20 Questions
Sydney Morning Herald 12/03/2011
Linda Morris
20 Questions
Guy Maestri
Archibald winner, Johnny Cash fan, Mudgee boy, coffee snob.
What can people expect from your new exhibition?
Paintings and drawings inspired by my time spent at Hill End and the Southern Highlands. They’re my most literal landscape paintings to date but at the same time I’ve gone back to throwing paint and colour around, so it was an exciting body of work to make.
What was the best thing about growing up in Mudgee?
My dad had a workshop in an old shearing shed where he used to make guitars. I remember the smell and feel of wood shavings and old hand tools. There began my lifelong love affair with the shed.
You were named Guido, after your Italian grandfather. Why did you Anglicise your Christian name?
They called my grandfather Guy, too. That’s just what they did back then. Everyone wanted to assimilate as soon as they got here. So did I at school but now I’m very proud of my name and have gone back to using Guido.
Have you ever volunteered to pose nude for life-drawing classes?
No chance! It’s hard enough seeing a picture of your head, let alone the rest of you.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever done to sustain your art?
I’ve done many jobs, like labouring, framing and even cleaning fish tanks but the job that made me most anxious for some reason was teaching life drawing and I didn’t even have to take my clothes off.
You were rejected for the Archibald Prize eight consecutive times before winning in 2009. As an artist, how do you handle rejection?
Rejection is OK. I never assume that anything I do is that good anyway. It’s healthy to be critical of yourself and accept critique from others. Its how you learn and grow.
What were the first words you uttered when you had won?
“You’re shitting me.”
You won the prize with your portrait of blind Aboriginal signer Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. Are eyes a window to the soul?
I don’t think eyes have anything to do with the soul, they’re just a device for seeing the world. Someone like Geoffrey shows us that a lack of eyesight does not mean your experience of the world is any less rich. Or our experience of that person is any less rich. What’s that got to do with the soul? I dunno, tough question.
How did you spend the $50,000 prizemoney?
The day after the money cleared in my account, I saw down and wrote a $55,000 cheque to the tax department and cried. I never got to spend a cent of it.
Artists are stereotyped as moody and emotionally reactive. Briefly describe your personality.
I think I’m actually consistent and patient but a bad painting definitely makes for a bad mood…My flatmate knows what sort of day I’ve had in the studio without having to ask.
How do you relax?
I built a half pipe in my studio, so I skate in the afternoons. It’s very important to have something to completely take your mind off painting; otherwise it could drive you nuts.
Are you more at home in nature or at the built environment?
Nature, for sure. I live in the city but spend a lot of time in the country. A city can also drive you nuts.
Coffee, tea or Bonox?
I’m a full coffee snob! I built a coffee roaster in my studio with a mate, so we roast our own coffee. I also have a bit of an obsession with collecting coffee machines.
Who do you love most?
Well, obviously there is my parents, family & friends but if I had to chose one, I’d say Lily Maestri, my grandmother who just turned 99. She is the most incredible woman I’ve ever known. I lived with her for 10 years and am who I am because of her.
What’s your worst vice?
I’m pretty clean, actually, I don’t really have any bad vices. I know it doesn’t fit the typical artist profile. Maybe I should get a habit. I don’t mind whisky…
Your best attribute?
Patience- thanks to Lily.
What music would you want played at your funeral?
Nina Simone, Nick Cave, Bon Iver, Led Zeppelin, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Guns & Roses, Sigur Ros, Johhny Cash. An emotional rollercoaster!
Your most prized possession?
On a residency in China recently, my mate Phil James and I found a stack of discarded student drawings at the tip. They are the most beautifully rendered portrait studies I’ve ever seen. We couldn’t believe it. We brought them home and framed a bunch.
Are you entering this year’s Archibald Prize? If not, why not? And if so, who is your subject?
There is one month left. I haven’t started yet but I might start something this week. Still don’t know who to paint.
Any unfulfilled ambitions?
Kids.
Interview by Linda Morris
Guy Maestri’s Paintings and Drawings from West & South is at Tim Olsen Gallery until March 20.