Zaria Forman

After attending Skidmore College in the USA, Zaria Forman developed her own technique. Not only does she use her fingers but her work is on a large scale.

Image by Francois Lebeau

In her paintings she is able to capture both freezing cold seas and icy seas.

All of this is done with soft pastel.

Travel has always been a large part of Zaria’s life. From early childhood, she has travelled with her family to many of the world’s most remote landscapes. Travelling with her mother, who was a landscape photographer, lead Zaria to a very early understanding of seeing the view.

It was because of this that Zaria was lead to fulfill her mother’s dreams of gathering together family, friends, artists and scholars into one team. She took them on the voyage, following in the steps taken by William Bradford in 1869, when he sailed the northwest coast of Greenland.

Zaria said that the feelings she had were. “…both the power and the fragility of the landscape in Greenland. The sheer size, majesty and beauty of the icebergs is humbling."

In August 2012, Zaria led the expedition, called ‘Chasing the Light”, up the NW coast of Greenland. “It was the second expedition the mission of which was to create art inspired by this dramatic geography. The first, in 1869, was led by the American painter William Bradford. My mother, Rena Bass Forman, had conceived the idea for the voyage, but did not live to see it through. During the months of her illness her dedication to the expedition never wavered and I promised to carry out her final journey.”

“Documenting climate change, the work addresses the concept of saying goodbye on scales both global and personal. In Greenland, I scattered my mother’s ashes amidst the melting ice.”

“I am deeply grateful for the team of talented artists and scholars and the Wanderbird captains and crew for helping me carry out my mother's wishes and realize her dream.”

A percent of all Greenland drawing sales will go to 350.org.

The Maldives

This was not to be the end of Zaria Forman’s work with climate change. She moved from melting Polar Regions in the Arctic to the equator, and more especially to the Maldives. “I followed the meltwater from the Arctic to the equator. I spent September 2013 in the Maldives, the lowest and flattest country in the world, collecting material and inspiration to create a body of work celebrating and representing a nation that could be entirely underwater within this century.”

Zaria travelled with two award-winning artists who participated in the Greenland expedition, Chasing The Light. Joining her in this venture: Painter Lisa Lebofsky, and director, filmmaker, and actress Drew Denny.

“I hope my drawings will raise awareness and invite viewers to share the urgency of the Maldivians’ predicament in a productive and hopeful way. I believe art can facilitate a deeper understanding of crises, helping us find meaning and optimism amidst shifting landscapes.”

Thompson Lake

“Wherever we live, we need water to survive. Not only is the human body sixty percent water, but water is also essential for producing the things we need like food, clothing, and computers; moving our waste stream; and keeping us and the environment healthy.”

“And yet, while water scarcity is an abstract concept to some, it is a stark reality to many--some regions seem flush with fresh water, while others face drought and pollution. Myriad environmental, political, economic, and social forces produce this water scarcity.”

“During the summer of 2010, I visited Thompson Lake in Casco, Maine. One of the most pristine lakes in the state, this 12-mile-long lake is situated next to the Poland Spring Aquifer. I was struck by the silky, smooth quality of the water. Sipping it as I swam, a sense of gratefulness overcame me. The purity of the water here is no accident.”

“Through education programs and monitoring of the lake and its watershed, The Thompson Lake Environmental Association preserves the lake's natural beauty, water quality, and biological diversity. Such practices set a prime example of how we might effectively conserve and manage the fresh water we have on our planet.”

Again Zaria commits to the charity that is the most appropriate to the work she has done, so 10% of all sales from this body of work go to water.org.

Contact details.

ZariaFormaninfo@gmail.com

For a full list of available works and price list, contact Zaria Forman at the email above.

Zaria Forman, Brooklyn, USA

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, August 2014

by Deborah Blakeley

Andrew Salgado

The size and scale of your images is huge. How do you physically cope with this aspect of your work?

One of my favourite painters is Daniel* Richter, and I recall as a student artist at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) being familiar with his work but being rather ambivalent about it; one day I saw an exhibition of his paintings at Helen and Morris Belkin gallery on campus, and I was completely blown away by the monumental scale of the paintings. As a young painter, it was a cathartic moment; one of those rare shows that not only asks you to rethink the work of the artist in question, but rethink how you consider painting as a whole.

For me, scale is an important aspect of the identity I have forged for myself as a painter. I have to remind myself to hold back sometimes, and challenge myself to work on a smaller scale. My last solo exhibition (Variations on a Theme, NYC) purposely included very large work as contrasted by very small work. I like what this polarity suggests, and for me, it’s the mid-range pieces that are almost irrelevant. If it weren’t for the limitations of my studio (ceiling height and the logistics of getting work in and out) I think I would like to even go bigger.

There’s a certain power with scale, and the freedom to move about and explore the canvas, where your brushwork actually becomes a record of movement in time and space. I am drawn to the grandeur of scale, the suggestions where a torso becomes twice the size that it should be; it is almost a sublime experience looking at a figure that is unnaturally large.

Conversely, I find small paintings challenging because it’s easy to be ‘important’ on such a large scale, but it is difficult to make a bold statement when you’re working with such confines. I also notice that I become a very different painter when I work small-scale, but that’s to be expected.

Big, Bold, and Brash is the feeling I get when viewing your work, is this your aim?

I’m not sure that brash is a good thing. To me, it seems like a cheap trick. I think there’s a confidence in the new work, and a freshness that I’ve earned as I mature as a painter. The work also comes from a politicized source. As a gay male and a victim of hate-crime, the work has a message that goes beyond big-for-big’s-sake. The work is aggressive because it is asking the viewer to consider and challenge something beyond what is immediately visible. I know a lot of big, bold, and brash artists but to me these adjectives recall something almost pejorative: like a big tacky sign. I like to challenge myself and my viewer, and I don’t like to make work that sits comfortably; something is always off-kilter, waiting to be deciphered. I do think from time to time the work is bombastic, but with each successive body of work I tend to focus on an adjective that subconsciously comes up and guides me. For my Cape Town exhibition it was ‘intimate’. For NYC it was ‘purposeful’. And for London (opening October 4th at Beers Contemporary) it’s ‘deceptively simple’. So I think for many painters it can be quite easy to pull off ‘big’ and ‘brash’, and I think it is challenging to be subversive when you’re playing with scale and aggressive, politicized themes. I also think the work is changing, rapidly, and markedly. On one level I’m still the same painter that I was before, but on another level, I’m entirely not the same painter that I was before.

You use many mediums as well as oil, spray paint, collage, text, and video discuss how you know when to stop?

There was a foray into video during my Masters at Chelsea College in London in 2008, spurred by necessity as a result of insufficient studio space and a (painter turned performance artist as the) course Director who tried telling me I was a performer and not a painter. However, even those videos were ultimately all about paint. When I left the degree I also returned to painting, which is really where my love-affair lies.

Everything else has been quite causal. I believe in being informed by your immediate surroundings. After a particular commission I was erroneously given a box of spray paints; they stared at me in the studio for some time until I thought ‘screw it’ and began incorporating them into the work. However, their use is always quite subversive. Spray paint has this tendency to be a very immediate, very loud media, but I use them in a method where they’re almost indecipherable. This to me is almost a form of trickery; the viewer is pulled right into the piece – endlessly looking. Earlier this year I began using them to stencil the my materials onto the piece – the silhouette of a brush or a palette knife, for instance; and eventually this evolved into actually sticking the actual object onto the canvas in its entirety. Sort of a self-referential act, where I’m constantly trying to remind the viewer that this is a reconstruction, a creation, there was a process involved, a fiction… I like to draw attention to my materials and this was just an evolutionary step, it was never intentional, it just happened.

If it becomes a gimmick - then so to do the paintings - and it is funny, because my most recent work has pulled back entirely…they’re only oil on canvas again. I’ve retreated back into the cave, just me and brush, but I still have some tricks up my sleeve.

How do I know when to stop? You have to listen to the intuition because you can’t pull out to early, either. But for every successful painting there’s probably a failed idea or unfinished work somewhere as well.

You make the comment, “my studio is my paradise and my prison”. Can you expand on this?

Art is a give and take exercise. As artists we play with fire, and from time to time you risk getting burned. I think as artists we need to know when to ‘cool it’, and step away from the work altogether. We need that impetus to create, and sometimes it’s simply ‘not there’. I work alone, usually 6 days a week, at least 8 hours a day. If you’re not careful, this creative space can become a draining space. But there’s nothing quite like that feeling when you’re in the studio, and everything seems to ‘click’ and you surprise even yourself. However as artists we need the crises, the failures; they are what help us grow and learn and improve.

Your exhibition in NYC was a sell-out – Discuss how and why your work relates so well to NYC?

I don’t think its NYC in particular that my work relates well to…I would like to think it has an appeal that transcends any particular location. I’m Canadian, half Mexican, but I live in London. So I’m a bit of a mixed bag myself. In fact my last 6 exhibitions were all sell-outs, which is amazing, but also brings with it a new series of anxieties. There is a demand now for me to constantly trump myself: each show has to be better; the work more important; and of course we don’t want the ‘winning streak’ to end. So that’s definitely a pressure for me but I try not to think about these things because the real importance is the paintings. If the paintings are spectacular, everything else will fall into place. I broke through a glass-ceiling with the paintings for the NYC show, and as an artist it’s an incredible feeling to surprise even yourself. The paintings were sharp, and fresh, and crazy, and I do think that a NYC audience responded to their immediacy. I’m hopeful, as well, because the initial paintings for the London show are off to a promising start. There’s another change, and the works are a little more complex but also a lot more subtle, and I think a London audience will respond to that aesthetic.

Can you discuss the importance of space, lighting, freight, and location for your exhibitions?

I think all are really important, and there are some great spaces I would love to work with. The space in NYC was amazing because there were quite literally no constraints to any of these factors. Obviously shipping is a pain, but a reality that I suppose I have to consider… In reality though, it’s my job to make the paintings, and I let other people worry about logistics. One thing that many people find interesting is that I plan an exhibition around the gallery space. I go see the space, get a feel for it, and then think about the scale of the work and the number of pieces I want, and work to ‘fill in the blanks’.

The full show was a portfolio of 14 works. What timeline did you work with?

Is there ever enough time? I never count the time taken per work, but rather allot myself a specified amount of time for a particular body of work. I had initially given myself over 4 months for 9 or 10 paintings. I never do more than 12. I was approached by Kevin Arpino at Rootstein to do an additional show to outfit for their windows, the dates to correspond to my NYC show. So suddenly I had 5 more paintings to do in the same time-frame. I did my exhibition first, then the Rootstein works. I didn’t want overlap. To me, while related, they were two bodies of work. This was pretty crazy, but I always welcome a challenge. For London, I had 5 months, but I took a month ‘off-studio’. I tend to work well under pressure, though. But no…never enough time. I’ll rest when I’m old…right now, I feel like have work to do.

At another level, can you discuss your work with Rootstein, who’s philosophy is “constant innovation and boundless creativity” with an open canvas, - mannequin. What did this commission lead too?

Actually I was already working with the idea of sculptures falling apart…disjointed body parts, floating limbs, so making work for Rootstein couldn’t have fit better into how I was already painting. The resulting works were entirely my decision; I won’t work with any commission where they tell me what to do because that never works. I’m close friends with the CEO, Kevin Arpino, and he just said “I trust you”. And it worked. Kevin is incredibly inspiring and I learned a lot from him as well. He’s a true visionary and I think their philosophy is brilliant.

How often do you add work such as Caravaggio’s Bacchus to your canvases?

There are a lot of references lurking within my paintings. Some paintings have more obvious references, such as the painting of Bacchus in the background of Green Dionysus, or the reference to Botticelli in ‘1486’, but other paintings have sly nods: the presence of a contour line to reference Chavannes; another painting a response to “Whistler’s Mother”; another painting borrows from Doig; another from Gauguin. Sometimes it is just a subtle thing: a colour, the gesture of a hand, the composition, even the title, but I think as an artist I have a responsibility to the history that came before me, and an onus to be responsive to that. As a painter I don’t work in a vacuum, and I’m keen to draw attention to this, even if it is just knowledge for me to carry.

How do you find the sitters? Are many commissions?

I now avoid commissions like the plague. I don’t want to be told who or what to paint. It sounds awful but you can’t hire inspiration, no matter how much cash you throw at it. I’ve stopped taking commissioned work and I feel more honest as a result of it. I find my sitters anywhere, but typically I don’t like to know my sitter too well. I don’t like to think of them as portraits, and if they bring too much of ‘themselves’, I can’t use them the way I want to. I always say that ultimately what I do is very selfish, because I take what I want from my subjects, like conduits, to express something for me, and then I move along. It’s like a horrible mantra: love ‘em and leave ‘em.

Currently you are supporting Cancer Research in both Canada and the UK with your work on a T shirt. How did this happen? How can a reader purchase one?

I work with a lot of charities worldwide, and I believe in giving back. Artists can be so self-indulgent and solipsistic, they often fail to realize that there is a world with real issues beyond the confines of their studio walls.

I was contacted by Maison Twenty, who wanted to use my imagery for a t-shirt. Originally I was not keen on this idea until I asked them about if we could give all the proceeds to charity. I chose MacMillan in the UK and the Cancer Society in Canada and I’m splitting the proceeds to either. To purchase, you can go to Maison Twenty’s website.

Contact details.

www.andrewsalgado.com

www.facebook.com/andrew.salgado.artist

For sales inquiries: info@beerscontemporary.com

All other inquiries: amy@andrewsalgado.com

Andrew Salgado, London, UK

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, August 2014

by Deborah Blakeley

David Lake

Can you explain how you use colour to capture the time of day in your work?

Work is often initiated and inspired by some reflection or catch light; when painting this is emphasised. The vibrant colours of some objects seen are inviting as well. The use of high quality primary colours seems to give a brilliance.

'High on Summer Morning’

Discuss the importance of light and sky in your work?

Light is of great importance; it brings the picture to life. As to sky: it can so often take over. Sometimes I minimise the area of sky within the picture, other times the sky is given weight to contrast with surrounding objects.

You paint things that interest you, your work is not what you know will sell. Can you explain the importance of this in the growth of your art?

Given the advice separately by two well established artists some years ago to ‘paint what you like’, one has discovered the clear direction this has offered, both as to choice of subject and towards refinement in execution. The advice continually grows in significance; it is returned to and referred to often.

'Sunday Morning'

All artists have high and low moments. Can you explain how both have influenced your work and your career?

Dissatisfaction with work is common and indeed a friend; there is a continual striving to improve, to reproduce the mindful vision, the vision becoming more apparent as the picture evolves. Such is useful, it drives the ‘learning to see’ process. I allow the ‘highs’ to pass; there is always room for improvement.

