in conversation
Ian Enters in conversation with his daughter
For the last five months Kate has been painting. She has created a full exhibition of major canvases of eighteen pictures. This is prolific creativity and I asked her how this explosion had come into being.
“I realised I needed to do what I always wanted to do and to embrace this necessity in me. I knew I wanted to dedicate my time to painting and would have suffered a huge regret if I hadn’t plunged in to this work at this time. I am intrinsically an artist who has been working in related fields since leaving the Norwich School of Art eight years ago. I suppose taking the plunge released the dam!”
I needed to know a bit more about the subject matter. Was there a common thread?
“All the paintings form a coherent whole in large portrait-aligned canvases. They range from scenes and texts inspired by a recent visit to Tuscany to the attempts to capture feelings created by other contemporary scenes and personal situations. It was good to respond to recent experience and not take a nostalgic view of the world. I like to mix and match contemporary issues and visions with my natural style, which has an affinity with an earlier post-war time. I find it hard to describe my work. The paintings are the work, not my words.”
"The idea of bringing together some elements of post war style with more immediate concerns made me wonder about the relationship between aesthetics and deeper feelings."
“Although something appears beautiful, I am clear that the pursuit of beauty post-war was often an attempt to cope with the stresses of a difficult world when men returned or did not return from war and women felt displaced and disorientated. The stereotypes of traditional behaviours can reassure, but they also challenge. This pursuit has relevance today.”
Such prolific work could give the impression of hastily daubed pieces. I asked Kate to talk about the sort of work she creates.
“I’ve always painted for aesthetic expression. If you walk past a piece of my art and it makes you smile, my work is done. People shouldn’t feel obliged to seek a complicated response to art. A simple response is appropriate. I use acrylics, enamel and spray to create beautiful and carefully crafted pictures. Although my work embraces the idea of creating something aesthetically pleasing in its own right, deeper interpretation may be experienced. In which case- brilliant! I use verbal as well as visual images and there is potential for commentary far beyond the outward show, but I just like people to respond as they wish without pontificating! I am no conveyor belt. Each piece is intensely felt and developed.”
Finally I asked Kate what sort of influences she recognised in her work. It was interesting that she talked with admiration of Kathe Kollwitz charcoal drawings during the Nazi regime not from the standpoint of imitation of style, but from her admiration of a strong woman cataloguing the horror and resilience of others with great courage. She also mentioned her admiration of Norman Rockwell for his humanity and fun.
“There may be other contemporary artists working in similar media, but the way I paint is my own and I hope it carries a strong signature.”