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Latest work from Sally Shrubsall, Artist of the Week

Sally's latest large scale oil painting

Thanks for this image Sally - it's great to see new work!


To see more of Sally's work, and to buy any original pieces or prints, visit her Shed Profile. 

Time Out in the Shed: a cup of Tea with Sally Shrubsall, our Artist of the Week

Sally Shrubsall, our Artist of the Week, shares a bit more about her relationship with painting, and what drives her work as she answers our questions over a cuppa...

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Sally Shrubsall

1.What first drew you to painting?

I don't remember any one event or experience. It just crept up on me. I realized that most of the work that I responded to was painting and this whilst studying on a course that seemed very conceptual and rather discouraging of painting at the time. It seemed like you needed to be able to paint when you started, or you weren't encouraged. This was St Martin's ten years or so ago. I was very lucky to have Mario Rossi the painter as a tutor in my final year. That got me properly started.

2. What is your favourite artistic memory and why? 

I organised a group exhibition for my studios about 8 years ago and my daughter sang at the private view. I enjoyed the sense of artistic community.

Screen 1, Oil on Canvas

Sally Shrubsall

3. Which painters do you most appreciate and why? 

I love processy, muscular, abstract  painters like Cy Twombly, Anselm Kiefer, Tapies and the later, more abstract works of Gerhart Richter. Unfortunately they are all blokes, but I also love Tracy Emin's drawing and painting,  I find it visceral and poignant.

4. What would be in your ideal art box and where would you take it?

I would have liquin, a few well chosen oil colours that worked as a palette, a few gloss sponge rollers, rags, a spray with white spirit in it, and a large piece of thin, gessoed aluminium sanded very smooth.  I would take it to my studio as I am far too messy to work any where else!

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Sally Shrubsall

5.Tell us what you most enjoy about your own work and what has inspired you recently. 

I spend quite a lot of time preparing , i.e. sanding down surfaces so that they are very smooth, working out the palette, so when I come to apply the paint with rollers and spray it , its exciting and even more so when I can see that its working. The downside is that it can  easily go wrong, the composition isn't right or for some inexplicable reason the paint doesn't behave in the expected way, and that means time and energy wasted. I try to be philosophical!

6.Do you have bursts of creativity, if so when/where are you most creative?

My 'bursts' of creativity tend to occur when I have been working on an idea for a while, experimenting and making notes, plodding on  and then I 'get it' and I make a rapid series or 'batch' of work as a result, making sure that I have enough fresh canvases so that I can work on a number at the same time. My inspiration comes from the process itself rather than from anything in my environment.

Screen 2, Oil on Canvas

Sally Shrubsall

7. What for you are the most important elements in a painting?

At the moment, colour, and a sense of drama.

8. Tell us your favorite piece of work, either your own or somebody else's. 

Gerhart Richter, Abstract Painting 2009 oil on canvas. I saw a series of these enormous paintings at his retrospective at Tate Modern recently. There is a wonderful suggestion of depth through layers of paint and the evidence of the processes used is very seductive, along with the fabulous muted colours, mostly white. I also watched a video of Richter creating these pieces which I found very exciting - more process!!

To see more of Sally's work, and to buy originals or prints of it, please visit her Shed Profile. And, as ever, feedback is always appreciated by our Shed Creatives - so do comment on here and share your thoughts with Sally!

Artist of the Week: Sally Shrubsall

Ghost 1 Photogram on Photographic Paper

Sally Shrubsall

Meet Sally Shrubsall, our Artist of the Week! Previously an arts therapist and lecturer, Sally now works as an artist, combining old fashioned photographic techniques with painting on various mediums. Sally draws much of her inspiration from the work of Carl Jung, and recurring themes in her work include depth, submergence and obscurity, and the related metaphors of the ocean and bodies of water. 


We'll be hearing from Sally throughout this week - but in the meantime here is a selection of work from her Shed Portfolio! To see more of her work, and to read more about Sally's background, do visit her Shed Profile, where all her work is also for sale.

