WAYNE TOMLINSON

 

WAYNE TOMLINSON

Painter- specialising in watercolour, acrylic and mixed medias

Cannock Forest Scape

Where did you study/ graduate?
 

Wayne graduated as a teacher and only recently became able to turn his hobby into a full time career. After a long career in education, as a teacher, lecturer, manager and of late an education advisor, as well as a much enjoyed time as a retained firefighter, I have realised my lifelong ambition of becoming a full time painter.

How would you define yourself as a painter? 

I work in watercolour, acrylics and my favourite favourite…mixed media, using paint, plaster, found objects and lots of energy! I like to work on big canvases.

Which other painters or artists inspire you or do you admire?

Edward Hopper, an American painter who creates seascapes

David Hockney, Degas and 20th century artists include John Napp'fisher a painter form Pembrokeshire and John Piper

How did you find out about opportunities like the Staffordshire Artist Cooperative?

He came across it quite by accident but had been visiting a number of local galleries, as he was wanting to display his work. He visited the village of Eccleshall and got chatting to Cathy Sumner in Gallery at 12, who metioned they were looking for more members. He pooped in a few weeks later to drop off some paintings for the group to view and decide whether theyd like Wayne to join..things just developed  from there...

What motivates you to produce your paintings?

Wild places inspire me, especially the sea when it crashes into the land. When buildings and ancient structures meet the landscape in dramatic settings, that’s where I am really inspired.

Lighthouses are a particular passion of mine. They stand majestically and with real purpose, often in a dramatic setting.

I spend as much time near or on the sea as I can. Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Yorkshire are favourite places.

Do your paintings have a signature style?

Some paintings posess a relief effect using mixed media and bits collected from the locations he visits, however he is trying to change his style and move away from the more representitive pieces and focus on abstract seascape scenes. His seascapes have a certain energy to them...

 

When visiting the sea, I try to collect interesting small objects, such as drift wood, glass and stones to enhance my larger pieces of work. I also collect containers of sand to embed, or add texture to my seascapes

 

Pentre Ifan, Mixed Media             Lighthouse at Caldey

http://www.waynetomlinson.co.uk/

KIM ROBINSON

KIM ROBINSON 
Wildlife artist/illustrator living and working in Staffordshire, recently started her  business in September 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When did you first become interested in this field of study?

I have always wanted a career involving art and had always liked the idea of working for myself. It was whilst studying my Foundation Degree in Illustration that I decided I wanted to work for myself as an artist, instead of becoming a freelance illustrator or working for someone else. I also explored the idea of becoming a Natural History illustrator but soon realised it was not the type of work I
wanted to do.

Began with artwork printed onto greetings cards but now has an extensive product range...

Where did you study/ graduate?

I studied at Stafford College for two years and graduated in 2010 with a Foundation Degree in Creative & Cultural Industries: Illustration. I then continued to study for a further year with Staffordshire University to gain my BA Hons Degree in Entrepreneurship for the Creative and Cultural Industries.

How would you define yourself as an artist?

I am a wildlife artist/illustrator and work in a loose style using pen & ink with watercolour.

Which other practitioners/ artists inspire you or do you admire?

There are many artists whom I admire but there are a few in particular who have inspired the way in which I now work.

John Busby – I love his sketchbook work and the way he manages to capture his subject with just a few lines, sometimes in fleeting moments. It’s this that I try to capture in my work - a sense of the moment.

Madeleine Floyd - I was taken with her work the moment I first saw it,  particularly her technique of using loose ink lines with washes of watercolour to represent her subject without painting every detail. I gave this method of working a try at University and instantly knew it was right for me and what I wanted to create in my work.

Sheila Gill – I shadowed Sheila during one of her workshops (for one of my modules at University) and was so inspired I booked myself onto one immediately after. The way Shelia uses and sees colour in her artworks is wonderful and enabled me to become freer with my use of colour and not to be restricted or exact, as is the style of my artwork.

What range of products do you sell?

I currently have a range of greetings cards and giftware, all of which are printed in my studio in Stoke-on-Trent. My giftware range consists of: aprons, tea towels, cushion covers, shopper bags and shoulder bags, all of which are printed using a heat press. I also sell mounted giclée prints of my artworks.

 

 

 

 

 

How do you promote your business? Is there any technique you’ve found works well?

I have found Twitter to be my best marketing tool and many opportunities have arisen through it, such as an article written in Staffs Newsletter, a commission and my work featured and sold through ‘Make the Most Of UK’, a website supporting artisans & their work.

What is the process you take to create your work?

I start by taking photographs whenever or wherever I can and have built up a good reference bank of images. I then use my photographs to sketch my chosen subject and once happy, I outline with a dipping pen and fixed ink. When dry I start adding watercolour. Although my work looks loose and done in just a few minutes, I do take time to build layers of colour.

MAX FIEDLER aka MEXER

Max Fiedler, aka Mexer is a freelance illustrator, animator and game-designer based in Düsseldorf, Germany. Since 2005 he is a lecturer at the Fachhochschule Düsseldorf, as well.

all images (c) Max Fiedler www.mexer.pigsell.com

How would you describe your work?

I work as a freelance illustrator, so the work resulting out of jobs are very diverse.
And thats what i love about the job, you never know what you will work on the next day.
And in what topic you will dive in to.

My illustrations are mostly hand drawings, processed with photoshop. I love to draw with pen on paper, but lately i'm sitting way to long in front of a screen. I love to tell stories, in a single illustration or in a comic.

JENNIFER COLLIER

She is a local textile artists that focuses on creating work from paper. She is based in Stafford, West Midlands.

