Andrea Shearing
Andrea Shearing was born in Manchester, UK before moving to Switzerland where she lived between the age of seven to sixteen. On returning to UK she lived and did her first year at Art School in East Sussex before completing four more years training in Fine Art at Edinburgh College of Art 50 years later she has returned to East Sussex and lives in a small feudal village, nestled in the South Downs by the coast. Finding the meaning and the link between the inner and the outer world is key to everything which inspires her. Without this there is nothing to communicate that will touch other people's spirit. Andrea has found that interpreting nature is the best vehicle for me to achieve this. Her mission explores the emotional symbolism of her subject matter. She wants her work to help people find an inner sense of peace and connection with nature's energy. My deep ambition and hope is that my work can ease the wounds of living, through inducing calm and peaceful reflection. Andrea works in acrylic which is more suitable for laying flat areas of paint and as she prefers the challenge of composing in irregular shapes so works on MDF. She also has a passion for drawing and uses the complete range of graphite pencils and graphite powder. She exhibits regularly in UK, Europe and USA. Some years ago she won a solo exhibition on the theme of H2O in London and is currently working towards an exhibition on the East Sussex coast and the Downs.
Can you tell us about your artistic journey and how you first discovered your passion for art?
When I was seven years old, we moved to Basel in Switzerland. It is funny to say that my artistic journey started in the bath! One of my happiest memories was when the whole family got in the bath to paint a mural on the wall around the bath. My parents then took my brother and I to the Basel Kunst Museum. I have vivid extremely detailed memories of two paintings. Curiously both very different.
The first one, 30.5 x 200 cm, is Holbein's 'Dead Christ in the Tomb'. It was hung at my eye level and I remember walking from one end to the other about 30 cm away from the wooden panel. I recall being in total awe of the quality of the dead flesh. It was not a frightening or ghoulish experience. I actually found the honest depiction of death amazing.
In complete contrast the 'Day before One' by Barnett Newman. I can only describe the experience as drowning in blue! The colour still vibrates in my memory and probably and along with seeing my first purple iris at the edge of three, accounts for my passion for colour.
These three experiences ignited my interest and passion for art.
What inspires you to create your art? Are there particular themes, experiences, or artists that influence your work?
On arriving in Switzerland I experienced a significant trauma. The damage this did has been a driving force in my creative journey. Initially I wasn't aware of why I chose to go to Art College instead of Medical School but gradually I realised that there was no real choice about following a meaningful creative journey. I did not consciously link my work with my trauma but looking back can see that it provided my unconscious with an outlet for the turmoil inside me. As time went on I found myself choosing themes which were deeply symbolic. It is only when the work is finished that I begin to understand the hidden meaning in them. It is an intuitive process not an intellectual one. I do use my intellect but to explore the aesthetics of language in different ways.
I work a lot from nature, choosing the locations I work from very carefully. I had amazing training in working from observation in response to my subject matter and having been a natural history illustrator can depict details with scientific accuracy. However, in order to get to the essence of nature I now try to leave out all unnecessary detail and create as simple statement as I can. I have been inspired by Wayne Thiebaud, RIchard Diebenkorn and Nicolas de Stael for their ability to extract and simplify the essence of land and sea. Currently, I find myself translating the strict structure use in Japanese Haiku poetry into a visual equivalent. They developed a rigid format as a framework for distilling content. I was fascinated with the work of Gwen John as she developed a numbered tonal system which resulted in the amazing subtle nuances in her work. I foresee my work gradually becoming more and more abstract as a result of trying to create visual poetry akin to Basho's work.
Can you walk us through your creative process? How do you approach a new project or piece of art?
Since childhood, I've been inspired by nature and although my work is detailed, I'm not a representational artist. My creative process is a see-saw process between the inner and the outer world. Initially I focus on gathering reference material from the location. As the painting develops, the detailed information gathered becomes secondary to making the painting stand independently. I don't want to create precise images that look as if they are machine-made. I think oscillating between the real, the imagination, and meaningful energy, is the dynamo that drives my creative energy. The most important ingredient is to stimulate the visual senses, to focus on the initial idea, and to allow the intuitive journey to evolve through the perception and translation of the real world. Having the initial idea is key to the piece. You may lose sight of it in search of finding the final image. When the original inspiration emerges again then it's time to find closure. I had a wonderful tutor who told us when you can't add anything or remove anything without upset the balance, then your act of composing is complete. One day, maybe I will succeed in achieving this!
Are there any specific techniques or mediums you prefer to work with? How do they contribute to your artistic style?
I had classical training in composing in rectangles and squares I was taught to analyse hidden geometry in Renaissance paintings. A while back I started to challenge the habits I had developed as a result of my very traditional training and started to make free-standing paintings. This form allowed me to combine my painting skills and love of colour with my inclination to think three-dimensionally. The free-standing pieces are simply two pieces of shaped interlocking pieces of MDF allowing the two-dimensional image to be viewed in perspective.
