When did you start your creative practice and why?
I’ve been drawing since I can remember; growing up in the countryside lent itself to hours of quiet evenings with my pencils and paints. I studied Fine Art at the University of Leeds, but I must admit that I found this my most creatively confusing time! I didn’t really feel like my artistic voice was one I truly took seriously until very recently (about five years ago), when I finally accepted that nothing less than a creative life would do and that I had things that I had been holding for many years, very quietly, that I wanted to contribute publicly.
How would you describe your artistic style to someone unfamiliar with your work?
I love to work with realism, so when people first see my work, they often say that they look photographic. They’re actually created with pastels. I am very much a still-life artist, though I am keen to explore what still-life means for a contemporary age. You will see lots of scattered objects in my work, layering textures and colours, which is just ideal for the soft layering of pastels.
What themes or ideas do you find yourself returning to most often?
My work is seeped in nostalgia, stories, imagination and memory. I do this through the
objects I chose (vintage china, classic jewellery) and the carefully considered composition. I will often use recurring objects which hold heavy meaning for me; tea is one of life’s great touchstones, relevant to many shared and isolated moments; thread and ribbons are for me the tangled yet beautiful joins between moments, attempts at repair, splashes of joy; fruits and flowers are a direct link to the history of still life, but for me are what hold my drawings in the present, wanting to chomp into a juicy strawberry or smell a delicate flower. There are many more themes emerging, but all explore oneself in the context of the past and present.
What is your creative process from idea to finished piece is it always the same?
I have developed quite a structured method, which has given me a way to pin down my ideas much more coherently. I begin with a certain object, a collection of objects, which has triggered something for me, or a certain mood or feeling I want to evoke. I then collate an arrangement which I feel explores this and have a few hours of playing. I photograph my set up (I always work from photo references), move bits, photograph, change, until I am satisfied I have gathered an extensive enough body of references which give me the best pool to work from. I spend a long time choosing which I will end up actually using (it may only be one or two from hundreds). I then grid up the reference and begin applying the idea to the pastelmat. I still allow myself space to change anything I want from the reference, but it’s a good starting point. I use pastel sticks to block my base colour tones, making sure none of my pastelmat is bare (nothing worse than a blank space!), pop a piece of tracing or glassine paper over to protect the piece as I work, and gradually use pastel pencils from one corner to the other, applying many thin layers until I have achieved the effect I am after. It’s very
therapeutic and meditative.
Is there a particular piece of yours that feels especially meaningful? Why?
‘Unravelled’ is a particularly meaningful piece for me, as it, for me, was all about letting the ribbons go and breathing after holding my breath for all of my life. I went through quite a deeply shifting time a few years ago, and this piece explores some of that revelation, healing, understanding.
What do you find challenging as an artist, and how do you overcome these challenges?
Apart from self-doubt (which I think is inevitable in such an exposing process), I think the biggest challenge is sitting through work in the hard yards, when you’re bored, distracted, unmotivated. The nature of my work means that many hours go into each piece, and I often think of it in terms of marathon running. Just like the ‘runners wall’, there’s always a ‘wall’ in my work. But it passes, and you reap the reward and joy of persevering.
Do you ever have creative blocks, how do you keep motivated?
See above! But if it’s a lack of that initial idea, a walk around a heritage home, museum, or even a charity shop will always leave me bubbling up again. Those places are just jam packed with stories, history and dreams.
How does your immediate environment or location play in your work?
I work by a big window which looks out into my garden, and though I am a messy and
neglectful gardener, green space is never far from my mind. I have noticed that the shift in seasons has a direct consequence to my work, whether that be mood, lighting, subject matter, and I think that comes from always being outside when I can. Walking the dog or sipping tea or coffee in my garden also helps me hear the silence and ‘moment’ that I try to put into my work. I think I would really struggle if I couldn’t access green.
Who are the artists (past or present) who have strongly influenced you?
Marc Chagall and Paula Rego are two artists whose work will always live rent-free in my head. The sense of play, emotion, story, the dark and light of fairytale. I think I fell in love with those themes in their work many years before my own work began to speak that language.
How has your style or perspective evolved over time?
I have always had a deep pull towards observation and realism, but it was only relatively recently that I stumbled my way into still-life. It has been a very pleasant rabbit hole to fall into, and I don’t see myself trying to climb out any time soon. I used to draw a lot of wildlife, but it didn’t feel authentic. I adore literature and fairy tales, and I think still-life has given me the tools to not only use my skills, but use my voice too.
What tools, materials, or techniques are essential to your practice? Is there a colour you just could not do without?
Well, my pastel pencils are essential! Particularly, one shade of blue. I use it everywhere; in light, shadows, blocking, little details. It just seems like magic. Sky blue.
How do you balance artistic expression with practical concerns like income or marketing, social media?
I think the reality of living and working as an artist will always pull tension against the natural inclination to just want to constantly make art. I have lived a life as a primary teacher, where income was predictable and the future was stable- I now live without the guarantee of stability, yet it is a trade-off I am more than willing to make. There is much to be said for having an understanding family. But I am also very much aware that practicalities must be given time to, and am learning/forcing myself to learn to wear many hats and gain new skills.
Again, it’s a trade-off I am more than happy to make if it means that creating can be a big part of my life.
If you could give the younger you advice what would it be?
In the same breath, I would say to be realistic and to go with your gut. You have to really want to create to be able to take the huge decisions that come your way. If you’re willing to do the boring, grinding, frustrating bits in order to build yourself the freedom to create, then go for it. We only live one very short life, and it shouldn’t be one full of regret.
Have you got a project / award/ residency/ or idea are you excited to share with us?
I am thoroughly enjoying my first year with the Peak District Artisans- I have already learnt so much from this thoroughly lovely group of people. For me, it is a time of learning and chewing over, developing and playing. So, for me, it’s a very exciting time! I hope you enjoy the work that comes out of it!
If your work could evoke one feeling or reaction in viewers, what would it be?
That for a moment, they were lost in a thought or a feeling, a memory or an idea. I want to create a space in my work for people to be.
What is your website and how do we find you on social media?
www.katiewyke.com
Insta @katiewykeart
Facebook Katie Wyke