Statement

"My practice focuses on creating work from paper; by bonding, waxing, trapping and stitching I produce unusual paper ‘fabrics’, which are used to explore the ‘remaking’ of household objects. The papers are treated as if cloth, with the main technique employed being stitch; a contemporary twist on traditional textiles. The papers themselves serve as both the inspiration and the media for my work, with the narrative of the books and papers suggesting the forms. I tend to find items then investigate a way in which they can be reused and transformed; giving new life to things that would otherwise go unloved or be thrown away."

MICHELLE RHEESTON-HUMPHREYS

A practicing visual artist, researcher, art lecturer and co-founder of (h)edge kelektiv, working with katrinka Wilson (Visual Artist and Researcher). She works on a number of projects, residencies and commissions.
Research Interests: liminality or in-betweeness, non-space/place, the material and indexical handmade, paradoxical realism, illusionistic images and objects, site-specific installation and intervention, notions of magic, wonder, narrative and performativity.

MOY MACKAY

A Scottish Based textile artist thats style is very delicate yet bold...

What is more important to you, the subject of the work or the way it is executed? 

Both to be honest. I have an idea, or image in my head or a photo of a place that is somehow special to me and then I try to recreate it using merino fibres as my paint. I strive to create something of the essence of my original idea/image but perhaps with a more ethereal quality. 

Do you have a University Degree? If so what course did you study and which university? 

I have a BA (Hons) in Design from Glasgow School of Art. I specialised in printed textiles. 

What environment do you find yourself working in the best? 

I work well from my Wasps studio in Selkirk. I have my own space within a huge old textile mill working alongside twelve other artists. It is good to have the buzz and company when you want it and equally have my own space where I can focus when working. 

What is your main inspiration?

Beautiful landscapes and skies which surround me in the beautiful Tweed Valley where I live in the Scottish Borders. Also love the west coast of Scotland and the Highlands. Anywhere I go where I see beauty is an inspiration to me. Colours inspire me, the sky inspires me... 

What advise would you give to a fresh graduate that wants to pursue a career like yours? 

Work within the industry; learn about marketing, selling, pr, advertising etc. I know so many talented artists who don’t have a clue about business. Sadly you need both to be able to create a business out of your passion. 

What motivates you to create your pieces? 

I constantly think myself very fortunate to be doing what I love doing, and make a living out of it. I have a real drive and passion for things that I find aesthetically pleasing and want to share that beauty with others. I love when somebody buys my work because they really want to live with it, rather than as an investment. 

Does failure motivate you? 

I come from a very hard working and positive family where failure has not been a word ever used. We are all very passionate about what we enjoy doing so guess we just get on and do it. Maybe the drive is an unconscious fear of failure now you ask, now you've got me thinking! 

Where do you feel your practice is going? 

Since I have shared my ideas openly in my first book I am now finding that what I do is no longer quite as unique. It is good to share something like this that brings pleasure to others. Again because of the book my work is not getting exposure to a much wider audience which has led to offers of teaching etc worldwide which is nice.  I am constantly trying to improve my technique and stay one step ahead. 

Did you ever think you wouldn't get this far? 

No!  I read a book a while back called 'Excuse me your life is waiting’, I believe you can achieve anything you want if you just believe you can. Quite simple really, it’s magic. 

Who is your favorite artist?

Well my dear uncle, John Prentice has always been a great inspiration. I don’t think I have one favorite artist; I admire some work by lots of different artists.  There was a Scottish artist called Joan Eardly whose work I have enjoyed most recently.

PAUL PICKARD

PAUL PICKARD

A professional photographer, based in Staffordshire with twenty years experience in the field.

When did you first become interested in this field of study?

When I had my first job, I worked in a planning department aged 19 and I bought a Russian film camera and started photography as a hobby, later converting a cupboard into a darkroom at my parents home

Where did you study photography?

I taught myself photography but later studied law for a short while in Sheffield – useful for a photojournalist

How would you describe/define yourself as a photographer?


I used to be a photojournalist - I now shoot a large range of types of photography so I guess a professional photographer is easiest label – do you have a better suggestion?

Which other photographers inspire you or do you admire?

Denis Thorpe was my first point of inspiration – He was a brilliant photographer on The Guardian  newspaper in Manchester, now retired. I actually take more of interest in paintings than photographs for inspiration but one photographer who stands out for me is Albert Watson.

How important is the quality of your equipment to your work?

It has become more and more important to have good quality equipment for a number of reasons, one being the advance in technology in ‘amateur’ level cameras and mobile phone cameras. I have shifted from using a selection of zoom lenses to using top range prime lenses in order to stand out from the crowd

Out of the many areas you have worked within- photojournalism, design/ad agencies, fashion houses, portraiture- which do you find most stimulating?

I find photographing things ‘as they happen’ the most stimulating as this plays to my strengths of observing and capturing the moment. I like to use available light and where possible make my photographs amusing as well as fulfilling the brief of the client

Is there a particular memorable shoot or key experience within your career?

I have had petrol bombs thrown at me in riots, that was quite memorable, I have witnessed the biggest mass murder in modern history when I photographed the dead bodies in Lockerbie after a plane was blown from the sky. I found dead bodies whilst covering a shooting in Hungerford, the gunman was still on the loose nearby. Just last week I have been working with film director Shane Meadows on The Stone Roses film. I once took Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, on work experience. I have also been fortunate enough to work with many well-known names in film, music and fashion – so being trusted by brilliant people is certainly a key experience I am proud of.