28 Artists&Illustrators
a paintinginmyheadinmydream.I lovecolour, I love that
texture,I lovemybrushesasobjectsaswell.It’sseemoddthatyou’vewrittena bookcalled If You’re
BoredwithAcrylics,ReadThisBookwhenit sounds like
thelastthingyou’dbe!
Thepublisherwaslookingforsomeoneusingacrylics a bit
differently.I teachatCassArtintheeveningand they
foundmethroughthat.It is partofa seriesofbooks called
If You’reBoredWith...I hadtothinkofdifferent idea and it
gavemea chancetoreallyplay.I painteveryday so I’m
alwaysexperimenting.If peoplestrugglewithacrylics,doyouhaveany tips?
I alwaysrecommendstartingwithjusttwocolours and a
white,gettoknowthosecoloursfirst,andmaybe try to do a
landscape,abstractingtheshapes.Landscapes are really
goodforlearningbecauseyouaren’tconcentrating on
gettinga likenesslikeyouarewitha portrait.Youseemtoreallylikethesubstanceofpaint?
WhatI likeis thelevelofcontrast,thatcontradiction
betweenthemarks.Onthepaintingonthewall [top right],
you’vegottheperfectlineofthegreenhousethat I painted
usingtapeandthenthefreebigbrushmarksI used for the
plants.I’mtryingtocontrastthelushnessofthe foliage
withthecoldnessandstraightnessofthebuilding.TheBrightonpainterreveals how
synaesthesiaaffectsherart.
Wordsandphotos:STEVEPILL
IN THE STUDIOHow long have you been in this space?
I moved into Phoenix Studios three years ago. I shared
a space with Michelle [Cobbin] for three months and then
I moved into this one in the October. I prefer this studio
because I’ve got the morning sun and no traffic noise.
How often are you here?
I come here seven days a week. I only live 10 minutes away
so even if I’m going to the beach, I come into the studio on
the way. I wanted to make it feel homely, and a lot of my
work is about conservation and the landscape, so I have a
lot of rescued plants and I even grow tomatoes here.
Has your work changed since you moved here?
Yes, I’ve been doing more bodies of work. I have three
painting walls and I have wheels on the bottom of a table
that I call my “moveable palette” so I can move around.
On the corridor, we all leave our doors open and we’ll come
in and out of each other’s studios. Michelle and I do crits
together and give feedback on each other’s paintings.
You must really love it?
I do. I wake up in the morning and sometimes I’ll have done
Denise Harrison
TASTE FOR COLOUR
Denise has a
condition called
synaesthesia
so certain hues
cause sensations
in her mouth