A Long Way From That Shy and Anxious Kid

An Interview With Artist Lianne Booton

Part 1 of 2 (link to Part 2)
Click on any picture to zoomify

I find myself empathising a great deal with Lianne Booton. True, we both live a rather long ways away from where we ‘grew up’ (ha!). And yes, we both can share rousing tales of the joys of being ‘legal aliens’ in countries that claim to have First World policies about same (do it by the book, huh? Please...). Plus, I also have to admit that I take an equally nuclear bomb throwing attitude about insect infestations in my home! But alas, I must stay calm and remember my spiritual upbringing! Yes, that latter odd saying will have meaning if you keep reading...

A lot of why I feel a bond with Lianne has to do with the fact that she – in her own words – sees her ‘artwork as a romp down a country lane; on one side are fields filled with horses, badgers, and small animals getting along fabulously. On the other side are disembodied heads and a palette comprised of colours that look suspiciously like bodily fluids.’ In her case, this is an apt metaphorical description of her artwork and imaginative expression (in mine, it is a good literal description... well, the bits with the bits that is). Lianne also confesses that her ‘favourite things in life are music, soft animals, and the look of terror on someone's face when (she) shows them a piece of artwork’ she’s just finished. Granted not your every day target in the world of freelance; but again, I recognise the screaming if not the resulting eventual satisfaction of a job very well done!

And finally, it is with a sincere giggle and a respectful guffaw to read about how one art ‘community’ bulletin described her work as being ‘the kind of things that if they were on a school folder they would land (her) in counselling.’ And they did, too. So, dear readers, if you are ANYTHING like me, you’re thinking now: wow, this is somehow I’d like to get to know better, maybe even let her baby-sit the kids!! With that in mind then, join me in another enjoyable journey down New Zealand way to meet this unique and talented artist:

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Hello Lianne, welcome! What are you working on these days?
Greetings, and thank you for the invitation! I have my coffee and sandwich, I'm most definitely prepared...

Let's see, currently I'm working my little freelance gig of producing magazine covers for Craccum, which is Auckland University's student magazine. I'm also working on a comic for a collaboration with a buddy in Canada. The comic revolves around the adventures of a pickled onion that escapes a jar at a supermarket and has an existential crisis, it's a pretty deep plot for something I came up with at 4 a.m. over a gaming session and not sleeping for 36 hours.

Other than that, I have a lot of friend's birthdays coming up, which may or may not be related to some really awesome paintings I'm working on!

Can you tell us a little bit about your background please and what inspired you to become an artist?
I'm originally from Birmingham, UK, but I consider myself a New Zealander. I moved when I was 19 in a rather undignified rebellion that left me disowned from my family for a while, but then I overcame my disease of being a teenager and it's all better now.

In terms of my art ‘career’, I've considered myself as a freelance artist for around 8 or so years now but I had always kept myself to working for a small circle of people. It's only now that I've decided to put myself out to the world, so you've caught me on the start of my real journey as an artist, and it's been pretty exciting so far.

As far as I know I was always an aspiring artist, I had books I had drawn in at age 2, just little doodles of helicopters and robots and things, but the desire has always been there. Being a creative sort doesn't run in my family, but both me and my brother ended up with that spark; he's a musician though. Other than that, I'm a computer geek who loves gaming, 8-bit music, and t-shirts with witty slogans.

Some people would say I have qualities similar to a dog, but they're not really on about my loyalty and devotion, they're on about the amount of hair I shed everywhere.

You mention that you are a ‘self-taught artist’. I love to ask the artists that say this what that means for them personally as everyone seems to have their own unique ‘flavour’ for this description!
Ah, well this will probably be a depressing answer, but here goes: I grew up in a very poor area of the UK, so wanting to be an artist is not something people generally did. For a lot of kids they were lucky if they actually got as far as college; most just left school at 16 and went to work in the first terrible job they could get.

I never wanted that for myself but I thought it went against everything my parents wanted for me. So I just kept my head down at school and did my work, and kept art as a very personal thing. Back then I never really thought about being a professional artist because I had absolutely zero confidence in my ability. I felt somehow that I would be a disappointment, so I never showed anyone my drawings and I never fully participated in art classes because I was too anxious.

When I was 14 my family got their first dial-up modem and I was introduced to the Internet, which was still a very nerdy thing to use back then. I spent a lot of time in IRC (ZN: = ‘Internet relay chat’... I had to look it up [yes, because I’m too old]!) and over time began showing people my crude but detailed MS Paint drawings. Then my dad picked up a copy of Photoshop 4 and an entirely new world opened up to me. I used the Internet to find tutorials (which were difficult to come by back then) and taught myself how to digitally paint.

From there I realised I had a huge amount of knowledge at my fingertips and just started teaching myself new skills. By age 16 I had taught myself HTML, CSS, 3D modelling, Flash animation, digital painting, how to compose music, and some basic programming skills. I still envy the motivation and drive I had back then where I would happily shut myself away and be constantly working on little projects like games or animations. But I recognise I was a kid and all those projects were probably terrible. Still, luckily my desire to learn has remained: I like the sense of achievement it brings! For example, I'm currently teaching myself Python, and have been learning about 3D sculpting.

And while we’re on the subject of teachin’ and learnin’ and ‘stuff’, how in the name of the Great Gatsby did you manage to fail art?
Well, I'm sure this will resonate with a lot of younger artists out there, but I went through an anime phase. Unfortunately, it was whilst I was in college and I did the whole silly rant about how it should be perfectly acceptable to draw half cyborg catgirls for art presentations! It's deeply embarrassing now and I am glad I eventually dug myself out of that hole.

