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Entering somebody's studio can be like getting a glimpse into their brain. One's studio can be a place for making, experimenting, playing, producing and testing but it can also be a place to contemplate, think and reflect.
When I visited Katie Watson's studio she said that it had been a really good exercise for her to treat my visit as an opportunity to organise her work and form a display of the things she had been working on.
There was an exciting vibe - not an exhibition, but a working process. Some work in progress, some work finished, some research giving an insight into ideas behind the work.
I am drawn to such shapes, patterns, the repetition and the colours within Katie's work. I enjoy the sculptural nature of the paintings as she works on wooden boards rather than canvas.
Katie is interested in the language of instructions and building. Signage, flat pack instructions, warning and safety notices. She uses the shapes and colours from such things.
I couldn't help notice (perhaps because I also am guilty of this) that Katie's use of colour within her work is mirrored in the things around her. Her blue desk lamp alongside the orange mug with blue lid is surprisingly similar in colour to the work on her wall directly above. Art and life really do blur!
I have an envelope filled with cuttings from magazines that I keep as visual research. They tend to be patterns, colour combinations, textures, shapes and designs that I am attracted to. The other day I was looking through the envelope and began to arrange images alongside each other and create a kind of visual layout board. I began to think about the comic books that I have been looking at, and the way that they rely on the layout to determine how something is read. It seems that I applied a similar strategy when placing images next to each other on the page. I was creating relationships between items and leading the eye round the board. It has been a really useful exercise to play with these arrangements, and they are more than visual research. I just haven't worked out what they are yet!
Whilst in Edinburgh I passed a rather inviting shop window, that of Oliver Bonas, and I couldn't resist going in. I entered a world of colour, shapes, materials, pattern, design and fun. What a treat for the eyes and a source of inspiration for me.
Enjoy!
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