GLASGOW
1. Franz Maggs, Designer
2. John McDougall, Photographer
3. James McDonald, Painter
4. Shona Barr, Painter
Frank To, Painter franktofineart.com What is it about painting that motivates you? It's the enquiry of it. I don't focus solely on imagery, it's the way I use paint that concerns me. This is something a lot of artists often forget. Paint is flexible. You as the artist have control over it. It can be heavy and pasty or diluted and transparent. Painting is a lifetime journey. THAT is my motivation. Is there a technique or style that you favour? Optical effects are what I tend to favour most. I enjoy using a series of complex layers of diluted paint to create depth. You seem to use a limited colour pallet, is this significant in any way? Being limited is actually a lot more difficult than some can imagine. I enjoy using a limited palette because it forces me to improvise. Furthermore, it makes me more aware of other components that make up a painting such as composition, use of complementaries etc. It is very easy to have too many colours on your palette and disregard them later. I'm more concerned in how to make every colour count. I am heavily inspired by the drawings of Da Vinci and Michiangelo, which are simple in palette, yet visually powerful. This is an effect I aspire to achieve. What is your proudest moment so far as an artist? Proudest moment for me is having my work show in some private and corporate collections next to Picasso, Warhol, Monet, and Bacon. Are there any historical artists who influence your work? I'm currently inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci after being granted access to see his drawings and notes in the Royal Collection Archives. Hans Holbein the Younger also influences me. He's often underestimated; he was a master draughtsman as well as a painter. Furthermore, he achieved apolitical illusion to some extent, revolutionary at the time of King Henry VIII. The best example of this is his painting “The Ambassadors”. How would you define creativity? I don’t think you can define creativity fully, but I believe creativity is the ability to see things differently from others. It is the ability to transfer your ideas through skills and techniques, into a physical piece of work.