Another part of my lack of success in art is owing to the fact that when I wasn't drawing half-cyborg catgirls, I was making really disturbing things for my projects. I remember studying Francis Bacon and making a pop-up book of grotesque animal torture for an end-of-year presentation. I think I actually got sent to a counselling session for that. Despite all that nonsense I don't really regret failing art or not going to art school or getting a degree.

I did actually apply for art school and was offered a position, but when I went to the interview I was asked whether I enjoyed lino printing... HOWEVER, I hated lino printing with a passion! I told the interviewer that, to which he responded I would have to "pretend to like it or get out". To me that spoke volumes about what I was in for if I ended up going there... so I walked out.

Once I finished college, I didn't know what I wanted to do and hastily applied for a position in a 'film technology & script writing' degree. I was there for about six months but wasn't eligible for a student loan or help with fees, so I had to drop out. That's when I decided to travel and came to New Zealand for a few months where I absolutely fell in love with the country. I eventually returned back to the UK but knew I wasn't going to stay there much longer.

Looking back, I do think that the kind of artist someone is at a school age and the kind of artist they become in adulthood is vastly different: you kind of need all these assorted little life experiences to shape you. I would consider going back to school in the future, but not because I feel a degree is going to help me in any way. It'd be more to fill in little gaps in my art knowledge.

Lianne, you seem to be a well-journeyed person (gosh, I hope that isn’t an insult in any of the English ‘dialects’ you’ve learned over the years). How do you think your sojourns through a good deal of the English (+/-) speaking nations of the Earth have affected you most, including as a person and as an artist?
My travels have pretty much shaped who I am entirely, even more than going to art school or getting a degree could ever have.

I grew up in a Buddhist household – which is always something that makes people laugh if their perception of me is my on-line persona only! I view my travels as a decade-long journey of growth. I've uprooted so many times that I don't really have any material possessions to my name; in fact, right now all I have is the contents of a small suitcase, a hard drive with all my art on it, and some art supplies that I've had for years. It's a pretty liberating feeling to just go wherever you feel you need to go and kind of stay off the grid and observe the world.

My reasons for moving were always depression, since unlike a lot of artists I simply can't produce anything when I'm depressed. My art has never been a reflection of who I am as a person, so depression just muddies the whole process. So I'd run away and try and find my inspiration again, and there would always be a hard lesson to learn along the way. When I moved to New Zealand it taught me about making dreams a reality. Moving to Australia taught me about independence and trust, and moving to Canada taught me about confidence and acceptance.

I came back to New Zealand feeling like I was whole, and ready to settle down and focus on my artwork and make a career out of it. As an artist the experience has allowed me to break down a lot of mental filters that can shape your pieces. I try not to worry too much about what's socially acceptable and I don't neuter my ideas as much anymore. It no longer really bothers me too much if people look at my artwork and think I'm a bit mental. I'm not going to waste my time censoring myself online to the point that I sound like background noise.

You’ve lived in Auckland, New Zealand since 2002. What is the art scene like there?
I'm starting to learn the art scene is not as small as I initially thought. It does feel like a very hidden world though, but there are a lot of things in New Zealand that feel like well-kept secrets. The reason I actually left NZ before was because I just felt there was no opportunity here for me, but I've adjusted my position on that now. I do think Auckland needs more galleries catering to emerging artists and people who don't really fit the traditional mould of landscape/nature artists, which this area is big on.

In comparison, I never really experienced the art scene over in the UK; however, when I was over in Vancouver, I was blown away at the art community there. One of the most amazing moments for me was sitting in a high rise with a collective of artists, graphic designers, architects, and advertisers, and having a 'drawing club'. We'd have a theme for the evening and pull a random subject out of a hat and we all had to draw whatever we got. And in that particular moment, it wasn't about how well people could draw, it was just that air of creativity permeating the room. It was inspirational.

I'd actually love to see some similar get-togethers in Auckland, where people can just leave their egos and anxieties at the door and have some childlike fun creating silly things.

After you returned to New Zealand late last year that you apparently realised that you wanted to pursue being an artist seriously, rather than, quote, ‘just drawing silly pictures for my friends’. What happened then? Did some sort of epiphany occur or perhaps even a mystical light appear?
Ha ha, that's pretty accurate actually! I was in Canada for two years and there were times where my mental strength was really tested. I had to think about what sort of person I was compared to how others saw me.

I went there very stupidly at the start of the recession and watched people's careers falling apart. Vancouver has a huge artist community but it was very difficult meeting students who were just realising their design degrees were not going to be helping them anytime soon. As I said before, when I was in Vancouver, I met some amazing folks, from advertisers, to professional artists, and so many more. I then realised I couldn't live my life stuck in my own head with my insecurities any more.

Soon, I couldn't afford living in Vancouver anymore and moved out to a tiny little town called Osoyoos, which is out in what is known as 'Canada's only desert' (ZN: why not visit the nearby ‘Anarchist Protected Area’ today? I kid you not...). When I was out there I didn't have access to the Internet for a few months, and when you're living out in the middle of a desert you have a lot of time to reassess what's going on in your life. You stand out in the middle of fields and mountains and you realise that creativity is the essence of life. It's something that we should be sharing with the world, not hiding away in closely guarded sketchbooks.

