ARTIST OF THE WEEK - ANGELA CHARLES

Angela Charles

Angela Charles is exhibiting at
Queens St Gallery, The Old Flour Mill, Emsworth, Hampshire 9 Aug - 1 Septand also showing at Gallery One, Cossways Road, Grayshott, Surrey.




One favourite living artist?

Antoni Tapies, in his 80s and still producing stunning work and lots of it.
His work really takes mixed media to the extreme. The Spanish respect him as
well, even producing a poster for Barcelona football club, would an abstract
artist in England be asked to do that? I doubt it. I always paint in a pair
of slippers after seeing a video of him painting with his slippers on.


One favourite historical artist?
Franz Hals For his incredible use of black. I did a series of paintings in 2005 based
on his work which started with one called 'Hals Black'.

When and where did you first want to do what you do?

I always wanted to be an artist, even though this was pretty alien for my
family. But it was when, as a teenager, I saw ' Charlene' by Robert
Rauschenburg in a gallery in Amsterdam that I realised art wasn't only about
painting recognisable things. That was when I knew exactly what I wanted to
do.
What place in the world has inspired you?

At the moment Dorset and Berlin are the two main ones but in the past it's
been places with more crumbling architecture, Morocco, Portugal etc. Places
have a major impact on my work whether it's something architectural or
something in the landscape or something manmade picked up along the way.

What was the last art/craft/design thing you purchased?

I bought a pot from the Falmouth College degree show this year, by Sharon
Bishop who was on the Contemporary Craft course. It is called 'Duel with
Sharks' and has brilliant drawings of sharks, divers, etc. on it, it was the
most exciting ceramic piece I'd seen, her sketchbooks that were the
inspiration for the pots were hysterical. I've also bought a Hannah Woodman
drawing from a gallery in Bath, which I have to wait to pick up until the
end of the exhibition which is torture.

Last best read?

Basquiat, A Quick Killing in Art by Phoebe Hoban
A really sad tale of drug taking and 1980s art world greed.
Basquaits work had a major impact on my own work in the early years of art
college.


What do you have on your pinboard?

A newspaper cutting of Jeff Koons 'Puppy', a photo of a carpark in Truro, a
postcard of a cement works, a magazine cutting of some trashed washing
machines and skips, a Rauschenburg postcard and a Kerry James Marshall
exhibition leaflet from Modern Art Oxford. These are all stuck next to a
rusty metal first-aid cabinet which I found in a roadside tip in Spain a few
years ago.

Where and what is your studio?

I work in a room in my home. I've tried working in studios with other people
but it's best for me to be alone. I work with music on, at the moment it's
Super Furry Animals, Zutons, Maximo Park I like slower stuff like John
Parish and Radiohead but some tracks are more painting friendly than others.
The music can really influence the work. I did a painting once called
'Hidden Track' that everyone assumed was about the landscape, it was really
about a hidden track at the end of a cd, I did come clean to the person who
bought it.
Surprising activity/hobby?

Watching AFC Bournemouth. My husband's been a life long fan, he introduced
me about 14 years ago at the perfect game, there were sendings off and loads
of goals, unfortunately Bournemouth lost 4 - 0! I was hooked. I bought an
old battered red cushion from the football club (one they would hire out as
the seats were so uncomfortable, in that first game they were thrown at the
ref) when they where raising money for their new ground. This cushion has
been inspiration for more than one painting.

Are you able to switch off from art work?

I paint, work part-time as a curator and spend a lot of free time going to
galleries. I very rarely switch off from art work whether it's my own or
others. I totally switch off when I go to football.

What do think are crimes against good taste & decency in art/craft/ design?

Hand painted silk ties, anything 'novelty' made to hang in a car i.e. mini
football strips, baby on board signs...do people actually design them?