'Friday Night'

Discuss some of your recent Awards and the value they have given to your artistic career?

Recognition is always a lift. Income from painting sales is useful; I do like to eat!! However, there is a deeper satisfaction that comes from the recognition of beauty in any work. The beauty is not mine, nor can it be owned or attributed to anyone in particular. I believe that beauty exists to uplift; an important organism in a world so often adrift.

When I spoke to you earlier this week, you commented that you had an hours work to do on a painting and this was your priority. Can you explain the timeline you give to your art?

I work most days and often for very many hours, usually working on several paintings at once. Drying time is needed, as is the stepping back and review of a work in progress. Then there is the stretching of canvasses and making frames, all from home milled profiles. Time away from the easel is also enjoyed. I live with a delightful and most understanding wife! She is used to me stopping the car, reversing and leaping out with sketchbook and camera.

'Air on an Autumn Evening'

What are you currently working on?

I have a solo exhibition opening at the beginning of October this year at Gallery Pejean, (who represent me) I am quite focussed on that. Much to be done and little time!

Size - can you discuss this in relationship to your work?

I really enjoy a size around 61 x 99 cms. It is a practical consideration, as I only have a very small area in which to paint at present. At the moment there are six canvasses around that size and then several up to 2.28 metres wide; it’s crowded. Larger canvasses are a joy however; bring a freedom which invites accuracy and an apparent presence.

'Window, Sphere, Party Hat and Friends'

You also work on portraits, can you take one that has given you great pleasure and discuss this technically?

Particular personalities are often included in landscape paintings. Often people who are seen by many, the folk who give colour to the community, even sometimes those on the margin of humdrum society. In the picture ‘1950 Hobart Road’, a particular well recognised woman is included; she walks almost incessantly around the city of Launceston, pausing in a café here and there for a cup of tea. I expressed interest in painting her to the proprietor of one of her regular tea stops and soon was to meet her in the café. With her permission I sat a few tables away and sketched her, twice. In her slow, deliberate voice she decreed ‘I like that one best, it has more life’; she was right! Having been an artist herself (did not know previously), there was a serendipitous aspect about it all. This is often the way pictures evolve. The composition is established early and remains, unless the picture is painted over. I always attempt to capture harmony in composition. This picture was entirely ‘constructed’: though the house exists with its 1950’s architecture things have been moved around, the car and the 1950’s van added, the bus stop made to be of the period, as is indeed, Merryl

'1950 Hobart Road'

Many of your recent works are from the perspective of the driver. Can you explain how and why you have used this?

Very simply, pictures arise from glimpses seen as one gets about, usually driving. My dear wife says I have a fondness for gutters and garbage cans; there is no dispute regarding this. The modest can be so full of beauty. Beyond the contrast of colour, I enjoy contrast of the made with the natural and bright colours are always a bonus!

'Autumn Lane'

You discuss the special moments, as “that glimpse” can you expand on this in your paintings?

It happens in a flash. Seen in a luxurious moment, the location is often sketched quickly and a snap taken. Usually return to the place ensues and often several times, just to look at aspects of light and possible composition. Pictures are usually constructed to suit composition and therefore could never be photographed.

'Degree of Permanence'

You do both Solo and Group exhibitions, can you expand on the benefits of both?

A Solo exhibition is demanding, as I am seldom satisfied with a work soon after it is ‘finished’. In this regard, as mentioned earlier, the experience drives improvement on several levels. In comparison, the group event even approaches fun! Both are good; best of all is the act of painting, I experience joy in the work.

Tasmania is your home, in many of your landscape paintings you give the viewer a new perspective to a known place. How important is this to you as an artist?

It doesn’t really matter where the place is, as beauty fortunately is not confined. Certainly ‘in the eye of the beholder’, the phenomenon is enjoyed without boundary. Those who seem to be drawn to my pictures are seeing them from within themselves. If they have happen to have worked hard all their lives, accumulated vast wealth and choose to spend it on one, or many of my modest efforts, then I will not argue their choice! The ‘perspective’ is a viewpoint which quietly arrives and inspires; however again, it’s not mine, it is there for all to see.

'Earnestly Persuing Universal Knowledge'

You are a third generation Tasmanian. Do you think this connection to place has helped your insight?

Great Grandmother and Grandfather (I don’t recall them), Grandmother, and Grandfather (I found them really interesting) all lived in Tasmania. Father may have for a short while. I do prefer to live here in Tasmania out of all the possibilities in Australia, it is cooler and the sun has a low trajectory - these things suit me. I rather like miserable weather; indeed there are places where I would prefer to live that have far greater miserable weather. However I’m here and, it works.

Contact details.

Via website http://davidlakepaintings.com/
Gallery Pejean http://www.gallerypejean.com.au

David Lake, Longford, Tasmania, Australia

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, July 2014

by Deborah Blakeley

Lan-Chiann Wu

Can you discuss your East and West arts education and the fusion of both in relations to your BFA with highest honours from Taiwan and your MA from New York University?

Throughout my study in the fine arts, I have worked with different paint media, such as watercolour, oil and acrylic paints both in Taiwan and in New York. However, I discovered that I have strong connection with ink painting. Ink painting allows me to express a deeper meaning that goes beyond the image you see. This is the same way with poetry, which has deeper meaning beyond the rhythm and beauty of the words. Ever since I was very young, I have been attracted to western painting, especially with regard to the use of perspective, light, and representation of volume.

At the Chinese Culture University, I was trained in the ancient tradition of ink painting. It is very typical in this field that artists first learn from studying and copying old masterpieces. The traditional way of learning Chinese ink painting encouraged artists to use their own wisdom to understand the spirit of the masters and then, over the years, use that knowledge to become independent, so that the artist eventually would make his/her own creative work.

Studying art in New York City rounded my artistic formation and gave me the opportunity to further explore blending Chinese ink painting with Western modes of representation. Both Western art and Chinese art have unique qualities, which I equally value and embrace.

To me, art is a universal language. Art is often an unspoken language, which can be understood intuitionally by people across time, space and culture. Making painting is a calling to me, and creating work that focuses on the significance of universal humanistic values is my mission. I hope my work provides people with a moment of contemplation on the beautiful and meaningful moments of life.

Discuss how your earlier training as an assistant under Au Ho-nien influenced your training?

One of my high school teachers suggested that I seek out the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan, which at that time, had one of the best painters in the country, and I chose to learn from him. His name is Au Ho-Nien, and is one of the greatest living masters of the Lingnan School of painting. I studied four years with him. He is a great master, who is still very active in the field today. I was very fortunate to have been his student. I also had the opportunity to study with other masters at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei, who taught me several different styles of ink painting that included very fine, detailed brushwork.

I have had several excellent teachers who helped me advance my painting skills and understanding of life. In particular, my mentor, Au Ho-Nien, has been extremely generous in this regard. In my earlier work, Solitude (1994), you can see the influence of his Lingnan style artwork in mine.

As I mentioned before, I have always been attracted to the use of perspective and light, more commonly found in Western painting. Therefore, in some of my earlier work, you can see a mixture of Lingnan and Western schools as, for example, in my work Old Street in Sanxia, which I created while I lived in Taiwan in 1993. Today, I have moved on from Lingnan, not because I reject it (in fact I think it is incredibly beautiful and expressive), but because I wanted to find my own direction.

One of your older paintings ‘Old Street in Sanxia’ (1993) reminds me of similar work by He You-Zhi, ‘Long Tong Life in Old Shanghai’. Please discuss?

In my work, I am often influenced by my direct surroundings. In addition, I have always been attracted to the use of perspective. Therefore, in some of my earlier work, you can see a mixture of Lingnan and Western schools as, for example, in my work Old Street in Sanxia, which I created while I lived in Taiwan in 1993. .

Sanxia is a village in Taiwan, which was strongly influenced by European culture. In a historical context, Sanxia is similar to Old Shanghai in China. I can see how my work Old Street in Sanxia reminds you of He You-Zhi’s ‘Long Tong Life in Old Shanghai’.

He You-Zhi’s ‘Long Tong Life in Old Shanghai’.

Your work centers around the exploration of Chinese Ink Painting. This brings with it great historical skills and techniques. Can you discuss one aspect: ‘Brushes’ the different shapes, sizes and hairs that you use?

In the Chinese ink painting, the quality of the brush stroke carries tremendous importance. It has to be strong and controlled, yet dynamic, fluid and delicate. Painting on mulberry paper with watery ink requires absolute mastery of the medium, because mistakes cannot be corrected. Any errors are unforgiving; the moment a brush touches paper, ink is absorbed and what has been painted cannot be undone. Consequently, in this medium, free expression can only be achieved through mastery of the medium and techniques. More than a thousand years ago, Chinese landscape painter, Kuo Hsi (ca. 1020-ca.1090) summarized this up as: “a painter should be master over, and not a slave to, his brush and ink.” The quality of Chinese brushwork is another aspect that makes ink painting so special to me.

There are mainly three types of brushes that I use; soft brushes made of sheep’s hair, mixed hair brushes made of deer and wolf hair, and hard brushes made of horsehair. I use various sizes and shapes of these brushes in my work, depending on the subject matter and expression that I wanted to achieve in my painting.

You sometimes teach and demonstrate Chinese Ink Painting. Can you discuss the importance of explaining this technique to both other artists and others interested in the arts?

In looking at ink painting throughout Chinese history, I find the depth of content and the strong personal connection the painters had to their subjects deeply fascinating. The renowned Six Dynasty Southern Song (375-443) landscape painter and philosopher, Zhong B’ien said: “I am here surrounded by creation, my eyes see the things that surround me, that’s why I paint the shapes captured in my heart, that’s why I paint the colours I feel in my heart.”

For me, the essence of Chinese ink painting remains exactly as the ancient masters described it; not an actual representation or an imitation of nature, but rather nature represented through how the painters experienced it through their souls. The intellectual painters of China made a conscientious effort to represent nature according their own values and aesthetic principles. In each of my paintings I develop a meaningful relation with the subject matter, and express my response with ink on paper. I consider my work sometimes as “mindscapes”. For instance in my 1994 painting Memory of My Roots, the scene is of my grandmother’s birth village. I was always very close to her, and the subject is therefore deeply personal. However, I did not paint the actual village, but rather how I felt the connection with this special place.

'Memory of My Roots'

So, when I speak to people about my art, this is the very essence of what I want to convey.

One of your earliest talks was related to ‘Imaging the Orient’ at the J Paul Getty Museum in LA. Can you briefly discuss this topic?

In 2005, I was invited to give a ‘Point-of-View’ artist talk to discuss the ‘Imaging the Orient’ exhibition at J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. ‘Imaging the Orient’ was quite a fabulous exhibition. It showed how the visions of exotic lands fed the imagination of 18th century Europe. The exhibition explored how European artists were influenced by Asian art. They adapted motifs in imaginative and whimsical ways to produce Chinoiserie, a French term for objects that are decorated with Western fantasies of the exotic East.

I was particularly fond of discussing a pair of ewers (Chinese porcelain with French mounts, about 1745-1749, the maker unknown). These two Chinese vases were enriched in Paris with gilt bronze mounts to adapt them for a fashionable French interior. As I had discussed with the audiences, the original objects were two hard-paste Chinese porcelain vases with minimal decoration; simplicity and elegance from the height of the Qing Dynasty. The heavy and highly decorative French mounts completely changed the intent of the original maker. I found the different cultural aesthetic values and needs deeply fascinating.

How do you view linking the past and present, through your art?

I have always been fascinated by the universal values and principles of life that are inherent to every society. Over the past two decades, I have created a body of work inspired by themes that connect people across place and time. My paintings are often inspired by the work of others, who share similar values, for example, in a poem, a story, or a novel. A good example here is a painting I made in 2009 that is based on Night Thought, a poem by Li Bai (701-62).

“A bright moon shines before my bed,
I wonder … is it frost on the ground?
I raise my head and gaze at the moon,
then lower it and think of home”

I named this painting Li Bai’s Moon. As Northern Sung dynasty Landscape Painter Kuo Hsi said, poetry is a picture without form and a painting is a poem with form. When I read Li Bai’s Night Thought, I wanted to picture his poem, as his words vividly described an image before my eyes. Night Thought emphasizes the umbilical connection that we have with our roots; it is a universal theme. What really captured me is that after 1300 years, the poem’s meaning still remains current, as we will always be connected to our roots no matter what century we live in.

‘Li Bai’s Moon’

Your work is not restricted to China and Taiwan as seen in ‘Reflections of the Past’. Please discuss?

The recurring use of light, or sometimes only glimmers of light, in my work are metaphors for human resilience: the love, hope, and strength that we each person carries within. It is a central theme in my art. My painting Reflection of the Past (1999) is a good examples. Resilience is an innate strength we all share, which helps us during each phase of our lives.

‘Reflection of the Past’

Reflection of the Past was inspired by the Japanese summer festival of remembrance, called O-Bon. O-Bon is an annual reminder of the importance of family ties, of respect for those who have gone before us, and of the brevity and preciousness of our lives together. Japanese people welcome home of the souls of deceased family members by floating paper lanterns on water. I am keenly aware that everyone carries within his or her souls memories of past love ones like precious glowing lights, see for example Precious Light (2012). I believe that it is a universal feeling that I expressed with these painting through the use of lit lanterns.

‘Precious Light’

Discuss your work in relation to distance that separates you form your birthplace?

Much of my inspiration comes from daily life, but always centres on universal humanistic values and themes. In my work, I seek to create a connection between people and place. My creative ideas often inspired by my direct environment, such as when I lived in New York. For example, my painting Snowflakes Quietly Descending (1999) was made in Manhattan, New York City, where I then lived.

'
Snowflakes Quietly Descending’

‘Snowflakes Quietly Descending’ does not appear Asian, but still it gives this feeling, could you explain this?

The painting Snowflakes Quietly Descending is a view of Fifth Avenue looking south from the Guggenheim Museum on 89th Street. In this particular painting, I aimed at capturing a quintessential New York City ‘landscape’ during a light winter storm. I used to live close to the Guggenheim, and the painting expresses my love of the city. A Broadway actor, who lives on the Westside, collected Snowflakes Quietly Descending, and I feel therefore that a part of me never left New York.

I stood in the snow and watched the snow falling on me for several days. I was observing the scenery, making sketches, taking notes, and was experimenting with painting techniques. Then, I brought my study materials back to my studio to complete the composition. The original work is quite large, so when you stand in a certain angle it is as if you can walk into the avenue. While I captured the scene on Manhattan, I developed a feeling for the city analogous to how painters of the past described their connection to places, such as philosopher Zhong B’ien said in the 5th century

Another good example here is a painting I made in 2009 that is based on Night Thought, a poem by Li Bai (701-62). For this work, I sketched an old tree that I walked by every day here in Los Angeles.