Continued in Part 2

A Long Way From That Shy and Anxious Kid

An Interview With Artist Lianne Booton

Part 2 of 2 (link to Part 1)
Click on any picture to zoomify

Lianne, in Part 1 during my rousing and chair-gripping introduction (acknowledging that most people are thinking ‘must escape, must log off’ when I go on like that), we talked about some of the interesting descriptions that have accompanied your work and portfolio so far. Based on these inputs, my first question then to these is simply: ‘why?’ Are you intentionally going for a kind of shock effect or is that just an expression of how your imagination rolls?
The country lane metaphor that you quoted is exactly how I see my creation process. I don't ever try and hide the fact that I do draw some pretty weird things alongside relatively benign pictures, but it's important to note that those images aren't a reflection of my mental state. Hence describing it as a neutral road winding through what is just harmless scenery at the end of the day is perfect! You look at it and you say 'oh that's nice' or 'why does this exist' and that's it.

I do have a very dark sense of humour though, so I wouldn't be surprised if it sounds like a shock tactic. To me though it sounds a lot more calming than describing my creative process as drowning in an endless ocean of haunting visages! On the other points though, well, the counselling thing actually happened... and I think a good friend of mine put it best when she said "Lianne, we all know your concept of cute".

I really do enjoy watching the facial expressions of my friends when I show them the stuff I make. For example, I was recently sitting in a local park drawing with someone and the topic of Dungeons & Dragons came up, particularly the really ridiculous monsters. I decided I wanted to make up a really ludicrous D&D monster and hid behind my sketchbook scribbling away. I drew a half-scorpion, half-elderly lady holding a bowl and spoon and labelled it the "Puddingiver" and gave it a back-story. I'd rank those kind of confused stares I get as being just as awesome as baby laughter is to parents.

How did your fascination with ‘slightly demented’ and ‘quirky and unsettling pieces’ arise?
I fully place the blame on this onto British Comedy. I absolutely love some of the old abstract humour. A lot of my friends know I have always had an unbearably sad crush on Vic Reeves who is a very bizarre artist and talented comedian. I grew up watching shows like ‘Big Night Out’ and ‘Shooting Stars’ which has some really weird artwork and puppets (my favourite being a commander with a giant boiled egg for a head and a very long tongue for *ahem* impressing the ladies).

Aside from that I really enjoy outsider art/art brut. I also like the works of Henry Darger, Louis Wain, and H.R.Giger. Other than art influences, I enjoy bizarre movies, where of course David Lynch gets a mention! There's something wonderful about seeing artwork that's untamed and ignores all our perceptions and expectations. I think in broader terms, I just enjoy people who simply don't care what everyone else thinks, no matter what area of life it shows up in! It's a very attractive quality in my eyes.

Having said all that, do you think that you have developed your own definitive style (singular) yet? You know, something that alerts everyone that, yes, here is indeed another bona fide Lianne Booton piece to enjoy?
This is something I'm still figuring out for myself. Unfortunately, I realised that those half-cyborg cat-girls do a real number on forming a style. I do think I'm getting there though. My picture "Don't Worry" – shown here – is what I would consider close to ‘my style’. Having said that, I'm still young and I don't foresee giving up art anytime soon unless I get into a tragic combine harvester accident and lose both hands! So I have a long time to develop and refine my style.

I can tell my artwork is still maturing though because there are huge leaps every year, even for me looking at it month-to-month, in terms of my skill and techniques. I have no idea really where my art will be at next year in terms of whether I’ll have a new found love for painting or get into speed painting landscapes, or go back to those marvellous doe-eyed cyborgs (just kidding).

Speaking of recognisable styles, do you even want to accomplish that?
Definitely! I don't think it's as important nowadays to establish your own style though. You're competing with so many other talented people that's it's impossible to not run across something similar.

For example, I use Facebook to network with artists mainly, and it's definitely shown me that nobody is as unique as they think. The most common style I see are people who are very obviously inspired by Mark Ryden! And I was, too, until I saw how many people were doing it.

How are you promoting your work? You’ve just opened a very nice-looking new website and are listed among others in the Pink Noise directory; however, it also seems you’ve tried perhaps with less success in the past with sites like Flickr or even your own blog?
I'm still in the process of learning about self-promotion but I can imagine things like interviews help quite a bit!

In addition, Pink Noise is a very important platform for me. I was directed to Pink Noise by a friend, and in turn Pink Noise directed me to a very good blog that laid out exactly how to go about marketing yourself online. From here I realised I needed a website to start with so I quickly got that sorted out. I also have a Facebook fan page which I regularly update with art and my adventures. Aside from that I have profiles on a fairly large number of art-sites like Redbubble, Artst, Society6, Behance, Everycreative, and the NZ-based creative community forum, Big Idea.

I'm also experimenting with things like advertising through Project Wonderful and also being a bit more vocal on art communities to spread word about my work. In comparison, back when I first started my blog on Tumblr, I found it to be really draining; I just felt completely detached from any sense of community. I am in the process of setting my Tumblr back up again though because I think it would be neat to keep a small record of my progress and look back on it in a year.

In general, I've shied away from blog sites because I was raised on the version of the Internet where privacy was number one and you didn't just go throwing personal information everywhere. It’s just I find that I still get very self conscious about what I write and I keep most of my ramblings to Facebook nowadays. Oh and Flickr only ever really served one purpose to me, namely, it was a place to post images before I had a website and didn't want Facebook cropping images and doing strange things to the colours. I've never explored the groups or community aspect of it, but maybe that can be my mini-project for the day.

