Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep. 62. Deborah Halpern OAM

Deborah Halpern is one of Australia’s most celebrated multi-disciplinary artists, renowned for her vibrant, whimsical public sculptures that have redefined Melbourne’s urban landscape.

Rather than pursuing austere minimalism, which still dominated many sculpture departments, she embraced exuberance. Colour became central to her practice...and over a career spanning more than four decades, Deborah has explored a vast array of mediums, including sculpture, painting, pottery, glass blowing, and printmaking, though she is most famously identified with her monumental mosaic works... large-scale sculptures constructed from fibreglass and steel armatures, clad in hand-cut ceramic tiles.

It was a lovely languid conversation about her journey, her processes and, amongst other things, how her international residencies gave her exposure to international artists and had a huge impact on her and her work.

It was also really interesting hearing about her seminal 10m sculpture ‘Angel’ which graced the outside of the National Gallery of Victoria...in particular the constant hurdles she faced in physically making it and finding the finance to finish it.

She’s a big advocate for the benefit of art and public art in particular. Her work is meant to bring joy. To ‘elevate and escalate the art experience’, as she puts it.

To listen to the conversation, head to the link in my bio.

Deborah Halpern is represented by @arthousegallery, Sydney
@niagaragalleries, Melbourne

See more of her works at

www.deborahhalpern.com

Images:

1 DH by Mia Mala McDonald

2 Family 2024 (all works are glass, steel, fibreglass) 345 x 220 x 88

3 Ophelia 1992 (the face of Melbourne)

4 Bodrig the Powerful Owl 2025 116 x 100 x 60

5 Angel 1988

6 Flying Fish 2025 50 x 56 x 30

7 Creature with Green Eyes and Tail 2026 59 x 39 x14

8 Winged Victory 2026 127 x 56 x 110

Australian Women Artists

The Podcast

Ep.61 Julz Beresford

Julz Beresford is known for her amazing gestural depictions of rivers, bushland and alpine terrain.

She has a very distinct, energetic approach to landscape painting which we’ll discuss. Her works showcase the movement and light of the worlds she grew up in... The Snowy Mountains and the Hawkesbury River.

And I wanted to find out how she is able to bring those memories and sensations to the studio.

Her quite rapid rise came after...a very unusual career hiatus in London which, it turns out, became very helpful to the way she works.

Julz is represented by Michael Reid Sydney (@michaelreidsydney)

And her upcoming exhibition Between Dust & Rain, with former guest @carlylecerf will be at Michael Reid Murrurundi (@murraart) from 1 - 31 May 2026

Images

Australian Women Artists

The podcast

Ep 60 Kiata Mason

Kiata Mason’s work explores the quiet drama of domestic life.

Her paintings showcase rooms we all have and often just rush through them but, like all good painters, Kiata’s work causes us to pause. And reflect.

Her paintings often reference her own family history and the coastal home she now lives and works in.

Kiata’s formal training was at the National Art School in Sydney, where she undertook a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting. She later built on this foundation with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Drawing, and then a Master of Fine Arts (Drawing), all at National Art School.

She’s been a finalist and semi-finalist in many major painting prizes including the Sulman, Doug Moran, Black Swan and Paddington art prizes and she has won the Muswellbrook Art prize for works on paper.

Across prizes, residencies and exhibitions, Kiata has held onto a deeply personal, drawing-led practice that honours the everyday without sentimentalising it.

Our discussion was broad and covered a lot of areas of interest to all artists I reckon. She’s a deep thinker and a very talented and compassionate painter.

Head to the link in my bio to have a listen to our conversation.

@kiatamasonart is represented by @akbellingergallery and @curatorialandco

Images

1 KM

2 Breakfast with Dorris, 2019 122 x 91

3 Because of the Spring Flowers 2019 122 x 92

4 One of Gran’s Good Plates 2017 45.8 x 61

5 Surrounded by Art 2025 73 x 90

6 From the Gallery of Small Things exhibition Paintings and Ceramics, 2026