Could you discuss ‘Lantern Festival I’ in relation to darkness and light?

My painting Lantern Festival I, which I made after a visit to Florence in 1997. Fascinated by the architecture of the city, I made several sketches looking down from one of the widows of Palazzo Vecchio. To express my special feeling for the city, I tried to give this painting a mesmerizing quality by creating a night scene. I tested this effect with charcoal and a basic composition, before I completed this painting. During the creation of this work, my imagination brought me to my childhood’s favourite festival in Taiwan. At that particular moment, I realized that no matter which city (East or West) you visit, a city’s energy is universal, and that is what I wanted to express in Lantern Festival I. This painting too, shows my interest in perspective and light, and illustrates that I make conscious connections between people and place across cultures.

'Lantern Festival I’

Your project, 'Cycle of Life' is to consist of sixteen paintings. Could you explain the project and its basic concept, and elaborate on the relation to the four seasons and the stages of human Life?

Inspired by John Keats’s sonnet The Human Seasons, Cycle of Life will consist of sixteen large-scale ink paintings, designed as four groups of four paintings each. Each group represents one season of nature, which I will use to juxtapose the human stages of life.

In Cycle of Life, I will explore the human seasons to create a visual context for the different stages we pass through in life. In this project, I will use the rhythm of nature as an allegory for the human cycle of life. That said, I envision the season in my very personal way. For example, I may imagine Spring, as human beings coming to this earth with unknowing destinies, similar to an early morning that announces a day filled with expectation. To explore this idea, I used my sketch Leading the Way Home (2004) as a base, and developed it into a study for Spring called A New Dawn.

'Leading the Way Home’

Spring: Birth and Renewal

Spring: Birth and Renewal;

Summer: Exploration and Growth

This stage of life is a playful period of exploration and growth. Youth is attracted to different directions and wants to experience life in many ways.

Autumn: Maturity and Confidence

Autumn is the golden stage of life. This is the time of accomplishment, but it may also be turbulent as the last stage is approaching.

We come to this earth alone and depart alone. This is time for reflection, for looking back, and perhaps contemplate afterlife.

We come to this earth alone and depart alone. This is time for reflection, for looking back, and perhaps contemplate afterlife.

John Keats’ The Human Seasons has great depth:

“Four Seasons fill the measure of the year;

There are four seasons in the mind of man:

He has his lusty Spring, when fancy clear

Takes in all beauty with an easy span:

He has his Summer, when luxuriously

Spring's honied cud of youthful thought he loves

To ruminate, and by such dreaming high

Is nearest unto heaven: quiet coves

His soul has in its Autumn, when his wings

He furleth close; contented so to look

On mists in idleness—to let fair things

Pass by unheeded as a threshold brook.

He has his Winter too of pale misfeature,

Or else he would forego his mortal nature.”

Keats’ poem evokes several strong images with me, and I have begun with laying out ideas for individual paintings and finished several study paintings, and I am preparing sketches for the overall work.

While the work is in progress, I will also be developing exhibition ideas and programs for Cycle of Life with the local, national and international communities. To-date, I have spoken about my work and sources of inspiration at the Southern California Historical Society in Los Angeles, presented on the same subject at the Huntington Library in San Marino, and at Bowdoin College in Maine. It is an ambitious project for which I am seeking external financial support, and I hope to complete the entire series of paintings by the end of 2015.

‘A New Dawn’

Are you working through the series in a chronological order?

I am not working on the paintings in chronological order. I explore visual ideas when they come to me, which can be in any order. But I do have the larger picture in mind and I will fit each component together like pieces of a puzzle. It is a process I tremendously enjoy, but it is also challenging because of its scale.

Could you explain the involvement of NYFA, and NYFA as an organization?

Cycle of Life is a sponsored project of ARTSIPRE, a Program of the New York Foundation of the Arts (NYFA), which acts as fiscal sponsor for the project. Many people think that ARTSPIRE or NYFA commissioned Cycle of Life, but this is not the case; they provide fiscal sponsorship. Sometimes, people or organizations are reluctant to support artists directly out of concern for lack of oversight on how their funds are expended. As fiscal sponsor, ARTSIPRE guarantees that any donations to the project (thus not directly to the artist) are used for eligible expenses. It is a great way to support artists with making projects they cannot fund themselves.

ARTSPIRE is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization founded in 1971 to work with the arts community throughout the United States to develop and facilitate programs in all art disciplines. ARTSPIRE receives donations and grants on behalf of Cycle of Life, and ensures that the use of grant funds is in compliance with U. S. regulations. ARTSPIRE provides program or financial reports as required. As project director and independent artist, I will be responsible for executing and overseeing the project. My work will include: executing the art project and overall project management, expanding professional networks, working with external consultants, outreach, etc.

Recently, you worked very closely with Wu Man. Can you expand on this connection and also the connection with the Huntington Library, Art Collection, and Botanical Gardens?

Wu Man and I are interested in expanding the appreciation of traditional Chinese culture in a contemporary context. In 2012, when June Li, Curator of the Chinese den at the Huntington heard that Wu Man and I wanted to collaborate on a project that involved Chinese painting, music and poetry, she was keenly interested to work with us. June invited us to give a talk as part of a special public program at the Huntington. Our presentation was called: “An Evening with Wu Man and Lan-Chiann Wu” held on June 18, 2013.

‘Wu Man & June Li, with Lan-Chiann Wu’

At the event, Wu Man and I shared what inspires us to make art in our respective disciplines, and gave demonstrations of our art forms. We were sharing how we transform poetry into painting and music, especially because we had discovered that we both created a work inspired by 8th century poet Li Bai. I am referring to Li Bai’s Night Thoughts. It is a poem that all Chinese children have to learn when they are in second or third grade; they have to remember it by heart. When you are very young, those words don’t really mean a lot to you. You have to recite it and that’s it. But after you move away from your home, or in my case, immigrate to another country, the poem takes on a poignant meaning.

So when I re-read Li Bai’s Night Thoughts his words made a deep impact on me. When we discussed the poem at the Huntington event, it also resonated strongly with the audience. After the lecture, many people expressed to me that they felt uplifted and inspired to further explore Chinese culture. The Huntington has released a video recording of An Evening with Wu Man and Lan-Chiann Wu. They captured the entire event, and its complete footage can be found on YouTube:

Our humanity, our core values and principles, is what binds us together as one people across time and space, and this is the main theme in my art. Therefore, my paintings are not mere images; they are layered with content and represent universal themes that each and all of us experience in life. As a visual artist, I enjoy sharing my vision through my painting as well as through speaking about my art.

Contact details.

Lan-Chiann Wu

Website: www.thetranquilstudio.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheArtofLanChiannWu

Cycle of Life:
https://www.nyfa.org/ArtistDirectory/ShowProject/caeb6d9f-f3da-47be-99ec-f5b82147f964

Lan-Chiann Wu, California, USA

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, June 2014

by Deborah Blakeley

Nadia Lazizi

You say you are a figurative artist. Can you explain how you understand this term in context to your work?

For me, to be a figurative artist is to work with the human form in one’s own work. I have always found an affinity in working with the female form in particular, as a means of self expression.
A favourite pastime of mine was sitting cross legged on the floor in life drawing classes and immersing myself in studies of the human anatomy. It brought with it not only the challenge of attaining anatomical correctness of form in a practical manner but also cleared the mind of all distractions and became more of a meditative process.

Recently you have become a selected member of the International Guild of Realism, USA. Explain how this membership is achieved?

I was very pleased that my application to IGOR was accepted. If one wishes to make an application to them it is done through their website. They request that if you happen to know anyone on the admissions board, that you state this clearly along with your application to keep the judging process impartial. If an artist should wish to submit an application for membership to the Guild they will need to supply them with several images of their work at high resolution, a link to their website and other necessary information such as contact and image details. The application itself can take a few weeks to be reviewed by the charter members of the board.

When and why did you decide to specialize in painting women?

It wasn’t a conscious decision as such. It was more of an organic process that evolved from my love of studying the human anatomy at College/University, coupled with an exploration of my mixed cultural heritage and place within society as a young woman.

Can you expand on your use of flamboyant fabric in your work?

I predominantly use silks within my works. The reason is twofold, the first being that it is a real pleasure to paint, the colours are vibrant and I adore the way it interacts with the light that I use in my paintings. The second is because I find it to be a very sensual and feminine fabric.

'Forget Me Knot’

You also paint just fabric. Can you discuss this work?

Several of my works are solely of silk, yes. This came about because I needed to take some time to reflect on a few matters and I find that painting silk is a very calming, meditative experience.

‘Haven’ and ‘Reticence’ give a more modern insight. Why does clothing have such a dating impact on the viewer?

Although my work is grounded in realism, it is far too stylized to be considered entirely so. I would refer to it as Aesthetic Realism, influenced by not only the classical fine arts of the Renaissance but also contemporary illustrators and digital photographers. With ‘Reticence’ and ‘Haven’ as well as ‘Shelter’ and ‘Timid’, I sought to further enhance the modern, illustrative quality of my work by making the clothing a distinct feature, even though it is very simple and dark. It is further enhanced by the lighter backgrounds which the clothing is very clearly defined against. Clothing is indicative of the times we live in or the times we, as artists, wish to represent. The particular time period in history one is depicting also brings with it a sense of the values and perceptions of the people of that particular age.

'Reticence'

A large number of your works have very dark backgrounds. Expand on this use and also on that of light in your work?

I have always used my work as a way of exploring my feelings and place within the word as a young woman, given my mixed cultural heritage. Since my work has a very personal source I have always been concerned about how much visual information to convey to the viewer. The use of negative space and ambiguous backgrounds is intended to focus the greatest attention upon my subject, the solitary female and her emotional experiences.

‘Linger’

Mood and atmosphere is carefully constructed through the deliberate juxtaposition of the central figure against an ambiguous background. In turn, the image is further defined by the use of intense artificial lighting and a restricted colour palette. The play of light and shadow conveys an effect that is both welcoming and remote. In brief, it intensifies and ephemeral moment in time which the viewer can interpret in light of their own personal experiences, yet being guided by the ambience and composition of the image as a whole.

Can you discuss how you are able to show such sensual poses without them becoming sexual?

I have always been acutely aware of the fine line between ‘sexual’ and ‘sensual’. I want to portray the draped female figure, whilst still retaining the element of ‘modesty’ which was instilled in me from a young age. This can be a balancing act, and one which mirrors my own personal circumstance.
Many of my works represent a dream world or moments of quiet reflection, contemplation or introspection, where one can delve into the subconscious and attempt to understand one’s own place within the greater scheme of things. I seek to represent and capture a fleeting moment in time, a transient image of contemplation that is a combination of dreams and reality, a tasteful balance between sensuality and femininity, suggesting emotions and feelings frozen in time. They are illusions, drawn from an unreal reality based on the commonly purveyed Western depiction of women in an idealised form.

‘Hesitation’

There is often a feeling of tumbling and falling in your work. Can you explain this?

It comes from the subsequent feelings of being influenced by two very different cultures. My upbringing in what is generally considered to be a democratic and liberal Western country meant that there were inevitable clashes between two polar opposite cultures throughout my life and search for my own identity. Often this led to feelings of isolation, confusion and frustration. I found a means of expression through my artwork, and deep reflection upon my circumstance. This is not something that someone would automatically garner from my work but these feelings are conveyed to the viewer on a very subtle level.

'Night Flight’

‘The Seeker’ is very different from your other work. Can you explain the inspiration for this work?

The Seeker was a commission, and as such was painted according to the client’s wishes, which on a serendipitous level also related to my own exploration into identity issues and multiculturalism. The model herself is blonde and fair skinned but she wears the traditional Islamic garb and is, albeit hesitantly, setting out on a journey of discovery.

Can you explain the process of your work, from inspiration to completed canvas?

I seek to define a particular emotion and capture it on linen. My work is very controlled and this mirrors my own nature as I have always had to walk a fine line between two very different cultural expectations and perceptions of womanhood. It has led to a very natural and methodical approach to my paintings and I work slowly, allowing each layer dry before the addition of subsequent layers of paint are added. This often means that I am working on several paintings at once. I work with an array of photographs and sketches, attempting to capture the anatomical correctness of form, which is very important to me. (Unfortunately the costs of working with live models make it impractical for me to work with them on a consistent basis throughout the whole process). After I use the photographs/sketches to establish the figure, I begin to stylize the image as a whole. The works poses a contemporary tone which is achieved through the integration of dry brush techniques, glazing and chiaroscuro, combined with an illustrative edge. Because of the way that I work, it often takes several weeks to finish a painting and as such, I am now working with small canvases, which allows me to work through my ideas at a much faster pace.
Once the work has had time to dry, I use a retouching varnish to protect the painting.

In ‘Cascade’, the curl of the body appears to bind in all her secrets. Please discuss this?

Yes, she is also shrouded by her hair that cascades freely over her shoulders. The idea behind this is again twofold. Her hair protects and hides her from the viewer but it also gains her attention for this very reason, as she sits on the floor reflecting upon her thoughts. The symbolic significance of hair in different cultures prompted this as the Islamic perception is that covered hair symbolises modesty whereas the Western woman does not acknowledge a similar constraint. The models hair flowing over her body illustrates that she is both protected and trapped by these opposing views and presumptions of how a woman is perceived within these respective cultures.
From a technical point of view, I have always found loose hair to be a pleasure to paint. I also feel that it enhances a woman’s sensuality, but that is something that I was always encouraged to ‘contain’. All of my work deals with similar issues and cultural contradictions.

'Cascade’

You were involved in an exhibition, “Women Painting Women”. Can you discuss this particular exhibition and working with ten other women who paint women?

The Women Painting Women movement began in the USA with Sadie Valeri, Alia El Bermani and Diane Feissel who created an online resource detailing the work of other contemporary women artists working with the female form.
Since its inception in March 2009 the site has grown and featured the works of many female artists practicing today. A desire to promote works and create opportunities led to a series of Women Painting Women exhibitions running concurrently across the globe. It was a wonderful show of solidarity and a thoroughly successful event for all concerned. I myself took part in the Glasgow exhibition which was represented by Art Exposure Gallery, which is one of Glasgow’s mainstay galleries that were founded over 20 years ago.
It was a pleasure to work with such a wonderful group of inspirational ladies at various stages of their artistic careers.