I was interested as well to see that among your ‘digital’ methods that you employ Flash as one of your creative tools. Why Flash?
Flash has been like an old friend to me. I used it quite extensively when it was fairly new software and it was only used for monkey-punching banner ads. People said it would never be used for drawing, but I used to draw painstakingly detailed pictures in it.

However, I also used to draw with a laptop touchpad, so you can see I don't always have the brightest ideas. I only really use Flash now for pictures where I need ultra-smooth lines quickly and don't feel like yelling at Illustrator for ruining my day. I think Flash does cop a lot of flak though and it has come a long way as a drawing and animation tool.

How about your more traditional methods, including inks, watercolours, acrylics and more? Do you have a given technique that you prefer or is it merely a matter of choosing the instrument depending on the inspiration?
It's usually just whatever inspires me. I do have the tendency to have several sketch versions of pictures in different mediums so that I can choose what I think would look best. I think I definitely enjoy ink the most though, mostly because I have shaky hands and it gives me the thrill of living dangerously and not knowing if I'm half a second from tipping ink all over the picture.

I did very much enjoy the pieces you composed where you inked in images over the top of a randomly watercolour painted pattern. You mention that these were done as 'warming up' illustrations. What does that entail exactly?
I love those pictures, even though they have very undignified beginnings. ‘Don't Worry’ started out as a silly joke between me and a friend when we were up late one night mucking about on an online whiteboard. I can't exactly remember the original image but I think it involved the fairy being on a skateboard doing a flip off the nose of a huge crying head. Somehow I thought it would make a neat sketch and promised I would do a proper version. That and the crow painting were done on the same day even!

But these were the first paintings I had done in ten years! I really didn't know what I was doing and made it all up as I went along. I guess I was just warming up the brain to see what I remembered about painting. Usually for other pieces I'll do composition sketches and a lot of versions of the same drawing with different poses or faces etc. I'm fairly thorough even for relatively simple pictures.

You mention that you also enjoy writing, costume-making and creating custom-stuffed toys, having also learned how to crochet on your own. Have any of these other creative outlets yet found their way into public consumption or are these more hobbies to help balance out your creative and professional work?
Writing was my 'thing' when I was too shy about my artwork. In fact, I've been working on a book since I was 18! I have binders full of concept art, back-stories, world history, moral codes, and some pretty in-depth research to make sure all the contraptions in the story could theoretically work. It's a huge project and there was a few years where my entire time was consumed by it, but I don't feel I'm ready to write it yet.

The story is as fresh in my mind as it was when I conceived the idea, but I will need to focus on writing short stories for a couple of years before I'm confident that I can do it justice. I did write game and movie reviews a long time ago and have a published poem, so it's a hobby I've been happy to show the world. I've actually always felt I am a much stronger writer than artist, but I'm very much out of practice.

As for my other creative pursuits, unfortunately I don't own a sewing machine so my stuffed toys and clothes making remain a personal thing only. If someone wanted a custom toy though I would happily oblige of course! I did make a stuffed roadkill hedgehog for someone's Christmas present though, which was very... er... cute :) ! I really would love to sell custom-made stuffed toys though and would probably focus on that entirely if I could.

The one hobby I am extremely guarded about is music. I never allow anyone to listen to songs I make, I won't even mess around with music software if there's other people in the house. I can also play a few instruments and sing, but barely anybody knows that side of me.

For your toy creations, I understand you’re trying to incorporate recycled materials?
Yep, aside from any wool I use the toys I make are constructed 100% from old unwearable clothes, or other scraps of fabric that no longer serve a purpose. It's actually pretty fun making the toys when you don't know what textures you're going to end up having to use. I also don't use patterns so each one is unique. I produce some concept sketches and figure out the rough size of the components and in which order to attach things. Luckily I've lived my whole life 'making things up as I go along' so I'm pretty good at it now!

Looking at the piece you donated for the Christchurch Earthquake relief auction by Pink Noise: for those of us not completely in-the-know about NZonian current events, can you describe what you were trying to capture with your piece ‘Gerry Brownlee Riding a Pie’?
I don't think I was really trying to make much of a statement. I wanted to help out but I didn't have anything to donate, so I had a think about the Kiwi mindset and how they're always up for a good giggle.

Novelty items always seem to go down well on TradeMe and there was the potential of getting media attention for the appeal if it was ridiculous enough. Me and Katie of Pink Noise concocted a lot of ways to get it noticed through Twitter and emailing politicians etc. Unfortunately, we were upstaged by a giant rock that sold for NZ$60,000, which is fair enough!

Finally, where would you like to see your art heading in the near and/or distant future? Do you have any special plans on the horizon?
Well, right now I'm in the phase where everything is a new step for me. It's quite exciting really.

There's a few very interesting exhibition ideas in the pipeline with Pink Noise, where there's been talk of a sort of bleak and crazy puppet show which we're aiming to do around Christmas time. As mentioned, I'm going to be doing some work on a collaboration comic, which is a fun new thing for me since it's unfamiliar territory. When I decided to make a comic I was under the assumption that having writing and drawing skills would make most of the work easy... but I was wrong! It's actually very, very challenging and gruelling.

