CK Wood’s glorious poppy paintings are well-loved at Art2Arts. Though she’s a professionally trained artist with bags of talent, CK worked various jobs as she made her way to becoming a full-time painter. Here she reveals all about her process, inspirations, and artistic journey.

What were your experiences like at Leeds and Stockport colleges of art?

My time at college was essential for me – giving me time to experiment with different techniques, subjects and mediums. Studying surface pattern rather than fine art was a good choice for me too, as I loved the idea of texture in art and the experimentation involved in creating new techniques.

How did your interest in painting develop?

From a young age I always enjoyed drawing and painting – and excelling in art at school made me realise I did have a talent and I was encouraged by school to take it further.

How did you become interested in florals?

At college really. Previously I had enjoyed mainly drawing landscape and animals – but at college I had more mediums at hand and would experiment with water colours, acrylics and oils. And flowers were always available for us to paint, and I found I had a flair to paint them and loved the vibrancy of their colours and form.

How do you choose your subjects?

Quite often, it is based on how I am feeling that day, from what I have experienced around me – the colours and flowers I have seen and the feelings stirred in me. I do like to spend time within the peacefulness of nature, in a quite garden full of flowers, rolling hillsides or just a peaceful meadow or lake – watching nature and tuning into the beauty of it all.

Could you describe the process you go through in imagining, planning, and creating a painting?

I have a feeling or mood that I want to put to canvas – If I plan or think too much about what I want to create, then I lose the feeling, so I just go with the flow of the feeling that I have at that time and the painting develops that way. Though I guess I must follow some process, they are subconscious.

What are your favourite types of paints to use?

I mainly use acrylics – but I do have other mediums at hand which I also use to create the effects I want. Acrylics can be quite flat, so mixing them with texture mediums or gloss mediums can add vibrancy and depth. Oils, which I sometimes work with are great at blending colours.

Who and what are your main inspirations?

I love the moods and the romance created by the Pre-Raphaelites and the Impressionists. Though my inspiration is the natural environment around me.

What other jobs have you had?

Before making a living as a full time artist, as a single mum I had to keep working whilst trying to establish myself as an artist. I have had many jobs, mainly administrative work, but also call centre, debt collection, warehouse work and cleaning.

Do you every get creative blocks, and if so, how do you deal with them?

Occasionally I do yes – I get days when I have no inspiration or desire to paint what so ever. I sit down to paint and I am just at a loss to were to start and my heart isn’t in it. I have found the only way to overcome this, is to have a break from it. Otherwise its futile trying. Thankfully the desire and inspiration always does come back. If it didn’t then I would have to stop.

What advice do you have to young artists just starting out?

I think the best advice would be to keep trying and to keep establishing your style, keep true to yourself and your work and don’t let any knock backs effect you too much. If you work hard enough and keep at it you will eventually succeed.

See more of CK Wood’s popular poppies at her Art2Arts profile page.

Paula Oakley is Art2Arts’ May artist of the month, and with her work’s colour, vibrancy and wonderful mix of nostalgia and modern day culture, she’s one of our most popular artists. In  this interview she explains a little about her artistic inspirations and creative process.Penny – Did you go to art college? If so, where, and what was your experience like ? 
Paula- I attended art college for just a few months. Unfortunate family circumstances meant I was unable to continue. But saying that I don’t think I would have stayed, they wanted you to do things their way and seemed to have no interest in helping you to develop your own style.

How did your interest in painting develop?
For as long as I can remember drawing and painting have always been one of life’s pleasures. A means of relaxation.

I love your still life paintings of clothing and accessories. How did you develop this idea?
I have always thought of still life paintings as being be boring !  A bowl of tired fruit on a table or a vase of stiff looking flowers.
I wanted to challenge myself and take everyday objects and bring them to life, not just with colour but with light, shadow, texture, transparency and reflections. To look a little closer than usual and give a simple composition a ” story”, something that can be related to. Traditional themes with a contemporary  feel. When I finished “She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not” I was delighted to be bombarded by people wanting to know what happened next, did the relationship work out? It was a reaction I did not expect but it meant that I had achieved part of my challenge!

Could you describe the process you go through in imagining, planning, and creating a painting?
I don’t know how to describe the thought process that starts a painting. Sometimes it’s a colour, an emotion, a sentence, a view…… Usually the idea just comes into my head and then there is a “no rest” period until it has been created on canvas, it’s like a sugar rush but with paint!

What are your favourite types of paints to use?
I used to paint with watercolours then one day I was given a box of acrylics. Wow! Such colour and vibrancy! I have been hooked ever since. They can be harsh and awkward but once you get used to them they will do just what you want. I paint in thin layers and build up the depth of colour finishing off with the highlights that bring everything to life.

 

Who and what are your main inspirations?
Inspiration comes from life around me. We often take things we see every day for granted , rushing here and there we miss so much. Take a little longer to look and you will notice so much more.

