Lindsey Carr interview

Lindsey Carr will be joining Above Second for “Trailblazers” February 28 – March 30 curated by Coates & Scarry.  Here’s an interview she did with the curators!

Q: You currently live in Scotland but where in the world are you  originally from?

I was born in Birkenhead and then raised in Ormskirk; both of them are located around the Liverpool area of England. It’s very similar culturally to Glasgow (which is where I live now).

Q: Did you go to Art School?

No. I thought about it but I ended up being offered a job in Design and I really couldn’t turn it down financially at the time. I didn’t paint for about 10 years – it took moving to Scotland to turn things around.  If I’m honest I don’t think I would go now if I had the choice. British Art Schools tend to glorify concept over skill – resulting in work which (to me) seems rather glib and depressing.  I’d rather my taxes went into sending young artists to the private ateliers which are springing up around Europe.

Q: You have recently been in the USA launching your new solo show, can you tell us a bit about your time there?

I loved the US, there’s such a rich representational artistic scene going on at the moment. It was great to meet other artists – get to see their work and talk about their processes. It also helped that Thinkspace Gallery are such generous and professional people.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

I’m working on a show for  Roq La Rue in April which I’m pretty excited about  – it’s been on my wish-list for years. It overlaps with a project I’m working on called the Unseen Bestiary ( http://www.unseenbestiary.com/) which involves portraying animals and plants I’ve never seen.

Q: What methods and tools do you use the most in creating your artwork?

I use water-based paints on paper. I tend to work very thinly, building images gradually through layering.

Q: Which mediums do enjoy working with the most and why?

I use acrylic inks. You can work them like watercolours but you don’t have the problem of them lifting (as you do with watercolours).

Q: Are there any other mediums you would like to work in?

I’ve worked in oils before and would like to use them again in the future. I love the richness and lustre but at the moment the drying times are a major stumbling block for me.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration and source material from?

I’ve got a lot of books and richly illustrated portfolios of natural history prints. I practically bankrupted myself on some of them. As regards the moral background to my work recently – I like the philosopher Mary Midgley’s writings. I picked up one of her books a couple of years ago and it felt like it crystallised many of my very half-baked thoughts.

Q: The natural world is a key theme in your artwork, what attracts you the most about this subject matter?

Well, I’ve always been an animal lover but animals naturally make great subjects for human topics. There’s a whole host of reasons why that should be the case but it might be better if I just re-suggest Midgley’s writings to you. She says it better than I ever could.

Q: How would you describe the relationship between your art work and its frame?

The work is meant to look like a relic and the frames often have a ruined grandeur about them which helps with the effect. In the next series of paintings the frames will take a back-seat. I was afraid it was becoming a bit gimmicky.

Q: What or who are your main influences in your work/life?

I’m fascinated by the golden age of natural history illustration. My favourite works are the paintings in the John Reeves collection but I also love Audubon, Pierre-Joseph Redoute, Robert Thornton, Albrecht Durer, Mrs. Delany, William Bartram, Frans Snyders, Hiroshige, Ito Jakuchu…and many others. The work of contemporary artists referencing the natural world is also very inspirational – the likes of Josh Keyes, Walton Ford, Tricia Cline, Caitlin Hackett, Martin Wittfooth, Jessica Joslin, Tiffany Bozic etc.

Q: What does your working space look like?

It’s messy, disorganised, full of books, plasticine models and fake flowers!

Q: Where do you sell your work?

I usually sell through galleries or fairs. Primarily Thinkspace in the US and Imagine Gallery in the UK.

Q: When you are not creating new artwork, what do you do to relax?

I get too uptight if I relax.

Q: You have said before, in other interviews, that you are an avid reader, what are your current top 5 best reads?

My all time favourite read is Lolita by Nabakov. If you haven’t read it and have assumptions about its content I urge you to give it a try. It’s quite astonishing writing. Beast and Man by Mary Midgely The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter The stories of Alan Garner The ‘Life on Earth’ books by David Attenborough

Q: What does your ideal day look like?

Very long!

Q: If you could have or do anything in the world, what would it be?

I’d sail up the Pearl River in a Chinese junk