Artist Profile - Maggie Royle
| Artist Name | Maggie Royle |
| University | Bath Spa University |
| Degree | MA Fine Art- 2008 |
| Profile |
My paintings have developed from an interest in secondary characters that are depicted within Old Master paintings. Using these figures as a starting point, they are removed from their original setting and re-contextualized in a contemporary scene. My recent work has seen a development of this premise; contemporary people are placed in an art historical context to become key players in a new, constructed narrative. ‘Un mundo de deseos’; the billboards near Madrid airport suggest that anything is possible. The woman from the Goya painting wanders here, out of context - wrong time, wrong place – her children are missing. ‘A world of desires’; is this world open to everyone? ‘Forever’s gonna start tonight’ features a young woman in a setting based on Giorgione’s ‘Tempest’; itself a painting of drama and intrigue. My smaller paintings continue to exploit my interest in the ‘extraordinariness’ of the overlooked or insignificant; images are taken from diverse sources such as earlier paintings or contemporary photographs. The content of the work is important but within these parameters I am interested exploring the play between abstraction and figuration and in experimenting with the physicality and unpredictability of oil paint. The titles are relevant to the work, but not descriptive of it and the use of appropriated song lyrics as titles mimics the appropriated imagery, suggesting multiple meanings. Exhibitions and Awards; 2008- MFA Degree Show, Bath Spa University 2008- Spike Open Bristol (annual open studios 1998-2008) 2007- Exeter Contemporary Open, Exeter 2005- ‘Sketch’ Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Wiltshire 2005- Gallery 58 Northampton 2005- Royal West of England Academy 151st Autumn exhibition 2000- Prizewinner, Royal West of England Academy Autumn Exhibition |
| Audio | |
| Interview |
What is your favourite film of all time? Dogville, directed by Lars Von Trier What music are you currently listening to and why? Music is important to my art practice – the titles of my paintings often reference song lyrics. I love the randomness of my ipod shuffle; songs on my ipod include – Tamla Mowtown, Leonard Cohen, Bob Marley, The Killers, Stevie Wonder, The Libertines, Janis Joplin, Neil Young, Kings of Leon……… Which living artists do you most admire and why? Peter Doig; in his show at Tate Britain he showed recent work that was probably unresolved – he did not stay with the ‘safe’ option of hanging paintings which had already been critically acclaimed. Gerhard Richter for breaking down boundaries between ‘abstraction’ and ‘figuration’; also for his writings ‘The Daily practice of Painting’. Marlene Dumas – her paintings which are both expressive and pared down, allowing space for the viewer to bring meaning to the work. I always find Cy Twombly inspirational ; he crosses boundaries between drawing and painting and makes amazing works which seem effortless. Which deceased artist do you most admire and why? It’s impossible to choose one; Eva Hesse was a really interesting artist – in her short career, she achieved success in what was very much a man’s world at that time; her subject was the ‘total absurdity of life’. I feel an affinity her work, for example, both her work and mine explore the tension of opposites. Which exhibition that you have visited made the greatest impact on you and why? I think visiting Florence for the first time in 2006 made me really think about or question the role of painting today. In the face of so much extraordinary work, what is the point of painting? This was the beginning of my using appropriated figures from art history. What is the question you get asked most frequently about your work and how do you answer it? ‘What is your work about?’ I tend to start to talk about my interest in peripheral figures from Old Master paintings; then each painting has it’s own narrative. Sometimes I feel the explanations are rather long winded and complicated; it depends on who’s asking how much and which information I give! What/ who inspired you to be an artists? My grandfather Michael Pippet, winning a Brooke-bond tea painting prize when I was 6, the feeling that paint is in my blood; when I see a work by an artist I admire I just want to rush back to the studio and get my paints out. Can you tell us about where you make your art and what if any the significance of this location is? I am so lucky to have a fantastic studio at Spike Island in Bristol. I have been there since 1997 and was part of the group of artists who helped to set up the studios. Being an artist can be a strange, isolated existence –I think it’s important to be with like-minded people, to exchange ideas and to be able to discuss each others’ work. It’s good that there is a diversity of artists there – people of all ages and at different stages in their career. What do like most about being an artist? Never being bored, being able to generate my own entertainment. Messing about with paint. What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date? I think it is an achievement to continue to practice as an artist over a number of years, to develop and progress ones work, to be able to make a reasonable living, either through selling work, or through being able to create a balance between earning money and making art. My recent MA has been an achievement – marrying theory with practice. What are your plans for the coming year? To continue to be enthused about and to develop my work. To be proactive in trying to exhibit and promote my work. |
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