7 minute read
KATHARINE EDWARDS
EL LARGO 2019
Get to know… KATHARINE EDWARDS
HERTFORDSHIRE ARTIST
By MARK KEBBLE
Q Have you always been into art?
Yes, very much so – I have always loved to draw and paint. As far back as I can remember, I’ve covered every surface available to me – including at times some things I shouldn’t have been drawing on, including the family place mats! But my parents were very patient and never minded, in fact they actively encouraged my passion. I can remember when my sister and I were little we would have drawing competitions, and my father encouraged us to go to exhibitions as much as possible. He collected paintings and drawings so our walls at home were covered with art, which was an inspiration to me.
Q Can you define your style?
A My paintings are an emotional response to the landscape in which I am surrounded. I like to explore the tension between verticals and horizontals and the interplay of cultivation and wilderness, abstraction, colour, pattern, texture and design. Our childhood holidays were spent in Wales exploring the Black Mountains, and in later life we moved to a remote corner of Northumberland, surrounded by forest, with wood burning stoves and gas wall lights. This total immersion in nature fuelled my desire to capture the landscapes around me. When my family were young, we were looking for a change and found a house surrounded by a patchwork of olive trees and mountains in Spain. I found the colours intoxicating – the smells, the light… such a fresh, exotic, beautiful and intriguing landscape, which is the inspiration behind my more recent Andalusian paintings.
Q How do you normally like to work?
A I like painting and drawing directly in the landscape on paper, and I use these drawings and photographs to paint large canvases when I’m back in my studio in Hertfordshire. I like to imagine myself as an eagle, soaring over the landscape, blissfully unconcerned with what is going on below. I like to think
A RED KITE
of my paintings as an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, getting away from the petty squabbles on earth.
Q What’s the most recent collection of work you have produced?
A I produced a large body of work from the amazing landscape of southern Spain for an exhibition called Impressions of Andalusia in 2020. My most recent paintings are from Rome where I visited my youngest son. I was captivated by the Umbrella Pines, which create beautiful silhouettes against the Baroque and ancient architecture and so I did a series of paintings depicting the shapes and movement of these extraordinary trees.
Q As we head into 2023, do you know what your next focus will be?
A Before Covid I travelled up the west coast of Scotland and visited the Hebridean islands including the remote archipelago of St Kilda in the Atlantic, which was extraordinary. I’d like to travel again to those islands and really explore and immerse myself drawing, painting this beautiful landscape and the wildlife, especially the birds.
EAGLE'S VIEW 2021
THE FOX & HOUNDS IS A FAVOURITE
Q Whereabouts in Hertfordshire are you based and what do you love about it?
A I am based in North Hertfordshire. I work in a studio in an old barn surrounded by arable fields and paddocks with horses. It is a lovely tranquil space where I can unwind and face a canvas and create.
Q Does Hertfordshire ever inspire your work?
A Hertfordshire has inspired me very much over the years; the golden arable fields of barley, fields shot with red poppies, the buzzards and Red Kites. I have painted a lot from this landscape which I call home.
Q Where would your three favourite places in the county be?
A Burloes Farm near Royston where I have my studio. The villages of Barley and Barkway situated in the beautiful Chiltern Hills where I have ridden and walked a lot over the years. And The Fox and Hounds pub in Barley is a favourite, I can walk there from my home with my dogs who are welcomed into the pub. Delicious food and a lovely convivial atmosphere.
Q Away from art, how do you like to relax?
A I walk a lot with my dogs, I love hiking in wild countryside, spending time with my family and I am an avid reader.
Q Finally, any new year’s resolutions?
A To travel more in the United Kingdom and explore this beautiful lsand.
katharineedwards.co.uk; @art.katharineedwards
IMAGINE THAT
Rachel Lancaster, Artistic Director of KURIOS, talks about the new show coming to London from the Cirque du Soleil team
RACHEL LANCASTER
Q How does it feel to be part of the KURIOS family?
A KURIOS is a very special show. We’re a cast and crew of 122 from 27 di erent nationalities and it’s an honour to be part of such a creative and brilliant team. I’ve been with Cirque du Soleil for 13 years now, working on a few di erent shows including Amaluna and CORTEO, and I joined KURIOS as Artistic Director back in 2016. My job is to oversee everything artistic on the show: I work with stage management, wardrobe, coaches and performance medicine, who are all experts in their fields, along with 50 world class artists.
Q Can you tell us a little about the show?
A KURIOS is a show that really celebrates the imagination. We follow the journey of a scientist, who believes that a hidden, invisible world exists. Set in the second half of the 19th century during the industrial revolution, the show takes aesthetic inspiration from this era, which was a time of great invention. It’s about the capacity to invent and dream, and we want people to leave the show feeling like anything is possible.
Q What’s unique about KURIOS?
A Every Cirque du Soleil show is di erent, and KURIOS is no exception. There are acts in our show that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world. An example of this is Acro-Net… imagine it like the world’s largest trampoline. The inspiration for this act actually came from the safety net of a trapeze act on another show, which was a bit too bouncy. The creative minds took this as an opportunity to explore something never been done before, so for Acro-Net they made a net even more bouncy, to allow a team of six acrobats to propel another performer up 45ft in the air. It’s a thrill to watch and a huge crowd pleaser, when audiences realise what’s happening you can hear the excitement. Much like the show, this idea that just because something doesn’t exist yet, it doesn’t mean it can’t be dreamt up and made a reality.
Q What goes on behind the scenes?
A We have a technical team who are in charge of everything from rigging and automation, to lighting sound, carpentry and props. KURIOS has the most props of any Cirque du Soleil show, 426 at creation, but we’ve also added a few more along the way! Their attention to detail is incredible, from big to small. We have a mechanical hand used in the show, which weighs about 750lbs and is driven by two artists underneath to drive the hand forward, and allow the fingers to move and come to life. Then we have wardrobe, who are a team that collectively maintain over 8,000 costume pieces – it’s phenomenal. The artists also do all their own makeup, which can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours every day.
Q What’s your favourite part of KURIOS?
A That’s a tough question! Acts like Acro-Net, Rola Bola and Aerial Bike are wonderfully acrobatic, but there’s moments of real beauty that come from simplicity too. Continent of Hands is a very special act, where an artist creates a world just with his hands. It’s projected onto a hot air balloon so everyone can see the magic. His grandmother and grandfather were deaf, so they communicated with their hands, and he learnt this craft from them. Non verbal communication is a wonderful part of what we do and what makes our show so accessible wherever we go.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities runs at the Royal Albert Hall from 13 January to 5 March. Tickets on sale now at cirquedusoleil.com/kurios
DRINK & FOOD
BREAK THE RULES
SORTED FOOD Aptly titled ‘Can’t Be Arsed with Rules’, a new launch from Hertfordshirebased Sorted Food includes eight chapters of dishes packed full of hacks from using cheats ingredients to ingenious ways to use kitchen gadgets, all in the pursuit of saving time, effort and money, but still delivering dishes with maximum flavour. The team of Sorted Food chefs decided to experiment with ripping up more traditions in everyday cooking. sortedfood.com
