CANBERRA.- Design enthusiast Tim Ross’ passion for art was seeded by a book gifted to his mother before he was even born – a publication which is now the inspiration behind a new podcast series on the influence of art in our lives, developed in partnership with the National Gallery of Australia.

Constant is a five-part series that includes interviews with a range of Australian artists plus essays, videos and photo galleries, all hosted on the National Gallery’s website.

In Constant, Ross takes the audience on a journey of discovery about some renowned and some lesser-known Australian artists. These include Ben Quilty talking about Margaret Olley, a discussion about Sidney Nolan with filmmaker Sally Aitken, who directed a documentary on the artist, a digital project inspired by a 1975 collaboration between artist Syd Ball and Split Enz, and a conversation with artist Vivienne Binns, part of the Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now exhibition, about what is was like to be a woman artist in the 1960s and 70s – and her goal to make art accessible to all.

Ross’ inspiration for the Constant series is the book Australian Painters of the 70s, published in 1975 and edited by Mervyn Horton. “Dad gave it to Mum as a Mother’s Day gift in 1975 and that little book with its bold graphics and John Coburn painting on the cover somehow struck a chord with me,” he says.

“Reading it today, it’s impossible to miss the connections I have made with the artists and their work, how art has become a constant by osmosis. My love of that book has incubated this project. From

the pages come the stories of how art connects and signposts moments in our lives and in the process, highlights the importance of art and its contribution to our national identity.”

National Gallery of Australia Director Nick Mitzevich said the Gallery was excited to partner with Ross on this podcast series to bring fresh perspectives on art to new audiences.

“We are thrilled at this opportunity to share ideas about art from different, perhaps unexpected, voices,” he said. “As we continue to navigate our constantly changing environment, talking and thinking about art and its influence on humanity offers valuable perspectives on the role of art in our evolving society and culture.”

Perhaps best known as one half of the comedy duo Merrick and Rosso, Ross has long been an architecture and design enthusiast, who has toured nationally and internationally sharing his knowledge and insights on these topics through his live shows and TV series Man About The House and Designing A Legacy.

Tim Ross’ Constant is available on the National Gallery of Australia’s website.