Do you use a lot of different paints then?
Yes, but there are certain colours I just don’t like, like
Lemon Yellow. I get a bad taste in the mouth with it. I don’t
really like the sensation I get from Ultramarine either.
I’ll use it to mix greens, but I won’t use it as it is.What are the “tastiest” colours for you?
Probably Cyan Blue and Cadmium Yellow Deep.
I tend to fill my house with these colours, so I have brightly
coloured carpets and things like that. Some people ask
if the synaesthesia is a hindrance, but I think its great
as an artist.
Denise’s new book, If You’re Bored with Acrylics, Read This
Book, is published by Ilex Press. http://www.deniseharrisonart.comWhen making a green mark on a pink ground, for example,
you need to be decisive. Do you plan your strokes first?
Every large painting has a small one first, so these are my
“sketches”. I don’t tend to do drawings in pencil as I get
stuck in detail. Instead I draw with the paint on a small
scale, either from photographs or memory, and then I make
the larger painting based on that smaller painting. It means
the final painting is one step removed from the photo.Is colour important to you?
Yes, I have synaesthesia, so colour affects me. When I see
colour, I can feel and taste it. Some colours cause a tingling
sensation on my tongue. I did a landscape painting called
Blueberry Milkshake that is the colour of the foods the
people were eating at Stanmer Park. People drive there,
park by this little café and have a muffin or a milkshake,
so I’ve put the colours of their food into my landscape.
My mouth’s watering looking at it.Has synaesthesia always affected how you paint?
I only found out I had it about four years ago when a tutor
suggested it. I used to get really excited about colour,
especially Naples Yellow and they said I should have a test.Do you feel more in control now you know this?
Yes, understanding it makes me feel better about my
colour choices. Sometimes I have to reduce the vibrancy.COST EFFECTIVE
For large works,
Denise likes
to use baker’s
brushes that start
at just 60p.
Artists & Illustrators 29