On the flipside, you photograph wildlife. Again, this takes so much time and patience. Can you show 2 images of your bird photographs and explain how the images were taken?

‘Baby Owl’

Yes, certainly. Last year I developed a very bad case of painters block due to some emotional turbulence and as such, I had to take some time away from the easel to clear my head. I wanted to use my time constructively and I have always been an animal lover who believes that the best way to regain inner balance is to spend time in the natural world. So I took my camera and pursued this as a way of not only interacting with wildlife but also in learning to gain a better understanding and control of my photographs.

‘The Valture’

I took a one day photography course with the Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Kent and I would recommend this experience to anyone. It was wonderful and I gained a much better understanding of the workings and capabilities of my camera. Subsequently, I pursued this line of inquiry by documenting the raptors at the local Safari Park, thanks to the help of a kind group of falconers who work with the birds throughout the year.

‘Tiger’

Contact details:

Email: www.Nadialazizi@hotmail.com

Website: www.Nadialazizifineart.com

Nadia Lazizi, Edinburgh, UK

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, April 2014

by Deborah Blakeley

Helena McConochie

What has your painting taught you - have you developed new techniques?

I don't believe my style has changed as such, I am amazed at how much more detail I see in a flower now.  This might be a combination of consistent painting and generally growing; which goes hand in hand with this amount of work I do. I have developed a stronger interest in light and shadow not wanting to over work the flower.

Canberra Poppies

I paint almost every day. My work hours are 10-4.30 seven days a week…

I continue to give my paintings female names as I came from a family of girls and had four daughters.

Patricia and Millie

Are you seeing flowers in a different way?

Absolutely – the detail of a flower intrigues me.

Margaret Olley proclaimed, "Flowers can be appreciated by the viewer as just a flower
or can be explored deeper almost as a Landscape"

I am obsessed by my love of flowers and colour. My limited palette system consisting of white and three prime colours that I to mix to natural hues, shades and tones. I create light, shade and dimension in colours that appear remarkably real. I place waterdrops on my paintings as an encouragement to people to conserve water.

Katrina for Melbourne 

Expand on the relationship/s you have built up with your galleries. 

My Galleries are all amazing. They are so supportive of my art and I am continually getting work.

I am represented by Art 2 Muse, Double Bay where I have an annual Solo exhibition – this year’s Exhibition is from 2^nd - 15^th October 2018.

I am represented by Aarwun Gallery Canberra. Riley Gallery in Manhattan Beach and McsartofLiving in Montreal and Memphis.

I have another Exhibition in Colorado this year – the 100^th Anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, June 22^nd – July 13^th 2018.  The theme of the show is based around avian and botanical related imagery in a celebration of this year being the 100th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a piece of legislation that protects countless aviary species each year. With this special commemoration, The National Audubon Society has teamed up with National Geographic, Birdlife International, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, to make 2018, “The Year of the Bird”.  Our aim is to acknowledge this observance with an exhibition of contemporary works focusing on birds, the flora and fauna found in their natural habitats.

What have been two highlights over the past four years.

• Being approached by three Galleries in the USA
• Editorial in both Belle Magazine and House and Garden.

• I also had a small preview in The Wentworth Courier leading up to my Exhibition.

• Donating Paintings in the new Dubbo Base Hospital Maternity Ward- not all women receive flowers and not all results in the Maternity ward are great. Dubbo Base Hospital Maternity Ward

• Starting my Soft Furnishing Line.

What have you learnt not to do?   

I have learnt to say NO. I have been extremely busy since our last interview with exhibitions and commissions. Buyers certainly know what they want, I am such a worrier if it’s not exactly what they ask of me.  I use a Limited Palette – which means I mix all my own colours. It is impossible to get exact.

A Collection of 2017 paintings

Why does your art still give you such great daily joy?

The great daily joy for me is at the end of the day relaxing and critiquing my achievement. I set my painting in the family room, with a glass of champagne and enjoy what I have achieved for the day. My family help me critique it and that is such fun- particularly the Grandchildren who are sooo honest.

If you have enjoyed reading this update please re read the interview Zoneone Arts had with Helena McConchie in March 2014.  It is so interesting to see the development of Helena's work and how she now has solid representation in Australia and the USA.

Katrina and Shayne

March 2014

You have been a mature aged student. Can you expand on how you came to take up painting after your children left home for University?

I was a mother of four daughters which left me absolutely no spare time until they left for University. I was a statistic of “empty nest syndrome” I soon realized that my children had to fly and explore the world and I had to develop some interests of my own. I was very fortunate to have a connection and love of beautiful flowers and art..

I started art lessons with a local artist I soon realised that I wanted to learn a lot more so I enrolled in a Fine Arts Course. This was a whole new world opening up to me. Painting Drawing, Art History, and Photoshop. I was completely absorbed in the course and achieved Distinctions at Diploma Level.

You have always been interested in design. How has this influenced your work?

In the past designing to me consisted of guttering a whole house, rebuilding it, painting and decorating it. I have done this seven times. The excitement I feel when the paint is applied to the walls and the house is transformed into a beautiful masterpiece.

Transforming these old wrecks of houses back to a beautiful, liveable home came very naturally to me.

The work was extremely hard and I can compare the creative side to my canvas, preparing the canvas, drawing and then applying the paint.

When or how did you decide to crop the floral image?

It was not deliberate decision to crop my flowers. I would use my viewing frame and rotate the flower until I achieved the image I wanted. Also with my photographic skills I have been able to take macro shots while the flowers are in season. Georgia O’Keeffe was very fortunate that her partner Albert Stieglitz, was a photographer and took macro shots of her flowers. Georgia was also influenced by Paul Strands cropping method.

How large are your works?

My works vary in size. I try to vary the sizes to accommodate galleries and homes but the largest painting I have done is a Tryptich of Poppies which are 110 x 110 but placed together 330 x 110 cm

Your recent solo exhibition was close to a sell-out. Can you explain how this has propelled your art?

MI have actually had three exhibitions in six months. I spent twelve months completing a body of work that consisted of approximately 14 paintings and proceeded to go on a roadshow with my art. Whenever I had a sale, the art had to be replaced for the next exhibition. Whist it was exhausting the feedback has been amazing.

You are a gardener. How do you prepare for a work, by photographing the flower or painting from life?

Both, my problem is that my flowers are seasonal and not available when I need them . I do like to take macro shots of the flowers and seeing them up close. This is not always the result I want. I do have silk flowers and take photos of them and from memory place the veins and marks on the flowers.

I have a huge collection of photographed flowers. The anticipation of spring and painting a flower that has just opened is certainly the better way for me to paint.

Discuss nature and her amazing palette in relationship to your work?

Flowers bloom in almost every colour of the spectrum and appeal not only to the visual sense, but to the olfactory too. The fine texture and lines of a flower can easily be obtained by careful brushstrokes forming the shape, modelling them, introducing the colour and creating transparency in the flower. One of my favourite artists, Georgia O’Keeffe, her abstract pieces demonstrate beautiful work of rhythm, movement, colour, depth and form and that is what I am trying I am bringing into my work.

You take commissions. How flexible are you with these?

I don’t have any problems with commissions, I do set a deadline to have them finished so the customer is not waiting. .I am fortunate that I can get the painting very close to the original painting and quiet often it is better than the last. I send an image off to the client or arrange for them to be viewed.

Does living in rural Australia affect your work?

Not at all. We have an apartment in Sydney that we stay in regularly. We are an hours flight to Sydney. A lot of artists are living in rural areas as is Tim Storrier who lived in Bathurst and now Bowral.

Can you expand on the influence Tim Maguire has had on your work?

Growing up I have always been surrounded by amazing gardens. The families favourite flower is a Poppy which was grown every year. When I was introduced to Tim Maguire’s poppies I was amazed. I studied Tim Maguire and Georgia O’Keeffe in my Fine Arts Course.

I am extremely impressed with the scale of Tim Maguire’s flowers and it has encouraged me to get out of my own comfort zone.

Tim’s poppies are quite loose where mine are tight, I also place water drops on my flowers and when people tell me how lovely they are I let them know there is actually a strong message behind them. The message is that water is the essence of life and we should all be looking after it (we are in a drought at the moment).

Can you explain your interpretation of the term and your technique of abstraction?

My interpretation of abstraction is a concept which the subject is represented by shapes and patterns and can be slightly unrealistic.

My paintings are a mixture of the above and are slightly cropped and presented in a way that the viewer can still recognise the subject.

How do you fit both gardening and painting into your life?

We have three acres of garden and over the years I have designed my garden to have very little maintenance. I mostly have large trees, flowering trees, a rose garden and an awful lot of lawn. We have a sprinkler system and a lawn contractor. Before spring arrives I mulch the entire garden to lower maintenance and encourage growth.

Flowers give so many, so much joy. Is that a major inspiration for your work?

Absolutely, you should witness me after a long cold winter and then spring has sprung. I am like a child in a lolly shop. The excitement of watching the deciduous trees get new leaves, poppies ready to bloom and not knowing what colour you will be presented with. Looking out my window I can see the Red Canna Lilly flowering next to my White Crepe Myrtle tree. My stayed in a villa in Tuscany and was amazing with red and white flowers all through it. I came home with some great ideas.

Where to now?

I am presently working on 3 paintings for the Archibald , Wynn and Sulman Prize. I have entered before with 600 other hopefuls, and it is a great experience. I will enter in the Paddington Art Prize and The Mount Eyre Art Prize. I intend to exhibition in Melbourne and when I visit New York City this coming April I will endeavour to research exhibitions in Hampton.

Contact details:

Website: http://helenam.com/art.html

Email: ‘helenamay@bigpond.com’

Helena McConochie, Dubbo, NSW. Australia

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, March 2014

by Deborah Blakeley

John Earles

You are the ‘Australian Man’, born and breed in Newcastle. Do you ever tire of your country?

We can all tire a little of the environment which we see every day. It is hard to tire of the ever changing NSW coastline, especially Newcastle. Newcastle is my favourite city anywhere. It is a cultural centre, as are most cities, but doesn’t have any of the grinding big city problems. The beaches are among the best in the world. That’s good if you like to swim or surf.

Newcastle is on the coast and not far from Sydney. The majority of you work is bathed in sunshine. Can you expand on this?

It is true that for many years most of my landscapes were painted on a regular sunny day. The last decade especially I have been seeking out more atmospheric options as well from very; very grey storm scenes to dawn and twilight. I will often respond to a subject when I come across it, whatever the circumstances.

You paint the iconic images of Sydney. Can you discuss two locations where you have recorded the Sydney CBD?

Many of my paintings of Sydney are around the CBD, the harbour or city Beaches....Neilson Park, Hyde Park....some years ago I did two very large paintings of the city as seen from Vaucluse, the harbour in the foreground. The first was a commission, the vaguely stormy sky was not to the client’s liking, so I painted another which had no spooky sky (it was for a real estate corporation and they had thought the partially grey sky was too indicative of the current real estate market). In the end they preferred the first painting with its extra drama. The second painting sold too.

My landscape painting over the years has mainly been of Newcastle and Sydney. The last few years I have been travelling to Melbourne and surrounds, also concentrating on the coast but doing some CBD paintings of that city as well.

I guess I represent those subjects that I’m closest to. I’ve always been attracted to the coast and find many good subjects there. The harbour is the same, both Newcastle and Sydney, not a bad starting point with the colour of the water and the boat activity. I really like rural landscape subjects as well but rarely find myself too far from the coast.

Many years ago I drove to Melbourne through country NSW and did paintings of Lake George, Bathurst landscapes and others. I’ve done a few paintings of the Hunter Valley. There is a Glass House Mountains view I keep on meaning to paint, maybe after my next visit to the Sunshine Coast. I’ve painted landscapes of California, London, Bali, the Maldives.... it is just a matter of where I happen to be.

Do you paint ‘en plein air’ or in your studio?

I paint both ‘plein air’ and in my studio. I think that the way a person draws en plein air, or by eye, without any photographic assistance is a good indicator of one’s natural style. I have always drawn quite realistically from life, not like a photo producing machine, but with a kind of classic realism style. The use of photographs in bending this style towards photo realism is something that just happens. I do not aspire to be a photocopy machine, or someone who reproduces photographs in paint. The plein air work or any painting done without the assistance of photographs is to me something that refreshes my realistic landscapes. My taste in art is usually more towards the abstract, not usually realistic landscapes, but there is something about my paintings that seem to go beyond the ordinary. I try to borrow from the great landscape artists that I admire....among them are Lloyd Rees, Conrad Martins, William Delafield Cook, William Turner, William Dobell.

Every decade or so, I leave my landscape painting and spend a few years doing more contemporary, hard edge abstracts and semi abstract paintings and sculptures. Although I very much like this work, which has a dynamic kind of shininess, I sometimes feel that this work can be beautiful, but frivolous there is something about the no-nonsense solemnity of a straight landscape painting that I like. It’s close to impossible for an artist to represent two opposite styles, although I have done so in the past. The next time I show any non- landscape work I will probably do so under a different name, trying to keep the John Earle name as one associated with landscape and realism.

Take us down to the beach there, along with the sunbathers.

Any of my beach scenes are things I’ve seen that appeal to me and that I have represented in a literal fashion.

You have also painted ‘Newcastles Children’s Pool’, can you expand on this site?

Looking down on the Newcastle Children’s Pool presents a readymade, ideal landscape composition in a generally oval form. There is usually something interesting in each corner, in the centre and around the periphery.

Water and the coastline are prominent in your paintings. How do you find the right aspect? Please discuss the composition of your work.

I generally look for an elevated aspect whatever the subject. Occasionally I’ll be painting a subject from ground level but I’m always trying to find a bit of elevation from which to view the scene, even if that is just getting on top of a rock to view a scene. The higher you can get usually the composition becomes less horizontal and more squarish, often creating a pleasing composition for a more squarish canvas.

Looking at your work, it gives the impression of endless summer days - but the profusion of your work tells another tale. Can you expand on your work day?

Well, hopefully it is ‘endless summer days’, even in winter and when it’s raining, just from the perspective that we all want a nice productive, carefree day whatever the weather. Since my first year of exhibiting paintings in 1981 I have tried to build a regular work practice. Maybe it’s not important for everyone. It’s something that is talked about in most fields of endeavour, but not usually in art. Perhaps the one artist I remember articulating his own work ethic was Salvador Dali. I read some of Dali’s writing whilst still a student and I think that helped me try to put that into practice. There are many artists that work very hard and very well who don’t talk about that but can be an inspiration by example. I’m a very stay-at-home person, more so, in my old age (I’m 58). I have a very nice daily routine of waking up late, making breakfast with coffee, have breakfast in bed watching the news of the day on TV, get any chores of errands done and out of the way, hopefully have a surf or a swim in the ocean and then get to painting in the mid afternoon and knock off sometime after midnight. It’s a routine that I have had for many years and that I enjoy. It simply helps me find the hours that I need to do my work.

