Artist Interview: Sherrie-Leigh Jones

I'm a curious type; I like to know what informs an artist. Who or what do they look to for inspiration? How do they work? Each month I will be asking an artist I admire a few questions, this month is Sherrie-Leigh Jones.

Falls at Dusk, 38.5cm x 28.5cm, hand finished screenprint with graphite powder and ink

Sherrie-Leigh, your landscape, travel and nature inspired prints are enchanting. I’m curious to know how you came to print making as your primary method of art making? 

When I left art college, I actually started a degree in illustration but didn’t stay on the course that long as it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, and I felt a bit pigeon holed working to briefs. A while after, I moved to Brighton to start a foundation degree in fine art where I experimented with different ways of working and printmaking again, particularly screenprinting as I really enjoyed the process - that’s when I really got into printmaking more and it became my chosen method of creating.

What is your favourite print making method?
Through experimenting, I naturally became drawn to screenprinting for the way in which I create my work. 

Moon Over The Plain, 38cm x 28.5cm, screenprint with graphite powder and ink

Midsummer Moon, 38cm x 28.5cm, screenprint with graphite powder and ink

I particularly love your Chinese and Japanese inspired work, what first prompted you to create a series inspired by Chinese and Japanese art forms?

You can easily get lost looking at all the different elements and tiny details in the landscapes, the different qualities of techniques with painting and printmaking from the softness of the brush strokes bringing a calmness. I think for me, they create that sense of escapism that I hope my work brings to people.

Are there other print techniques, materials or ways of working that you’d like to try? 

I’ve experimented with photo etching, mono printing, cyanotypes and other print techniques but always end up coming back to screenprint. Last year I played around more with the idea of chine collé, which I think I’ll come back to at some point and I’d also like to try risograph printing, as well as printing on wood again and perhaps also bringing an element of embossing back to some prints - I just never seem to have enough time for all my ideas!

Calm White River, 102cm x 68cm, cellulose transfer print on Japanese paper

You studied BA (Hons) Fine Art Printmaking at University of Brighton, what drew you to study at Brighton and how did the course affect your practice? 

The foundation degree was for two years, after which you could transfer to a BA to top it up. There aren’t that many specialist printmaking degrees in the UK and Brighton’s such a vibrant and diverse city by the sea, full of creativity that I loved, so I decided to stay as the University is one of the few that offers a printmaking course. As I’d already grown a love for screenprinting, I mainly stuck to that which I combined with digital print and collage. The course allowed me time to experiment even more with the possibilities of screenprint and the materials I could use. It’s also where I really developed the idea of creating imagined environments and landscapes. 

Take us through a ‘day in the life’ - what does a typical day involve? 

It depends what I have going on, no two days are generally the same, but I do try and have some sort of routine. Most days I’ll get up and workout, sort myself out and then head in the studio or to the print studio. Usually I’ll check emails first in the morning and reply to any that need a response sooner. I’ll then go to the post office or drop any prints off at the couriers. I try and do some collaging for a good few hours before I stop and do anymore admin late afternoon - emails, ordering materials and packaging, updating my website etc. and I try and remember to post on social media during the day as well. I’ll then pack any prints up before I finish for the day and try and go for a walk. If I’m at the print studio, I’ll be stripping, coating and exposing screens before sorting paper, mixing inks and printing my collages. Then I’ll come back later on and reply to emails, pack prints, arrange couriers etc. Some days and weeks are more creative than others, some just end up being more admin heavy.

Emerald Mount, 20.5cm x 25.5cm, cellulose print on Japanese paper

Emerald Mount (West), 20.5cm x 25.5cm, cellulose print on Japanese paper

What artists (living or dead) inspire you?

So many, but to name a few… Hasui Kawase and Koho Shoda, probably my favourite of the Shin-Hanga artists… Katie Paterson, James Turrell and Raqib Shaw. I also love romanticism, so people like Caspar David Friedrich and The Hudson River School artists.

Tell me about your studio or creative space.

I work between my home studio, which at the moment I share with my husband, and at North Star Printmaking studio in Brighton. l'm always gathering imagery and taking photographs on my travels, walks and when I'm just out and about if something catches my eye. I then use analogue and digital collage, which I work on in my home studio before taking them into the print studio to screenprint. It's nice to have a balance of working in my own space and then sometimes being around other printmakers in the print studio… and I also feel so lucky to have the sea on my doorstep if I get a bit of a block to go for a walk or just need a break from screens.

What aspirations do you have for your practice?

I hope to create some larger pieces again soon and I’d love to travel to do a residency at some point.

