What would you love to draw/paint but haven’t yet?
I would love to explore abstract landscapes. We love to go camping as a young family and have travelled quite a lot this summer - from the beautiful South Downs to Yosemite. The feeling of being fully immersed in nature in such powerful and vulnerable landscapes has been on my mind to try and capture ever since.
Tell us about your favourite medium…has it changed over the years?
Oil paint has been my favourite medium, it never seems to not intrigue me in the 100’s of different ways it can be used. I have experimented with all different types of materials but I seem to always go back [to oils].
Who are your biggest artistic influences?
As a self taught artist I have had many artistic influences...and enough art books to fill a library! But at the moment, it's Turner. Recently moving house, I found a box of things that belonged to my late father. On the top was a book called ‘Turner at the Tate’. The beautiful atmospheric backgrounds and the allure of a story has completely captivated me. I feel a huge warmth from the thought of my Dad walking around the exhibition alongside these paintings too. One of the best books I’ve read.
What's the best piece of advice you have been given?
To stay disciplined and consistent. Recognise what feeling you’re trying to remember and capture. One of the books I have learnt the most about painting from is “Alla Prima II’ by Richard Schmidt - especially as a young artist it really helped to me to set a standard and build a solid base for my own foundation to grow from. I really recommend it for anyone exploring oil paint.
What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?
Knowing when to stop! It is the challenge and complexity of painting that I absolutely love, and seeing an idea come to fruition is so satisfying. But realising that actually [the painting] was better before, or changing the painting and wishing you hadn’t, can be so frustrating and effect your confidence. My recent collection of work has proved to be my most challenging yet. Using very expressive bold brushstrokes, leaves no room for errors or hesitation as you may only have one attempt to get it right! I would say the biggest challenge of being an artist is that it affects our life is financially - it can be hard to predict a fluctuating income. But also time management. Believing in ideas that need a huge amount of time and energy just to explore, can challenge your confidence when you prioritise this over other projects and day to day life.
Check out Josie's collection of limited edition prints and original paintings on our online gallery.