You sell your work as prints also; can you discuss how you decide on the quantities and sizes of your prints?

As for quantities, I think you want to go for a number that you can completely sell out. There is no point having a massive edition where you wouldn’t sell more than a small percentage. We generally do an edition of 100 to 150 and find that we will sell an edition like that over a few years and then they are gone and will not be repeated. My work can look a bit too photographic if an image of a big painting is reduced to something smaller. These days I am trying to do reproductions of smaller paintings which have been enlarged somewhat, hopefully to where brush strokes have become visible. Even a finely painted original is easy to detect as a painting, but not so easy to do when the image is reproduced on paper or canvas hence some enlargement is an advantage in this way.

With modern technology, colour in prints is so accurate. Has this technology allowed you to extend your paintings into prints?

Yes, the general precision, light fastness and quality papers that are available now allow for a high quality product in reproduction prints. Generally, the colour issues are more complex and not as straight forward as any of the other aspects of making a print. Amanda and I do many proofs and adjustments to settle on something that we are happy to edition. The print is usually its own animal and we don’t so much try to mimic the original as create a print image in its own right, where the colours, etc., are working best as a print.

Do your prints allow you to reach a much broader market?

Prints have been great for us here in Newcastle where my work is known and appreciated the most. Often when I try to introduce my prints to a new market it’s seen as being photography. That has shown me that any prints I make need to be identified as prints of paintings and not photography. So the style of print needs to be right, to fit a certain market. Handmade prints, like screen prints and etchings are a good way to go as well....much more labour intense for a multicolour picture, but always worth the effort.

You have staff in your Gallery. Does this allow you to concentrate on your art?

Although I have had a few studio assistants over the years, my wife and business partner, Amanda Pitcairn and I manage to cover all the bases these days. Our children are grown up now and it’s a very much a two person operation at the Studio. Amanda is instrumental in the production of many things, including the prints. She is typing this now as I speak, what I can’t do she can do and vice versa. It would be very tough working to the same end without the combined efforts of two of us.

Can you discuss your "Elioth Gruher Prize for Landscape", Art Gallery of NSW in 1980 and how prizes can propel an artist's career?

Yes, that prize - which is for Tertiary Students -helped propel my career. It was my fifth and final year as an art student in 1980 and I was finally producing some good quality canvasses. The prize and some good paintings helped me get started. I was booked in for an exhibition at a quality gallery and the little bit of local publicity like I say, some good paintings helped me kick off with a bit of a bang. At the time there was even a local TV show that reviewed films and arts; I remember a good review of my first show and all that helps. I was picked up by a really good Sydney gallery at that time as well.

Commissions - how, when, and why do you take them on?

Commissioned paintings are a standard part of our business. There is not much I knock back, even just to be helpful....I was touching up an antique clock face recently....I mean, who else is going to take that on? I do remember one painting many years ago where I did as asked, made a painting from a provided photo, made it as good as possible, but it wasn’t much of a painting. I try to make sure that doesn’t occur again....the client may be happy, but I want every painting I do to be better than good, no doubt a few average ones have slipped through. That one may be better than I remember if I see it again.

When do you say “No”?

I say no if it’s not something that I can be proud of, but I will usually try and bend it towards something that is worthy.

Your pop surrealism is so different. The focus is on the explosion of colour rather than the dominance of light in your fine art. Is it your way of expressing your gleeful, more impish side?

Yes, the ‘pop surrealist’ works probably reflect best my taste in art for my own walls. It has been my aim to be my own favourite artist, or at least top ten, doing these works has helped me to achieve that. I like and respect my landscape work and want to add what I can to the genre of realistic landscape painting because I don’t see too many other people doing so. Much of the landscape work is homage to early traditional landscape painting that, again, doesn’t seem to be well represented in the contemporary art world. I sometimes think of Goya and his regular gig of portraiture in the Spanish Courts, but what would we think of Goya without his other side....his war drawings and his occult paintings. I think one style builds an appetite for the other.

Contact details:

J O H N E A R L E S T U D I O G A L L E R Y

126 Glebe Rd, Merewether, NSW, 2291

PH 02 4965 312102 4965 3121 | M 0402997231

Email: johnearle@bigpond.com

Website: www.johnearle.com.au

John Earles, Merewether, NSW, Australia

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, March 2014

by Deborah Blakeley

Denise Boineau

You have come from a fashion background, can you discuss ‘Vintour’, both the main frame and that ‘special’ viewer?

Two things make fashion designers (at least the ones I know) anxious and very anxious, respectively: mention of influences or predecessors and the front-row presence or absence (the latter is somewhat worse) of Anna Wintour, Vogue’s long-time editor. I have always been fascinated by silhouettes. I also have a thing for fashion icons and vintage designs. All of which help explain, at least in part, the painting “Vintour.” The composition juxtaposes fashion’s present and fashion’s past and sets the scene in an ambiguous spatial setting. We first encounter the vintage silhouette. Behind her sits Wintour, well-defined and fully filled-in. And behind her and to her sides the rest of the audience seems to dissolve into the background. I would have been surprised (maybe even amused) had I been in attendance. Anna? Always the professional: you won’t find out until the next issue..

In your work ‘Retro Chic’ you have added Blue. Can you expand on this technique?

What do we see when we look at ourselves? What do other see when they look at us looking at ourselves? These two questions were the catalyst, of sorts, for “Retro-Chic.” The painting is a snapshot of a strong, confident woman, in mid-toilette, betraying her soft, feminine side, and a touch of hesitancy, possibly doubt. And between the lines, it is also a reflection on the aging process and the place beauty has within our own personal stories. “Old age,” Collet confessed, “is an uncomfortable piece of furniture.”

The toilette? You stand in front of a mirror—it is you and the dress. You look and imagine, and concentrate. You want objectivity. You remove yourself from the equation. The dress takes centre stage. But, in the end, it is you in that dress. You take off the black one, try the blue one on and you tell yourself: today, for this occasion, for how I feel, this outfit “works.” In a few years it may no longer work. And not necessarily because it has gone out of style, but because that older you, in that same dress, would be “trying too hard.” When you get back home, you may again stand in front of the mirror. You reassess, nod in approval, you may even gloat. That’s how the blue got into the picture—it worked on her and held its own against the ochre.

Can we discuss your equine paintings?

The people both as spectators and riders

Let me begin with a recent painting “Takeoff,” which combines my interest in fashion and horses. The painting is really two paintings conceived as one. On one canvas a rodeo rider on a bucking horse holds on. The before and after involved a well-choreographed, reverse spooning between a very annoyed horse and a spat-waving, stylishly dressed cowboy. Behind him, the half-hidden body of a rodeo-hand leaning against the bucking chute’s gate, relaxed, maybe looking, maybe not. In the stands, a judge sits, subtracting points for style and keeping time. Somewhere in the stands across, I am taking it all in through a camera lens, thinking ahead. On the other canvas, an arm-waving fashion-conscious free spirit is in mid-dance. Her hair keeps up rhythmically, as it covers her eyes. Both the rider and dancer are self-absorbed; they do not inhabit the same space. But their bodies seem in sync.

How do rodeo riders learn to follow the horses lead? How does the rider, in a millisecond, fall into rhythm with the bronco? What does the latter do to break that wave? I am not sure I know. But the relationship between horse and rider in “Takeoff” is very different from that in the polo and horse racing paintings.

Polo players

I came to polo through my love of horses, but also through fashion. In polo, the players, the ponies, and the crowd take fashion seriously. Aside from the clothes, what makes a good polo player? Strength, endurance, guts, good balance, keen eyes, a highly manoeuvrable neck, a sixth sense to keep tabs on their pony, and a special language to guide its every move. The ponies are also good athletes; the good ones know what they are up against and can anticipate.

In “The Reach,” I tried to portray the inherent danger in a sport where players make split-second decisions while riding fast-moving ponies and waving long mallets. The player up front may or may not be avoiding the other’s mallet.

'The Reach’

On the other hand, the painting “The Other Side” captures a deceptively leisurely moment, a gentlemanly, “please go ahead” understanding dictated by the rules of the game. Ponies and mallets capture the fact that nothing has really stopped.

'The Other Side’

In “George Meyrick,” the ponies are charging right at the viewer. Meyrick is up front, teammates and opponents are in close pursuit, and hooves, when they are touching the ground, are in search of traction. It is moments like this that make polo an exciting sport to watch, polo players and their ponies special athletes and partners, and painting them challenging, but rewarding.

'George Meyrick’

Where you combine both the spectators and the players

The spectator at the polo match, horse race, rodeo, or fashion show is there to look at the players: the riders, the horses, the clothes, the photographers, the press, the celebrities, the rich, the not so rich, the models, the cowboys, the designers, the entourages, and the other spectators. I am often behind a camera lens, which limits what I can look at, or defers it until a later time.

The players in “Palm Beach Spectators” face a crowd. Some of the spectators are attentive; others are not.

'Palm Beach Spectators’

In “The Pass” the spectators are seated on the ground looking up. This was at a
Charity match and the spectators have a “this-is-a-nice-way-to-spend-a-fall-afternoon” kind of look.

'The Pass’

Horse racing

‘The Edge’

The gates open. Horses gallop tightly in a pack; they bump and jostle. Jockeys keep an eye on the track ahead and on the horses that are gaining ground. In “The Edge,” the jockey turns his head ever so slightly towards the horse to his right, which is either pulling close or falling back. For this brief moment, it is their race.

“The Call” is about ceremony, history, and goose-bumps (I feel them every time I hear the call to post for the Kentucky Derby).

‘The Call’

You grew up on a farm and rode. Please discuss how this has influenced your equine work?

My mother bred and trained thoroughbred horses. From a relatively early age I was interested in the process of breaking in horses, getting them ready for a life with bits and saddles and riders. My horse, Chantilly Lace, and I had a special bond. I remember coming home from school and being dropped off down by the barn, where she would be waiting for me. I would jump on her bare back and ride.

In my equestrian paintings I try to capture the special relationship between the rider and horse. I sometimes find it helpful to visualize—putting myself atop the horse, eyes closed, so I can feel it in my gut. That’s what I did, for example, in “At the Gate.” I wanted to get a sense of what the horses feel when they are locked into the starting gate.

‘The Gate’

Many of your paintings are monotone. Please discuss this?

I lived in New York while working in the fashion industry. During the first few months, my senses were constantly overloaded, and my body and mind felt it. Eventually, senses become selective. You see yellow when you are crossing the street (survival first). You take in the sounds and smells as you make an evening out of it. The next morning you walk down the same streets, over the same grates, oblivious to the rushing subway underneath or the residual smells of the night. The same thing happened at work. After a few months, I could look at a rack of 100 dresses and see only the black ones, the blue ones, or the ones with patterns.

Beauty and glamour and grit and every other message we try to send when we put ourselves in front of others is about selectivity and stripping down (metaphorically) to the essentials. I think that is why I have embraced a monochromatic pallet. I say, I think, because I did not set out to do so. It felt right, at the time, for what I was trying to do.

In “Doppelgänger,” models back-stage are transformed so they properly “accessorize” the garments they will wear on the runway. The limited palette makes it difficult to tell where one model ends and another begins.

‘Doppelgänger’

You worked at Calvin Klein and learnt an important fact: “Colour matters only when you cannot make your point in black and white”. Can you expand on this in relations to your Horse/Man series?

Jockey silks are colourful—to allow the spectators to know who’s who. In “Chasing Diamonds” the silks are stripped of their colour, as is everything else. My aim was to emphasize the horses and riders rushing towards the viewer and their bunching up, given that they are forced to stay within the four corners of the canvas. By painting the diamonds in the leading jockey’s silk in black and white and grey, the ambiguity in the title is emphasized.

‘Casting Diamonds’

Can you discuss the importance of storytelling in your paintings?

I try to hide things. And leave bread crumbs—not all necessary leading to the same place. As with colour, I try to err on the side of saying less. In “The Return” a cowboy rides towards the viewer, and gets so close that his head no longer fits within the canvas. The horse takes centre stage. There is no background. There is no sunset. The horse looks like he can continue for another hundred miles.

Sometimes we reveal things inadvertently. Driving down to Miami recently I came across a sign at an RV park that said: “Stay the Night. Easy Hook-Ups.” Intended? Maybe. In “Gate Bound” the horse and trainer sport the number “9.” Is the rider on the right horse? A Freudian slip.

‘Gate Bound’

You say you paint “to share”. Can you expand on this statement?

When painting, I try to rein in my emotions, but not in the name of letting my brain do all of the work. Instead, I try to see the extent to which I can share certain feelings. I do so not necessarily to elicit identical feelings in the viewer, but rather to make the viewer’s first encounter with a painting mean something at a visceral level, before they try to start making sense of it in their heads.

My father would always tell me: “Give it to me straight”—a difficult task for a kid, and I think an even more difficult one for an artist. I do not want it to be straight—except for that initial encounter, and even then, there is not a specific emotional message that I am trying to share. I am not sure how successful I am at sharing, but I have found that I am more likely to be effective if I consciously try to keep my own feelings in check. An example, at least of the process on my side, is “Helios.”

‘Helios’

Can you explain where you get your inspiration?

Quite often it is from watching the interaction of people in their own relationships. I observe….I look for patterns. I find beauty and truth in many places. On being a woman artist: Camille Claudel. On being a woman: my mother. On seeing the top, even when you are at the bottom: Anna Wintour. On staying on top when others have other thoughts: same. On finding truth through a lens: Walker Evans. On finding puns through a lens: Man Ray. On creating coherence out of contradictions: Calvin Klein, who in 1981 made a splash by encouraging women to wear their Calvin’s au naturel, and in 1982 made even a bigger splash by encouraging men that they should invest in expensive underwear.

Your work is taken mainly from the ‘thoroughbred’ and high society; expand on this in relations to your art work?

We consume fashion and art, and in doing so we attach value to the specific objects we desire. And we are taught to desire them and to feel good about doing so. Piaget, Maserati, and Veuve Clicquot definitely want spectators at polo matches to pay heed. While all this is true, I am more interested in pointing at it, than at pointing fingers. (I would be unable to do so without pointing squarely back at myself.)

