Meet the artists that have taken over our Instagram every Thursday in the past month! Showcasing exclusive interviews with Ricardo Reis, Jeremy Philip Knowles, and Leanne Hughes.
RICARDO REIS
1) Walk me through a typical day in the studio for you?
RR: A normal day for me isn't actually in the studio, I spend more of my days shooting on the streets, between street photography to some project or subject I want to explore or even outdoor photoshoots, but most of my days I just like to pick up the camera and discover the city and the people that bring it to life.
2) What is something viewers might not know about your work?
RR: Maybe they think I am big on post-production and I am not. The multiple exposures and surrealistic feeling to my works is done from using multiple exposure on black and white film, and I do it while shooting and by the use of movement and lighting, not post-production, and while on quarantine I started working on a mixed media collection that most of the people didn't knew I did.
3) What is the most challenging part of your process as an artist and what is most rewarding?
RR: The most challenging part of my work is to try and get proper recognition, getting your name and work out there. As time goes by, artists need to create almost a personal branding around them, the work is not enough anymore. There's so much more to it for you to really achieve recognition, but when you get a big exhibition or a commissioned work from a big company or brand, it's really nice and rewarding to see your work appreciated, so it motivates you not to quit, at least for me, still here and looking up and forward.
4) Is there any advice you have for artists/creators during this difficult time?
RR: For me these difficult times helped me concentrate and focus on doing new work, getting ideas, building up the structure for my endeavour and it made me realise what and whom are really important in our lives, so don't quit, if it makes you happy and you need to create please do it, keep on going, it's in times like these that art in any form and way or medium keeps us going and gives us hope.
JEREMY PHILIP KNOWLES
1) Walk me through a typical day in the studio for you?
JPK: A typical day for me, as a photographer, involves far more time spent exploring and shooting outside of the studio than working in there on post-production afterwards. I know that some photographers love the editing process, but for me I'm all about discovering and learning with my camera. I'm pretty impatient once I know I've taken a shot that's going to sit well in a series. I like to get up early - my brain is crystal clear and I tend to have my best ideas within the first hour of being awake. If the weather looks good, then I'll be out of the door within 10 minutes of opening my eyes to take a walk with my camera and capture the morning light. Then it's back to the studio or photo lab to drop off film. This is usually a good start to the day for me. Everything follows pretty smoothly after this ritual.
2) What is something viewers might not know about your work?
JPK: My main series was started in university in London during a major creative block. My best friend and I began taking walks into college through Camberwell and Peckham in the morning to see what inspired us. When I moved to Berlin three years later it just seemed like the best fall-back method I had in my arsenal for training my eyes to the new terrain. I still struggle with creative blocks. Sometimes, no matter how hard I try, inspiration doesn't strike. I put half of this down to luck and the other half to mental and emotional health. As an artist reliant on the physical world around me for what I can create, sometimes there just aren't interesting and quirky 'things' to discover. That's just life. It's easy to internalise it. But it's also about what your eyes are willing to see. If I'm stressed or low on energy, if I'm focused on something going on my life. there's far less chance I'll find gold through my lens. Focussing requires more than just camera technique.
3) What is the most challenging part of your process as an artist and what is most rewarding?
JPK:
4) Is there any advice you have for artists/creators during this difficult time?
JPK: Chill out, take your time, save your energy and focus on doing what turns you on. There's enough pressure on us all this year so... do yourself a favour and stop freaking out. Wait, is it just me freaking out?
LEANNE HUGHES
1) Walk me through a typical day in the studio for you?
LH: At least twice a week I make sure I go on a nature trail or hike, where I gather my inspiration from. I like to take photographs whilst I’m walking and I sometimes use those for reference in my studio. A typical day in the studio : I light some incense and put on some music, at the moment I’m loving the band called Satsang, and I also enjoy listening to Karunesh. I will sit for a while and envision what I want a piece to look like, I then choose my colours and start adding layers. I usually have 2 or 3 paintings I’m working on at a time and switch between them. If I’m not sure whether a painting is finished I will take a photograph of it and wait until the following day and take a look at the picture with fresh eyes. I usually have a dog or three laying at my feet, the heating on and a window open! In all weathers!
2) What is something viewers might not know about your work?
LH: Something viewers may not know about my work, is that I create them to bring a sense of wonder, a feeling of calm and happiness, and to counteract all the grey we see in this world. I also want to remind people how important our natural world is to our mental health and wellbeing. A walk in the forest can cure any bad mood!
3) What is the most challenging part of your process as an artist and what is most rewarding?
LH: The most challenging thing for me is carving out the time to create, as I am a mother and a dog owner and they all require my attention pretty much constantly! The most rewarding thing is receiving messages from customers about how happy my art has made them feel.
4) Is there any advice you have for artists/creators during this difficult time?
LH: My advice for artists at this difficult time, is don’t give up, your art is your sanctuary, and your art is what this world needs now more than ever, we need to help to raise the vibration on this planet. How better to do that than with colour, love, and the creation of beautiful things that weren’t there before.
