WAYS OF LOOKING WITH BOB & ROBERTA SMITH
WHY WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
THE BEST ECO AND VEGAN ART PRODUCTS
Art Student EXHIBITIONS / IDEAS / COMPETITIONS
W H AT NEXT ?
GR AD U W I S D AT E OM
LONG LIVE ART IRL Jennifer Packer tops our essential exhibitions list
AUTUMN 2020
TOOLS YOU NEED TO CREATE YOUR MASTERPIECE
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ART STUDENT The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd. Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place London SW3 3TQ Telephone: (020) 7349 3700 www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk
EDITORIAL Editor Steve Pill Art Editor Lauren Debono-Elliot Assistant Editor Rebecca Bradbury
Contents
5 Private View From gritty landscapes to intimate portraits, five must-see exhibitions 8 Open Minds The importance of talking about mental health in the creative industries
ADVERTISING Advertising Manager David Huntingdon Production All Points Media
PUBLISHING Managing Director Paul Dobson Publisher Simon Temlett Chief Financial Officer Vicki Gavin Director of Media James Dobson EA to Chairman Sarah Porter Subs Marketing Manager Bret Weekes
Art Student is published by the makers of Artists & Illustrators (ISSN 0269-4697), which is published every four weeks. We cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, unsolicited material. We reserve the right to refuse or suspend advertisements, and regret we cannot guarantee the bona fides of advertisers. Readers should note that statements by contributors are not always representative of the publisher’s or editor’s opinion. © The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd., 2020. All rights reserved.
10 The Art of Looking The world is your art school, say Bob and Roberta Smith, if you learn how to look 16 Answer the Call Opportunity knocks with a selection of open competitions and bursaries to enter 19 Green Paint Be a more conscientious artist with our pick of vegan and eco-friendly products 22 What Next? Two recent graduates on transitioning to life outside the art school bubble
From the creators of Artists & Illustrators_ArtStudent 3
Private View Rebecca Bradbury picks out five important forthcoming exhibitions – and highlights what you can learn from them and apply to your own practice
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Fly in League with The Night 18 November 2020 to 9 May 2021 Known for her enigmatic portraits of people who don’t exist, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye is widely considered one of the most important figurative painters working today, making this extensive and delayed survey of her two-decade-long career a must-see. Winner of the Carnegie Prize in 2018, as well as other prestigious accolades, the British-Ghanaian artist does not attach her predominantly black fictional figures to a particular historical moment. Instead you, the viewer, are left to project your own interpretation. While her paintings are rooted in traditional considerations, such as line, scale and colour (a go-to palette of dark, dramatic tones), the way in which she handles the paint is decidedly contemporary. Working spontaneously and rapidly, she uses thick and rough brushstrokes, but notice how each and every one is perfectly considered. Tate Britain, London. www.tate.org.uk
© LYNETTE YIADOM-BOAKYE
RIGHT Lynette YiadomBoakye, Citrine by the Ounce, 2014
From the creators of Artists & Illustrators_ArtStudent 5
private view
© COURTESY THE ARTIST
UNTITLED: Art on the Conditions of Our Time 16 January to 5 April 2021 This progressive collection allows new ways of thinking by African diaspora artists to emerge through a less fixed approach to curation. Such liberation has brought together film, installation and photography, but fine art students in particular should seek out Kimathi Donkor’s oil paintings, which reimagine legendary and mythic encounters across Africa. Also not to be missed is Phoebe Boswell’s animation project (Tramlines) created using her pencil drawings. She provides a masterclass on combining traditional draftwomanship and digital technology to tell stories too complex to explain in a single drawing. Kettle’s Yard, University of Cambridge, Cambridge. www.kettlesyard.co.uk
© THE ARTIST
Jock McFadyen Goes to the Pictures 14 November 2020 to 7 March 2021 With a career spanning 50-odd years, contemporary Scottish painter Jock McFadyen is regularly described as “raw” or “gritty”. In his landscapes, both urban and rural, as well as his figurative paintings, he always shows a predilection for the damaged and the fractured, managing to somehow convey beauty in the unsettling and unconventional. This exhibition not only gives a glimpse into the artist’s 6 ArtStudent_From the creators of Artists & Illustrators
development, but it also showcases his work side-by-side those of other Scottish artworks. It’s an attempt to highlight visual threads that connect all pictures, a perspective that could be useful when analysing your own work. The juxtapositions can be witty, surprising or striking, but they all seek to confound the traditional boundaries of period, style and artistic posture. City Art Centre, Edinburgh, www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk
THIS PAGE, FROM TOP Kimathi Donkor, Toussaint L’Overture at Bedourete, 2004; Jock McFadyen, Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue?, 2018
COURTESY: THE ARTIST, CORVI-MORA, LONDON AND SIKKEMA JENKINS & CO, NEW YORK PHOTO: MATT GRUBB