I then realized that these pieces did not relate at all well with rectangular wall drawings and paintings. Consequently, I developed the family of irregular shapes which I now create for my two-dimensional work. This presents a far more exciting shape to compose in. I think that right angles actually restrict the flow of energy in the image. There is a much more dynamic relationship between the outer edge and the inner content without them.
I've chosen to work on un-primed MDF as it is easy to shape using acrylic paint. The choice of paints suitable for painting on MDF is either oil or acrylic. Fast-drying acrylic is the ideal medium for painting defined edges and can be easily diluted to the right consistency to paint either a flat area, transparent layers or achieve the gradated lines I love to do. I developed the sections of flat stripes to allow me to focus on my passion for creating colour and tonal interactions forming a key element in my aesthetic visual language. In order to produce shaped drawings I explored using graphite on primed MDF. I discovered that the rougher the primer was the more exciting the textures of the graphite is. What was really exciting was that the marks that were made could never be made on paper thus opening up a whole new visual language. As on paper, the graphite on MDF also needs fixing with standard fixative.
Can you share a memorable moment or project from your artistic career that had a significant impact on you or your work?
There have been several important events that had a significant effect on my career.
The first happened when I was completing my course at Edinburgh College of Art. A visitor to my final year exhibition used to choose a promising graduating student each year to offer free studio space for a year. he had also been approached to recommend a good figurative sculptor for a commission for St John's Church on Princess Street. This could not have been a better launch to my career as an artist.
Around 20 years later, uninvited by me, I was asked to develop an original idea for a children's puzzle book. I had never considered doing children's book but thought, why not have a go. To my surprise I had a hidden talent to develop original concepts as well as to write and illustrate the books. I went on to produce over 100 interactive children's books, jigsaw puzzles and games and received 23 international awards under my pseudonym Anna Nilsen. I made a very good income which has allowed me to return to my fine art career and be in the privileged position to produce the work I want to instead of being a commercial painter. I see this period a diversion from my roots but with considerable benefits.
As a painter, the most significant event was winning a national competition for a solo exhibition on my chosen theme of H2O. The gallery was a beautifully lit huge space. In a year I produced 75 pieces. I divided the gallery into seven sections for different types of water, falling, flowing, still, atmospheric, frozen and moving water. This meant I had to work to a structured work schedule which I found immensely beneficial. Having a clear focus and structure to interpret, did, I believe result in a more interesting experience for the viewer and forced me to produce the highest standard I was capable of.
Many artists experience periods of creative block or self-doubt. How do you overcome these challenges and stay motivated?
I am fortunate enough not to have experienced of suffering from a creative block. However, I have several periods where circumstances prevented me from having the time to work. I was a carer for ten years for my mother who was blind and suffered from dementia. More recently I had four major hand operations requiring six months of recovery for each one. Consequently, I have been through a parallel experience of trying to work out how you start again. After a long break, as a person you have moved on so you cannot go back to the way you worked before being forced to stop. So the difficult question of how to start again was constantly on my mind. Prior to my Mother's arrival from Australia, I was drawing and painting traditional rectangular pieces. Curiously, despite not being able to physically paint, my work evolved in my head. I used to dream of making three-dimensional paintings. I was trained as both a sculptor and a painter so the visions were bringing my 2D and 3D work together in a completely new and unexpected form. When I eventually had the opportunity to paint again, I developed the free-standing paintings I now produce. Thus inspired the problem of how to start again vanished.
Is there a particular message or emotion you aim to convey through your art? How do you hope it resonates with your audience?
My mission is to inspire people to see just how extraordinary nature is in so doing prompt them to wonder, to care and to become actively involved in finding ways of taking care of the planet. I think a lot of people don't respond positively to being given facts and statistics, neither do I think being told by governments what they should and shouldn't do.
Trying to encourage people to really care seems to me a way artist can encourage people to care and help with the survival of the planet and the species, including mankind.
I also want my work to help people find an inner sense of peace and connection with nature's energy and to enable calm and peaceful reflection. Finding the meaning and the link between the inner and the outer world is key to everything that inspires me. Without this there is nothing to communicate that will touch other people's spirit. I have found that interpreting nature is the best vehicle for me to achieve this. Harmony is key to living with nature.
What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are just starting their creative journey?
Having been a Principal Lecturer at Cambridge School of Art, I have had a lot of experience of helping young aspiring students start their careers. I used to say to them that my job was to try and help them fulfill their potential, whatever that was. On leaving college, I told them that it was their responsibility to discover how to achieve this without the help of tutors and fellow students and that this will be challenging as they have to find a way to teach themselves in order to progress and develop and not stay trapped in a formula.
I also advise them to regard their career as a business that needs to be run with professional standards. The challenge is to balance personal creativity with the commercial endeavor.
