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Charlotte Morrison
Charlotte is a ceramicist from the Yorkshire Dales and works from her home near Masham. She makes hand built ceramics using porcelain & stoneware clays, to create both functional and decorative items. She uses slab building and slip casting methods, before glazing and applying textures and patterns to her work by hand. These time-consuming methods mean that every single piece of Charlotte's work is unique. The inspiration for her work comes from items she collects, nature & the surrounding landscape. She transfers what she sees and collects into imagery & pattern to decorate her ceramics.
MG: When and how does your working day start?
CM: I’m not a morning person but I always push myself to be in the studio around 9. I certainly prefer working in the afternoon and evening. I must always start the day with a good cuppa tea or two.
MG: When and how does your working day start?
CM: I’m not a morning person but I always push myself to be in the studio around 9. I certainly prefer working in the afternoon and evening. I must always start the day with a good cuppa tea or two.
MG: When/how do you take breaks?
CM: Regular tea breaks through the day and, if I've got time, I like to head out in the morning for a walk to start the day.
CM: Regular tea breaks through the day and, if I've got time, I like to head out in the morning for a walk to start the day.
MG: When is your favourite time of day to create?
CM: Afternoons and evenings I feel most creative. As I'm not a morning person I find it takes me till then to wind up into the day and feel I'm most productive and creative then.
CM: Afternoons and evenings I feel most creative. As I'm not a morning person I find it takes me till then to wind up into the day and feel I'm most productive and creative then.
MG: Does your daily rhythm change with the seasons?
CM: Yes, early on in the year is a restful, but creative, time after the busy Christmas period. Late spring is a hive of activity in the studio preparing for shows starting in late Spring/Summer. This generally continues through until winter and only calms again come December.
CM: Yes, early on in the year is a restful, but creative, time after the busy Christmas period. Late spring is a hive of activity in the studio preparing for shows starting in late Spring/Summer. This generally continues through until winter and only calms again come December.
MG: What makes a good day?
CM: Handbuilding around 15 -20 pots. A good glaze firing with not too many cracked pots or seconds.
CM: Handbuilding around 15 -20 pots. A good glaze firing with not too many cracked pots or seconds.
MG: What couldn’t you live without in your studio?
CM: The basics for me that I couldn't live without would be porcelain clay and my trusty oversized rolling pin.
CM: The basics for me that I couldn't live without would be porcelain clay and my trusty oversized rolling pin.
MG: Where do you find inspiration?
CM: I find inspiration from nature and landscape around me, places like Hackfall Woods.
CM: I find inspiration from nature and landscape around me, places like Hackfall Woods.
MG:How does the place you work in influence you, if at all?
CM: I work from my garage and home, a little place in Aiskew near Bedale. It has a small but delightful garden which backs onto peaceful fields and a group of trees used as a rookery. The feeling of bine enclosed by nature and not overlooked by houses is very important to me and comes through in my work. For example, the Rookery set I make is inspired by the trees around my current home and my meadow pattern pieces are inspired by the fields around my childhood home near Masham.
CM: I work from my garage and home, a little place in Aiskew near Bedale. It has a small but delightful garden which backs onto peaceful fields and a group of trees used as a rookery. The feeling of bine enclosed by nature and not overlooked by houses is very important to me and comes through in my work. For example, the Rookery set I make is inspired by the trees around my current home and my meadow pattern pieces are inspired by the fields around my childhood home near Masham.
MG: How do you end your day?
CM: Gardening, walking or a glass of something, or perhaps another cuppa tea.
CM: Gardening, walking or a glass of something, or perhaps another cuppa tea.
MG: Thank you very much Charlotte for sharing your day with us.
You can check out Charlotte's work in our A Particular Place Exhibition.
You can check out Charlotte's work in our A Particular Place Exhibition.
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Pam Grimmond
We are back this month with a bonus edition of 'What This Artist Does All Day' to shine a spotlight on another fantastic artist from our current A Particular Place exhibition, which runs until September 8th. This time we step into the daily world of Pam Grimmond, a North Yorkshire based printmaker whose intricate linocuts draw on the quiet details of everyday life - birds, buildings and the landscapes she walks through daily.
MG: When does your working day start and end?
