Evan Woodruffe is the Product Specialist at Gordon Harris, the parent company to Studio Art Supplies, which his family sold to the Harris family in 2007.
Working at Studio Art Supplies, do you paint?
When I first started in 1986, I was a musician, but by the mid-1990s, the lure of all the gorgeous colours overwhelmed me, so I swapped out my guitar for a paint brush. I exhibited with OREXART from 2003 until 2015, all the while managing the store. In 2015, I stepped off the shop floor, reduced my hours, and concentrated on painting in my studio. Since then, I have exhibited nationally and across the Asia-Pacific region for Paul Nache Gallery.
How did you survived the pandemic?
With a surprising amount of art, cocktails, and Ottolengi cook books. My partner and I are fortunate to have a good friend who lives by themselves be part of our cluster, and our block only has four apartments, all with good-sized balconies, so there was a lot of drink-waving and gallows-humour. I don’t feel my body has fully recovered from having the plague in 2022, and the pandemic sent many art plans down the gurgler. However, we live with a new reality, and every day above ground is a good one.
What was your childhood like?
Idyllic for a while, then nasty. Thankfully, my parents filled it with art, music, literature, theatre and dance, which I’ve found most useful for dealing with life after childhood.
Which TV series would you never miss?
The brutal and hilarious interactions between horrible people made Succession a great way to end the day, though it’s tied equally with White Lotus. I watch these on my laptop rather than a TV screen, as the walls are reserved for art.
Your dream holiday internationally?
I’m in the happy situation of traveling regularly for my art practice, and these are my favourite experiences abroad. I don’t like lounging on a beach, I get bored, I much prefer to be involved with local art communities, so I have a deeper connection to the place. Art invariably involves great people, food and drink, often in exclusive spaces. I went back to Germany in February, where I’m Brand Ambassador for Schmincke Artist Colours and da Vinci Artist Brushes, so perhaps if they included a nice studio in Düsseldorf for a few months, that would be living the dream.
Bucket list?
Painting a masterpiece, paying the mortgage, eating my way around Japan.
The best day of your life to-date?
Every day is the best day, as I’m still alive. No matter the daily challenges, just being here is a privilege.
If they made a movie about your life, who would play you?
Steve Coogan is the same age and about as silly, so that would be a good fit.
The last thing you bought that you regretted?
A manual coffee grinder. Do you know how long it takes to grind beans for a cup of coffee?!
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
That in these tough economic times, I can’t afford as many Strangely Normal shirts as I once could.
What is a project you are looking forward to?
I have a solo show with Paul Nache at Sydney Contemporary, held in the historic Carriageworks, with 30,000 visitors over four days. It’s the most significant gallery event in Australasia, and the best opportunity to reach new audiences. Following several weeks in NYC at the start of this year, I have developed a new series of paintings that I’m very excited by, and they will be launched at Sydney Contemporary. I’m amped to be back there, measuring my work alongside 500 contemporary artists from around the world.
How would you like to be remembered by your friends and family?
As an artist who was generous and supportive with their knowledge. I’ve always supported visual artists, first by setting up awards in the 1990s through Studio Art Supplies, buying art (the best way to support an artist, from a gallery and not from auction), teaching and informing on art materials through workshops, one-on-one sessions, and blogs for Gordon Harris, working with disadvantaged groups, arts advocacy, and with Akepiro Street Studios, home to 11 artists since 2008. Last year, Studio Art Supplies celebrated its 50th Anniversary, which my 92yo father attended. Far from just being a shop, the store has introduced many innovative materials and art making processes to artists here, and that culture of sharing information is key to a thriving creative sector. (David Hartnell, MNZNM)