“The Match” takes the riders out of the picture altogether. The spectators at a polo match sit on the sideline, some watching attentively, a couple in the background, stand inside a tent, the woman looking straight at the viewer, or possibly trying to get the attention of the waiter charged with serving the champagne. In the foreground sits a stylish, possibly overdressed, but nonetheless glamorous woman. She sits higher, on a stool, most likely. She is sipping her champagne and staring into the distance, in a different direction from those following the match in earnest. These are obviously good sideline seats. The clothes look expensive; their wearers have the air of being able to afford them. Even the umbrellas have a custom-made feel. The champagne glasses are lined up, and another one is about to be served.

‘The Match’

You use the French proverb: “I seek and find wisdom in old French proverbs”. Can you explain the importance of this proverb?

It is a nod to my late father, who bestowed me with the name Boineau and made numerous pilgrimages back to the Dordogne is search of good water and distant relatives.

Contact details:

Email: ddboineau@comcast.net

Website: www.deniseboineau.com

Denise Boineau, Florida, USA

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, January 2014

by Deborah Blakeley

Loui Jover

You comment, ‘I paint, I draw, I do this every day.’ Can you elaborate on this comment?

The comment you refer to in your first question can be taken literally in the sense that ...I "do" draw and or paint everyday.....I am not saying this is extraordinary but have made it a kind of 'catch phrase' or mantra or even an affirmation of sorts. I have made drawings be it cartoons or elaborate inks for as long as I can truly remember, I do not use this as a cliché the cliché was born form people like me...drawing is the very life blood that keeps me whole and sane and happy as well...some folk climb mountains, some need to gorge on fine food...I need to draw....'everyday'.

Your inspiration and work is often taken from everyday activities, riding a bike, the joy of a ride on a swing... Can you expand on this?

I can only guess that this may be a direct result of the first questions answer for apart from drawing I do not do much of this other stuff, I do like to ride a bike and swing however a lot of the things I draw are directly a reaction to a nostalgic need to stay connected to some ideal of youth, but then there is this whole other side of me that wants to jump into the now and use gel pens and sparkles to make up contemporary pop drawings......I have a real creative Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde thing happening.

Can you discuss your Ballet series; both the drawing and the background of the sheet music?

When I was an adolescent I had the thrill of attending a production of the nutcracker suite at the Australian Opera House I am not sure which company it was but I think it was visiting form overseas it may have even been the Bolshoi on one of their rare tours??....it was a school thing but only a few people went...a teacher and six or seven kids, it was a lot of money back then for the ticket but my parents thought it worth it even though they were quite frugal and skimp. I remember thinking it was a lark really and did not take it seriously beforehand at all, it was a way of getting off school...but then when I sat and watched these people with sinewy strong bodies bobbling gracefully across the floor as if held up by strings I was thrown into another world, I did not follow the story or the music even it all became secondary and a mash but I fell in a trance for these dancers on a personal level they blew my mind with their ability and line and beauty. Until one has seen actual ballet of quality in front of their eyes they have no right to comment on the merit of this form at all. So I am a life time fan really but again I need stress not for the stories (I mean really the whole swan thing is a children's fold out book...lol) but for the form and line my interest is purely buried in the artistic side of the figurative beauty of these dancers and in short I love the look of old sheet music and the two seemed to complement each other well.......simple as that really.

I think this is more about looking inward rather than out ward!

You add one colour to give the final drama to the work: how and when do you decide to use this technique?

I add a colour or tone when it asks to be added...really I am not trying to be pretentious but at some point the work asks for this thing itself...unfortunately sometimes it is a long time after it has existed as a finished piece....lol..I have looked at some works from long ago and though... "hmmm I wish I would have made her eyes brown and not just left them".... I think artists have always done a little of this thing for all history...I remember seeing a Rembrandt sketch in the London art gallery where he had added a touch of hue to a small portion of an overall unfinished study and it just made it pop, it wasn't even a strong colour like a primary but just some sepia, but it made the eye zing around the work looking to feed on more of this surprise and thus taking in all the detail...I think too many artists hide behind great swathes of colour it is a sign of weak drawing ability and un sure composition...only the greatest of colour composers can master colour in its entirety ...like the great impressionists or Matisse or turner...etc...over all colour can be used as a cloak to fool the innocent observer who really may just want something decorative....I like drawings with minimal colour for you can then see the bones and see the truth of the image. Spot colour can be dramatically effective even Spielberg knew this when he did so in Schindler's List, it was a little corny but it worked well and is remembered.

Can you explain the importance of the text behind many of your pieces?

The text behind my drawings does not have any overall relevance to the image, happy accidents happen and an association seems to create itself at times but other times the words in the background are purely an aesthetic aspect this can be seen by the text being sideways or even upside down, people can make of the association with their imaginations between word an image what they will. I personally and this is just an opinion of course fond that when an 'obvious' connection is pushed between image and textual background that this begins to nudge towards a commercial art and is patronizing to a certain extent. It is like "oh look how clever I am!...I made a drawing of Marilyn Monroe on a bunch of clippings about Marilyn Monroe...now isn't this clever of me?" ...personally it is the happy paradox of the meeting of image and word that works best for me personally.

As well as working on the recycled paper as the background, you also use college and further text and drawings in your work.Please expand on this?

I do enjoy using mixed media a lot...I find this is a direct visceral reaction to society as it stands around us right now......there is so much information and so many things going on...in design we may like minimalism in a personal sense we may meditate to clear the mind but over all its an onslaught out here so my use of many differing aspects of visual imagery is a direct result of the conduit effect I feel at times as an artist...there are moments I want to say a little about one thing and others that I want to say a lot about much....like driving in the country as opposed to driving around the city streets.

Your drawing is mainly figurative, where do you get your models from? Or explain the inspiration behind them?

I do mainly work in a figurative style because ultimately I personally find the abstract visual language to be limited simply because one need start to repeat themselves in a visual sense....it is limited as to where one can go after a time that is why many artists have explored in both directions of painting...I did much abstract work in my younger days and still hold a fondness for it but I do feel it becomes a way of expression that is self-indulgent and ion need of explanation at times, I hate to have to explain the reason behind an image otherwise abstract art is a great way to accentuate the lounge room furniture. I like to tell stories and figurative work allows me to; more readily.

I use any means of inspiration and model, from life, from film, from books, magazines from pictures...art is a dialogue one should use anything required to express their expressive need, art has no real rules that's why it is so great and why I love it.

Eyes are very predominant in your paintings. Can you explain how you have developed them into your work?

For me the eye is a window and a source of all connection. Even for the blind the eye is pivotal to all reason, the minds eye. Seeing is feeling, and without feeling there is only a void. Visual art cannot be without the eye it is non grata without seeing. The eye is a major motif in my expressionistic need to convey emotion like the umbrella is for me a major image for the conveyance of romance........I think the first thing I can recollect drawing in my memory as a child is the eye...I guess it has stuck.

You break the boundaries by overworking on faces.Please discuss this?

Sometimes I work the face for hours then pour water over the paper till it is sodden and obliterate all I have drawn....other times I will sit and just stare at a face I have made and think "shit...this is like a dead person or something, like one of those faces that self important hotel lobby artists make on oversized canvases for the sake of the cosmopolitan philistine set, so I take the drawing outside and lay it on the wet grass and throw dirty ink wash over it and spray my brush across it and generally abuse it...lol....at times this makes a new thing, a new living persona on paper other times it ends up in the frustration file...the bin. Finally there are the faces that I make watching the negative space in between the lines and they are finished in moments and have worked in a strong graphic and emotive way these are surprises to me and I am not sure how they come about.

Can you discuss your distinctive signature and how this has evolved?

My signature has been the same from childhood and I stole the whole premise off Picasso...his signature struck me as a separate entity from a very early age...it was a graphic on its own...a trademark...I liked this idea.... I use my signature to balance a composition and to add to the work....it is my finger print, I think artists who do not sign their work are in two camps those who are not willing to compromise on the composition with their name emblazoned across its surface and those who are too ashamed to admit alliance with the image. then there are those that sign their works in an awkward way such as this little scripted name that looks out of place or fragile to be included too unsure and elaborate and makes for a friction on the surface of the composition......I am proud of the works I finally sign (or at least I think I am...lol), it is my final curtain...the epitaph once that name goes on that's it the work has closure for me.

Let's talk about he size of your work: what are the restrictions?

The only restriction on my work as far as large size goes is all to do with the room available, I like working big and with the right space, help and equipment I would like to tackle some massive works while I still have the stamina and passion when I am older I will work small...lol

Women play a huge part in your art. Please discuss?

I like women better than men. I think they are more pleasant to spend time with, are far more clever and even adventurous than men. They have been handed a raw prawn throughout history and have become somewhat stilted as a result, men quash womanhood it can be seen everywhere in every echelon of existence. I like the way woman express emotion openly and are sensuous and natural. If men are dogs, the woman is certainly the cat. Certain men scare me others I am perplexed by, others I just want to fight and kill...(lol) and I hate the whole sport thing..... Women fit my art better because of the first thing I said....I like them better, they are attractive and tactile. Men are brutish and stiff.

Going back in time, in 1989 you joined the army and worked as an official military illustrator. Can you expand on both this work and how it has affected you current work?

I worked as an illustrator reprographic and regimental photographer in the army for a number of crucial years, crucial for the development and discipline of my art, It was a mechanical process when I joined, computers were just beginning to become a personal device with graphic potential so all the artwork I produced was cut and paste and hand manipulated with set squares and compasses. It has helped me develop a solid foundation for my work. I am thankful for this period It was an apprenticeship rare to find now days...I did screen printing and etching, terrain model building, dark room procedures, technical drawing, graphic art and offset printing as well as so much more and was paid to do it all!

What are you currently working on?

Flourished of late.....other than that I am making women; I am working on drawings still, but am enjoying and making larger canvases of the mixed media variety, I am interested and enjoying the wave of surrealistic pop art that has faces as usual.

Many of you works are made into prints, where and how can they be purchased?

My prints are still largely an untapped resource and are still sold in a lucid way; there are no print runs or controls in place. I have licenced off some images to a major U.S. company and sell prints on http://www.saatchionline.com/profiles/portfolio/id/284005. They do well for me, however, I am yet to fully address this side of my output but am sure there will be much opportunity to do so in the future for now I am happy to be at the coal face and actually drawing...lol... in turn building up a large folio I can milk later if need be or given the opportunity.

Contact details:

louijover@hotmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/lojoverart?ref=hl

Loui Jover, Gold Coast, Australia

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, January 2014

by Deborah Blakeley

Robert Knight

What lead you to a career in art?

I remember from a very young age I loved to draw. My first painting set was given to me when I was about 10 years of age.
I started an apprenticeship in signwriting when I was sixteen, I was always drawn to the graphics side of the trade, pictorials etc.

In the early 80s I had some painting lessons with the late Terry Collins, after this all I wanted to do is paint. I started to sell my work in the mid 80s and gradually my art career started to take off. I am mostly self-taught.

Your approach is very similar to the lens of a camera, where only one part is truly in focus drawing the eye to the part you want to show. Can you comment on this?

Yes this is a very deliberate approach on my part. I use this method to maximize the impact of the focal point.

I like mostly to have the focal point in clear focus and then the further I get towards the edge of the canvas the more abstracted the images become.

Your nature images are also close ups of the natural world along with a deep understanding of colour. Can you discuss this in relationship to the work, ‘Forest Floor Composition’?

I guess my use of colour in “Forest Floor Composition” is a combination of things. One is what I see looking at the subject, and the other is probably more complex and has a lot more to do with painting the feeling I get.

I think this is more about looking inward rather than out ward!

There is an oriental take in ‘Pond’. Is it due to the content?

I am very drawn to the simplicity of the subject, and I really admire the oriental approach of a minimal and harmonious composition, in colour and form… Simple, but not always easy to achieve.

From the close up of nature you also choose to capture the man-made. Your cityscapes have great compositions. Can you discuss – looking down and through?

In just about all of my paintings I try to think a little outside the box; that is I think about how I can make my picture somewhat unique , i.e.: looking up , looking down, into and beyond. This has become a bit of a characteristic of my work. Sometimes in my composite works I use all of these in the one painting.

When do you see it as important to add figures in your work?

Most of the time I add figures to my work to give the viewer a feeling of scale whether it’s on the top of a cliff or walking along a busy city street. It gives the painting the feeling of the hustle and bustle of every day city life.

I also use figures in my paintings to create the illusion of perspective in the scene.

Melbourne is known worldwide for its laneways. Can you expand on how you technically do this work? Is it done on site? Do you use photographs or sketches? How do you cope with the passers-by?

Melbourne has so many laneways all with their own characteristics; I often paint these vibrant places. The method I use for these busy areas is to photograph them. I use the photograph as a stimulus, I also draw and then combine this with my memory, I think it’s very important to take my own photographs, so I have always been to where the location is. I can essentially paint the memory and hopefully capture the essence of the subject.

Landscapes have so much variation from the craggy Grampians, flat vineyards. rivers, and open planes. Can you discuss how you choose a location?

To me this is not a very difficult thing to do, most of the time it’s not me that chooses the location, in my travels the location chooses me. I like to observe and paint the beauty of the things I see and experience in my day to day travels. Whether it’s a trip to the beach, mountains or to the top of a tall building, “It’s all a part of my art journey”.

Painting the way the light falls on the landscape, or the abstract patterns I see.

Colour is very important in your work and yet very variable. Can you expand on your use of colour?

I work with quite a limited palette; about six to eight colours, plus white. All my paintings are done with this palette, whether the painting appears to be grey and moody, or bright and vibrant. With this method it’s amazing the amount of colours you can mix. I find this a very harmonious way to obtain balance in my colour composition.

Your seascapes are often at low tide, why does the tide play such a large part in this work?

I’m rather drawn to painting low tide scenes. I find the shapes in the rock pools interest me as a compositional tool; often leading the eye through the painting to the focal point, or actually being the focal point itself.

Your city is built around a bay. Can you discuss the combination of water and city expand on this?

Yes, I’m a Melbourne person, and often travel into the city. Sometimes I like to take a small aircraft and fly over the city and along the bay. I then take the photos back to the studio, where I can draw and compose the aerial scenes.

I like to paint scenes from around the bay, looking from Williamstown, across to the city. There are so many places like that around Melbourne.

Most of your work is done within Melbourne and Victoria, and you have exhibited beyond. Can you discuss this?

Most of my work is done from Melbourne and its surrounding countryside and beaches.

My work has been exhibited in Canberra, South Australia and the United Kingdom.

For a number of years I had exhibitions in Canberra. I also tutor workshops all over Victoria and into NSW. I usually gather a lot of my painting references in my travels.

My work is in private collections in the UK, USA, Canada and Japan.

What are the sizes of your work and why do you choose these sizes?

