Sue Guthrie
Sue Gutherie
History and background
Friends have often commented that when I speak about my upbringing that it sounds idyllic, and I believe it was. Firstly living in a small village in Buckinghamshire, surrounded by fields and woods and given as much freedom as a chid could hope for (I doubt if it would happen now). Then, secondly, moving to a small village in Essex, a much aligned and beautiful county. I enrolled to do an art foundation course and that summer my mum took me to the Tate as Id never been to a gallery before. I loved my foundation course, it was like being back at play school, we had so much fun.
My tutors suggested I should apply to Leicester for my degree, because I was so shy and shy students had previously been accepted at Leicester. I had a great time and worked in many media and methods including making a raft to install a painting partially submerged under a canal bridge.
I then moved to Colchester. My first studio was on a working pig farm, the second in an old apple barn from which you could see the sea and on a hot day we would jump in the car and go for a cool off at Mersea Island. During this time I tried my hand at teaching. Not for me. I exhibited and did various freelance work.
I then took a full time MA in Birmingham. Wonderful to be a full time student again. In the following years I exhibited and worked freelance as a muralist. I loved this work, travelling the length and breadth of the country, painting huge murals for hotels, bars, nightclubs etc. one week painting classical figures, the next, imaginary u.v. landscapes. It was something of a baptism of fire. One day I arrived on a building site with a spray gun and a compressor (watched by 10+ builders) and not a clue how they worked. Needless to say I learned a lot during that time, including how to erect scaffolding and operate a scissor lift (which incidentally the hire man didnt want to train us for because we were women).
The appeal of travelling and B&Bs didnt last that long and I missed home cooking too much. Soon I started working collaboratively with a good friend. We produced paintings to commission and got to work on some really exciting projects for corporate offices and many of the major bar and hotel chains. It was hard work and we used to gauge our work load by the number of degree shows we had to complete by the end of the month. The largest painting we produced was a huge 5 x 4 metres and I was nearly four months pregnant, having to climb the scaffold tower to help install it. Since the birth of my daughter Ive been working on a much smaller scale from a studio at home.
Ideas and inspiration
I always find the question of where you get your ideas to be a slightly odd one, and in trying to explain my work, I almost feel as though I am trying to excuse myself. Perhaps because I dont like speaking about my work and perhaps because the question is slightly at odds with the way that ideas evolve. But it seams to be universally true that whatever ideas formed the basis for a piece they start to sound either silly or dull when articulated. Painting is a visual language and for some of us its best left that way.
If ever I take a short break from painting I find myself in a bit of a panic when I return to the studio. The reason for this being that my main inspiration comes from the act of creating the work. It is a contemplative activity and ideas evolve through the act of creating, the main problem is to decide which to follow through.
I draw on all kinds of experience when painting, emotional, visual, physical. Randomness in nature always fascinates me, the way that things cluster and spread, the relationships between groupings and individuals. Having spent my formative years in the country and now living in the city, the horizontals and verticals of the built environment are having a huge impact on my work. My antidote to this, however is just around the corner and I spend a lot of time wondering round Edgbaston reservoir. The way that we experience nature also impacts on my work, and I have become increasingly aware of the frequency with which I am viewing thelandscape from my car. Impressions of speed and a nostalgia for the time when I grew up may also be attributable to this.
Palette to picture
I dont think I have ever managed to create the painting that I intended at the outset. Too many things happen on the way. Sometimes I will have a very basic sketch and a mental image of the colour relationships that I plan using, but so much changes as you work. It is important to me not to be too precious about anything. To be prepared to let go of ideas, or to destroy the most successful part of a painting in order to let it move forward as a whole. Perhaps most of all to go with the flow, to respond to the unexpected things that bring a painting to life. Very often it is the most troublesome paintings that become the most successful, they require more drastic measures and lead to new ideas.
Usually I have several paintings that I am working on at any one time. It is the only way I can prevent my impatience from ruining them. The paintings tend to built up in layers which bring a richness and depth to the work. Acrylics suit the way I work, I just dont have the patience for oils.
My visual references come from my own photographs. Sometimes if I am working very large scale I will mock up a sketch on the computer to prevent large scale mistakes. This in turn can be a great source of inspiration, but nothing can replace the physical presence of paint or the joy of mixing colour.
A day in the life
Usually we are up anytime between 5.30 and 7am according to the whim of my daughter, who has yet to realise that sleep is a precious and enriching part of life. Depending on how many times shes had me up in the night, I either sing her down to breakfast, or slump down in the sofa and pretend to be asleep again.
After walking her to nursery I am in the studio any time between 8.00 and 9.00. Fruit teas, dark chocolate and good tunes punctuate my work time. I dont really take breaks, I always think, Ill just do this, when Ive finished that and then before Ive stopped Ive started something else. At 12.25 I throw my brushes into a bucket, rip off my painting clothes, pull on some clean jeans and sprint to the nursery, sweating and panting, to collect Jessica.
We come home for lunch and then either go for an outing or if I feel brave we do painting. This is such an emotionally charged activity you would not believe it at her age. She takes it so seriously and it makes me laugh to compare the way we both work. Im sure Im learning from her.
My partner is usually home quite early and we all eat together. Once Jessica is in bed and if I dont go to do a little more work I will usually sneak away at some point and stare at what I did that morning. I dont know what the staring achieves but it seams an important part of the working process.
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