PG: My first thought when I saw this question is that it’s not a 9 – 5 job! Then I remembered a quote I’d seen recently about being an artist is part of your identity, rather than simply your profession, and I thought, Yes, it’s who I am as much as what I do! So, in a way, what I’m trying to do is to define my working day. I’m thinking about my work all the time but the nitty gritty bit comes when I’m actually sitting at my desk upstairs in my studio, drawing or cutting a block ready for printing, or else downstairs at my printing press, actually printing!
MG: When does your working day start and end?
PG: My first thought when I saw this question is that it’s not a 9 – 5 job! Then I remembered a quote I’d seen recently about being an artist is part of your identity, rather than simply your profession, and I thought, Yes, it’s who I am as much as what I do! So, in a way, what I’m trying to do is to define my working day. I’m thinking about my work all the time but the nitty gritty bit comes when I’m actually sitting at my desk upstairs in my studio, drawing or cutting a block ready for printing, or else downstairs at my printing press, actually printing!
MG: What is your favourite kind of day as an artist?
PG: I love printing. This takes some working up to: first I have to have the blocks ready to go, then there’s choosing and cutting the paper/s. I then prepare the press, ie. getting the registration ready, and finally, choosing and rolling out the different colours and so on, until the fabulous moment of removing the paper from the block to see what is there. Then there’s a whole new set of problems to think through! I’m totally working in the moment when I’m doing all this The mind can go off on a tangent of its own, planning and plotting other avenues to explore.
PG: I love printing. This takes some working up to: first I have to have the blocks ready to go, then there’s choosing and cutting the paper/s. I then prepare the press, ie. getting the registration ready, and finally, choosing and rolling out the different colours and so on, until the fabulous moment of removing the paper from the block to see what is there. Then there’s a whole new set of problems to think through! I’m totally working in the moment when I’m doing all this The mind can go off on a tangent of its own, planning and plotting other avenues to explore.
MG: How does the place you work influence you if at all?
PG: I’m lucky enough to have an old one up, one down outbuilding in our garden which I use as my studio. It’s also a utility room and there’s a bed settee upstairs, where my sister sleeps when she comes to stay in August. I love the peaceful atmosphere of my studio but especially in the Summer months when it’s warm and doesn’t actually need heating. Downstairs it’s always cool, except on the hottest days, but the double doors open onto the garden so I’m glancing out and seeing the flowers and hearing the birds. Obviously in Winter it can be quite difficult because the lino is hard and the ink takes quite a lot of rolling out. No one bothers me here as there’s a ladder to climb so people aren’t passing through. I like to have it quiet but sometimes I’ll have the radio on.
PG: I’m lucky enough to have an old one up, one down outbuilding in our garden which I use as my studio. It’s also a utility room and there’s a bed settee upstairs, where my sister sleeps when she comes to stay in August. I love the peaceful atmosphere of my studio but especially in the Summer months when it’s warm and doesn’t actually need heating. Downstairs it’s always cool, except on the hottest days, but the double doors open onto the garden so I’m glancing out and seeing the flowers and hearing the birds. Obviously in Winter it can be quite difficult because the lino is hard and the ink takes quite a lot of rolling out. No one bothers me here as there’s a ladder to climb so people aren’t passing through. I like to have it quiet but sometimes I’ll have the radio on.
MG: Who are your biggest artistic influences?
PG: I used to pore through books on Edward Bawden as his linocuts are so well thought out and there is so much to learn. Also, contemporary printmakers such as Mark Hearld, Emily Sutton and Angie Lewin. As my work has progressed and changed I’ve enjoyed looking at the work of Mary Feddon, Jo Self, Gary Hume, Ellsworth Kelly and many, many others. At the moment, as my plant studies evolve I’ve been looking at the macro photography of Karl Blossfeldt and am feeling really inspired.
MG: How do you define success as an artist?
PG: This is a tricky one and it would be easy to say that success is defined by whether your work sells or not, whether it is popular. It’s hard to let go of that and sometimes it can feel like a lonely road, breaking out and trying new ideas, following new threads. My M.A. in 2018 really helped with this and in many ways, it taught me how to work by keeping an open mind and moving on, always being curious.
PG: I used to pore through books on Edward Bawden as his linocuts are so well thought out and there is so much to learn. Also, contemporary printmakers such as Mark Hearld, Emily Sutton and Angie Lewin. As my work has progressed and changed I’ve enjoyed looking at the work of Mary Feddon, Jo Self, Gary Hume, Ellsworth Kelly and many, many others. At the moment, as my plant studies evolve I’ve been looking at the macro photography of Karl Blossfeldt and am feeling really inspired.