LEFT Jennifer Packer, Tia, 2017 BELOW Chantal Joffe, Esme at the Kitchen Table, 2020
PHOTO: BENJAMIN WESTOBY © CHANTAL JOFFE. COURTESY THE ARTIST AND VICTORIA MIRO
Chantal Joffe: For Esme – With Love and Squalor Until 22 November 2020 Since making her breakthrough in the 1990s with small-scale paintings of pornographic material, painter Chantal Joffe has been challenging our expectations of feminist art with her intimate portraits of women, whether in images a few inches wide or 10 feet high. Although she continues to question what makes a noble subject for art, her focus has switched to the more domestic, with the relationship between mother and daughter a key theme in this new exhibition. It captures the changing faces across the years of herself and her 16-year-old daughter Esme, showing off her expressive flair for portraiture and startingly honest self-portraits created with quick yet precise marks. Look out for how the artist’s distortion of scale and form can make a subject feel more real. Arnolfini, Bristol. www.arnolfini.org.uk
Jennifer Packer Opens 18 November 2020 Don’t miss this chance to see the first solo exhibition of Jennifer Packer to take place in Europe. The New Yorkbased artist and recent recipient of the Rome Prize has built a reputation over the past decade for creating intimate portraits and flower still life, which reveal a unique emotional and physical fragility. Many constants run throughout this collection of paintings and large-scale drawings – her subjects are the people she is closest to; they are relaxed and seemingly unaware of her gaze. Packer’s paintings are rendered in loose line and big sweeping brush strokes using a limited colour palette. Pay attention to how this restriction causes the subject to retreat or merge into the background – and enables the artist to make skin colour secondary to the psychological aspects of her sitters. Serpentine Gallery, London. www.serpentinegalleries.org
From the creators of Artists & Illustrators_ArtStudent 7
Open Minds The AOI's Ren Renwick on why we need to start talking about freelancers' mental health. Illustration: Harry Woodgate
There are more freelancers than in any other time in history. In the past few years alone, there has been an extraordinary boom in the self-employed, remote-working, hot-desking culture. The chances are that, if you are going into the creative industries, you will at some point be working as a freelancer – and if you’re going to be an illustrator that chance is even higher. Freelancing brings huge opportunities and benefits with it. You can wear what you want, keep the hours you want, not have to bother with the office politics of who drank your milk and importantly be accountable only to yourself.
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But there is another side to freelancing: you are often working alone, pitching for work (and, by necessity being rejected), there will be days where you literally talk to no one, income is erratic and if you don’t have imposter syndrome at some point you are basically unique. Most of those points can be individual triggers for mental health; all together they demand all creative freelancers proactively ensure wellbeing. At the Association of Illustrators (AOI), we support illustrators through every stage of their business – and mental health is part of that. As an association, we are not experts (see the box for
where to go for immediate help), but we do know that talking about mental health is vital. In part it shows how normal it is – and in part it can help share some great ideas on how to deal with challenges. In our conversations with illustrators, money (and the lack of it) is most often cited as the primary mental health concern. Lize Meddings is the founder of the Sad Ghost Club, a long-term project spreading awareness of mental health. Lize developed her merchandise range in part to give herself control over her income – when there were less commissions, she was able to drive her own sales. This had
mental health
"Talking about mental health is vital… It shows how normal it is" a massive impact on managing her mental health. Chris Sav, a London-based musician, comedian and illustrator who has created the Disappointman character for CALM, has spoken about the need to face up to financial realities, however tempting it is to bury your head in the sand. There are not many illustrators (or creatives in general) who go into it for the business side of things, but the reality is that being a freelancer means running a small business – and to make that business, work you need to “skill up” and take ownership of that side of your business activities. You need a business plan (the AOI has templates) and the ability to understand how you are going to manage your money. Do you need an investor? A second job? How will you make it work? Having control of this will help your mental health. Both Lize and Chris are pretty clear on the risks of burnout for freelancers. There is no “home time” when you are working from home, and you have to really take time to be well and give yourself space for a balanced life. It’s easy to glorify working so hard and the “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” attitude, but it’s not a good mantra to adopt. Social media and mental health go hand in hand, and it can be easy to get on a self-destructive treadmill feeding the beast. If you’re lonely, social media can be a great way to get some validation, but that validation isn’t real.
