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Brendan Huntley and the art of “making do”

Whether painting, sculpting, or singing in garage-rock band Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Brendan Huntley’s practice has an energetic impulse.

In almost every interview you do, people link your music and art practice. I was thinking how Eddy Current Suppression Ring, and much underground music, is a music of ‘making do’ with what you have. And I thought about how you make marks on your canvases and ceramics with sometimes rudimentary tools—it’s also a sense of ‘making do’. But when that happens for 20 years, does the naivety still stay there, or do you have to cultivate it?

I’ve been thinking about that lately because Eddy Current has been jamming more regularly again— although we kind of go in and out, we still have our sound. Some bands make a conscious effort to change their sound, but because we’ve always kept it so stripped back, the rest is about how strong you can make the music, the lyrics, and the delivery of those elements. That’s on the human. And, like you say, it’s how I make my artwork too; there’s a simple frugalness to it. Not necessarily with the quality of the tools and materials, but more about keeping it stripped back. Using those simple rudimentary tools and materials cuts the fat away. It’s not necessarily cultivating something raw, it just is raw. Keeping things stripped back also leaves plenty of room for accepting accidents—and the ability to see them with clarity. It’s knowing the difference between good accidents and bad accidents, and having the confidence to follow the good ones.

Published on 31 August 2023

Words by Tiarney Miekus

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Photograph by Andrew Curtis

The Birregurra Art Show, held at the Birregurra Community Hall, has a long and distinguished history, attracting hundreds of entries from artists throughout Victoria. In 2025, Rhys Lee won Best Artwork By A Local Artist for his work Seated with Red & Green Gloves.

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Rhys Lee

Seated with Red & Green Gloves 2025

Dec 6, 2025 - Feb 22, 2026

Curated by special guest Cassie May, Synchron City leads visitors on a strange and immersive journey through contemporary art where artworks disrupt and question everyday life. Touching on elements of superstition and the supernatural, this exhibition expands the senses and leaves us questioning what is real and what is dream.

Curated by special guest Cassie May, Synchron City features works by a range of contemporary artists including Patricia Piccinini, Jon McCormack, Kenny Pittock, Heidi Yardley, Darren Sylvester, Brendan Huntley, Paula Mahoney, Kate Beynon, Kim Salmon, Paul Yore, SLIPPAGE, Rona Green, The Huxleys - and many more.

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Installation image of Brendan Huntley's work in Synchron City at Gippsland Art Gallery

Ross Laurie's Morning Chorus (pictured above) has been selected for the Salon des Refusés 2026. John McDonald, one of Australia's best-known critics, writes about the finalists in his column 'Everything the artworld doesn't want you to know'.

'Laurie’s canvases are a mixture of observation and introspection, in which a composition evolves by virtue of the way one mark or plane rubs up against the next. His Morning Chorus could just as easily be viewed as a still life, as each segment of countryside seems to stand on end, like objects on a tabletop' – John McDonald, 2026.

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Finalists and winners of the Abbotsleigh Grace Cossington Smith art award have been selected this year by judges Barry Keldoulis, Artbank Client Services Coordinator, and Anna Davis, curator at Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.

Sally Anderson's Balancing jug, Augie's 1S underwater painting, Haberfield window, horse for dad 2026 (acrylic on polyester, 168 x 137 cm) has been selected as a finalist for the award.

Exhibition of Finalists: Saturday 18 July to Saturday 15 August 2026

Opening and awards presentation: Wednesday 22 July 2026 6-8 pm

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We are delighted to announce that Vipoo Srivilasa is a finalist in the 2026 Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

‘Guardian Light’ 2025
earthenware, glaze and gold lustre
100 x 50 x 50 cm

Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2026
9 May – 16 August 2026
Art Gallery of New South Wales

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We are thrilled that Eliza Gosse is a finalist in the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

'Knowing where the sun will touch' 2026
oil and synthetic polymer paint on board
40 x 25 cm

Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2026
9 May – 16 August 2026
Art Gallery of New South Wales

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We’re thrilled to announce James Drinkwater is a finalist in the Sulman Prize 2026 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

‘For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams’ 2026
oil, enamel and charcoal on linen
210 x 260 cm

Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2026
9 May – 16 August 2026
Art Gallery of New South Wales

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Peter Godwin’s painting, Li River (Pale Peak and Mist), has won the inaugural Australia China Art Residency (ACAR) Art Prize.

A case of imposter syndrome settled on Australian artist Peter Godwin in 2013 when he painted the famously scenic karst mountains beside the Li River in China, which Chinese artists have immortalised for centuries.

“I was pretty terrified of how I would approach it, because it’s been done,” Godwin said.

Read more of Financial Review's interview with Godwin about his latest prize here.

Miranda Skoczek was featured in Amber Creswell Bell's 'Australian Abstract'. The curator and bestselling author interviews and examines over forty contemporary abstract painters. Find out more about the book here.