River by Dawn (after Koho Shoda), approx 34.5cm x 21.5cm, screenprint with graphite powder and ink on Japanese paper

River by Moonlight (after Koho Shoda), approx 34.5cm x 21.5cm, screenprint with graphite powder and ink on Japanese paper

I love learning random facts about people, tell me three things about yourself. 

• I love music, especially metal/hardcore but I don’t really share about it that much, as I don’t think it really goes with the calming sense of my work haha and I know it isn’t everyones cup of tea.

• I also love interior design and architecture - I have a real love for minimal, simple living and modern design..at one point I did consider doing interior design instead.

• I have a twin sister who’s also an artist as well as two other sisters.
  

Finally, where can people follow your work online?

My website www.sherrieleighjones.com where you can subscribe to my mailing list for a bit more insight to my practice, Instagram @sherrieleighjonesart and Twitter @SherrieLJones

Thank you so much to Sherrie-Leigh for giving us an insight into her wonderful printmaking processes. You can really feel Sherrie-Leigh’s passion for screen printing. Her work really speaks to me as a lover of landscape art in particular, I always feel transported back to places from my travels when I see her prints. They have an idealised and calming quality to them with a wonderfully reduced colour palette so you can focus on the details and the simple forms in nature. Sherrie-Leigh sells her prints on her website, her work has been exhibited extensively including at The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2021.

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them. ❤️

Artist Interview: Kamaria Pryce

I'm a curious type; I like to know what informs an artist. Who or what do they look to for inspiration? How do they work? Each month I will be asking an artist I admire a few questions, this month is Kamaria Pryce.

Peace V, approx 20cm x 15cm, gouache on paper

Kam, since first discovering your work I was enchanted by your landscape paintings which have a calming and peaceful quality to them. What is it about recording the natural landscape that appeals to you? 

One of the reasons I love being out in nature, is that it evokes a sense of calm and quiet emotionally, mentally, and for me, spiritually. I think because the surroundings are so much bigger than me, it brings peace and belonging. When I paint, I try to capture that experience for the viewer and potential customer.

When I think of your paintings I often think of swishy blades of grass which you capture so beautifully, are small details important in your work? 

It's funny because I'm not naturally a very patient person, I like seeing results in a fairly quick timescale! In nature, there are so many details that I think oftentimes our natural eyes miss. I find when I'm painting landscapes, it forces me to slow down, be patient and take in as many of the details as I can. 

Strength, approx 25cm x 20cm, gouache on paper

The Waiting, approx 25cm x 20cm, gouache on paper

You work with a variety of mediums; pencil, oil pastel and gouache. Do you have a favourite medium to work with and is experimentation important to you? 

I think it's always good and important as a creative to stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone. Whether that's experimenting with different materials or creating different subject matters. It just helps you grow and not be stagnant in your gift. My favourite medium to use so far is gouache!

Are there other materials or ways of working that you’d like to try? 

I would absolutely love to try oil paints one day! 

Take us through a ‘day in the life’ - what does a typical day involve? 

At the moment I work 3 days a week when my youngest is at nursery and my eldest is at school. After I’ve done the school/nursery run I’ll get straight into painting either for a commission or a collection. I try to plan out what I’m going to paint beforehand so I can get the most out of the day! If I have admin to do, I’ll do that in the evenings after my girls have gone to bed. 

Peace IV, approx 25cm x 20cm, gouache on paper

Detail of Peace VII, approx 25cm x 20cm, gouache on paper

Did you study art or any creative subjects or are you completely self-taught? 

I haven’t had any formal art training, so I’ve been developing my skills through a lot of personal practice.

What artists (living or dead) inspire you?

I’ve discovered many artists on Instagram who inspire me for various reasons, some of them are: Claudia Lowry Art, Hannah Winters Art, Ronni Nicole and The Coastal Studio to name just a few!

The Lighthouse, approx 25cm x 20cm, gouache on paper

Tell me about your studio or creative space.

My creative space currently is my dining room table, so not at all fancy! One day of course, I would love to have my own studio space.

I love learning random facts about people, tell me three things about yourself. 

1.     I don’t like butter in my sandwiches, controversial I know! I would normally use a chutney instead.

2.     I’ve been to Beijing in China for a school art trip. It was an amazing opportunity, but I don’t think I would go back!

3.     I’ve just started a BSL (British Sign Language) course! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, so I’m really happy that I’m going through it, albeit at quite a slow pace at the moment!

Finally, where can people follow your work online?

The best place to follow my art online is Instagram at: www.instgram.com/bloomhope_art or by joining my mailing list, which you can find on my website at: www.bloomhopeart.com.