Social media is also a vital tool, but you need to understand how you are using these platforms to grow your business, and how to use it strategically and unemotionally to grow your audience and increase your income. Similarly, many creatives recognise that being part of a wider group is pretty important. That might mean being in a studio, having a group of peers you can share ideas with, or going to regular meet ups. However it works for you, it’s really important to have people you can talk to, get feedback from, or just share what you’ve been up to. The AOI runs meet ups for illustrators across the UK – check out our website to see what’s happening near you. For many reasons, there is a rise in mental health across the population. Mental health issues can range from something mild and manageable to something life threatening. You should seek professional help for any level of symptoms that impact on your day to day life. But as with physical health, prevention is better than cure, and building in your wellbeing to your business planning is an increasing necessity. Ren Renwick is Chief Executive of the Association of Illustrators (AOI), a membership organisation for illustrators. The AOI has resources on mental health, business planning, finance and social media, and offers one-to-one business support to members. Follow them @theaoi or visit www.theaoi.com
Seeking help
If you are struggling with mental health issues or know someone who is, contact the following organisations for advice and support. • NHS If you are concerned that you are developing a mental health problem, you should seek the advice and support of your GP as a matter of priority. Locate your nearest GP at www.nhs.uk/ Service-Search. If you are in distress, need immediate help and are unable to see a GP, you should visit your local A&E. • Samaritans The Samaritans offers emotional support in full confidence, 24 hours a day. Call free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.uk. • Rethink For advice on different types of therapy and medication, benefits, debts, money issues, mental health rights and more, call 0300 5000 927, Monday to Friday, 10am to 2pm. • Shout If you’re experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support, text Shout to 85258. Shout offers help with suicidal thoughts, abuse or assault, self-harm, relationship challenges and more. • Mind Mind offers answers to questions about types of mental health problems and where to get help on the infoline 0300 123 3393. Mind also has a legal advice service that includes advice on discrimination and equality related to mental health issues – call 0300 466 6463.
From the creators of Artists & Illustrators_ArtStudent 9
the art of looking
The Art of Looking You are all artists, and the world is your art school, says Bob and Roberta Smith. You just have to learn to look at it the right way – and confront impossibilities
Discernment
Art is looking. Looking at the world with concentration and humanity, looking at language, and looking at forms of art itself. It requires an understanding that saying something is one thing, and the form in which you say it is something else. Sometimes the form in which you say something is indeed the thing you want to say. Either way, art is not so much what you say as how you say it. Your reaction to the world is also a part of the world as a whole. By offering something to the world you are being critical, while making a contribution. Depicting aspects of the world is the mainstay of your new activity, but you are also now participating in it. Deciding what the world needs is important. This can only be done through looking. Looking is political. Looking is about governance. We look at the world and we make judgments about what we see. We all see things differently, and our diverse viewpoints are sacred. I am not a religious person, but I believe that how we see things is all we have. We have a responsibility to look carefully with sensibility, sensitivity and understanding.
Illumination
Caravaggio’s great innovation was to shine light into paintings. The light he shone represented the light of the voice and stewardship of God. We talk about synaesthesia. It’s here again. Light is the voice of God. In the paintings of Caravaggio, light might be shining to reveal something pretty horrific – John the Baptist’s head on a plate, for example. Nevertheless, it is always light that allows human beings to see. Looking can be a tool for us to say, “Oh I agree with this. I celebrate this. Let’s have a party.” Often, however, it is the act of looking that leads an artist to be sceptical of the status quo. On a recent episode of BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, I was asked if artists were getting more political. I answered that this was the wrong question. In the UK, we are living through polarised political times, and the field of art itself is becoming political. Our current government has spent 10 years telling children that art as a subject is not worth studying. That makes art political. Artists maintain the right to be sceptical. That’s why so many artists living in repressive regimes end up incarcerated.
