ART
From the dark into the light Village People is delighted to welcome a brand new art writer – award-winning Suffolk author, illustrator and artist, ames ayhew
Jacqueline Croft in her studio
T
he festivities of Christmas are now ust a memory and we are all impatient for spring. erhaps this year more than ever the early signs of new life as we emerge hopefully from the pandemic seem more precious than ever. ou may ust catch the last of the snowdrops at ckworth ouse or Sheringham ark or see glowing aconites huddled around burgeoning trees with swollen buds. The days grow longer the skies brighter. The turning seasons, and the ever changing elements of nature have proven to be especially significant for Norfolk-based artist acqueline Croft. Hers is an uplifting, hopeful story that many of us can be inspired by, especially after these last two di cult years. There are many elements to acqueline’s work. She enjoys playing with materials, and when I visited her bright, light-filled studio, she had me joining in. 42
Prepared boards were waiting for me, with gesso primer and imprinted textures. eaves, paper, bits and bobs, says acquie. Flat is quite dull. Texture you can sand back, it’s more organic. This process of serendipitous exploration seems to suit her especially well. Things are not planned, and old canvasses are often reworked into something new, layer upon layer, then rubbed back and painted again. There is clingfilm to lay upon watercolour washes, and paints galore, squirrelled away in wooden drawers. acquie has me using brave colour combinations, and using a non-dominant hand to draw a dried seed head. Experiment. Play. These are words that crop up time and again in our conversation, as we talk about how acquie emerged from her personal dark, into a gradual light. My breakdown was the catalyst for discovering art, says acquie. I think it is for many
people – when you have a sudden change in your life you have the potential to do di erent things. If you are a busy person, to stop suddenly is really di cult. Having abandoned art at school, acquie went into teaching, and ended up a head teacher at a school in Su olk. I’d always been capable, the one who did everything, she says. But after being a successful career person, there I was, suddenly unable to even talk or leave the house. acquie’s husband Nick, also a retired teacher, became her full-time carer during this very di cult year. In time, acquie realised he needed a break from looking after her, and on a walk through Bungay she stopped outside the Art Trading Company Bungay’s excellent art shop and saw a painting course advertised. Although the thought of being alone with people she didn’t know was daunting, she said to Nick, I think I could do that. It proved
