Meet the artists that have taken over our Instagram every Thursday in the past month! Showcasing exclusive interviews with Maja Beattie, Joy Hawkridge, Charlie Lang, and Alexandra Gallagher.
MAJA BEATTIE
1) Walk me through a typical day in the studio for you?
MB: A typical day in the studio consists of plenty of tea and chocolate hobnobs! I usually have two pieces on the go at the same time, so I may be preparing a surface for one piece while also working on some areas of fine detail on another. This stops me from getting "stuck" on the areas of detail and also injects a bit of pace to my day. As a busy mum of a toddler I relish my studio time even more so now, particularly while listening to a favourite album or an absorbing audio book.
2) What is something viewers might not know about your work?
MB: Something that people may not know about my work is that I use a restricted colour palette of just the primary colours and white. I love to challenge myself to create vibrant pieces of work in this way and feel that through layering many different mixed colours I can create a surface that has a real three dimensional quality to it.
3) What is the most challenging part of your process as an artist and what is most rewarding?
MB: The most challenging part of my process is creating a likeness within my portraits. I feel that this is something that can happen very organically, however can also be lost very quickly and there can also be a danger of overworking the features while trying to capture this likeness. The most rewarding element I find in my painting process is when the expression and the character of the person portrayed starts to shine through. This can suddenly come with the addition of some colour or a simple line, I feel so excited when this happens.
4) Is there any advice you have for artists/creators during this difficult time?
It can be so tempting to not give yourself time and space for your artistic process, particularly when feeling overwhelmed. I have found this on many occasions over the past year, particularly as a new mum also. I found creating some quick, more expressive pieces allowed me to re-engage with making again and focus on what I loved about the processes of painting and drawing. It is so important for your well-being to prioritise your need for creativity.
JOY HAWKRIDGE
1) Walk me through a typical day in the studio for you?
JH: A typical day starts with a great playlist to get me inspired and a cup of coffee. I’d paint until I feel I have to stop for drying time or before I overwork it. I use many layers of mixed media and lots of water so it can get very messy. Most of my works are painted on the floor or a flat surface.
2) What is something viewers might not know about your work?
JH: I only ever work on one artwork at a time, all my work is from my imagination and my inspiration comes from my many travels.
3) What is the most challenging part of your process as an artist and what is most rewarding?
JH: One of the most challenging and rewarding parts of my art process would have to be commissions, creating large abstract works are amazing to but it takes many hours of contemplation to get the composition, tones and texture just right for the space, to see how much joy it brings to the client when I reveal it to them is one of the best rewards I could get.
4) Is there any advice you have for artists/creators during this difficult time?
JH: Advise, follow your dream and don’t give up, be true to yourself and keep working on your creativity exploring every avenue, focus on what makes you happy.
CHARLIE LANG
1) Walk me through a typical day in the studio for you?
CL: Due to the nature of working with concrete, my morning usually starts with checking if pieces I've left overnight have cured in their moulds before starting the next process. The rest of the day, as I am normally working on more than one piece a time, I try to be as efficient with my time as possible.
2) What is something viewers might not know about your work?
CL: When I was first at university studying Fine Art, I was a very stubborn portrait painter! I only started to focus on sculpture a few years ago and haven't looked back since!
3) What is the most challenging part of your process as an artist and what is most rewarding?
CL: Something I find challenging as an artist working in sculpture is time constraints. Either I'm working quickly against the clock with rapid drying cement, or I'm having to wait a few days for the concrete to fully cure, so I'm always working in extremes; rushing or waiting. The most rewarding part of my practice is when I get to pop open a mould and I can see the piece for the first time.
4) Is there any advice you have for artists/creators during this difficult time?
CL: A piece of advice I would give to all makers during this hard time is to continue creating and posting their work, talk to as many people as possible and just connect. And don't be disheartened by mistakes you might make, because in my experience you don't tend to make them twice.
ALEXANDRA GALLAGHER
1) Walk me through a typical day in the studio for you?
AG: At the moment I’m working from home during the lockdown, it’s been a little bit of an adjustment with the family being at home all the time and I’m having to paint etc in the front room, but I’ve mostly been working digitally, so it’s not been bad. I treat the day like I would a nine to five, I’m very disciplined and driven with what I need to do. My typical day is not very exciting to be honest, I start with checking emails, messages, etc. Prioritising what needs answering and if I need to order prints. I grab a coffee, stick my headphones on and get creative.
2) What is something viewers might not know about your work?
AG: That it’s heavily influenced, I use a lot of found imagery to create my pieces and all my work starts out as collage - it’s how I sketch. I love what I do and can just go off in my own world. I’m actually very much a hermit and love creating on my own without people about, as that’s when I can really focus. My work is driven by the subconscious, so it’s very hard to do when there’s other stuff going on around me.
3) What is the most challenging part of your process as an artist and what is most rewarding?
AG: Art in itself is a challenge, creating a piece that works and speaks to you, is both rewarding and challenging, but I find the business side the most challenging. I love creating the work, but not that side so much. It takes up a huge amount of time and my brain is just not wired to be that organised. I also find it challenging communicating what my work means, as it’s actually a complicated soup in my head, and trying to communicate that to someone else is not easy at all. The most rewarding part of being an artist is making someone smile with my art or when it speaks to someone else. Having that connection, I love that. I love that it can speak to someone on the other side of the world living a totally different life to me and that it speaks with the most basic emotions and thoughts we all have as humans.
4) Is there any advice you have for artists/creators during this difficult time?
AG: Don’t give up. Just keep creating. Channel how you feel creatively as an outlet. It is a very weird time, with a lot of uncertainty, but it’s happened before and we came through and we will come through this. I really hope for the better, I don’t actually want it to go back to the way it was before, I loved that things slowed down and we thought about what is important to us, we thought about others and how we could help them. We used less stuff and the world began to heal - briefly! I want to keep the slower, less insane and more empathic side of this crazy time.