In 2018, protesters against fracking and those speaking out against enforced extradition were charged under terrorism laws. These protests had more in common with pacifism than terrorism. None of the protesters looked like they would hurt a fly. They were probably vegans. There was no need for such a heavy response to their actions other than to frighten others. Protesters were being used as examples. In the 17th century, the Tolpuddle Martyrs were deported from Dorset to Australia for the same reasons. They wanted to form a union of agricultural labourers but were charged under conspiracy laws. Their extradition was a political gesture to tell destitute workers to think again before they got together to ask for proper pay and conditions. Why, as an artist, am I so concerned about this? Well, it’s because protesting and being an artist, a journalist, a novelist and a poet are all about free speech. We are all engaged in a game of “free expression”. But really, it’s not a game – it’s about defending democracy.
Mapping
In the 1960s, psychologist Tony Burzon devised the “mind map”,
From the creators of Artists & Illustrators_ArtStudent 11
the art of looking
or “spider diagram”. This was drawing from listening. Burzon was trying to synthesize the lectures he was listening to. Mind maps understand drawing as a way of working things out and assimilating ideas. Drawing is a first chance. This is why it’s so important in schools. Drawing can be a rehearsal as well as a result. Without drawing we drive down cul-de-sacs. Without drawing we fail to think through our plans. Devise and conceive of the world through drawing. Looking through drawing allows us to collect evidence and amass information.
Interpretation
Eighteenth- and 19th-century landscape painters like Turner 12 ArtStudent_From the creators of Artists & Illustrators
"Drawing is a rehearsal. Without it, we drive down cul-de-sacs and fail to think through our plans" drew “en route” in sketchbooks. They were drawing in the landscape; the sketchbooks were notebooks. Turner’s and Constable’s sketchbooks are works in both text and image. They gave the artists lots of information, but not all the information that was needed to make larger paintings. Rather than providing a blueprint,
the drawings or sketches gave a basis for further improvisation. The gap between the drawings and the finished paintings allows us to witness the artist’s interpretation. Here we have a key equation: Interpretation = looking based on facts + invention based on improvisation
the art of looking
This equation enables human beings to make and design objects, develop ideas and improve our situation. It creates the space for creativity and is the architecture for what we like to think of as artistic freedom. Using this loose equation, artists give themselves authority, through looking and researching, to extemporize and innovate.
Beauty
The world is horrible, and the world is a place of – unimaginably, tantalisingly – sublime beauty. You can make an ugly painting of something beautiful (you probably have done already), and if you are a great artist you can make something beautiful out of something horrible (like that portrait of John the Baptist’s head on a plate by Caravaggio). But artists can also make beautiful images of beautiful things. The idea of the “sublime” is wrapped up in this dialogue. Turner gave it a go. Art is about confronting these impossibilities. “Don’t replace cannot with don’t replace cannot with don’t...” You cannot paint a sunset, you cannot paint heat, you cannot paint a frozen lake, and you cannot paint God. It is impossible to paint God, even if you believe in him. Turner’s images of sunsets are not sunsets. They are not even remotely like sunsets. They are flat, quotidian bits of wood and canvas with paint on. Artists are energetic, but we can’t create energy. The sublime is the gap between what we can see and what we can do – the “real world”. An artist’s skill is to make impossibility visible. The literal-minded iconoclast’s crime is to have no sense of the joys of ambiguity or irony. Impossibility is beautiful. Literal-minded iconoclasts, who have smashed up monasteries and scratched out icons, blown up Buddhas and wrecked Palmyra, want to say: “Not only can you not make an image of God, but human beings cannot make things beautiful.” That’s where they are wrong. Not only can human beings make
beautiful things, the desire to make beautiful things is both deeply human and deeply beautiful in itself. For those who believe in a god, the act of making images and artefacts is a prayer. For those of us who don’t believe in any god, the universe is no less magical and mysterious. Art is our way of expressing our wonder. A unique challenge is to paint a beautiful thing that is “impossible” to represent. Above is a cloud that I saw briefly through the window of a train bound for Basel. I had just eaten a delicious meal of slowcooked lamb and dauphinoise potatoes in a restaurant called Le Train Bleu in Paris. After a nap on the train I awoke to see an amazingly tall, triangular cloud. I reached for my sketchbook and drew. The painting was made in my front room in Leytonstone. It’s nothing like the cloud I saw. Looking is governance. It needs light. Just as Caravaggio’s art needed light, so art in the 21st century needs light and freedom if it aspires to be true.
