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Diane Walkey
Interview with the artist
When did you first start?
I started painting, drawing and photography when I was a young child and over the years my interest became a passion. I still have a book full of drawings made when I was seven years old. They include drawings made of Chipperfields Circus, complete with the human cannon ball, tightrope walkers, trapeze artists and a gorilla in pink ballet shoes which ran in to the crowd and frightened me! The book also has my drawings of a Pantomime performance of Aladdin at The Grand Theatre, Swansea, and a drawing of myself dressed as a cowboy standing in the street with a row of neat terraced houses behind me. In secondary school I spent all of my free time in the Art rooms, and later, as an Art student, I spent all of my free time drawing on the beach, in the street, on buses and trains too. Growing up in Swansea, I had access to a great collection of paintings at the Glynn Vivian Gallery, including works by Frank Brangwyn, Stanley Spencer, Ceri Richards & Augustus John - all inspiring!
Where do you work, do you have a studio?
I am currently restoring a small cottage North of Cardigan. My new studio, Tŷ Twt Studio, Tanygroes, will open in the summer of 2008, in time for the Cardigan Open Studio event. My studio will be open to visitors and you will easily find me as it is situated on the main road, 7 miles North of Cardigan ,on the 487.
What is in your artistic toolbox?
A lot of cardboard offcuts, rags, soft paper, palette knives, kitchen knives, stanley knife, housepainters brushes, hogs and sables, plastic pots, steel ruler, turpentine, linseed oil, oil paints in big tubes, charcoal , staple gun & newspaper.
Are you messy or neat when you work?
When I am painting you may be forgiven for thinking that I am messy. My paintings are very expressive, and that is manifest in the way that I move paint around the canvas. I generally use wet on wet techniques and a lot of impasto areas. Thick paint tends to splat around a bit....similarly, if I decide to use thin glazes or turps washes to add runs and texture, this tends to spread around a bit too. However, this is all by design, and I do clear up periodically, as I like a clear space to start in.
Do you display your own art at home?
I always have my own work up on the walls. Work is always under review, and I will sometimes think about a piece for some time before making changes. It also solves a storage problem. My space is quite limited and stacks of paintings would be awkward to accommodate. Apart from everything else, paintings are meant to be looked at.....
How long does it usually take you to complete an artwork?
Anything from one week to three years.
If you could pick just three colours to work with what would they be?
Cerulean blue - the colour of the sea on a bright summer's day
bright orange - an 'in your face' colour
Slate grey
Do you find art relaxing?
No, I find Art stimulating. Producing Art is both a physical and an intellectual activity. I find Art exciting, inspiring, thought provoking , difficult and thrilling. It also keeps me awake at night.
If money were no object which artwork would you buy?
If money were no object, I would own a large Jackson Pollock drip painting, the bigger the better, a piece by Lucien Freud, a selection of Diane Arbus's photographs, Ed Keinholtz's Barney's Beanery, The Angel of the North would be standing in my front garden, and not to be too self indulgent, I would have just a small collection of black chalk drawings by Raphael.
What is the best tip you can offer budding artists?
Draw a lot. Explore your ideas through drawing. Use drawing to express yourself and to communicate with others. Go to workshops. Educate yourself in Art. Then paint.
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