(^86) Hampshire Life: February 2019
I
know I’ve banged on about
this before so forgive me for
hammering home the point but
the ingredients of success go
beyond skill and knowledge. Both
are fundamental in achieving
goals, of course, but there’s one
other characteristic without
which realising your dreams
hovers between unlikely and
impossible. That attribute is
persistence and it’s something
that propelled Eve Dawson, at the
age of 47, to enrol at University
then launch a career as an artist
producing acrylics which are
a colourful feast of emotion.
“After studying graphic design
I worked in typesetting. Then I
met my husband, had children
and was a stay at home mum.
I spent years pushing various
pushchairs past Winchester
School of Art. Art has always
been in the background and I’ve
always wanted to do Fine Art.
After my BA I decided to do an
MA. I was looking beyond my
degree; I wanted to earn a living
from doing something I enjoy.”
In her Eastleigh Sorting Office
studio, Eve’s base for the past five
years, she smiles when telling me
about another impressively bold
move she took after graduating.
“I went into Hobson’s Choice
in Winchester, a kitchen
showroom with a wonderful
minimalist décor and lots
of white walls. I introduced
myself, saying my work would
look great in their setting and
enhance the kitchen displays.”
The suggestion was so
well received, an exhibition
followed in which Eve sold a
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dozen pieces. And so began
a symbiotic relationship.
After stressing the influence
of her father, an ex teacher
who, at 86, still indulges his
love of painting, we then
concentrate on colour. It’s
clearly important, maybe even
a starting point, I wonder?
“Yes, absolutely! All I have to
do is lift a lid off a pot of colour.
Most of the time I use paint
straight from the tube, making
my first mark on a canvas that
leads the way. My paintings are
atmospheric. I seem to have a
selection of favourite colours
but there isn’t normally a plan.
When people look at my work
I like there to be a definite
direction; shapes leading the
eye across the canvas. There are
always light and dark areas.”
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