What other jobs have you had?
Most of my working life has been in high street retail. Not exactly art-related but as a self promoting artist the experience within the area of sales, customer relations and a general understanding of business has definitely helped.

Do you every get creative blocks, and if so, how do you deal with them?
Luckily I don’t get creative blocks. I tend to have a constant list in my head of “things I want to paint”. Between each painting I try to ensure that I do something completely different for a couple of days, it gives the brain a rest and seems to free up even more ideas!

What advice do you have for young artists just starting out?
If I was to give advice it would be to stay true to what you enjoy painting, don’t paint to please others, paint what makes your heart sing, that is where you will develop your individual style. Don’t let negative comments hold you back. Everyone is different and you can’t please all the people all of the time.

See more of Paula’s evocative paintings at her Art2Arts page.

April artist of the month Stewart Wilson’spopular paintings feature a unique style. This is the result of applying the paint directly to the canvas with his fingers and a palette knife, rather than a brush. Here he tells me all about his career trajectory, from traveling businessman in marketing, to successful cityscape artist.

Penny:  Did you go to art college?
Stewart:  I didn’t go to art college although I was in those days, an A level art student who could have gone but my interest was in marketing and my dream was to train within an ad agency. My father was a talented fine artist and I was tutored by him from an early age but he never pressured me into an artistic career. He always advised me to make progress in my 20s and 30s via a commercial career and savour the art in later years – good advice

How did your interest in cityscapes and nightscapes develop?
During my business career I traveled extensively throughout the world inevitably staying in city centre hotels and often unfortunately on my own. For years I carried an old leather-bound sketch book and would stare outside the window and observe the human activity down in the streets. It was a surreal situation being in numerous strange towns watching the nightlife which always seemed more exciting than the hotel. I captured many streets in many cities and my many sketches are all set in evening light.  Even more surreal is that my studio is located in a 17^th Century building in the middle of the Derbyshire countryside and I have little ambition to paint rural scenes like my father.  (The city is so much more exciting )

Could you describe the process you go through in imagining, planning, and creating a painting?
A lot of my work is commissioned and for this I have to be truer to the subject so I work from client’s photos, or I take photos and sketches and discuss with the client. They are often corporate and working to a group brief so I have to gain an understanding of their expectations with great discipline.
As for my gallery work I seldom paint from life but prefer to enclose myself in my wonderful studio. When I have the freedom like this my best work arrives, listening as always to incredibly loud music and often working well into the night (with the company of a little red wine).
I have a process of a kind which normally starts from a very large file that I keep containing anything from old sketch observations, magazine cuttings or anything that inspires. I look through this all the time and usually end up dreaming constantly. It keeps me awake because I churn over the concept, angles and colours etc. At the start of the painting process my palette is decided and mixed ready and canvas placed. The concept is in my head and I play some appropriate music and stand terrified in front of the easel. I start to lay paint with my knives which has been thickened overnight (secret method) in a frenzied action and then after 10 minutes or so I calm down and work more controlled till lunch. (I always have sardines and salad plus 1 piece of bread.)
Following lunch I stare at the easel and convince myself that I have failed and dare myself to scrape it off. I eventually talk myself through the crisis and paint calmly ‘til about 6pm.
By this stage most of the canvas is filled with paint but not finished. I now know that I have about 2 days to do interesting tweaks during various stages of paint setting. (This is when the magic commences.)
At 6pm I climb out of my overalls clean up, pour red wine and sit back and observe the canvas. I still work on the canvas in a clean way sipping wine and winding down.
Although working on other paintings in various stages of completion I spend the next two days twitching and tweaking and aiming for perfection.

What are your favourite types of paints to use?
I paint only with knives and fingers and the important aspect to the paint is forming an impasto quality. I have no favourite brand but I do “doctor” it to my required consistency.

Who and what are your main inspirations?
If you look at Boulevard Montmartre at Night by Camille Pissarro it sums up my deep love for impressionism. But a more contemporary urban take on it.
I am not a pretentious painter and I love the attitude of David Hockney. With his brave northern grit he seems to mock those precious arty types.

What other jobs have you had?
Up until the age of 52 I progressed up the greasy pole of corporate life. Most of my career was spent within high-end fashion brands. I worked as a director of design and brand management for several international companies and was based in several worldwide locations.

Do you every get creative blocks, and if so, how do you deal with them?
Not very often. Painting is about observing life and I have an interesting life.  I have several professional artist friends but of course they are no damned help as they usually have their own “blockages” to contend with.

What advice do you have to young artists just starting out?
It’s a shame that hundreds of young artist go through the college system and most of them end up working in a supermarket.
Making a living out of painting isn’t easy. Maybe we don’t tell them that they will have to be self employed as there are no apprenticeships or youth training schemes that I know of.