Rolled Image Oil on Canvas

Sally Shrubsall

Screen 2 Oil on Canvas

Sally Shrubsall

Screen 8 Oil on Aluminium

Sally Shrubsall

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Sally Shrubsall

Matt Sowter, our Artist of the Week, reflects on the work of other Shed Creatives

Marisa lopez

Among all her great photos I particularly love "faded hull". Those colours have a calming effect on me and I adore faded patina. I would have sniffed it if i were there, wood warmed by the sun, heaven        

Faded Hull, Essaouria, Morocco

Marisa Lopez

Charles Hallsworth

I love the image "somewhere": very haunting, reminds me of "the blair witch"! Coool how did you achieve this Charles? 

Somewhere
Charles Hallsworth

Quinton Smith 
I also love the image "love me" - a smile inducing picture you could never get tired of looking at  

Somewhere
Quinton Smith

Ana de Lima 
I love the quirky nature of her work,very stylish. My favourite is "No entran moscas" - love it!!  

No entran Moscas
Ana de Lima

- Thanks for this Matt, and for all of your contributions this week! To see more of Matt's own work, please do visit his Shed Profile, and feel free to leave your own comments/feedback for him on here! 

Time Out in the Shed: a cup of Tea with Matt Sowter, our Artist of the Week

We caught up with Artist of the Week Matt Sowter, to find out a bit more about what lights his fire as a photographer. Enjoy!    

Fuzzy Lanterns

Matt Sowter

1. What first drew you to photography?      

My father gave me an old "Topcon" SLR which I took to France on a school trip 

2. What is your favourite photographic memory, and why? 

This was when I visited a small village in Laos, within five minutes I took my two favourite pictures, one of two monks walking down the street lined with market traders and a karst limestone cliff in the foreground, the other of a local guy burning the scales of a monitor lizard over a wood fire.

3. Who is your favourite photographer, and why? 

I'm not sure who is my favourite but I do love black and white street photography that captures people/unusual settings or subjects unposed and natural.

Bagus
Matt Sowter

4. What would be your ideal camera, and where would you take it? 

I have heard good things about the new fuji x pro 1, small but well made,ideal for travel(however its 2k so will have to wait few years!),I currently use a Lumix gf1 I have found adapting to using a single fixed focal length 20mm lens for all my pictures has made me think more carefully about composition.

5. Tell us what you enjoy most about your own work, and what has inspired you recently.

I enjoy taking photos of unusual subjects, markets are are particular favourite, finding a local fish market with crazy tropical fish is my heaven, although, sometimes challenging, with lack of natural light. My recent trip to the wonderful market in Barcelona was amazing, but the fluorescent lighting seemed to confuse my camera and results were disappointing.

Tomatoes
Matt Sowter

6. Do you have bursts of creativity - and when/where are you most creative?

Asia in general really, it has everything!!

7. What are the most important elements of a successful photo?

For me its taking a unique photo that really captures the imagination and can take you to that place, for the viewer to wonder what that place would have ben like if they were there, not just the sight but the smells, sounds and tastes as well. (which is why stinky markets  are my favourite place to be).

8. Tell us about your favourite photograph, either your own or someone else's, and please send us a copy if you have one!

My fav recent photo is the tuna head being sliced open, titled "Not tonight love" ha ha...but my all time fav has to be the monitor lizard which I have on old 35mm negative, I will try and get it scanned and send it to The Shed!

Matt's favourite Pic!Not Tonight Love, I have a Splitting Headache
Matt Sowter

You can see more of Matt's work on his Shed Profile, where all his images are for sale! 

Artist of the Week: Matt Sowter

Fish Market Flores

Matt Sowter

Meet Matt Sowter, our Artist of the Week! Matt is currently based in Somerset. He loves to travel, and explore places that really stimulate his senses, seeking to capture the memory of smells, sounds and sensations within a photograph.


We'll be hearing from Matt throughout this week, and in the meantime here is a small selection of his work for you to enjoy.

Fallen Idol, Calcutta

Matt Sowter

Frangipani

Matt Sowter

Gilli

Matt Sowter

To see more of Matt's work, please visit his Shed Profile, where all his images are for sale!