Moonlit edge by Pete Gill
When did you start your creative practice and why?
I’ve always been attached to mark making and visualising ideas. After secondary Education I studied an Art and Design Foundation Course at Derby Collage/ University. The course opened up my creative potential and my understanding of the creative process. I found that sharing that process and discovery with others became part of the learning process.
What themes and ideas do you find yourself returning to most often?
My main themes involve the following; Landscape, Woodland, Seascapes, Coastal debris and structures, Medieval and Neolithic inscriptions.
What is your creative process from idea to finished piece?
I’m particularly interested in the construction of surface and the relationship between object and painting. I usually have a firm idea regarding choice of subject matter. My choice of materials and technique will depend on how I wish to explore the object/painting relationship and to what degree the emphasis will regarding two dimensional and relief.
I explore collagraph print and low relief as well as painting. It was the quality of surface found on a collagraph a block after print making that initiated my interest in making constructed surface a key concern in my work.
Do you ever have creative blocks, how do you keep motivated?
Yes I do have creative blocks. I guess it’s part of the creative process. I tend to work on several pieces at the same time. That way if I reach a block in one piece I will move on to another. Discovery in one area often informs direction and resolution in another piece of work.
Who are the Artists who have strongly influenced you?
Cezanne for his exploration of structure and volume in the landscape, still life and figure. Also his examination of the relationship between object ,structure and space.
Jasper Johns because he relentlessly pursued and explored the relationship between painting and object via a wide range of techniques and processes.
How does your immediate environment play in your work?
I’m lucky enough to live in Darley Dale, Derbyshire. The landscape, moors and Grit Stone edges have played a major role in my creative journey and informed and inspired my creative journey over a number of years.
