Risk. Some painters want it in their toolbox while others are terrified by it. But nearly every painter will tell you that you need it in order to move forward in your practice. 

It might be using a new material, drastically altering the composition of a nearly completed painting or creating a completely different body of work to what had previously been commercially successful and critically acclaimed. Any way you look at it, you’re leaving yourself open to the possibility of failure, disappointment and probably the most painful of all – ridicule. 

So whether we call it risk, chance, letting go of control or just leaving yourself open to mistakes, it all amounts to a greater openness to creativity. Taking the leap and seeing what happens.

In this episode I bring together clips from eight previous guests about what risk means to them – and how they use it.

See below for a list of the artists together with links to the full podcast conversation and YouTube video

Press ‘play’ beneath the above image to listen

• Vanessa Stockard  Podcast | YouTube


• Paul Ryan  Podcast | YouTube


• Guy Warren   Podcast | YouTube


• Julian Meagher  Podcast | YouTube


• Ken Done  Podcast | YouTube


• Juliet Holmes a Court  Podcast | YouTube


• Tim Maguire  Podcast | YouTube


• Joe Furlonger  Podcast | YouTube

Watch the Idris Murphy YouTube Video

Listen to the full Idris Murphy podcast interview

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Book tickets for my conversation with Steve Lopes at the Art Gallery of NSW