What this artist does all day...

In tribute to the excellent BBC4 programme What Do Artists Do All Day we have got an occasional feature on our blog looking at what the artists we know do with their days...it's often not quite what people expect. 
Today we're starting with in-house artist Ian Scott Massie. Scott is particularly interested in portraying the personality of a landscape in paint or screen print  He's influenced by artists such as Paul Nash, John Piper as well as poets and songwriters. He also collects stories and folklore about places as well as writing poetry. You'll find these writings and art juxtaposed in his books. As well as supplying work to a small number of galleries he tends to work on larger scale projects that often include writing and organising exhibition tours.

MG: When does your working day start and end?
ISM: I often start the day very early - I’m a classic lark! I find I’m most inspired in the mornings. A couple of cups of Earl Grey and I’m ready to go, brain fizzing and fingers itching to get to work.
Sometimes I finish as early as 3.30- 4pm and go on and do other things
MG: When/how do you take breaks?
ISM: The day is punctuated by tea breaks, and when my batteries are running low, accessorised with cake. I like baking, and like eating the results!



​Photo Steve Christian

MG:What is your favourite kind of day as an artist?

ISM: My favourite days are when I’m beginning work on a new exhibition. But I don’t always leap in action, brush in hand. I’ll kick off the day with a session of yoga in the garden or, even better, a set of tennis with a friend.

If I’m travelling, which is one of the great pleasures of being a landscape artist, I like to get to locations early. If there’s nobody about, particularly if I’m visiting somewhere touristy, I have more freedom. I can find the best angle by climbing on a wall, standing under a bridge or, occasionally, blagging my way into somewhere private with a great view.

This kind of research is tiring but, fortunately, over the years I’ve developed a sixth sense for finding a decent cup of tea.

If I’m working in the studio I like to warm up by painting a few possible beginnings for pictures. They may evolve into something, but often they’re just a way of getting into gear. That done, I’ll draw for a while, getting to know the subject I’m thinking of painting and then I’ll tape some watercolour paper to a board, paint the sky and leave it to dry.

Music is very important to me (I trained as a musician) and it really affects how I work. A late Beethoven string quartet is a great accompaniment for a complex piece of architecture but, if its a lively, expressive landscape the Beatles, Stones or Bob Dylan usually seem to help the work along.

Sometime in the afternoon I’ll knock off and take a walk round the market place outside or further afield and then have a cuppa with Josie (my wife and owner of Masham Gallery). 

The evening often involves some red wine and I’ll sometimes read about somewhere I’m researching, usually with a cat on my lap. I love to find legends about my subjects - it often adds another of meaning layer to the picture. Then  its early to bed and up with the lark again!

On location at Hackfall and the river Ure. Photos by Charlotte Cornish

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MG: What marks a successful day?
ISM: A day when either a good painting gets painted to a day when a good story gets written. I can throw out up to 75% of my paintings (often you'll find originals painted on both sides). Making an exhibition is like creating a building. You work away shaping the individual components - the paintings, prints and book - and then finally see the whole thing. So that is also a moment of huge satisfaction.

MG: How does the place you work influence you if at all?
ISM: My studio is a haven of creation, sitting on top of an old house in Masham. The town itself is a constant source of inspiration - small, old and beautiful. If I need a break there's nothing quite like walking the fields around Masham, watching the light and the land to restore the spirit.

​Photo Steve Christian

See Scott's work on his pages here.