Cressida Fox
1. What part of the process of creating art do you like
best?
Letting my pen or brush 'take a walk' around the paper and
seeing what kind of character 'it' comes up with, then
using the mediums; laying down the colours; enjoying the
sensation of spreading and blending the paint, pastels or
pencils.
2.
What is your working environment like?
I
don't have a studio but as my works are usually on the
small side, the kitchen and lounge room tables usually
suffice.
3.
What kind of (formal & informal) art training have you
had?
Majoring in art and ceramics
during a year and a half at teachers' college; CAE classes
in drawing, painting and photography.
4. How
has your art training affected the kind of art you produce?
In
painting I learnt how to mix more colours than brown and
grey, and the drawing tutor expressed surprise that I was
there because I drew better than he did. The kinds of art I
produce now are very different to what I did in college and
classes.
5.
Name some important influences and inspirations in your art
career.
Joining CAS, meeting people who
successfully drew and painted in ways I had not seen before
or thought of trying, such as drawing quick and loose and
letting your imagination run riot along with the line.
Robert Lee showed me how to take the line for a walk and
give fun and expressiveness my work. This got me away from
the cutesy cat and horse portraits I had been painstakingly
copying from photos at the time.
6.
What has been the most difficult thing you have encountered
in your work?
Knowing which drawings to
persevere with and which ones ought to be discarded. Time
management and rushing to finish works too close to a
deadline. Using a mat cutter. Selling works. Removing
Araldyte from a bedspread and wax from carpet. Convincing
some people that you draw the way you do because you can.
7.
Have there been major turning points in your art career?
Discovering that I could do
more than portraiture. Using art to convey ideas and
satirical comments instead of pretty pictures. Selling
artworks to strangers.
8.
What has been the highlight of your art career?
Winning prizes and
commendations in CAS shows and the Mornington Peninsula
Regional Gallery National Works on Paper exhibition.
Designing a badge for The Phoenix Club, a non-profit
organization which raises funds for education programs for
underpriveleged youth.
Caption:
Nature
Studies 1 - Dialogue by
Moonlight, Mixed Media, 45 x 52 cm
by Cressida Fox