As for what I see for the next year: well, metaphorically speaking I'm a small sapling in a huge forest of trees with well-established roots. I'm going to be spending a lot of time figuring out how to follow their lead. A year ago I didn't expect to be successfully pursuing an artistic career. So, hopefully a year from now I will be pleasantly surprised at how far I've come from that shy and anxious kid I used to be.

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Lianne Booton is a freelance illustrator originally hailing from Birmingham, UK where she managed to eventually overcome the debilitating disease known often as being a teenager. She currently lives in New Zealand, where she lived both before and after spending a couple of years living in Canada.

Lianne tells us that when she’s not drawing, she’s quite often thinking about things she SHOULD be drawing. She unabashedly admits that she sees her artwork as a romp down a peacefully meandering country lane. Only this country lane is one of those that has on one side fields filled with horses, badgers, and small animals getting along fabulously; however, on the other side are disembodied heads and a palette comprised of colours that look suspiciously like bodily fluids. Sounds like New Jersey to me, but let’s not quibble.

Lianne has also stated that she is quite proud of the fact that she has never (?) been compelled to draw ferns or a tui coquettishly perched on a branch. According to Wikipedia, apparently The Tui (with a capital ‘T’ and NOT pictured here) is an endemic passerine bird of New Zealand and is apparently one of the largest members of the diverse honeyeater family. However, since we learned long ago not to create definitions with words we do not understipify or fully comprehindsight, we’ll leave it at that. We also do not know why (a) Wikipedia wants us to notice the pollen on the heads of said birds nor (b) why they should be associated with a coquette, or ‘woman who makes teasing sexual or romantic overtures; a flirt’... but hey, by now, even we’ve stopped reading.

Just check out the following, okay?

Links
Website
Blog

Directory listings (examples, see other links in article)
‘Pink Noise’
‘Behance’
‘redbubble’
‘Humble Voice’
‘Society6’
‘carbonmade’

Facebook Fan Page

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All pictures, videos and other media are used with written permission of Lianne Booton, including all current or previous business affiliations related to same, or are available in the public domain (noting copyright and other restrictions, accordingly). No further reproduction or duplication is permitted without contacting the artist directly. The characters and images associated with ‘Brutemus & friends’ is copyrighted and trademarked by Chelsea Navarro.

Some pictures have been modified slightly or combined only for the purpose of space limitations. In all cases, we invite you to visit the artist’s site(s) for more!

A Colourful Sense of Freedom

An Interview with Artist Bonnie Coad

Part 1 of 2 (link to Part 2)
Click on any image to embiggenate

I’ll tell you point-blank: Bonnie Coad’s art has had a profound effect on me.

Sure, I could use this moment to raise the classic discussion question – ‘In what way does art affect people?’ An excellent topic after all if we happen to have a few bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon or a case or two of properly chilled Crémant sitting close by. And yes, the safe (sober?) answer would/should include some acknowledgement that the potential responses are as varied as both the types of art ‘forms’ one could identify as well as the individuals viewing said creations (or creating said viewings). That there could be an infinitely wide range of emotions as well as physical or unconscious reactions to the equally immense amount of glorious design, clever or vapid commercialism, stunning and stylish illustration, music that flies as high as a Zeppelin or sinks as low as a Bieber, and all the rest from the world of ‘art’ that we are exposed to every day. That there is no limit to how art does or could affect us at any given moment or even how the same art could affect us later, yada yada yada. Aw heck, let’s leave it as ‘I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like!’ That works for me at least, especially if the wine is starting to run low.

Having said that: how has Bonnie’s work affected me? Well, let’s keep it as simple as possible: she makes me want to start painting again. Now, don’t take that lightly please. Painting has always been for me one of those things that come with a large warning label: ‘DO NOT PUSH THIS BUTTON! YES THIS MEANS YOU!’ I enjoy painting, yes, however there’s just something extra... hm... personal about the process that literally scares the beejeebers out of me. It’s a nagging fear I have that if I got too much into it, well, I’d wind up making someone like Vincent Van Gogh look well-adjusted. And I look weird enough as it is with two ears, so there’s that aspect, too...

Have other guests here at ZN HQ also affected me in such a positive way? Of course, almost without exception. I can’t even begin to count the number of terrific works and fascinating artists I’ve ‘met’ through the blog. So many that have inspired me – successfully in that at least I have more often than not given it the old college try (or intend to as soon as that Lotto ticket finally comes through) – to sketch, illustrate, or even convert my daily thoughts to framed storyboards, fancy meme’s and more. I’ve been thoroughly motivated more times than I can count to invent and convert plus cut up anything recyclable I can get my hands on and sculpt with whatever I can get to stick together!

In this case though... well, it’s a little different, because I’ve been a little bit down this path on my own before. But what is so enticing? Is it Bonnie’s use of such a wide palette of colours, forms and textures? Without a doubt! Is it her interest in experimenting with different bits and bobs that she sometimes throws into her compositions for that extra special flair? Of course! Could it also be her easy-going, down-to-earth approach to the whole crazy process, which I’ve especially enjoyed getting to know via Facebook and other forums? Again, spot on! But there’s more to all of this and I’m not even close to being sure how to sum it up. So instead, I’ll step back and let you enjoy, too. Oh and pass that bottle this way if there’s any left, cheers.

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Hi Bonnie, welcome! To start off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how your art career began?
Hi Ziggy! Great to have this awesome opportunity to chat with you!

