ARTISTS TALKING

I remember a tutor asking me once whilst I was studying on my MA course who or what influenced my art work. My reply comes straight away – ‘life’. Life affects my art work: the everyday, conversations with people, watching a moment happening in my street, which all becomes part of my eventual memories of life. This could appear as a very simply answer but considering I have just entered my thirty-ninth year I feel that I have been on an incredible journey, especially over the past ten years since completing my MA course.

In 2005 my first child was born, a son, in 2006 my second child was born another son with whom we both nearly lost our lives. In January 2007 my devoted partner and father to our children was killed whilst on a trip to visit friends. He was hit by a van driven by a drunk driver. Hence my ‘life’ is somewhat taken over at this point by the grief and pain of losing someone very special.

As artists we have an amazing sense of adaptability to know that strength lies within our creativity, which produces work of an exceptional high level on honesty.

My art work has always been the focus of my reality and the MA course at the University of Westminster gave me the confidence to believe that what I would like to devise and create can be achieved. It is possible to allow the freedom of ideas to flow and become an actuality.

Simply things like being able to write experiences and views are easier for me now than they were ten years ago. That is why I did an MA. My education before my MA and BA was of very little calibre. I was known as a problem pupil on the brink of being kicked out of secondary school. I didn’t understand how to ask for help and was too embarrassed to pick up a book to find an answer within.

My experience of a ‘poor’ education however gave me the flexibility and understanding to work with young people in education and non educational settings. I have worked on projects with community groups and organisations over the past ten years which has given me the opportunity to work within the arts and therefore allowed the affects of ‘life’ to stream within my own art work.

I don’t have a studio at present (I had two lovely ones in the past!). My art work is literally made out of a suitcase and therefore my ideas are very often thought up whilst changing a nappy or dancing in my living room with my three year old son. But the ideas still do come and at night when my two wee ones are tucked up asleep I’ll tap away on the computer or write and draw some words and images in a sketchbook.

I feel that over the past ten years there has been an enormous shift made by artists and art organisations who keep on delivering and supporting each other. It is vital to keep communicating as although funding is available the longevity of it is always slim and the issue of sustainability within artists own developmental practices and within community projects is always sadly at risk.