How about this…?
Set up an easel in front of the TV Look at shifting images on the TV and attempt to make a painting from them. This exercise is about impossibility, but it is also about looking and making judgments. After an hour of attempting this, you will have produced something. That ‘something’ will be the result of your decisions about what was important visually while you were looking.
This is an extract from Bob and Roberta Smith’s You Are An Artist, published by Thames and Hudson, £14.99. Save 20% off the cover price when you enter the code ARTISTS20 and purchase from www.thamesandhudson.com From the creators of Artists & Illustrators_ArtStudent 13
advertorial
A taste of "Made in Switzerland" The Caran d'Ache "Totally Swiss" Swisscolor range pays tribute to its native country Further to the success of the Swisscolor water-soluble colour pencils, Caran d’Ache has introduced a waterresistant counterpart to complete the collection. This means you can pick up colour pencils in this range without having to decide whether to work with water-resistant or watersoluble colour pencils. The colour pencils are made from cedar wood harvested from FSC-certified, managed forests. This range has a 14 ArtStudent_From the creators of Artists & Illustrators
soft, yet strong 2.8mm lead and is available in 40 water-soluble and 30 water-resistant bright, intensive colours. Both colour pencils have high pigment concentration for economical use and good lightfastness for drawing, sketching and colouring and in the case of the water-soluble pencils, also for wet application. The water-soluble colour pencils and wax pastels can also create amazing watercolour effects. The wax pastels are available in half lengths in both water-soluble and water-resistant. They are
versatile and long lasting, high pigmented colours and made with a softer material than the colour pencils, but denser than traditional wax pastels or crayons. Suitable for a range of techniques, both dry and with a wash applied – or a combination of both. Swisscolor pencils are available in metal boxes of 12, 18 or 30 and cardboard boxes of 12 and 18. In addition, the Swisscolor water-soluble pencils are available in a metal box of 40 assorted colours. The Swisscolor wax pastels come in packs of 10 and 15 water-soluble and waterresistant half pastels. The wax pastels are available in hanging cardboard boxes only. The Swisscolor Range is ideal for creative beginners and hobbyists. The range is available from all good artists’ material and stationery stockists. Prices for the water-resistant colour pencils and pastels range from £6.49 to £32.99 RRP, while the water-soluble colour pencils and pastels are available from £7.99 to £49.99 RRP. Caran d’Ache is 100% Swiss made. For more information and stockists, please contact Jakar International E: info@jakar.co.uk T: (020) 8381 7000 www.jakar.co.uk
S W I S S C O L O R Discover Swisscolor: colour pencils with a classic Swiss desi for crea ve pursuits that the whole family will enjoy. Available with water-soluble or permanent lead, these 100% Swiss-made colour pencils are ideal for colouring and drawing enthusiasts of every age. Caran d’Ache Swiss Made Excellence since 1915
carandache.com For addi onal informa on and stockists please contact: JAKAR INTERNATIONAL Ltd, 410 Centennial Avenue, Centennial Park, Elsˆee WD6 3TJ Tel: 020 8381 7000 Email: info@jakar.co.uk
open competitions
ANSWER THE CALL
The exposure that comes with winning an art competition can be a major boost early in your career. Ready your next masterpiece for these open calls 16 ArtStudent_From the creators of Artists & Illustrators
open competitions
LEFT Lara Cobden, Nowhere Pond, winner of the Chairman’s Purchase Prize at last year’s ING Discerning Eye
The ING Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary Deadline: October 2020 (tbc) Stuart Pearson Wright is among the previous winners of this practice-led bursary scheme. Submit work and a short, written proposal for the chance to scoop the main award or one of several small cash prizes.
www.discerningeye.org The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2021 Deadline: 4 December 2020 The 122nd annual awards for The Pastel Society includes two prizes for emerging artists in dry media, including the Unison Young Artist Award worth £500, plus a chance to feature in a coveted London gallery.
