Sian Webber

Sian works primarily in oil on linen and canvas, and acrylic and oil on paper, creating paintings that range from intimate studies to large-scale works. Her background in theatre - as an actress, director and teacher- informs her subject matter and her approach to image making. The painted surface is a stage where interior and external landscapes blur, and unexpected relationships between objects, figures, animals and fragments of narratives occur.
She is fascinated by moments of radical change and upheaval in history. Recent work is inspired by the final months of the Romanov family dynasty and by her love of Anton Chekhov’s plays and stories. She is not interested in illustrating historical events or literary narratives but rather they are a stimulus for my imagination; a jumping off point.
Sian’s process begins with collecting images that resonate emotionally for her - photographs, paintings, archival material - which accumulate on the walls of her studio. From these she makes rapid charcoal drawings, rearranging and juxtaposing elements, adding new images as they occur to her. She resists analysis or interpretation but searches for connections, dynamic compositions and contrasts.
The paintings develop through a series of acrylic or oil studies on paper experimenting with colour, gesture and form. She often refers to painters she admires for inspiration and guidance…Manet and Munch in particular.
She seeks to create works that are both elusive and familiar. Spaces where history, imagination and personal association co-exist allowing for contemplation, and where meaning remains fluid and mysterious.
@sianwebber6