MG: How do you define success as an artist?
PG: This is a tricky one and it would be easy to say that success is defined by whether your work sells or not, whether it is popular. It’s hard to let go of that and sometimes it can feel like a lonely road, breaking out and trying new ideas, following new threads. My M.A. in 2018 really helped with this and in many ways, it taught me how to work by keeping an open mind and moving on, always being curious.
MG: What role do you think the artist has in today's society?
PG: A difficult question: It has to be to do with communication and it must help people to grow emotionally. Exhibitions, galleries and workshops provide spaces where we can all be creative and connect with others. Viewing and creating art go hand in hand: artists are instrumental in helping us to see our lives from different perspectives and to consider other possibilities. It can engender joy and healing.
MG: Thank you very much Pam for sharing your day with us.
You can check out Pam’s work in our A Particular Place Exhibition.
PG: A difficult question: It has to be to do with communication and it must help people to grow emotionally. Exhibitions, galleries and workshops provide spaces where we can all be creative and connect with others. Viewing and creating art go hand in hand: artists are instrumental in helping us to see our lives from different perspectives and to consider other possibilities. It can engender joy and healing.
MG: Thank you very much Pam for sharing your day with us.
You can check out Pam’s work in our A Particular Place Exhibition.
Hackfall Woods, Linocut by Pam Grimmond
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Michael Atkin
Summer is in fill swing and with it comes a new exhibition here at Masham Gallery. A Particular Place runs from now until 8th September and celebrates Mashamshire. The Exhibition brings together ten artists, including Michael Atkin, whom over the past year have walked the streets, wandered the woodlands - sketchbooks in hand to capture this place we call home.
Michael's work depicts quiet corners of Mashamshire - and the famous Druid's Temple folly. He has created a wood engraving and 2 etchings with aquatint for this show. We thought we'd shine the spotlight on Michael this month in our (fairly!) regular What this artist does all day feature.
Michael's work depicts quiet corners of Mashamshire - and the famous Druid's Temple folly. He has created a wood engraving and 2 etchings with aquatint for this show. We thought we'd shine the spotlight on Michael this month in our (fairly!) regular What this artist does all day feature.
Michael's Albion platen press, with another Columbian press in the background, just two of his five printing presses that he owns.
MG: When does your working day start and end?
MA: I’m an early riser, so my day starts anytime from 5.30 a.m. depending on what I’m intending to do. As I work in three different print mediums, etching, lino prints and wood engravings, I often have several images on the go at any one time. Yesterday, I had printed the first background colour for a lino print, which thankfully had dried, so today a second layer of ink will be overplayed, and will take longer to dry. So first job of the day being to print the second colour, usually 35 copies which are hung up for drying.
I'll then go to my etching workshop, where I'll immerse the etching plate I'm working on into the solution for 10 seconds, on third bite into the aquatint, wash and dry the plate and paint out the section I want to remain this tone. Next I'll cut the next block for the Lino print.
MA: I’m an early riser, so my day starts anytime from 5.30 a.m. depending on what I’m intending to do. As I work in three different print mediums, etching, lino prints and wood engravings, I often have several images on the go at any one time. Yesterday, I had printed the first background colour for a lino print, which thankfully had dried, so today a second layer of ink will be overplayed, and will take longer to dry. So first job of the day being to print the second colour, usually 35 copies which are hung up for drying.
I'll then go to my etching workshop, where I'll immerse the etching plate I'm working on into the solution for 10 seconds, on third bite into the aquatint, wash and dry the plate and paint out the section I want to remain this tone. Next I'll cut the next block for the Lino print.
MG: How about the end of your day?
MA: Evenings are spent in the house where I have a table for cutting wood engravings, which are small (in comparison to other mediums) and take far longer to cut. I often have three or four different wood engravings ion the go at the same time. When I’m not working on my own images I print for other artists/institutions who require editions to be printed, either wood-cuts or etchings or engravings.
MA: Evenings are spent in the house where I have a table for cutting wood engravings, which are small (in comparison to other mediums) and take far longer to cut. I often have three or four different wood engravings ion the go at the same time. When I’m not working on my own images I print for other artists/institutions who require editions to be printed, either wood-cuts or etchings or engravings.
MG: When/how do you take breaks?
MA: Decaff coffee is the staple drink, as and when I need them, breaks occur between processes. Whilst waiting for stop out varnish to dry, or cooling the plate after laying an aquatint. Ink to dry, there are many times I take a break, including when I need to walk Bob our dog.