www.mallgalleries.org.uk
BELOW Alice MotteMunoz, Reverie, winner of the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2019
RBA Rome Scholarship Deadline: 1 February 2021 Artists under 35 who live, work or study in the UK can apply for this Royal Society of British Artists’ four-week scholarship in Italy. Studio space, accommodation, two meals a day, return flights and £1,000 cash
are all provided.
www.royalsocietyofbritishartists. org.uk/rome-scholarship-2021 Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2021 Deadline: February 2021 (tbc) Now in its seventh year, this law firm-sponsored competition boasts a £10,000 prize fund along with the chance to exhibit in London and enjoy Cass Art and Genesis Imaging discounts. Sign up for entry updates at the website.
www.artprize.co.uk Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize Deadline: Summer 2021 (tbc) This long-running London open competition has a prestigious selection panel each year that selects the finest in contemporary draughtsmanship. A dedicated £2,000 Student Award is included among the generous prize fund.
this competition is now in its third year. An exhibition takes place both at Milford Haven’s Waterfront Gallery and London’s gallery@oxo. A Young Artist Prize of £1,000 is available for those 25 and under.
walescontemporary.artopps.co.uk Wells Art Contemporary 2021 Deadline: Summer 2021 (tbc) The Somerset cathedral city may seem an unlikely destination for contemporary art, yet these awards have attracted entries from as far afield as Azerbaijan and Australia. Prizes include residencies, exhibitions and mentoring.
wac.artopps.co.uk Sky Arts Portrait and Landscape Artist of the Year Deadline: 2021 (tbc)
Wales Contemporary/ Cymru Gyfoes 2021 Deadline: Summer 2021 (tbc)
With the Sky Arts TV series repeating on Channel 4 now, interest in these two annual competitions is growing. Filming was postponed on the 2020 Landscape series, but you can sign up online for details of how to enter future competitions.
Backed by the Welsh government,
www.skyartsartistoftheyear.tv
tbwdrawingprize.artopps.co.uk
E NTE R ! TO W I N
From the creators of Artists & Illustrators_ArtStudent 17
FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG ARTISTS!
The Royal Society of British Artists’ Rome Scholarship 2021
Call for entries: Artists aged 18–35 who live work or study in the UK
We are offering prizes that include: • One month, September 2021, staying at Sala Uno, a highly prestigious gallery and international arts centre in the heart of Rome • Financial awards for the 3 finalists, including the opportunity to show their work alongside members at the RBA’s Annual Exhibition in 2022 • Forty Semi-finalists to show their work at the “RBA RISING STARS” exhibition at the Royal Over-Seas League in Mayfair, London Further information is available at:
www.royalsocietyofbritishartists.org.uk/rome-scholarship-2021
Zest-it®
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Find out more: Forget the turpentine or white spirit. This environmentallyfriendly, biodegradable alternative is made using the zest of citrus fruit, so it not only naturally cleans brushes and dilutes oil paints, but also makes your studio smell like freshly-cut lemons.
www.zest-it.com
artacademy.org.uk/which-programme academiccourses@artacademy.org.uk 020 7407 6969 Work by CHARLOTTE SMITH
18 ArtStudent_From the creators of Artists & Illustrators Art Student A&I .indd 1
13/08/2020 11:37
Green paint? Be a more conscientious artist with our pick of the best vegan and eco-friendly materials and products
Eco products
Considering the environment when you are solely focused on making great art on a budget may seem like a luxury that you can consider later, yet there are plenty of affordable options out there if you know what you are looking for, from sustainable wood to nontoxic substances.