Well, a bit about “me” and my “art career” ... First, let me just say that inside of me is a shy person who hates to talk about herself! I am not a natural in the limelight and I am oddly uncomfortable with praise. In fact, since you ask I have to say that this has probably been the biggest obstacle for me on my journey as a self-taught artist. You see, for years I didn’t even like to admit to people that I AM an artist. I don’t know why, it was only close friends and family with whom I felt comfortable sharing my art; it made me feel uncomfortable to admit to strangers that I was an artist. Perhaps I felt subconsciously that I didn’t really deserve the distinction.

But with constant practice I eventually got over this. I reached a point where I realised if I didn’t control my insecurities I would never achieve any acknowledgement as an artist. And my art had also progressed to a point where recognition was important to me. I am quite happy to admit it these days, though I do occasionally still feel an involuntary shudder, a regression if you like back to my shy ways.

So having said that, a little about me: I was born in London while my “hippie” Australian parents were enjoying their long honeymoon trip around the world. My mother once told me I was conceived on a beach in Morocco (or is that too much information?). It all sounded very romantic when I first learned that... until she went on to say she could distinctly remember dropping her birth control pill in the sand outside their tent and couldn’t find it. So I guess I was a happy accident – which is ironically also how I often describe my art!

My parents came to New Zealand in 1978. We settled on the West Coast of the South Island in a relatively isolated spot with no power or phone service. We lived basically in the middle of nowhere, near a rain forest and close to the beach, with a river on the doorstep. Still, it’s this environment to which I credit my creativity! You see, when you’re stuck in a small shack and it rains for weeks without a break, you have to find ways to keep yourself sane. In my case, I would draw for hours on end! And when the rain did finally let up, I would go out and find all kinds of treasures on the beach, which I would use to build driftwood huts and more. It was a great, idealistic childhood!

Funny enough though, I never wanted to be an artist growing up; I wanted to be an archaeologist! I was always very good at art in school; however, I never liked sticking to the lesson plan. I’d go off on my own crazy tangent and not apply myself to my given tasks. Plus, I made the very silly decision – though it seemed like a good idea at the time! – to leave school at age fifteen, move away from home and get a job.

In fact, it wasn’t until my son was born in 1996 that I took up painting! It took me a few years of experimentation to develop my style. At first, I played with portraiture and landscapes but found them far less than satisfying. However, through constant trial-and-error I developed a love of texture, colour and experimental paint application. Now I can’t imagine living without painting! I am constantly thinking of my next project.

I apologise for my naiveté, but I know very little about New Zealand other than it’s a fantastically beautiful land with very nice people and that it tends to sport very good Rugby teams. Besides the great folks like yourself and all this wonderful nature around you, what is the art scene like there?
Ah yes! New Zealand: the land of flightless birds, countless sheep and epic movie trilogies about small people with hairy feet looking for magic rings!

Well, now that those clichés are out of the way, I can assure you that New Zealand has much more to offer than just great Rugby teams. We have a diverse and dynamic art scene and there are some very well known New Zealand artists to boast of, such as Colin McCahon, Rita Angus, Frances Hodgkins and Ralph Hotere to name a few. Plus, in every corner of our lovely green Island Nation you will find local art societies, theatres, all sorts of beautiful Galleries full of wonderful art and people with a hands-on passion for creating. There are plenty of vibrant art ventures embracing every sort of creative medium you can imagine with lots of annual festivals and awards to celebrate the arts, such as the Wallace Awards and The Auckland Fringe Festival.

Getting back to your journey as a ‘self-taught’ artist: do you come from an artistic family?
Yes, my family is both very musical and also quite artistic. My great grandfather was a musician in the Australian Army Band in the First World War. My Great grandmother played the piano and taught her daughter who in turn taught my mother who then passed the love of music on to her children. I did learn to play by ear and by what I picked up over the years being around my musical family. But, as with school in general, I lacked the drive to study music. I can still fudge and slur my way through a piece of sheet music but it takes me a few days to learn it!

My two youngest sisters have learned how to play several instruments and have even studied operatic singing. They apparently got some ‘talent’ genes that I missed out on! My mother does dabble in painting and creates beautiful water-colours, so I have that connection to her talents! My father is also a jack of many trades: he is a builder, even creating his own house plans. He is always making something, from furniture to even wine, and constantly has a project on the go!

How about your influences from the art world? Did you have a favourite artist or art outlet as a younger person that most swayed you?
Not really, I can’t say I have any favourites; I love so many different artists’ work and enjoy so many different art genres. I’ve even dabbled in poetry, plus I love literature and have incorporated this into my art at times. I’ve done a little carving, as well as sculpture. I did Modern Dance as girl and I play a little piano as I’ve mentioned already. Still, like my taste in music – which ranges from classical to heavy metal and everything in between – my love of art is extremely varied.

It’s just that I’ve always believed that there isn’t anything to be gained from limiting your experiences in life. Even if a piece of art doesn’t personally appeal to me in the sense of ‘would I hang this on my wall at home?’ I still like to challenge myself to find some aspect of it that I can admire.

Continued in Part 2

A Colourful Sense of Freedom

An Interview with Artist Bonnie Coad

Part 2 of 2 (link to Part 1)

Click on any image to enlargenize

Bonnie, your work shows hints of cubism, modern and abstract art and even impressionism, as well as in some cases strong flavourings of the Orient. Did you privately study these styles or has your knowledge grown as you’ve developed as an artist?
Apart from a couple of night classes learning about using water-colours – which I would note my mother had to drag me along to – and what little I learned in art class in school, I have had no formal training. Instead, every little ounce of ‘knowledge’ and experience I have gained has been through reading books, speaking to other artists and again lots and lots of hands-on trial-and-error. And there has definitely been plenty of error along the way!