MG: What is your favourite kind of day as an artist?
MA: Working on three or four images at the same time, often three etchings and two Lino prints along with four or more wood engravings.
MG: What marks a successful day?
MA: When the bite on the plate is good, or the ink layer for a Lino cut prints well, or even a trail proof from a wood engraving shows promise.
MA: Decaff coffee is the staple drink, as and when I need them, breaks occur between processes. Whilst waiting for stop out varnish to dry, or cooling the plate after laying an aquatint. Ink to dry, there are many times I take a break, including when I need to walk Bob our dog.
MG: What is your favourite kind of day as an artist?
MA: Working on three or four images at the same time, often three etchings and two Lino prints along with four or more wood engravings.
MG: What marks a successful day?
MA: When the bite on the plate is good, or the ink layer for a Lino cut prints well, or even a trail proof from a wood engraving shows promise.
MG: Where do you find inspiration?
MA: Just about everywhere, many of my images are sourced from expeditions into the surrounding countryside. For example, I've been inspired by our village and am embarking on a project to produce a book about interesting houses within the village, hopefully with a comprehensive historical history of the houses concerned. Another book about ‘A treasure hunt’, especially for my grandchildren, all four of them. Another long time project being an Alphabet of dogs.
I'm also inspired by other artists including Eric Ravilious, Stanley Spencer, Paul Nash, Gertrude Hermes, Tirzah Garwood.
MA: Just about everywhere, many of my images are sourced from expeditions into the surrounding countryside. For example, I've been inspired by our village and am embarking on a project to produce a book about interesting houses within the village, hopefully with a comprehensive historical history of the houses concerned. Another book about ‘A treasure hunt’, especially for my grandchildren, all four of them. Another long time project being an Alphabet of dogs.
I'm also inspired by other artists including Eric Ravilious, Stanley Spencer, Paul Nash, Gertrude Hermes, Tirzah Garwood.
Towards Healey, Wood Engraving, limited edition of 50 by Michael Atkin.
MG: When is your favourite time of day to create?
MA: There isn’t a particular time of day as I’m involved with image making every day, I often have ideas whilst woking on an image of another, then the difficult bit, finding a location that fits the narrative I want to portray.
MG: What couldn’t you live without in your studio?
MA: The four antique printing presses from the 19th century that I own, and my Rochat etching press [seen below], which I had made for me in 1976.
MA: There isn’t a particular time of day as I’m involved with image making every day, I often have ideas whilst woking on an image of another, then the difficult bit, finding a location that fits the narrative I want to portray.
MG: What couldn’t you live without in your studio?
MA: The four antique printing presses from the 19th century that I own, and my Rochat etching press [seen below], which I had made for me in 1976.
MG: Thank you so much for sharing your daily work life with us Michael.
Do check out Michael's work in our latest A Particular Place exhibition.
Do check out Michael's work in our latest A Particular Place exhibition.
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JANE BEVAN
Inspired by the brilliant BBC4 series What Do Artists Do All Day?, this May we are continuing our occasional blog feature that pulls back the curtain on the everyday lives of the artists we know. This month, we are talking with mixed media nature artist Jane Bevan.
Jane, a Derbyshire-based artist whose studio is the ancient woodland she wanders daily. With a keen eye and a deep respect for nature’s overlooked details—thorns, feathers, bark, and acorn cups—Jane transforms these humble materials into finely crafted vessels, sculptures, and collages. Her work is a quiet homage to the natural world and draws inspiration from museum collections and heritage sites like the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
A first-class graduate of the University of Derby’s Crafts BA and recipient of the University Purchase Award, Jane now exhibits her intricate, hand-stitched creations in galleries and craft fairs across the UK. Come with us as we step into her world and see what an artist really does all day.
Jane, a Derbyshire-based artist whose studio is the ancient woodland she wanders daily. With a keen eye and a deep respect for nature’s overlooked details—thorns, feathers, bark, and acorn cups—Jane transforms these humble materials into finely crafted vessels, sculptures, and collages. Her work is a quiet homage to the natural world and draws inspiration from museum collections and heritage sites like the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
A first-class graduate of the University of Derby’s Crafts BA and recipient of the University Purchase Award, Jane now exhibits her intricate, hand-stitched creations in galleries and craft fairs across the UK. Come with us as we step into her world and see what an artist really does all day.
MG: So Jane, can you tell us how your working day starts?