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Richeson Lyptus Navajo easel Brazil’s environmentally-friendly Lyptus wood plantations are a mix of eucalyptus and native tropical forest, harvestable 40-50 years quicker than temperate trees. US manufacturer Jack Richeson & Co create a range of lyptus easels, with the affordable Navajo available in the UK via Norwich Art Supplies. www.richesonart.com
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Caran d’Ache Pastel Pencils It may come as no surprise that sustainability and ethical responsibility are watch words for a Swiss company so slick that they have collaborated with Nespresso. These rich pastel pencils are just one of many products designed and made with FSC-certified wood in Caran d’Ache’s Geneva workshop www.carandache.com
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Zest-It Oil Paint Dilutant and Brush Cleaner Forget the turpentine or white spirit. This environmentally-friendly, biodegradable alternative is made using the zest of citrus fruit, so it not only naturally cleans brushes and
dilutes oil paints, but also has the pleasant effect of making your studio smell like freshly-cut lemons. www.zest-it.com
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Winsor & Newton CadmiumFree Professional Water Colour For more than two centuries, Cadmium pigments have been a goto for serious artists, cropping up on the palettes of everyone from Monet to Mondrian. Recently, however, with the European Chemicals Agency considering banning the substance due to concerns about it entering the watercourse, Winsor & Newton developed these substitutes. www.winsornewton.com
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Hahnemühle Bamboo Mixed Media paper Hahnemühle donated more than 130,000 euros to environmental initiatives since 2008 and its range of bamboo-fibre papers is a particular favourite with environmentally-conscious artists. The thicker, 265gsm weight mixed media paper will stand up to plenty of mark making and paint washes. www.hahnemuehle.com/en From the creators of Artists & Illustrators_ArtStudent 19
eco and vegan products
Vegan products
One of the wonderful things about painting and drawing is having the ability to craft new images using the same materials and techniques as the Old Masters. However, when those materials are made from centuries-old recipes in less enlightened times, traditional doesn’t always equal better. Traditional art materials with unexpected additions can include brushes (animal hairs like sable and kolinsky), gesso (often made with rabbit-skin glue), gouache (can contain gelatine and oxgall), paper (sized with gelatine), oil paints (check for beeswax), and watercolour (some contain honey). Luckily for vegans, or simply any artist wishing to be a more conscientious consumer, there are plenty of traditional-style art materials on the market that are free from animal by-products.
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Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens Faber-Castell is almost 250 years old yet has an exemplary approach to vegan products. The German company’s Pitt Artist Pens use a plastic dispersion resin binder in place of shellac or gelatin, while the sepia ones are inorganic too – sepia ink was traditionally obtained from cuttlefish and squid. www.fabercastell.com Derwent Graphic Pencils Graphite can be unexpectedly non-vegan in some cases, thanks to the presence of tallow, which is made from animal fats and helps smooth the drawing process. The harder pencils, from B to 9H, in the Graphic range are all free from animal products. www.pencils.co.uk
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Gamblin PVA Size US manufacturer Gamblin has doubled down on its commitment to the vegan painter, not only discontinuing its rabbit-skin glue but also producing this great alternative. Applied dilute with distilled water, PVA size can be used to seal linen or canvas and has a neutral pH so it won’t yellow. www.gamblincolors.com
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Daler-Rowney System 3 Acrylics Certain black or grey paints across all media can contain the PBk9 pigment, derived from animal bones. However, both System 3 blacks – Mars and Process – are free from this. In fact, aside from Raw Sienna, all colours in the range are veganfriendly, and none of Daler-Rowney’s products are tested on animals. www.daler-rowney.com
Da Vinci Casaneo A Kazan squirrel hair shortage prompted the da Vinci artist brush company to develop a synthetic alternative with a similar elasticity. The Casaneo range covers everything from wash brushes and 50mm mottlers to these handy travel brushes, ideal for urban sketching. www.davinci-defet.com
LEADING ART BOOK PUBLISHER B AT S F O R D P R E S E N T S :
THE
BATSFORD PRIZE 2020/2021
THEME: OUR PLANET
£500 cash prize per category: • Applied Art and Textiles • Fine Art
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PRIZES WORTH OV ER
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• Children’s Illustration Presented by Pavilion Children’s Books
• PLUS: The People’s Choice Award
Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students studying at a UK institution For more information about Batsford and how to enter, visit:
www.pavilionbooks.com/batsfordprize Deadline for submissions: 31 March 2021
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02/09/2020 10:41
From the creators of Artists & Illustrators_ArtStudent 21
Q&A
What next? Two recent graduates reflect on their time at art school and how they transitioned to life as working artists
Ashleigh Trim How did you enjoy your degree?
ABOVE Ashleigh Trim, Basking in Lemon Yellow, 2019
I loved my time at Falmouth, I had great tutors and was surrounded by awesome and talented people. I miss constantly being surrounded by other artists, being able to bounce off each other’s ideas and energy. One of the biggest reasons I was so drawn to Falmouth was the location and it is one of the main reasons I have ended up basing all my work on landscapes and nature.
