'Sailing By' (acrylic on canvas, 20”x30”)
With a solo exhibition opening at Russell Gallery on 31 October, we are delighted that NEAC member artist Jenny Wheatley found time to share the stories behind her paintings and the "memories, tastes and smells" of the places that inspired them...
"Some people seem to say and do little but come up with the most eloquent of words or images when they have worked it all out. Others seem to say and do a lot and somewhere the sentiments and images emerge from within. While very much in awe of those silent thinkers, I fall into the second category and flail about adding and subtracting things until something starts to make sense.
Over the years since I left art school, I have exhibited and painted constantly and initially (well, probably for about the first 15 years!) I worked solely from direct observation just trying to learn the skills that would enable me to more readily say the things I wanted to say.
'Beside the Seaside' (acrylic on canvas, 28”x36”)
There came a seminal moment when what I wanted to paint was impossible from where I would have to sit to do so, and my desire to make an image of the subject was so great and so clear to me that I had to work away from the subject. Suddenly a whole new world opened up to me.
Now I draw and paint in situ but these paintings tend to be more analytical pieces that are just trying to work it out. My more substantial paintings come from time away from the subject and time spent condensing the memory, taste and smell of the place – the essence of place and the way I feel about it.
'Rural Life' (sketchbook pencil study)
Some of my happiest and most useful sketchbook images would probably mean nothing at all to anyone else, but they immediately take me back to that essence of place and the reason why I remember it and want to paint it.
A couple of my more recent painting trips have produced work that I think has evolved from just painting what was there, to painting what I remember was there, which is a much more intense feeling – rather like reducing a sauce in a complex meal to try to achieve a more intense flavour.
'Neighbouring Properties' (watercolour and collage, 25”x30”)
When travelling in Rajasthan a couple of years ago (not for the first time) I used my sketchbook and my trusty propelling pencil which meant I didn’t have to keep stopping to sharpen it, guaranteeing a constant and particular line.
I drew as I walked and things passed me by, as I drove and the landscape and towns slowly changed and I had to sum up the shapes and patterns succinctly and speedily. I wrote notes, titles and phrases that summed up my feeling as I was experiencing the imagery, and I tried to absorb the smells, sounds, colours and atmosphere as I went along.
'Market Day' (acrylic on canvas, 36”x48”)
On my return I spent time making notes and compositions that I wanted to explore. After everything had settled a bit and my experience had condensed as a result of time spent away from the trip, I started to paint in various media, after closing my eyes to envisage the place and the assault on the senses that Rajasthan presents.
'The Haveli and the Tower' (watercolour and collage, 22”x31”)
I approached my recent and first trip to the Nile in a similar way, but this time I had no previous experience of the place and wasn’t sure how much painting material I would glean from the trip, although I knew I would enjoy it as a life experience if nothing else.
It was probably the first time I had travelled somewhere that I was approaching with no painting expectations and no thought that I might produce a certain number, or indeed any, paintings as a result. How wrong I was!
'The Enchanted Forest' (watercolour and collage, 22”x31”)
Everything fell into place. I had been doing a series of paintings and collages of some hidden private gardens in Cornwall that evoked a sense of calm, mystery, peace and magic on anyone who visited them.
Again, painting first on the spot and then creating composite paintings that summed up what I considered the ‘best bits’ of the structure of the grounds and their history. As soon as I started looking at Egypt, I could see the similarities to the way I had been painting echoes of the history of the Cornish garden, so I was in the frame of mind to be very easily receptive to the imagery of the Nile.
'A Hint of Gold' (watercolour and collage, 22”x31”)
While loving the ancient sites I had no interest in painting them. However, their wonderful hieroglyphs and fresco images that had stood for millennia and which depicted life on the Nile in ancient times seemed to echo life in the rural areas of the Nile that we passed, almost as though no time had passed at all.
Similar activities were still performed, similar animals and agricultural tools and techniques were still employed and the world in so many ways seemed completely unchanged. The images seemed to echo the myths and legends of ancient Egypt, and my pencil flew through the pages as we passed farming and fishing areas on the river, the wildlife and mystical glow of soft colours where Egyptian Gods seemed to hover. It was overwhelming.
Study, riverbank, pencil
On my return I painted composites again from my sketchbooks – from the buildings and landscape along the way, from the children waving furiously on the riverbanks with what looked like huge outspread hands, and from the birds, animals and fish that were depicted in the tombs.
From this trip I have stuck to watercolour and collage as that medium seems to have more of the ethereal qualities that I feel are most relevant to the subject. At the moment, oil or acrylic would seem too solid and static for the Nile which seemed to just breathe onto the paper. Some of the Indian images I feel can take the more static handling of oil and acrylic as they sometimes have a more slabby feel that verges on printed imagery.
Left: Carvings of papyrus, tomb; Right: Frescos and hieroglyphs (photos)
I think the Egyptian images will progress and will surely evolve as my memories from the trip become more removed from reality and more intense, and I certainly hope to return there next year or the year after to see how a second personal experience of the area shapes my reactions, so watch this space . . .
The wonderful thing about painting is that it is never finished, never completely resolved, and the more one learns and puts things on paper or canvas the more questions crop up – a bit like life in general, I guess.
'Harvest' (watercolour and collage, 22”x31”)
Do visit my forthcoming solo show to see the paintings for yourself - India, Cornwall, Egypt and beyond. The exhibition is at Russell Gallery in Putney from 31 October to 23 November (Tuesdays to Saturdays). I will be there on 31 October (5-8pm) before I fly back to Rajasthan to look in detail at the Shekhawati district of Rajasthan and their wonderful, crumbling haveli and fabulous frescos."
Click here to find out more about Jenny Wheatley's forthcoming solo exhibition. You can also find out more about Jenny on her NEAC artist profile page where you can view a further selection of her paintings, many of which are available to buy online.
'Timeless Landscape' (watercolour and collage, 22”x31")