JB: I do love a slow start to the day and it takes several cups of tea to get me out of bed. I like to ease gently into the day wherever possible and I usually leave a simple but pleasing job from the day before, ready to tackle first thing and to get me warmed up to more challenging tasks.
JB: I do love a slow start to the day and it takes several cups of tea to get me out of bed. I like to ease gently into the day wherever possible and I usually leave a simple but pleasing job from the day before, ready to tackle first thing and to get me warmed up to more challenging tasks.
MG: Does your daily rhythm change with the seasons?
JB: I have a large studio space at the back of my house but it's incredibly cold and draughty in winter so I need to speed up and take more tea breaks. In summer I have the door open to the garden where I can see only greenery and trees and hear a wide range of birdsong too.
MG: What couldn’t you live without in your studio?
JB: I have a large tray of tools to choose from including some very old and vintage hammers, tin snips and bradawls, but my most essential item is the 10 year old dremmel with its selection of tiny drill bits to make holes in just about anything!
Bark, wood, slate, shells...
I am also hopeless without the radio and a regular dose of Radio 4 everyday
JB: I have a large studio space at the back of my house but it's incredibly cold and draughty in winter so I need to speed up and take more tea breaks. In summer I have the door open to the garden where I can see only greenery and trees and hear a wide range of birdsong too.
MG: What couldn’t you live without in your studio?
JB: I have a large tray of tools to choose from including some very old and vintage hammers, tin snips and bradawls, but my most essential item is the 10 year old dremmel with its selection of tiny drill bits to make holes in just about anything!
Bark, wood, slate, shells...
I am also hopeless without the radio and a regular dose of Radio 4 everyday
MG: Where do you find inspiration?
JB: My inspiration comes from the natural world around me in Derbyshire...the tiny details of nature I collect each day. The more you look, the more you notice the tiny, unique details such as a fallen leaf, lichen from a tree, a lone piece of grass, all items which can be so easily overlooked or ignored.
The Japanese philosophy of ‘wabi-sabi’ celebrates these same temporary, impermanent moments in nature and I enjoy researching this through books and collections. I also like to follow the Japanese ideas around forest bathing or ‘shinrin-roku’ with its role in health and well being and ‘kintsugi’ which celebrates and values the cracks and tears to objects as they are used and grow old.
JB: My inspiration comes from the natural world around me in Derbyshire...the tiny details of nature I collect each day. The more you look, the more you notice the tiny, unique details such as a fallen leaf, lichen from a tree, a lone piece of grass, all items which can be so easily overlooked or ignored.
The Japanese philosophy of ‘wabi-sabi’ celebrates these same temporary, impermanent moments in nature and I enjoy researching this through books and collections. I also like to follow the Japanese ideas around forest bathing or ‘shinrin-roku’ with its role in health and well being and ‘kintsugi’ which celebrates and values the cracks and tears to objects as they are used and grow old.
Jane walking in her local woods
MG: How does the place you work in influence you, if at all?
JB: I live in a small village next to some ancient woodland so walk everyday in the area with the dog called Mouse and a foraging bag. I like to collect things that catch my eye such as feathers, twigs, seeds, peeled away bark and leaves, to take back to my studio to use.
JB: I live in a small village next to some ancient woodland so walk everyday in the area with the dog called Mouse and a foraging bag. I like to collect things that catch my eye such as feathers, twigs, seeds, peeled away bark and leaves, to take back to my studio to use.
MG: What makes a good day?
JB: I run creative workshops in my studio and in health care settings and galleries nationwide. These days are such a delight when a small group of people come together to sit around the table and make work together. People share their skills, their nature stories, gardening tips and more, creating a very generous and warm coming together of like minds. Always a day full of positivity, joy and laughter!
JB: I run creative workshops in my studio and in health care settings and galleries nationwide. These days are such a delight when a small group of people come together to sit around the table and make work together. People share their skills, their nature stories, gardening tips and more, creating a very generous and warm coming together of like minds. Always a day full of positivity, joy and laughter!
MG: When is your favourite time of day to create?
JB: The evening is my best time for being creative when there is a certain type of calm and quiet in the air and I feel relaxed after the day’s jobs are done. That does mean I often go to bed thinking about pine needles, bark and seed heads but that is an excellent way to get a good night’s sleep.
MG: Thank you for joining us today Jane!