As well as being an artist they will have to be a:

Photographer

Graphic Designer

Web designer

Sales Person

Book Keeper

Secretary

Packer and Shipper

Van Driver

And the list goes on

I sincerely do feel for most of these young people who expect to make a living once leaving college but their future in pure arts is doubtful in the short term. So my advice is indeed get a job in ASDA but maybe for only 3 days a week and spend the rest of your time building up your brand and your business. Spend at least a year refining a really unique look and stick to it because this will become your USP and your Brand.

And then the fun part – get a really big folio case and cold call the galleries – character building stuff!

 See more of Stewart’s colourful and energetic work at his Art2Arts page. 

Paul Bennett was Art2Arts’ featured artist for February, and his richly coloured semi-abstract seascape and landscape paintings are favourites with Art2Arts customers. In this interview he reveals all on his inspirations and process.

Penny – Did you go to art college? If so, where, and what was your experience like?
Paul- I went to the Surrey Institute of Art and Design, Farnham, Surrey. On a social level the experience was great. From an academic point of view it sometimes felt the tutors were a bit non committal when anyone was after any guidance or advice. It was the first year of tuition fees and we felt a bit crammed into the course. Studio space was tiny, but I think that’s standard everywhere.

How did your interest in landscapes and seascapes develop?
My in-laws moved to the West Coast of Scotland a while back and we’d spend any free time up there travelling the length of the West Coast. Very inspirational. It was an eye opener when we first went, as I had no idea that parts of the U.K. could be so wild. Bit of a culture shock from West London.

Could you describe the process you go through in imagining, planning, and creating a painting?
There’s very little planning. I like to spend time letting my mind drift and reflect on past places and experiences. I’ll then throw down some marks and thick paint onto a primed canvas. I’ll then leave the canvas for a week or so to let it dry and then start to build it up in layers. Sometimes I scrape the paint all back to reveal earlier layers. I never get a true idea of the finished painting until I put my brushes down. I’ll even return to a painting a year or so later and work into it some more.

What are your favourite types of paints to use?
Oil. I use nothing else. Very soft graphite if I’m drawing (which I’d like to do more of).

Who and what are your main inspirations?
I always try and see Turner at Tate Britain and also Rothko at Tate Modern. Frank Auerbach and Bacon are also very inspirational. I mainly find inspiration from just being out and about. Either mooching around art fairs, galleries or strolling along the U.K’s great coastline. I have just moved to the Lake District from London, so my new surrounding will probably begin to feature in my new work.

What other jobs have you had?
Loads. My first job was as a milk boy when I was 12. I then went on to work for my father who works as a car mechanic. I did this until I was 18. I also worked as a panel beater and sprayer. I’ve worked in a lot of pubs and bars, including the Shed Bar at Stamford Bridge. I worked, on and off, putting up motorway signs and installing floodlighting for tennis courts. After I left Art School I fell into Graphic design, which I worked in for about 8 years. I also spent about a year working for a games company working as a 3D modeller/Artist, creating spaceships and stuff like that.

Do you every get creative blocks, and if so, how do you deal with them?
Never. If anything, I don’t have enough time to get everything out of my head. I probably work on 3 or 4 different projects at any one time.

What advice do you have for young artists just starting out?
Be good at what you do and be prepared to invest time and hard work to make it happen. Also, treat being an artist as any other trade and it will all come good in the end.

See more of Paul’s paintings at his Art2Arts profile page.

Stephen Conroy has been Art2Arts’ artist of the month for October. He’s a Wimbledon  graduate who spent 20 years without producing a single piece of art, until he experienced a creative renaissance. He now creates fantastic and boldly colourful cubist paintings, with strong echoes of Picasso, Kandinsky and Joan Miro.

Starry Night by Stephen Conroy

Stephen -I always dreamed of being an artist but I am not sure why.  My favourite uncle is creative and I think he had a strong influence on me.  His drawings are my first memories of art.

I went to Wimbledon School of Art to study sculpture.  Although I learnt a great deal and enjoyed my 3 years in London, with its multitude of galleries, it was the wrong subject for me.  I have never produced a sculpture since I left the college and, in hindsight, should have studied painting.

I have many influences – perhaps too many as I often get pulled in different directions.  Picasso, Matisse and Kandinsky play a major role in my day to day thinking but I love many other artists and absorb what I can from them.  I am especially interested in Islamic art and this is beginning to have a greater influence on my work as is ways of interpreting my love of music visually

I gave up teaching to become a full-time artist.  It has meant great financial sacrifice but I could not achieve a balance when trying to work and create – it had to be one or the other.

My ideas are varied – some subjects are traditional, like my nudes.  The abstracts are born out of a love of pure flat colour, broad bold shapes and a strong design.  I do suffer from OCD, so often my methods reflect this with a use of repetitive processes and a certain amount of precision and control present in my work.  It is something I have been fighting against for years but I now realise that, artistically at least, this affliction can have some advantages.

Do you ever get artistic blocks or creative droughts? How do you stay inspired and engaged with your practice?