'Plane Tree, Mount Lofty, winter morning', oil on marine ply, 30.5 x 38cm



'Returning surfer, Berry Bay', oil on linen, 25 x 30cm



'Sugar Bananas', oil on linen, 25 x 30cm



Works mentioned in the podcast episode



Yellow tail and snapper paintingsat 5:45 of the podcast episode



One of the typewriter paintings - discussed at 7:45 of the episode'Sally’s Underwood', oil on linen, 2017, 41 x 51cm



Mount Lofty paintings - discussed at 10:25



Piccadilly road - Adelaide Hills paintings discussed at 12:15



Portrait of James Scanlon in the studio - discussed at 12:45



'Katoomba portrait – James Scanlon' oil on linen, 32 x 25 cmFinalist in the Archibald prize 2019, Art Gallery of NSW