I paint in various sizes from 6” x 8” through to 6ft x 8ft, and any size in between. I love the sense of scale I can portray on a large canvas, and the detail on the smaller formats; it’s all relevant to the subject I’m painting.

Can you discuss your signature on your paintings? how do you do this technically? It is a beautiful addition!

My signature is something that has developed along with my paintings. It’s probably become a lot more flamboyant as my confidence in my paintings has evolved.

I just paint it with a rigger brush (being a sign writer for 30+ years does make it pretty easy).

I also use my signature to balance my paintings; I sometimes put it on the right, and sometimes on the left side.

Contact details:

www.robertknight.carbonmade.com

rknight_art@yahoo.com.au

Robert Knight, Victoria, Australia

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, December 2013

by Deborah Blakeley

Anita West

Your current work is very different from your landscapes. Can you discuss your work ‘Banksia?’

This is the first painting in a new direction for me. Instead of using aerial views with horizon lines showing vast distances, I wanted to create works that explore the idea of being intimate with the bush, to feel as though the bush is very close. So the composition and space describes the experience of walking through the bush. Also I wanted to change focus from using the horizon line to making the distinction between sky and earth disappear. I am also using the random flow of transparent acrylic paint in the first layer to inform the composition. So I never quite know what is going to happen and I find that really exciting.

How did you develop this new work?

I think that after 10 years of living in a house that looks out across a strong foreground, middle ground and background that is defined by gum trees, native bush, flowers and a creek I have finally figured out a technique that has endless possibilities and more importantly it feels authentic and personal.

Can you discuss the importance of colour in this work

I just visualised this colour in my mind before I began, possibly because I didn’t want to end up with a painting that looked similar to any of the resource photos I used. When I choose a colour that is purely emotive, it keeps the feeling quite distant from the reality of the bush and then all of those romantic and emotional connections can be readily tapped into without having to resort to representation.

Your beach-scapes are full of the Australian beach imagery, expand on this?

I have always enjoyed paintings that tell a story. I live such an ordinary life as a mother and wife living in the suburbs and I suppose the only advantage I have as an artist is that my experiences of family holidays at the beach with children are much like that of most other families, so there is an immediate connection with the love we have of the beach and our celebration of living in such a beautiful country.

Discuss the composition in relationship to people, beach and sea?

I have all sorts of fun changing the compositions and perspectives of the works. They are often quite jumbled up and many of the rules of composition are broken, proportions are deliberately changed and the horizon line and viewers perspective are often not formally accurate. I use odd angles and some completely nonsensical imagery, but I think that it just adds to the fun and life of the beach. I don’t have a really tight formula, so I get to play with composition all the time – which is always the most important principle behind my paintings. The more beach paintings I create, the more ideas I come up with until summer is over and I start thinking about bush landscapes.

Discuss how you use perspective so strongly in all your work?

Sometimes I use the typical western perspective with horizon lines, vanishing points and colour intensity varying into the distance. Other times I use a more eastern idea of perspective or ‘stacked space’ where imagery at the top of the painting is read as being in the distance and imagery at the bottom (although the same size) is read as being in the foreground. I love Egyptian art where motifs are flattened, objects are stylized and symbols become hieroglyphic. I am inspired by so much, I want to put it all in! It is difficult to work out what to leave out, and that is why so many of the beach paintings are very busy.

You have lived in both Australia and America (East Coast), how has this tuned your use of colour in your art work?

Colours in Australian landscape are so different from anywhere in the world. There is so much grey-green in the Eucalypt bushland and yet the hills in the distance are such a vivid blue because of the eucalypt haze and the sky is so clear. I am always looking up at the sky especially the cloud formations which are just spectacular in Australia. I don’t notice the skies so much overseas because the light is softer and often more quiet.

You are very comfortable with colour. Can you discuss this in relation to…

‘Wild Berry Beach’

Sometimes, to keep myself challenged, I choose a colour scheme that does not readily find truth in a subject. To use an analogous palette with predominantly pinks requires considerable forethought. The best approach I have found when working with a limited colour palette is to choose a style of painting (mostly abstracted patterns stencilling in these) that suits the mood of the colour which in turn complements the subject of the beach. Using a grey scale also offsets the pink and primed linen is untouched in some areas. There has to be strong tonal variations in the colour to enhance the design. I have used mostly stylized compositions and flattened spaces in this series of 16 small paintings.

‘Turquoise Bay 4’

I am comfortable using colour, but I mostly limit my colour palette to predominantly one or two colours with variations in tone and texture. I don’t like being confused by too much colour as it is such a powerful emotive tool. My beach scenes are mostly blues and neutral sand colours with a set of minor colour combinations that I use to play with decoration and pattern. In this series of four paintings I have used a palette of bright spectrum colours in the patterned objects to create a vibrant atmosphere. I use colour to bring a specific mood into the work, tones to bring out form and space, and then texture to enhance patterns and rhythms. But I want the paintings to be mostly about the story or narrative.

Your work is becoming more abstract, explain?

I have never considered myself to be an abstractionist. I like having an anchor of reality somewhere in the work. Some years I gravitate more towards the abstract, but then I swing back into representational work to become grounded again. I like having the flexibility to move in between different stylistic approaches, so that I don’t pigeon hole myself and limit those choices. So I firstly decide how I want a painting to feel - what mood it will have - and then I use composition to give structure, colour and tone to create the mood, then I use subject matter, form and shape to give the narrative. If abstracting areas helps to create this feel then that is what I use, and it is a great way to discover new ideas.

How have other Australian Artists influenced your work particularly your landscapes?

Studying how other artists view the landscape gives me leverage on what has been done before and the infinite ways of expressing it. I am very conscious of where many of my marks, perspectives and colours are gathered and am always happy to acknowledge those influences. On a more general level, I am most inspired by artists who find their own voice and reach out to reveal something surprising and mysterious. I have a long list of Australian artists who have inspired me but I love the Aboriginal Art Movement in particular, maybe because as a non-Aboriginal artist I know that I can never access those stories. I also tend to like artists whose work is completely different from my own but I can see that they are attempting to navigate similar ideas about the land.

Your images of the bush (landscape) are an impact of colour – Australian colour. Can you discuss this?

I spend a lot of time walking in the bush and I have grown to love the subtle earthy colours of eucalypt scrub, the bleached colours from the midday sun, the harmonious soft colours at sunrise and the dramatic, mysterious colours of twilight. I am trying to paint how I feel when I am immersed in the bush. It is the place where I feel the most connected with life, with nature, and it nourishes my soul. And I know that for most of us, being in the landscape whether its camping, going for drives into the mountains, or out in a boat, we feel something that is difficult to express or describe. How do you paint that? I don’t know and I am not sure if I will ever be able to, but I keep trying.

Can you explain about the commission you have recently had for Soul Apartment Tower on the Gold Coast, Australia?

This commission was inspired by Blue Lake on North Stradbroke Island, a place that we visit on family holidays. Blue Lake is a sacred Aboriginal site but is open to the public to enjoy. To get there you have to walk through some beautiful banksia and grevillea shrubs with lots of scribbly bark eucalypt trees and white sand. The lake is a vivid blue because it is so deep and it is part of the water source for the mainland.

Size – what is the average size of your work?

This varies so much, I used to paint and embroider miniature pieces in earlier years and still enjoy making intimate works, a lot of my larger pieces have intimate vinaigrettes of stories that make up a whole. The largest paintings are around 2 metres in length and smallest around 40cm. So the average would have variations of around 150cm. I love painting big as it is such a commitment to the idea and has such a powerful effect if I can get it right.

Medium – what various mediums do you use?

Like most artists and teachers, I have used just about everything possible to explore all the elements of art. These days I paint mostly in acrylics and permanent inks. I use dry media like charcoal or pencil for drawing then build up layers with glazes and use opaques more sparingly as final layers. Sometimes I add gold or silver dutch metallic papers to represent the sacred or preciousness of the landscape. I also still enjoy painting in oils and I always add a small group of these in a show.

Your work is a true travel log. Can you discuss the importance of travel to your work?

Travelling invites the unexpected. I like that because it gives pause to our lives and can change the way we think and behave. It helps me to become more conscious of my place in the world and reflect on the bigger picture. My travelling has been regular and important for my work, especially travel within Australia because it confirms the reason why I paint landscape. It helps me to feel excited and unafraid of losing control on the canvas and inviting serendipitous elements and letting big ideas flow. I would like to travel more as the children get older, and I like the idea of looking into doing some residencies.

While travelling, how do you record?

I use a small visual diary that I write and draw notes in. The camera is a godsend, but mostly I just use my memory as a filter. I have never liked the idea of seeing the world behind a camera so I try to soak up those momentary experiences when I am there. Sometimes I don’t think about recording anything when I am travelling, I give my creative brain the time to empty itself of ideas so it has a chance to soak up some new ones.

Everyone loves to see and hear about an artist studio. Would you share yours?

Everyone loves to see and hear about an artist studio would you share yours?

In March this year I decided I needed to find a place to work with other artists, so I have rented a small studio space in a renovated warehouse that is run by a talented group of academic artists who paint and teach classical drawing. There is a wonderful sense of camaraderie amongst the artists, teachers and students and I love the energy of the place. However, It is a 40 minute drive from my home so I only work there 3 days a week. This is where my new direction began, and I wonder if it is because I have removed myself from the immediate bush surrounds of home into an industrial setting.

Working from a home studio for over 20 years has its ups and downs. I have certainly learnt techniques needed to avoid prolonged procrastination! Also I have become strong enough not to succumb to the continual distraction of my two gorgeous children and family duties. But the greatest advantage of which I am very thankful for, (and I am only now becoming more aware of) is the opportunity to truly focus on finding direction, meaning and sustenance in my art without the direct influence and crutch of other artists, tutors or academic spheres. Being alone in a studio for a sustained amount of time has given me considerable scope to produce an immense body of work that keeps developing and growing.

And the wonderful thing about renting a studio with other artists is that I don’t feel so alone! I love being connected with other artists on a daily basis, it is a wonderful antidote to the isolation of being at home.

How influential are your galleries to the output of your work?

An interesting question and one which I contemplate often. When I am in my studio I consciously try to put aside the business of art and gallery influences and commitments. I take one day at a time, one step at a time, and think about only what it is that I am trying to express on the canvas. Nothing else matters then. Going down the road of making art designed to sell or designed to somehow predict the chances of selling is a tricky business and one that is fraught with danger and disappointment. As my gallerist Trevor Harvey says to me; “ You are the driver, take people along for the ride, you could be surprised”.

You have had many sales? And has there been one that gave you that boost you needed?

Probably the first corporate sale through Robertsons Interior Design about 15 years ago propelled me to paint more work which ended up turning into a 7 year contract to produce 25-30 feature paintings each year for their showroom. I had to work very hard late into the night because that is the only time I could find. My children were still in nappies!

The best thing about selling work is, knowing that in a very direct way I have made a connection with another person and that they will get joy out of something that I have created, just as I do when I buy artwork from other artists. Making a living from painting sales is very validating, not because of the recognition but simply because I am sharing my love of Australia and how I perceive my place within it. I must also mention how important it has been for me to find and be represented by TVH gallery who have been very supportive and work hard to represent their stable of artists. It is a vital component in the link between artist and client.

Discuss the increasing development of Australian awareness to the environment and how this is affecting your work?

I have been doing a lot of reading about human consciousness and our behaviour towards each other and to our planet. I am becoming more aware of how so many other artists are making art about this. Not just visual art, but through music, dance, theatre, movies, books, food, and all art forms. I think that good art is about giving us pause to explore our own consciousness and to increase our awareness of how we can live a life of love, compassion and respect.

Contact details:

a_west@bigpond.net.au

www.anitawest.net

Anita West, Brisbane, Australia

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, December 2013

by Deborah Blakeley

Jenny Matthews

When or what made you decide to specialise in painting flowers?

I have had an interest in wild flowers since childhood holidays in the Scottish Highlands. When I was studying Drawing and Painting at Edinburgh College of Art, I chose to take Botanical Illustration as an elective subject. Dame Elizabeth Blackadder taught this at Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden. Therefore much of my work at college was flower-based, and it’s a subject I never tire of. Fortunately people enjoy my paintings, so I am able to pursue this interest.

‘A Little Bird Told Me’

As a mother of two and a highly sought after artist, how do you fit it all into 24 hour day?

My studio is on the top floor of our townhouse, so my commute time is very short! Once everyone has gone off in the morning I can go up there to work in peace until late afternoon when the family starts to return. Of course, a typical day is also interspersed with other more domestic duties, but I thrive on limited time and deadlines.

When did you take the risk of turning the pretty into the pretty amazing and developing your own style?

I was fortunate that from my first exhibition during my degree show people were buying my paintings. My style is constantly evolving because I enjoy exploring new ideas and methods. Although I do not seek to paint what I know will sell, I am aware that if I take an avenue which results in me ceasing to sell work, then I cannot justify spending my days creating art which remains unsold. There is a balance between creating intuitively and earning a living. I am fortunate that what I paint does not compel me to live in a garret.

‘Tortoishell and Dahlia’

Can you discuss the ‘splodge’ backgrounds to your work?

Watercolour is a wonderful medium in itself, regardless of the subject matter being described. The effects it creates as it dries are fascinating and it results in curious abstractions. The colours for my backgrounds often come from nature: sky, light effects, combinations of colours glimpsed together ... and I like to celebrate the characteristics of watercolour whilst depicting a subject literally.

Butterflies –sketches from France with paint

Discuss the composition of two or three paintings?

‘Tarves Sampler’ (63 x 71 cm) is a still life which incorporates a family heirloom. This sampler was stitched in 1866 by my great grandmother who lived in Aberdeenshire in a small village called Tarves. I am always on the lookout for interesting bits and pieces which can spark an idea. My still lives are not literally set up in front of me as I work, but the components are put down in a sketch and brought together using colour, in this case coming from the sampler, to become a painting. ‘Tarves Sampler’ was painted in the spring, so I used some early miniature irises which I had in the studio to accompany the sampler.

‘Traves Sampler’

‘Flight of the Butterflies’ (90 x 120 cm) shows some life size irises from my garden. I never work from photographs, so sometimes I either cut the flowers and bring them into the studio, or work outside, depending on the weather of course. Here, I experimented with some graphite pencil in the background to create some texture.

‘Flight of the Butterflies’

‘Knock Me Down with a Feather’ (63 x 53cm) was for an exhibition called ‘In the Company of Birds’ in central Edinburgh. I explored various themes to do with birds, including feathers. Because I was outdoors looking for feathers, wild flowers seemed a natural choice to be included. These flowers were all sketched in Scotland.

