You completed Studio Practice before the Professional Landscape Programme; why was that?
I just didn't have the know-how to physically make what I had in my head. My original plan was to go straight into Professional Landscape, but to get the most out of it I felt like I needed more practical experience, and to give myself a year to really see where my work went. After that year, I felt like I was in a place to work with landscape.
Did you feel that was the right decision?
Yeah 100%, to find out what my own voice was, I guess. It's confidence as well. To have the confidence to go into a room with 20 other people that know what they're doing. I just didn't feel I was at that level before.
What do you think changed in that year?
I think for me, it was going from working by myself to working alongside a group of people - it helped hugely. The small informal group crits helped so much in terms of talking about your work in front of people. I got so much from that. Just to see other people's points of view and see what other people read into what you're doing as well.
Also, preparing surfaces. That was one of the things I did the most - considering why you work on what surface you do, and going from working on pre-made canvases to experimenting with wood and plaster and more natural materials. It tied in a lot more with the kind of work I was trying to produce.
How were the artist tutors in Studio Practice?
Dan Pyne was brilliant because he’s an encyclopaedia of all the things that I was needing to learn. He had all that knowledge there to tap into, which was brilliant.
Marie-Claire Hamon was great in terms of finding my language as an artist. That was something I was struggling with a lot; trying to figure out what I was trying to say. She was brilliant for encouraging me and bringing it out of me. I wouldn't have been able to do that with any confidence a year or two ago. There's no way.
What are the key differences between Studio Practice and Professional Landscape?
Studio Practice was so hands-on, it was so materials-based. It was like a whirlwind of practical work, which was brilliant.
Professional Landscape is about absorbing as much information as possible from the people you're exposed to. I’ve been developing my ideas and finding them become a more coherent body of work.
And the artist tutors?
They’re just fantastic. Like, Anita Reynolds' sketchbook work is just amazing. The number of small pieces she creates, and you can see this constant train of thought running through her work.
And Anthony Garratt; the confidence to work on these huge pieces and just go for it and work on sail cloths and send things out into a lake. They're things that I would never have had the inclination to do before. It just makes you think, anything's possible working that way.
.jpg "Artwork in Chapel House")
You had an exhibition at Chapel House as part of the Programme; how did you find that?
It was brilliant. It was really good putting your work out there, having it taken out of your hands and curated as they want, and not as you would necessarily see it. During the private view, I was lucky enough to sell one of my pieces to someone who'd come to a few of the Newlyn School of Art shows before.
How has the Professional Landscape Programme supported you as an artist?
Seeing the variety of artists that come in to give talks has been really eye-opening for me. Now I've got the confidence to talk about my own work and put myself out there and not feel too shy or ashamed of what I've got. I can start approaching galleries - I've got solo show booked now, too.
Do you think the school being where it is plays into your learning?
Yeah, I mean Cornwall's just got everything. Coming from the suburbs of Glasgow to here has been life changing. And so, I just immerse myself. It looks all barren when you're walking around the moors and the coast, but it’s teeming with life and there's so much magic in it - and it's just tapping into that. Going out at night, I love going out at night. I spend full nights out on the cliffs drawing things I can't see, surrounded by the things that inspire me.
Find out more about our artist programmes here.
Photography by Steve Tanner.