New artwork for Spirit of Adventure art collection
This year I was commissioned by SMC Art (London) and Saga Cruises to create two large scale diptychs for the artwork collection of the new cruise ship Spirit of Adventure. I was delighted to be included in the collection aiming to showcase the best in contemporary British art.
My artworks were to be exhibited in a striking interior of a living room among rich velvets, chenilles and woven textures, in a bright palette of coral and emerald. The brief was to create visually striking artworks inspired by the British natural heritage.
Through my own research, I chose the marine and coastal ecosystems as underlying themes for the artworks. The British marine ecosystem boasts a wide diversity of habitats and species, many of which are particularly rare and are therefore of international importance. The coastal ecosystem is one of the longest in Europe and its proximity has held a great cultural significance across the centuries. Both are interconnected and both are threatened…
The studio work had been taking place during the COVID pandemic and I was grateful to be able to work from my home studio in a conservatory, with plenty of natural light.
“Working on this scale was liberating and expressive and the experience has increased my confidence in creating riskier work.”
The scale of the artworks was bigger than what I had previously worked with, and this was one of the most exciting challenges of this commission. In order to ensure that the elements fit together in a balanced composition, I needed to adjust my creative process. For instance, normally I do not produce a sketch and the finished work is a result of both chance and continuous experimentation. Due to the size of this work, I had to start with a sketch, first on a small scale and then life-sized. The life-sized sketch was cut up and used as a reference while painting the individual elements.
The commission was a valuable learning experience, as I discovered new techniques and ways to manipulate ink to create unusual and striking patterns. Working on this scale was liberating and expressive and the experience has increased my confidence in creating riskier work. While working in the studio, I experienced moments of intense inspiration and the ideas for new work. For me, the best kind of creative inspiration is when it comes intristically from my own work.
“The result is a collection which is diverse, sometimes challenging but never boring… It will undoubtedly inspire comment, criticism and, hopefully, joy. ”
I am very pleased with the resulting artworks and delighted to have my work included in this specially curated collection that will be experienced by a large audience onboard of the ship that will sail in the beginning of 2021.
Finally, I would like to thank Jennie Drummond, Emmie Ratter and Megan Doran-Read of SMC Art who has been incredibly professional and a pleasure to work with.