’Knock Me Down with a Feather’

‘Wet Weather Tulips’ (86 x118 cm). This painting of life-size tulips was created from some paintings I made in the garden in 2012. It was a very wet spring and a bad year for tulips. The background represents the showers of rain which cut short my painting!

‘Wet Weather Tulips’

You also travel – how do you record during your travel?

One of my current interests is butterflies and insects and I take a small cartridge sketch book and coloured pencils with me when I go travelling, not to mention my binoculars. Sometimes I visit an area with the intention of finding subjects: wildlife reserves for example, although we have very few species of butterfly in Scotland. In the summer of 2013 in France I spent a lot of time sketching butterflies and saw about 12 ‘new’ ones: capturing their movements and attitudes is important, and I try to do as many sketches as I can so that I have plenty of material to use later in paintings.

Butterfly sketches in France

If heading out to neighbours’ gardens can also be considered ‘travel’, then I take an Imperial sized piece of watercolour paper prepared on a board, my paints and palette and a stool to paint on location. I have a friend close by who has an enormous collection of tulips which fill her garden every May. If I’m out walking in the hills then I will usually have a sketch book and binoculars in case I see something interesting.

Ann’s Garden

You do many commissions. Can you discuss how you have developed this part of your work?

Commissions form an important part of my work and they are requests from people who have a space to fill of a particular size/ want their collection of garden flowers brought together in one painting/ have seen a painting which has already sold or have a favourite flower they wish depicted. The commissions are very often to be gifts for weddings or special birthdays. However, customers are never obliged to purchase the finished painting if they are in any way disappointed, so this removes a potential obstacle.

Many would not expect that you would do commission of wedding Bouquets and other simple domestic requests, explain this aspect of your commissions?

I enjoy the challenge of finding a way to fulfil a customer’s requests while remaining true to myself. Occasionally I have been asked to paint something which I’m not comfortable with and in this case I don’t accept the commission: I need to be able to create a painting which is still a ‘Jenny Matthews’, and that is normally what the client wishes too so they’re never too prescriptive in their brief. It’s interesting to discover what people are looking for in a painting, and to be party to that.

‘Wild Bouquet Strathdon’

You say you don’t like ‘bitty flowers’ - can you expand on this comment?

I am attracted to flowers with strong silhouettes and forms. I will sometimes incorporate a ‘bitty’ flower, for example Forget Me Not, into a painting, and the juxtaposition of different scales and forms can work really well in a composition, but if I painted only what I am attracted to then I would always go for irises or tulips and other bold forms! Wild flowers tend to be ‘bitty’ too, but I love painting them.

Discuss the influence Dame Elizabeth Blackadder has had on your work as a tutor and mentor?

Elizabeth lives in Edinburgh, as I do, and I remember when I first heard of her when I was still at high school. Subsequently, when I was at art college, I was steered towards her botanical illustration course. From then on she was hugely influential to me: not only because she worked alongside us as we worked, but also because she uses watercolour which I love above all other media. Elizabeth unashamedly paints beautiful things for their own sake, and creates decorative images which give pleasure to the viewer, and I admire that. She is also someone I can get along with and feel comfortable with, which obviously helps.

You are not restricted to the demands of formal botanical painting. Can you discuss this?

Botanical artists are required to measure and record with perfect accuracy the flowers they paint. Their work is used in identification, so accuracy is of the utmost importance. What I enjoy is the ‘character’ of the plant, and trying to record my response to it.

‘One Moth’

You are not afraid to leave the ink and crayon marks on your work rather allowing these to take a part in your work, explain this?

What I like to see in a piece is how it came into being: the process and some evidence of the creator’s hand. It’s ‘paint’ as well as ‘a painting’.

You now also teach. Can you expand on your teaching?

I have actually given up teaching in any regular way. I don’t really have time any more, although I do occasionally give one-to-one tutorials in my studio. I used to teach adult classes in Botanical painting, watercolour and drawing in the days when I had more time and less success (or should that be children?)!

Do you exhibit beyond the UK?

Not yet! Exhibiting beyond the UK is an ambition of mine and something which I am pursuing! Any suggestions?

‘Birds of a Feather’

Do you see a strong relationship between the fragility of watercolour and flowers?

This is me speaking as a Scot in a Scottish climate! However, I do feel that watercolour lends itself to the depiction of flowers more than other media.

Your format is not in bowls rather as if the flowers have just been picked and scattered on the table. Explain this approach?

It’s a continuation of botanical illustration, with my own take on the tradition. Durer, one of my favourite artists, did the same. I like the idea of painting a flower’s portrait.

‘Where the Wild things Grow’

Contact details:

jennymatthews@blueyonder.co.uk

www.jennymatthews.co.uk

Jenny Matthews, Edinburgh, Scotland

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, November 2013

by Deborah Blakeley

William Linford

As a boy you grew up in rural Australia. You are still keeping this image alive today. Can you discuss ‘Mum Gets a Bat’ in this context?

I come from a large family in a country town. All sports were a prominent part of our lives as we grew up. Games of all sorts were played but ‘backyard cricket’ dominated much of our spare time over the long hot summer months. The warm hues of this painting help represent the heat which was sometimes quite stifling during our cricket sessions. Everyone in the family participated in these events, including Mum..

Cricket plays a huge part in your work. Can you expand on the importance of the sport in your work?

Cricket is an extremely popular spectator sport in Australia. At first glance spectators will often comment that it contains little action. My cricket paintings could also be misinterpreted in this way however I believe that much can be read into each one. I have always been fascinated by the mix of colour that makes up the backdrops of cricket settings. I love the contrasts of cricket whites against lush green pitches and colourful crowds. My cricket paintings are reflective of Australian beach, backyard and park culture.

That elongated figure – how did it evolve?

The works of famous Australian artists such as Russell Drysdale and John Brack have always appealed to me so perhaps at some subliminal level I have been influenced by their techniques. However, my elongated figures were never intended to mirror these styles; they have just become part of my evolution as an artist.

Hats are part of sunny Australia. Can you expand on the use of them in your work?

Not only do you paint sport but you add to it the importance of team. Discuss this?

Each team member operates as part of the whole but I aim for my paintings to reflect individuals that stand out from the crowd in a variety of ways. When you study paintings such as ‘2nd Eleven’, ‘Saleyard’ and ‘Nippers’ you will notice many similarities between each character but you will also be struck by the idea that each has a unique story to tell.

You have been living on the coast for over 20 years. Can you explain both the importance of Surf Life Saving and its role in you painting?

The Surf Life Saving movement is an iconic thread in the Australian societal fabric. I have a great appreciation for the volunteer work that they do along the coast. I am incredibly grateful that my family has been able to live in such a beautiful coastal region. I hope that my paintings reflect my admiration for this ever changing environment and for the people who protect the coast and its visitors.

Many paintings display mateship, discuss?

Mateship in Australia is often linked to the shared experiences of returned war veterans and sporting teams. I have enjoyed the camaraderie that comes from being a team member that shares experiences and laughs with others. I hope that my sense of fun and larrikin humour permeates through my work to the observer.

Discuss your circus paintings and where the inspiration for this series came from?

The colour and constant action of the circus has always appealed to me. In recent years I have also utilised circus themes to reflect my thoughts surrounding contemporary political scenarios.

Everyone loves to know about an artist’s studio: tell us about your studio, your storage space and the time you spend in this space?

Large, north facing windows flood my studio space with light at all times of the year. At first glance this space may appear to be a chaotic collection of canvasses, pallets, photos, books and memorabilia. At any one time I will be working at three easels with several other paintings at various stages drying against the studio wall. Although I have experimented with other mediums I seldom use anything but oils.

Most days I spend six hours painting. I can easily become lost to the task and very seldom suffer from painter’s block. I feel incredibly lucky to have found a pursuit that gives me so much pleasure.

You often exhibit in group exibitions. Can you discuss the way you deal with this?

I enjoy solo as well as group exhibitions. It is very rewarding to exchange conversations with like-minded artists and to have the opportunity to appreciate the work of others.

Group exhibitions encourage a wide range of people who have eclectic tastes in art. I enjoy being able to challenge traditional attitudes to painting and to bring my work to a diverse audience.

Your work has been sold around the world. Can you explain one or two sales that have meant a great deal to you?

I was quite excited the first time I was contacted by an International collector. Having first seen my work in a magazine and then researching my website, the Hong Kong based business person subsequently purchased two large pieces. Not only did this give me a great sense of pride but also a boost to my confidence.

The second most memorable International sale was when the CEO of a large International company acquired two of my paintings when he and his family were relocating to Denmark. He selected my work as he felt that they represented the Australian way of life and would act as a reminder of home.

Contact details:

William Linford

613 5255 4919

Email: linford@westnet.com.au

www.williamlinford.com.au

William Linford, West Victoria, Australia

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, November 2013

by Deborah Blakeley

Sasha Harding

Your aim is to capture the moment. Can you discuss this aspect of your work?

I sometimes think of my paintings as snap shots a brief glimpse of a situation. I like the idea of representing moments that are familiar to all of us and also of more private, quite moments.

Narrative is inspirational in your work. This is not something that many artists say, can you explain?

I often start with a title rather than an image, I have pages and pages of lists of titles and ideas, the sketching out of the idea comes after the words. I have a vivid imagination and tend to think in terms of a story or narrative rather than a specific image, using my own memories of child hood or something that has accrued in my daily life.

You limit yourself to three colours and white. Why and how did this come about?

It was as simple as being penniless at college and only being able to afford a few paints! Over the years I have grown so used to my palette that I am loath to change it, sometimes I will add a new colour for a while but always go back to the three colours. I am much more interested in the content and story of a painting than the colour and so like to keep it simple.

You have been absorbing Cornwall since 1973. How did location have such a large part in your work?

I was actually raised in Dorset but have lived in Cornwall for the past 18 years. Both counties have played a huge part in my work, the sea is an ongoing fascination of mine and very much part of my daily life, be that walking by it or fishing or being out in my boat.

Exhibiting your work is an integral part of our artistic life; can you expand on the importance of exhibiting to you?

I think exhibiting is important because it gives you an opportunity to paint a large coherent body of work that will be shown as a whole, it is also really important for meeting the people who buy my work and chatting to them about it.

You have recently completed commissions for Canada and America. Can you discuss the stimulation commissions give to your work?

Commissions are so different to my normal work, there is a brief to stick to and I have to be aware that I am painting for someone rather than for myself! They are a blessing and a curse and can be more stressful than my usual work .put it this way I am really enjoying having a month off commissions!

Can you discuss your Aquarelle Collection?

Aquarelle are a small company that specialize in very small runs of limited editions. Quality is paramount and this is why I decided to do some work for them. Prints are a good way of making my work more accessible to a wider public.

Currently you are working on the illustrations for your own book. Can you tell us a little more about this?

I have always wanted to write an illustrate my own book and having completed the south west coast path this time last year I realised it was the perfect subject. I have completed the hard part, a 65000 word manuscript (quite an achievement for me) I am now looking forward to illustrating it. This all ties in very well with my liking for a narrative and it seems a natural progression for me to do a book. Now all I need is to find the time to do it!

You do a very novel idea with “A Painting A Day”. Please explain this?

It is not my idea! I heard about this movement called “a painting a day” online: artists would paint a picture a day and put it on eBay or their own web site for a certain amount of money. Some of these artists have been doing it for years. Normally they paint still life or landscapes .I thought I could do something for a month and see what the reaction was.

The paintings were selling within seconds of being put on my website, it was very exciting and unlike anything I had done before. I love the immediacy of it; I paint the picture and put it online just like that. The small size of the images means they are much easier to buy without having to take out a second mortgage, so people can snap them up as soon as they appear. I may do one this November, but as with everything it is finding the time, also it is quite tricky thinking up 30 different pictures one after the other.

Do you like to do your work around a thematic approach? As you know I love your paintings of dogs - can you expand on how you work up these images and also the importance of having a pet in your life?

I grew up with dogs and as soon as I could I got myself a rescue dog, my new dog is very much part of my life (we did the walk together) and my day seems to revolve around her needs! Walking is where I get nearly all my ideas so my dog is essential to my painting.

I love painting dogs ,they add an extra presence in a painting ,innocence, or a comedy element.

Often you draw your figures in water but you allow us to see both above and below. How did this method come about?

It’s funny how people often end up doing things in adult hood that they did in childhood; I used to paint long pictures of underwater scenes with coral and sand and seaweed, I would paint and cut out fish and crabs and shell and then play for hours placing the cut out images in amongst the back drop.

Here I am years later still fascinated by showing the hidden things under the sea. I always loved grubbing around in rock pools and I love the fact that I can paint them and other people like them.

Sketchbooks are a major part of your work. How does this lend itself to your outdoor days and studio days?

I use my sketch books to draw out and plan a painting, much like cutting out image as a child I now draw out the images I want to use in a painting and cut them out, I then offer them up to the blank canvas and draw around them when I am happy with the composition, in this way I can plan everything in advance rather than doing all the working out on the canvas. I have draws full of little cut out figures and boats and dogs .Most of my pictures are from my head and so I don’t tend to sketch whilst out and about ,but use the books for planning and honing an image.

Fishermen and children are major players in your art, explain why?

My husband was a fisherman and I always loved the idea of being a fishwife!

I know I have a romantic vision of fishermen and the very dangerous job they do but I am more interested in the image of the fisherman, the beard, the thick blue jumpers and big boots, the scruffy little ships dog.

Children represent all of our childhoods, if we are lucky we have fond memories of childhood (I know I do). I want to capture that innocence, that time in life before jobs and bills and stress when looking into a rock pool and seeing a hermit crab is the most amazing thing in the world.

Your studio is so neat and tidy like your work, am I correct?

Yes it is!

I am not a mucky artist although nearly all my clothes have paint on them and I often seem to end up with paint in my hair! I like to work in a fairly ordered way hence the working out and planning in my sketch book, not all over the clean, white canvas. The most important thing for me is cleaning up at the end of the day so when I go to work the next day it feels like a fresh start.

Very rarely is someone alone in your paintings, they always have company or a pet. Please discuss.

I like to see the way people interact with each other, I do paint people on their own but they are pensive, quiet pictures and normally I am an outgoing sort of girl and so paint what I like: people.

Finally, you also use a completely different composition: tiny figures and in the foreground seaside plants. Can you discuss this method?

It is fun to paint in a different scale, I loved the idea of the plants taking the centre stage, but as with all my paintings there has to be a human element, no matter how tiny.

Contact details:

Email: sashahardingartist@gmail.com

Sasha Harding, Cornwall, UK

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, October 2013

by Deborah Blakeley