I do love Cubism; being able to break things down into simple, recognisable shapes fascinates me. A lot of my art includes images or forms that are mere hints or suggestions, where I try to draw the eye in and make people look and choose for themselves what they take away from it. I like to challenge people to have a reaction to my art, good or bad. To me, it doesn’t matter what their reaction is as long as they feel something.

In terms of the oriental ‘flavourings’, my mother lived and worked in Japan for two years during her travels. She came back absolutely loving Japanese textiles and their culture. As such, we had a lot of Japanese items about the house. I think the flamboyant colours and free shapes and designs must have rubbed off on me.

Both colour and texture are obviously very important elements of your work. Why do you think you have developed such an intensely colourful palette?
Through my experiments learning to paint, I discovered that I love playing with colour! I love opposing colours, clashing colours! I like yellow and purple, I like orange and green, I like colours so bright you can almost hear them hum!

I really love to combine lots of different colours in a composition! To me, they are so happy, so vibrant, so challenging. I find using intense colour extremely satisfying, and I think that when you get it right, all these crazy colour combinations can actually come together to form an image that is quite calm and reflective.

So after that great big release... I guess you could say that I have developed my intensely colourful palette out of self-gratification to please my own tastes! And is there a better reason to develop something that that?

I understand that you also like to ‘experiment’ with paint applications and new effects, even including grain and rice in your pieces to add unique textures. How did you become interested in trying out different ‘additives’ to your pieces?
I learned about these kinds of ‘tricks’ through researching more about art and also of course talking with other creative people. I discovered there was no end to the things you could attempt, that the only boundaries in art are the ones you place in front of yourself!

I have to confess, my love of experimental paint application has reached almost obsessive levels! I can’t go anywhere without finding something I see as potentially useful. You should see my guest room (at present, I don’t have a studio and this spare room has become my art room): it’s full of boxes of old sewing patterns, sheet music, bags of fine and course sand, bubble wrap (used, for example, in the picture above) of every shape and size plus a thousand other possibly useful things I intend to use one day. I pity any poor guest that has been squeezed in there while visiting us!

Bonnie, you also act as the ‘house artist’ for the Riverside Café which is located in the Moutere Valley, between Nelson and Motueka (ok NZ Tourist Board, I linked all of that so don’t forget my check!). What exactly do you do as the ‘resident’ clever person for a cafe that isn’t even open year-round?
The Riverside Café is a beautiful old (1860/70) cottage which was converted into a café/restaurant in 2000. The award-winning gardens are lovely. They were recently voted “The People’s Choice” for best rural café in the local Nelson and Marlborough Magazine “Wild Tomato”. The café is an off-shoot of the Riverside Community, originally established by Christian Methodist pacifists in 1941.

You’re right, they’re not open all year because the economics just wouldn’t work. In fact, during the winter, they are only open weekends to cater for the locals and they even close down completely for one month of the year. Being a rural establishment there is simply not enough human traffic to keep it running during this time and with the current economic situation things have been even slower than normal.

When they are open, I exhibit my works there, adding fresh works periodically as well as selling my art in the more affordable forms of cards and calendars. Plus, each October, I hold an opening to launch the new season’s exhibition.

Can you talk us through a typical creative ‘process’ for one of your pieces? With some of my favourite of your works, you mention having even started from scribbles or doodles! Wow!
Yes that’s right: sometimes if I’m in that sort of mood, I will do a big scribble and look to see if there is some aspect of it that I like. I find it’s a good way to unblock myself if I am getting a bit frustrated with a piece that’s not working out the way I want. I think the human brain is always looking for shapes it recognises! So, if I see a face or the outline of a woman in one of my doodles, I’ll build it up from there.

In fact, very few of my works are planned and neatly laid out from concept to the finished piece. My working style is very “organic”. Sorry, I don’t mean to get all arty on you. All I mean by that is that many times my paintings continue to grow as I paint them. Often, I only have a very vague idea of what I am going to do and sometimes not even that. I just let the paint take me where it will. In terms of how I work, well, I am an early-riser and get up around four a.m. most mornings to get a bit of painting in before I go to work. I like to listen to music and even sometimes talking books while I am working; it helps to clear my mind. In fact, I once did a series of paintings in response to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” (also the name of my piece here). I had the CD on repeat for about three days straight!

Concerning my process per se: I normally start with a textured base. Tissue paper is a favourite of mine. Then I’ll use cutlery, bubble wrap and anything else I think will create an interesting effect to apply the paint. Plus, I’ll normally have about three paintings on the go at once.

I was interested to see that you stated ‘I don’t believe in painting chiefly for profit and reproducing works to order.’ Why is that?
I think it takes away from the creative process and the artist’s integrity. Sometimes people will ask if I could paint them a copy of a painting that I have sold already, maybe because they liked that one. Or they really like another one BUT the colours are wrong for their decor. So they’ll even ask ‘could I paint it in blue?’

I’ve even had people come to me with quite detailed concepts and ask if I could do these for them. To be honest, I find this sort of thing a bit insulting. If my heart is not in a painting, no amount of money will convince me to do it. I think we live in such a consumer-driven world these days that people sometimes forget that there are limits to what you can buy. At the end of the day, the pieces that result from my creativity are only for sale on my terms.

