2019-04-01_Artists___Illustrators

You paint on both linen canvases and

wooden panels. What determines

which support you use?

I enjoy working on both, as they each

givesomethingspecialtothepainting.

IuseBelgianlinen,asitisbetterin

conservation terms and also

preferable when using impasto paint.

Alinencanvasismadefromthelong

fibresoftheflaxplant,whichhavea

lovely natural oil within them. This

gives a nice flexibility and strength,

whichmeansthesupportdoesn’tsag

whenthickwithpaint.Whenyouapply

aloadedbrushtothesurface,thereis

alovelyresponsivenesstoit,likea

tensioned dancefloor.

However, it’s also rewarding to work

on a panel, for different reasons.

Thereisabeautifultoothtothe

surface, yet a smoothness that means

thepaintslidesacrossit.It’sniceto

havethatresistancetoo.Apanel

givesafeelingthatthereisagreat

robustness underpinning the work.

Doyoupreparethesupportsfirst?

Igivethesupportsacolouredground,

usuallyawarmgreyorblue,but

sometimeslilac,magentaoradeep

yellow.It’sgoodtoworkonamedium

tone,asthisnotonlyhelpstounite

the composition and set the mood

ofthepainting,butalsocanbeless

dauntingthanastarkwhitesurface.

Could you describe how you apply

thepaintandthetoolsyouuse?

Broadly speaking, the painting moves

fromthe general to the particular

–large,flat,thinlypaintedareasto

small,complicated,impastodetails.

Sometimes I will thin the paint with

turpsandusealargescenery

LEFT Calendula in
Bloom, oil on linen,
30x30cm
ABOVE Gorse at
Rhossili Bay, oil on
linen, 101x122cm
RIGHT Judith
scratches into the
impasto on Gorse
at Rhossili Bay with
the sharpened end
of a paintbrush