Thank you so much to Kam for giving us an insight into her practice, I just love the way she captures nature in gouache, her recent sea landscapes are some of my favourites. To see more of her work please take a look at her Instagram page. Kam creates small collections of her works on paper and releases them for sale on her website, they sell out very quickly so I’d recommend joining her mailing list if you’re interested in adding one of her peaceful paintings to your art collection.

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them. ❤️

Artist Interview: Dominique Cameron

I'm a curious type; I like to know what informs an artist. Who or what do they look to for inspiration? How do they work? Each month I will be asking an artist I admire a few questions, this month is Dominique Cameron.

The Wood by Dominique Cameron

Dominique, landscape is at the centre of your practice, what is it about landscape that you find so inspirational?

Landscape and walking have always played an important part in my life, from an early age I would walk the countryside with my family and my practice has developed from those earliest times. I have always had the desire to know where it is I live and having moved house many times there has always been this sense of wanting to map any new environment coupled with a curiosity of what lies beyond the door.

I'm particularly taken with the series of work that you did inspired by 'The Wood', how do you decide which type of landscape or place to focus all of your attention on for a project?

I am interested in all forms and variations of landscape, so the projects I undertake will be different each time. For instance after a project in Leith, Edinburgh I wanted to find an equivalent for the complicated, chaotic nature of urban streets. I decided on a piece of woodland not far from home which was overgrown and secluded, very visually complicated but quiet. Currently I am working on a farm which sits atop a hillside looking out over the Firth of Forth – at that point I was needing to be in the open, with far reaching views as a counter to the wood. So one project leads to another…

The Wood by Dominique Cameron

The Wood by Dominique Cameron

You use colour very vividly in some work and stick to black and white in others, is there any reasoning behind this?

My use of colour is dependent on many factors. The large woods paintings were monochrome out of a desire to see the woods pared back. I felt that I could articulate better the space by just using black and white. However it wasn’t simply black paint – there were at least four different kinds of black used. Using colour would have made the immediacy of response more difficult. However the smaller works in oil reflected the sensuousness and richness of the plant life. So in short it does depend on the subject matter.

What are the materials that you work with and is experimentation important to you?

I work with many kinds of materials from oil, acrylic, charcoal, ink, through to watercolour and gouache. I do like experimenting with their differences and at times in the studio I will often use what’s at hand, and can often be surprised by the result. I am currently interested in the juxtaposition of drawing and painting so will often use both in works, and believe there are no rules in mark making, but play is an integral part of any practice.

Leith by Dominique Cameron

Leith by Dominique Cameron

Can you outline the process of making a piece of work from start to finish?

The question of process changes with environment, materials and support. Yet the one constant is the use of gesso. I prime every surface I work on whether that be canvas, wood, panel or paper. I like the ground of gesso that gives a slight tooth and makes the support more durable. I will then go in and out of drawing and painting, building as I go until I either think its time for a cup of tea – and therefore the need to walk away. I will return to sneak up on the work, catching it by surprise almost. I immediately will know where I’ve gone wrong, what needs to be changed, and be startled by my previous decision making – it is almost as if I have not encountered the work before, it feels so new.

Tell me about your studio or creative space.

My studio is a room at one end of the house. It’s the only room that has not had any work done to it. There are doors that open out to the garden and I have a view of the sea. It’s very messy, dirty and piled high with all manner of things. Every now and then I have a clean up as I find I no longer have space. It is not very large but it’s fantastic to have the space close by. If I choose I know I can work in the middle of the night.

The Farm by Dominique Cameron

The Farm by Dominique Cameron

What artists (living or dead) inspire you?

I take inspiration from many sources, not only painters, and this list can and does change, but the artists that have remained with me would include the painters Ivon Hitchens, Joan Eardley, Cy Twombly, John Virtue and writers Virginia Woolf, Kathleen Jamie, Alice Oswald, and the filmmaker Margaret Tait.

I love learning random facts about people, tell me three things about yourself.

Three things about myself – this has proved the most difficult question. Umm…. I like to dance when I work in my studio. I used to be a fire fighter and I do like clothing with roomy pockets - for all my collections of things.

Finally, where can people follow your work online?

You can follow me on twitter - @bourbonandwolfe, and on my website – dominiquecameron.com.

Thank you to Dominique for agreeing to be part of my artist interview series. I first found Dominique on Twitter and was immediately attracted to her black and white depictions of woodland, for obvious reasons if you know me and my own work at all. I’d love a studio like hers, with doors that open on to a garden and a sea view to boot, it sounds like the absolute dream. Remember to take a look at Dominique’s website where you can find many more examples of her work on the portfolio page.

Dominique’s interview marks the end of my artist interview series, at least for now. Thank you to all of the artists that have taken part this year and to all those that have read the interviews too, I hope you have gained as much from it as I have.

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them. ❤️