ARTISTS TALKING

I nervously hung a series of life-size paintings of everyday objects on the wall, returning later to find they had all sold and that a private gallery wanted to show my work – everything I had dreamed of. It surprises me even twenty years later how hard it was to deal with this success – I believed in the mythology that if artists were any good they had to struggle. I agonised over why the work had sold, worried that it was because it was cheap and wondered if I could produce that winning formula again.

The next ten years I spent trying to do the right thing; feeling isolated and unsure. I was then awarded a travel scholarship to Brazil by Southern Arts and suddenly found myself in Sao Paulo meeting lots of artists and really admiring their work. I was very envious of their collective title 'Generation 80' and the fact that painting was fashionable. My work changed from muddy browns to brighter colours and I had two exhibitions that were well received.

Returning home after eight months I felt the need to re-identify myself and made a series of self-portraits including police photo-fits made by people who know me. I organised an event called 'Face Fits' in Milton Keynes Shopping Centre. Sixty artists took part in an exhibition of portraits alongside various stands questioning how we see others and ourselves.

A lack of exhibition space locally led several artists in Milton Keynes to get together, forming the Silbury Group. Around twenty-five artists staged an exhibition in a vacant office block initially for six weeks, which became an annual event. The group flourished and we were given Westbury Farm Studios on a short-term let. Westbury Farm is a big part of my life and an oasis for artists to meet each other, share resources and experiences. Sometimes it's an effort to keep a balance between making our own work and providing access to the public for exhibitions, workshops and classes. The Silbury Group has just celebrated its tenth anniversary with an exhibition at Milton Keynes Gallery and a touring show of work in suitcases, currently in Lithuania.

I make arrangements of objects, usually shells that resemble flowers. Ultimately I aim to lose the object, concentrating on colour and light to evoke something beyond the merely representational. I feel I have achieved a balance between making work that I like, earning an income and fulfilling a role in the community. I am coming out of my shell and flowering...

Contact:

Westbury Farm Studios
Foxcovert Road, Shenley Wood,
Milton Keynes MK5 6AA
T: 01908 501214
W: www.silburygroup.org.uk

Alexandra Leadbeater and [a-n] MAGAZINEOne of twelve collaborations promoting artists networking and new approaches to contemporary practice.