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Copyright of interview belongs to Ovenden
Contemporary (Art Promotions) Limited. Any
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rights are reserved.
(c) 2006 Ovenden Contemporary (Art Promotions)
Limited
Lesley Kelly Interview
OC: You were accepted on to our Art Promotion
Programme on the strength of your painting
portfolio, but you have an established career as
a Ceramic Artist. Tell us about
that.
LK: During my Creative Studies Course at Cambridge Regional College, my passion for ceramics began to grow again. I love making a series or a family of pots or vessels- one is simply not enough! I need my pots to be a successful resolution of my design, so my sketchbook and research are instrumental. My inspiration and ideas are taken from my environment and I am particularly drawn to pattern and texture. The forms are quite organic and the surface treatment compliments this. l feel that l still have many hours of experimenting to do with regard to the surface treatments though. Straight forward glazing is not enough for me. My work is personal and l have developed an individual style. l can now see the beginnings of my love for the aboriginal style in some of my earlier pieces.
LK: During my Creative Studies Course at Cambridge Regional College, my passion for ceramics began to grow again. I love making a series or a family of pots or vessels- one is simply not enough! I need my pots to be a successful resolution of my design, so my sketchbook and research are instrumental. My inspiration and ideas are taken from my environment and I am particularly drawn to pattern and texture. The forms are quite organic and the surface treatment compliments this. l feel that l still have many hours of experimenting to do with regard to the surface treatments though. Straight forward glazing is not enough for me. My work is personal and l have developed an individual style. l can now see the beginnings of my love for the aboriginal style in some of my earlier pieces.
OC: Are you still sat at your wheel on a regular
basis?
Yes, absolutely. In fact, I hope to develop a way of overlapping the painting and the pottery in future projects.
OC: So you are not intending to leave ceramics behind and move on to painting exclusively then? How would you imagine combining the two, overlapping as you say?
Yes, absolutely. In fact, I hope to develop a way of overlapping the painting and the pottery in future projects.
OC: So you are not intending to leave ceramics behind and move on to painting exclusively then? How would you imagine combining the two, overlapping as you say?
LK: Well, painting has now become as important to
me as my ceramics. l feel as though a door has
been opened for me. It's a new avenue for me, but
one l feel has been nurtured, without me
realising it, by my ceramic work. My ongoing
sketchbooks and my design work have also added to
that.
I have set myself two projects for the future. One will be a continuation of the 'Womanhood' series, the other will be a series of paintings of an archaeological site in my home town in Ireland. I am hoping to have sections of the painting in clay that will, in a way, use the clay as a canvas. This will, of course, be a totally new area for me but l would apply the same discipline to it as l have with my previous sketchbooks, ceramic pieces and paintings.
OC: Sounds exciting. Do you feel that your style demands an element of 3D?
LK: Oh, absolutely. I think it's evident in all my work.
OC: What's also very much in evidence, in the 'Womanhood' series, is the impact of a personal crisis of some kind. Can you tell us anything about that?
LK: Toughest question so far! (Pause). The impact of that time of my life, that turning point so to speak, has given me the chance to express myself through painting. l needed to evaluate and record the journey l had been on during my pregnancy. The aboriginal art gave me the inspiration to do this. I related to the sincerity and honesty of their stories, something l had not found in other paintings. I began to paint, each painting becoming stronger that the last, and its now something l do instinctively.
OC: So art is a form of auto-therapy for you?
LK: Definitely, it is a form of therapy that keeps the world at bay. It is incredibly satisfying when someone can relate to my work or, indeed, buys my work.
OC: Is it important to you that others can relate to our work? Do you need to feel like you are connecting with other people?
LK: Putting your work and yourself out there can be daunting but it is the next stage in the process for me. So when my work evokes a response, an interpretation, a connection, be it good or bad, it's brilliant. It has become a two way street. Where would we be if we could not relate or connect to each other?
I have set myself two projects for the future. One will be a continuation of the 'Womanhood' series, the other will be a series of paintings of an archaeological site in my home town in Ireland. I am hoping to have sections of the painting in clay that will, in a way, use the clay as a canvas. This will, of course, be a totally new area for me but l would apply the same discipline to it as l have with my previous sketchbooks, ceramic pieces and paintings.
OC: Sounds exciting. Do you feel that your style demands an element of 3D?
LK: Oh, absolutely. I think it's evident in all my work.
OC: What's also very much in evidence, in the 'Womanhood' series, is the impact of a personal crisis of some kind. Can you tell us anything about that?
LK: Toughest question so far! (Pause). The impact of that time of my life, that turning point so to speak, has given me the chance to express myself through painting. l needed to evaluate and record the journey l had been on during my pregnancy. The aboriginal art gave me the inspiration to do this. I related to the sincerity and honesty of their stories, something l had not found in other paintings. I began to paint, each painting becoming stronger that the last, and its now something l do instinctively.
OC: So art is a form of auto-therapy for you?
LK: Definitely, it is a form of therapy that keeps the world at bay. It is incredibly satisfying when someone can relate to my work or, indeed, buys my work.
OC: Is it important to you that others can relate to our work? Do you need to feel like you are connecting with other people?
LK: Putting your work and yourself out there can be daunting but it is the next stage in the process for me. So when my work evokes a response, an interpretation, a connection, be it good or bad, it's brilliant. It has become a two way street. Where would we be if we could not relate or connect to each other?
OC: Is it the responsibility of the Artist to
speak to their audience or is it the
responsibility of the audience to
hear?
LK: The history of art tells us that Artists have indeed taken on the responsibility of speaking to their audience. Masterpieces were painted because of it and entire movements have been founded upon that connection. And, in turn, their audience took on the responsibiliy of listening, recording and writing art history. The artist and audience cannot be separated, so for me the responsibility lies with both.
OC: Do you feel that 'connection of responsibility' with your ceramic work then?
LK: I approach my ceramic work in a different way, it tends to be more self indulgent. My pieces evolve through personal projects and technical design. However, l'm hoping the painting will bring the ceramic work to another level.
OC: So you have a fairly clear idea of how you are going to develop your work in the future. Is that sense of direction important to you? This all seems like a bit of a 'journey' for you?
LK: l guess it is. The idea develops and the journey begins, or vice versa.....that's what makes it so interesting for me.
OC: Well, thank you Lesley for talking to us. We can't wait to see how your work develops from here.
LK: The history of art tells us that Artists have indeed taken on the responsibility of speaking to their audience. Masterpieces were painted because of it and entire movements have been founded upon that connection. And, in turn, their audience took on the responsibiliy of listening, recording and writing art history. The artist and audience cannot be separated, so for me the responsibility lies with both.
OC: Do you feel that 'connection of responsibility' with your ceramic work then?
LK: I approach my ceramic work in a different way, it tends to be more self indulgent. My pieces evolve through personal projects and technical design. However, l'm hoping the painting will bring the ceramic work to another level.
OC: So you have a fairly clear idea of how you are going to develop your work in the future. Is that sense of direction important to you? This all seems like a bit of a 'journey' for you?
LK: l guess it is. The idea develops and the journey begins, or vice versa.....that's what makes it so interesting for me.
OC: Well, thank you Lesley for talking to us. We can't wait to see how your work develops from here.
