What creative project are you currently working on?
In July I was getting fed up with how little effort my Year 13 students were putting into their personal investigation, I told them that as an artist this should be their dream opportunity to research and explore an issue they were interested in through art. One of them said ‘why don’t you do it then Miss?’ so I thought why not? So here I am doing a personal investigation on how colour impacts on an environment (I need a more exciting title!). I was sparked by the Favala painting project in Brazil, a project that transformed the aesthetic and the social psychology of the whole community.
How does your own practice impact on your work in the classroom?
Doing my own personal investigation has certainly kept the students on their toes, it’s prompted some interesting conversations and I think that the students like it when they can see that I’m unsure about where my project is heading. It makes them feel less anxious about not knowing what to do next with their own work and we can work through the creative blocks together.
How does your creative process work?
My creative journey usually starts with photographs, I love to travel and carry my camera where ever I go. I’m not a Photoshop expert but I do love experimenting with it, I’m a massive fan of layers so the next step in generally layering images and exploring colour combinations. I like to zoom in and crop sections so images become more abstract.
What tools or materials could you not live without?
I use my sewing machine as a drawing tool and I think because I’ve drawn with my sewing machine for so long it’s impacted on my hand drawing. I draw mostly using a continuous line I like the imperfections of a continuous line drawing I think it adds to the character of the drawing. Because of my love of layering I use acetate a lot in my work, its versatile material that I can draw onto, stich into, spray paint, print and photocopy on.
Where do you search for creative inspiration?
I never know how to answer this because I’m inspired by so many different things. Like most artists I notice beauty in ordinary objects which others may pass by; a rusty gate, a weathered wall, patterns in window reflections etc. I often go for a wander around Liverpool when I need some inspiration. Liverpool’s a city of contrasts between the old and the new and that’s one of the things I love about this colourful place. I use photography as a starting point and instead of recreating these photos back at home; I aim to capture their essence, expression and emotion, highlighting the different tones and layers.