22 ArtStudent_From the creators of Artists & Illustrators
How did you set yourself up after you left university? I pretty much just carried on painting, carried on making work as if I hadn’t left. I was lucky to be selected for Saatchi Arts “Invest in Artists” feature and so was able to sell a lot of my paintings, which made room and a bit of money for me to continue making more. I also moved to Cardiff right after uni and, just before I
graduated, I emailed all the local galleries and submitted to a few local call outs so that I’d have a feel of the area and opportunities before I moved there.
What is the one thing that you know now that you wish you'd known in Fresher's Week? To not take it too seriously and have fun with it. I love trying different things and it took me three years of university to just get to the starting point of what I truly wanted my practice to be.
Q&A
"Make as much art as possible. Bin half of it... And don't be too precious" What I really loved about uni is how your art is completely yours, you aren’t expected to follow guidelines or projects because the whole point is that you’re developing your own art practice. Also make as much art as possible. Bin half of it, paint over whatever you don’t like, and don’t be too precious.
Are you able to work full-time on your art now? I’m currently working as a chef, and I paint on my days off. It is difficult to find the motivation sometimes and I do end up having gaps where I don’t paint for a while but that’s okay. Usually I find in these times I’m gathering inspiration and ideas, and I am able to paint much more fluidly and subconsciously when I do get back into it.
Tell us about your latest body of work. The idea for the Glass Houses series started from the painting Basking in Lemon Yellow and a poem I had written to go along with it. At that point the majority of my paintings started from my own photographs. I started searching through the photos I had taken throughout the summer and noticed a common theme of glasshouses, indoor gardens, decorated outdoor spaces, and the enjoyment of being outside. I wanted to capture the vibrancy and warmth that visiting all of these places gave me and so
the colour palettes of the work reflect that.
What is your ambition for your art? I’d love to be able to paint full time. My goal is to be able to consistently have my own solo exhibitions to work towards. I’d love in the more distant future to set up my own gallery
space that is more relaxed and community based. I’ve been really inspired living in Cardiff by the small spaces I see popping up, set up by other artists like me, using old empty shop fronts and empty spaces, and encouraging local and emerging artists to apply, show with them and set up their own experimental exhibitions. www.ashleightrim.co.uk
ABOVE Ashleigh Trim, Steam Room, 2019
From the creators of Artists & Illustrators_ArtStudent 23
"University was an immersive experience... I needed time to reflect" This allowed me to acquire new skills or transfer ones I’d gained at university. I felt I needed a job to give my week a structure alongside the painting. It was good to work in social jobs in contrast to the solo studio work. This was a big change compared to being in shared studios. I think it’s important to keep engaged creatively, to find or create a community that supports you.
Are you able to work full-time on your art now? Yes, two years on I’m focusing fully on my art practice, occasionally picking up other work. You just have to find a way that suits you and enables you to keep making.
Tell us about your latest body of work.
Ella Squirrell What was the hardest part of your degree?
ABOVE Ella Squirrell, Untitled, 2020
Opening myself up. I had to accept what it is to be vulnerable. I gradually came to understand that the work may take me through a period of uncertainty and insecurity before it finds a resolution. Fortunately, I moved straight into a studio after graduation, which gave me the chance to reflect on my time at university and to continue making. University was an immersive experience and I needed time to reflect on what I had done and what I wanted to do next. I decided to go back to the drawing board,
24 ArtStudent_From the creators of Artists & Illustrators
My current project is a response to my personal experience of lockdown and the pandemic. I am exploring paintings of domesticity and illness, of uncertainty, stillness and patience.
How has the pandemic impacted your practice?
make observational work from life, and focus on drawing. Outside art school you soon realise that progress can be slow, so I learnt to be patient with myself. After a year, I began to look for opportunities to exhibit locally and took up invitations to show in London and Cornwall. I also set up a network of other young Bridport creatives and organised a group exhibition.
I had no access to my studio and oil paint, so my paintings became much smaller, tiny in fact, which is entirely new to me. I’ve been able to explore new mediums such as watercolour and gouache which I love. I don’t think I would have used them to this extent had I not been restricted by staying at home. Limitations and playfulness always allow for new realisations and positive growth in my work.
How did you set yourself up after you left university?
What is your ambition for your art?
I took seasonal hospitality jobs to begin with, then found freelance work in creative fields, such as working for a local artist.
To keep making it, to stay open minded about what direction it will go in, and to trust in the process. www.ellasquirrell.com