In addition, I don’t think its fair at all to previous clients who have brought work to have that same work reproduced for someone else. I mean, I don’t disapprove of making prints and selling them as such or even as greeting cards, especially to make the art more affordable and accessible to more people. Still, a print like this will never be the same as the real thing.

Your pieces quite often feature women, sometimes very clearly as a portrait or even merely hinted at in a dancing or otherwise graceful movement. Is it important for you to include women in your artwork or is this more of a case of painting what you know?
It’s definitely more a case of painting what I know. The female form is so familiar to me that I see it in everything; so, when I am painting it often just jumps out at me.

Also, I guess I’m a bit lazy at heart, too: I let my works breeze in like old friends instead of agonising over them for hours and hours. Well, sometimes there’s a bit of agonising!

While we’re on the topic of truly ‘artistic’ endeavours, you’ve mentioned you’re also involved in the local wine industry?
Ha ha ha ha! While wine-making is rumoured to be a very artistic pursuit, take it from me: WORKING on a vineyard is nowhere near as romantic as some people assume!

But yes, I have been working for Wither Hills Winery for about seven years, simply because a mortgage is a hungry wee beastie that needs to be fed!! While making a living with my art is my dream, as many artists will no doubt confirm, the reality is that the cash flow from art can’t always be relied on, especially in the current economic environment! New Zealand is no different to the rest of the world in this regard: things have slowed right down and people are strapped for cash! So, what’s the first thing you cut from the budget when money gets tight? Exactly...

Even with the slowdown though, 2010 and the first few months of 2011 seem to have been very busy for you, with lots of shows and even a well-deserved ‘Best of Show’ award. What big events have you got planned for 2011 and beyond?
Yes, it’s been busy lately but a lot of fun! I recently exhibited in Auckland at the 2nd Pink Noise Art Show and I am working on a solo exhibition to be held locally here in Marlborough. Plus, I just signed with an art agency in Auckland called ‘Art and Soul’ and have been busy getting my some work together for their promotions.

I have also been invited to exhibit in Fusion Gallery & Studio’s “Undy Four Hundy” art show. In addition, there are several other group exhibitions I have been invited to enter my work in ... and if you want, you can add that I need to come up with approximately twenty new works for the next café season, which will kick off in October 2011! So all in all I am going to be terribly busy!!!!

I’ve been involved as well in work for a couple of on-line magazines: Pink Noise founded by Katie Robinson, and also Rem Magazine, which is the brainchild of Orchid Tierney. Orchid has asked me to be part of the editorial board for Rem in the role of a ‘blind reviewer’ of submitted artworks to help in selecting work for the magazine. Both of these are non-profit magazines so there is no payment involved. But they are good exposure opportunities and they are full of wonderful and interesting arty stuff! In fact, my own work was featured Pink Noise’s zine #4 & #5 and Rem magazine’s first issue. That was fun, even though I will now no longer be eligible to submit work for Rem, as there would be an obvious conflict of interest.

Where would you like to see your art ‘career’ head over the next years? Are you looking to expand beyond the local market or just take it as it comes?
I am expanding out a bit this year. After all, being a successful artist is about exposure. Again, it does take me out of my comfort zone putting myself forward for exhibitions and more; but if I don’t make an effort to get my work out there, who else will? I have always been a bit of a “take it as it comes” sort of person but I think now is the time to step it up a gear. I would ultimately like to one day make a living from my art.

Finally, what is the one thing that you would like for ‘viewers’ to take away with them after enjoying your art?
I would like for people to feel the sense of freedom my art gives me when I am creating it; to feel the freedom to do things differently, and not be limited by what has been done before.

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Bonnie Coad is the proud owner of a – if not precocious then I suspect somewhat aromatic – cat nicknamed ‘Farty Moo’. No, I’m not making that up and yes, I did think that would be a more interesting start to Bonnie’s biography section than with the usual fluff. Though I suspect he also causes enough fluff as well...

A self-taught artist, Bonnie’s work continues to gather accolades for its originality, unique expressionism and creativity! She has been featured in a number of publications throughout New Zealand and has recently also graciously contributed her work and time to the cause of raising funds for the Christchurch earthquake victims.

Bonnie loves to include copious amounts of bright colours and interesting textures in her work. Her ‘experimental education’ in the arts has led to a sense of innocence in many of her pieces yet she offers a style that is both aesthetically pleasing and definitively professional in its execution. Despite the prolific number of pieces she has created in the past months as a result of what seems to be an almost obsessive work ethic (we didn’t even know there was such a thing as 4 a.m.!), her works continue to show a wide variety of novel themes and distinct constructions. She has a particular knack for capturing the soulful reflections and moods of the women and other subjects she paints.

Bonnie’s career will certainly be one to keep on your radar for many years to come! We wish her all the best of luck and want to thank her again for her time spent on this interview!

Links
Profile: http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/profile/bonnie-coad/30579
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Original-Art-Bonnie-Coad/101409399934250?ref=ts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/bonniecoad

Shops, Shows and Other Galleries:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/bonnie33
http://www.artandsoul.co.nz/site/bonnie-coad/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61599074@N04/

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All pictures, videos and other media are used with written permission of Bonnie Coad, including all current or previous business affiliations related to same, or are available in the public domain (noting copyright and other restrictions, accordingly). No further reproduction or duplication is permitted without contacting the artist directly.

Some pictures have been modified slightly or combined only for the purpose of space limitations. In all cases, we invite you to visit the artist’s site(s) for more!