JB: The evening is my best time for being creative when there is a certain type of calm and quiet in the air and I feel relaxed after the day’s jobs are done. That does mean I often go to bed thinking about pine needles, bark and seed heads but that is an excellent way to get a good night’s sleep.
MG: Thank you for joining us today Jane!
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FRANS WESSELMAN
We thought it was about time to return to our idea to find out more about the daily rhythms of some of our featured artists. This month we sat down with printmaker and glass artist Frans Wesselman to hear about his day.
MG: Thanks so much for joining us today, I wondered if we could start with asking when and how your working day starts?
FW: I tend to get up quite early, make Hazel a cup of tea, have a shower and usually do a bit of work before breakfast. As I am a printmaker as well as a stained glass artist and painter, this often is of a preparatory or other not too taxing nature.
After breakfast it is time to get going with some serious work, the time to try out new ideas, work on new designs or, if necessary, print a run of linocuts. This is also the best time to get on with a painting as the light is best. Any of these things can take more or less time, creativity flows better some days than others, printing can be easy or more complicated, as can the glass painting. Lunch at about one, then carry on with the job in hand. I get out on my bicycle for an hour virtually every day, do the shopping if it is my turn to cook, or just go for a ride.
FW: I tend to get up quite early, make Hazel a cup of tea, have a shower and usually do a bit of work before breakfast. As I am a printmaker as well as a stained glass artist and painter, this often is of a preparatory or other not too taxing nature.
After breakfast it is time to get going with some serious work, the time to try out new ideas, work on new designs or, if necessary, print a run of linocuts. This is also the best time to get on with a painting as the light is best. Any of these things can take more or less time, creativity flows better some days than others, printing can be easy or more complicated, as can the glass painting. Lunch at about one, then carry on with the job in hand. I get out on my bicycle for an hour virtually every day, do the shopping if it is my turn to cook, or just go for a ride.
Morning Tea, an etching by Frans Wesselman
The Far Horizon, woodcut by Frans Wesselman
MG: Does your daily rhythm change with the seasons?
FW: In the summer I spend time at the allotment, sometimes really early in the morning, a lovely time to be there, or in the late afternoon or early evening. As there is less to do there in autumn and winter, I get my recorders out again. I am quite deaf, so these days I just play on my own. Cook, look at the emails, maybe finish off some work, then get on with my book, I read quite a lot, and am usually in bed at about ten.
FW: In the summer I spend time at the allotment, sometimes really early in the morning, a lovely time to be there, or in the late afternoon or early evening. As there is less to do there in autumn and winter, I get my recorders out again. I am quite deaf, so these days I just play on my own. Cook, look at the emails, maybe finish off some work, then get on with my book, I read quite a lot, and am usually in bed at about ten.
MG: What makes a good day?
FW: A good day is when I think I have created something worthwhile, but often my opinion changes in the following days. And sometimes I get really nice comments, like one from a lady in London who emailed me out of the blue to say she still really enjoys the painting she bought thirty years ago.
Having had a family to support by my work, supplemented by teaching the odd short course here and there, has been one measure of moderate success. Now I don’t really think about that anymore. My painting, drawing, stained glass is what I am, I have enjoyed doing those things and being able to continue to do them is what excites me and keeps me content. That there can also be a financial reward is a bonus.
FW: A good day is when I think I have created something worthwhile, but often my opinion changes in the following days. And sometimes I get really nice comments, like one from a lady in London who emailed me out of the blue to say she still really enjoys the painting she bought thirty years ago.
Having had a family to support by my work, supplemented by teaching the odd short course here and there, has been one measure of moderate success. Now I don’t really think about that anymore. My painting, drawing, stained glass is what I am, I have enjoyed doing those things and being able to continue to do them is what excites me and keeps me content. That there can also be a financial reward is a bonus.
Frans Wesselman's studio
MG: What couldn’t you live without in your studio?
FW: As all my work starts with a drawing, I would be really at a loss without my pen and ink. I have a nice glass pen holder that a friend bought for me in Venice, it has been with me for twenty years now.
MG: Thank you Frans, for giving us an insight into your day and perspective as an artist. I hope you have a fruitfully creative day!
FW: As all my work starts with a drawing, I would be really at a loss without my pen and ink. I have a nice glass pen holder that a friend bought for me in Venice, it has been with me for twenty years now.
MG: Thank you Frans, for giving us an insight into your day and perspective as an artist. I hope you have a fruitfully creative day!
Frans at work in his studio in Worcester
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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.
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
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!
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
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.
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.
