DRAWING FROM THE LAND - an interview with Susan Cantrill-Williams
Continuing IAWN's coverage of the Helfa Gelf's YMYL-2-EDGE programme that involves fusing art and tech in exciting new ways, we are pleased to present the fourth in a series of interviews with the participants.
Here artist Susan Cantrill-Williams talks with Remy Dean, the Edge2 Curator.
"My creative practice consists of drawing, painting, printmaking and images made with new technologies," explains Susan, "My work explores the visualization of the effect human activity has had on the landscape and the surrounding world we live in. I tend to make installation pieces in paint and print exploring new ways of looking and making. A body of work called ‘Drawing From the Land’ has been a significant development for me, The installation Converging Pathways is part of the work.
"Drawing is always my initial exploratory process sometimes I will make a drawing several times, this becomes a piece of artwork in its own right, but I mainly use these drawings to develop fractional pieces which build up into descriptive installations of various areas in North Wales."
Susan was, "born and brought up in Birmingham to second-generation Welsh parents, on both sides, three of my great grandparents had moved from wales to find work in the industrial midlands. My grandmother Hanna Pritchard helped bring me up and told me many fantastical tales about dragons and heroic animals. Now I realise they were part of Welsh folk tales. I cannot remember a time when I didn’t draw dragons and imaginary landscapes, until I went to secondary school where realism was the order of the day.
"My parents and grand parents had been very poor, I remember living, as a family, in 2 rented rooms in Aston while my father trained to be a furnace engineer. They expected me to get a profession as a secretary, nurse or teacher. Fortunately, after a failed attempt at teacher training, I was allowed to attend Sutton Coldfield School of Art for a Foundation year. This was sneered upon because, at this time there were no formal qualification, only a portfolio, so I took A level Art and Biology at the same time, this enabled me to gain a place at Loughborough University to study 3D Design, with a second study if Fine Art. Here I met my partner, a Welshman from a farming and engineering background.
"While bringing up our family we started a design company. When the children went of to University I decided it was time to re engage with my fine art practice studying an MA in Art Practice at Glyndwr University Wrexham, which I completed in 2014.
"Once again, enthralled with the atmosphere and drama of the North Wales landscape. I engaged with its visual representation, but this time making a more in depth study examining the structure, geological composition, and how human activity has visually changed it."
Was there a time when you ‘woke up’ to being an ‘artist’?
"I have always been an artist I won 2 awards at the Children’s Royal Academy when I was 12, one painting was of a dragon, the other a seascape!
"I have drawn and painted all my life, but it has been a major struggle to make a living and in 2005 I had to change my art practice and part time facilitating to teaching full time."
Who have been your favourite creatives and what have you learned from them?
"When I was young, I was enchanted by the Pre Raphaelite painters and the whole romantic life they led. This encouraged me to develop my skills and methods of painting. The fab collection at Lady Lever Gallery, Port Sunlight, has re-engaged my interest in fine art painting.
"As my practice matured I became more interested in ideas and as I respond well to originality, I explored the work of Marcel Duchamp, and particularly Jackson Pollock’s ideas influenced my making and reading.
"As I particularly admire energy within work, Frank Aurbach, Picasso and Gerhard Richter were my next set of heroes.
"Finally, I gained enough wisdom and confidence, not to be influenced by copying or reproducing their style of painting. I examined works that related to my own, John Virtue, Anthony Gormley, Barbara Rae, Joan Eardley, Alex Katz, Tania Kovats and David Hockney. I admire John Virtue and his methods of working, because they are similar to my own. They entail days of walking, looking and drawing to get the feel of a place, before you can continue into the visual representation of a place.
How has your involvement with EDGE2, through Helfa Gelf, challenged or extended your way of working?
"My involvement with EDGE2 has re engaged my interest with technology and 3D designs.
"I am translating some of my monochrome drawings into rasters for laser-etching. But certain drawings don’t work, and so far it has been a surprise to see the ones that succeed.
I am starting to be able to forecast the viability of the drawing as I become more familiar with the software program.
"Initially, I visualised illuminated acrylic etching, or etching plates for printmaking. The printmaking did not work - well not so far! If I get time I will modify some of the plates.
"The illuminated acrylic is quiet lace-like in texture and currently I am exploring the translucent effects of etching on handmade rag paper.
"But the major change in my practice has been identifying the possibilities of these CNC machines. How they could alter my ideas about making or producing certain types of installation pieces and exactly how they are, effectively, types of contemporary brushes."
Can you describe a moment of revelation or inspiration you may have experienced during the EDGE2 project?
"I have had an ‘OMG’ moment when failing miserably to translate a small section of a drawing of Parys Mountain into a raster for laser etching. It just turned the drawing into a 200x200mm 300dpi dot square. I suddenly thought of a quote from David Hockney. He explains how it is up to the artist to look at a familiar subject, such as Landscape. with ‘new eyes’. I have pondered on this for any hours but suddenly I thought about Parys Mountain where I have spent days drawing and walking and made a nine piece installation describing the area. The installation’s nature looked like ariel photographs. I thought get out and make a drone video walking over the same pathway of the installations in Drawing from the land, I have done this and this is now a 2 min film for projecting.
"The video is now part of a new body of work called ‘Trace’ which re examines the sites of ‘Drawing from the Land’ by using drone footage. This visually shows how human activity has changed the visual appearance of the landscape and will explore more than the man made holes we all know. This will be a project for next year after the Edge 2 project.
How did you address or respond to the Edge2 theme, "to address questions about the modern world and our human experience within it"?
"All of my work reflects human activity and experience related to how we view the environment we live in. Daily I pass an active quarry, and see farmers caring for their animals, fencing and hedging their land changing its appearance, but most of them respect the environment. Will future activities respect the land or will factory practice destroy it? Will the environment be altered by fracking and should we be trying to artificially landscape some of the big holes we have made or fill them with our rubbish?"
What has been the best thing about taking part with EDGE2, through Helfa Gelf?
"I have enjoyed the learning process of translating my work into viable, useable files. The technical staff in fabLAB [Arloesi Pontio Innovation- ed], have been so helpful and fun to work with, their extraordinary knowledge and skill is shared with encouragement and empathy they want everyone to succeed.
"To me the realisation of the possibilities for these machines are endless the process of manufacture could be changed forever.
"For the past 150 years products have been made in factories and distributed. An example of this could be a new kitchen. Traditionally one would measure the kitchen, go to a supplier, chose the kitchen, and order it, then have it fitted. The kitchen would be made in a factory, may be in China imported, sold to you and then fitted. Now, even though these machines are in their infancy, you can measure your kitchen, chose a design off the internet, down load your design, hire some time in a CNC production unit, manufacture the kitchen yourself out of locally made materials, then get it fitted.
"The potential for this practice could be economically life-changing for all of us, considering the effect the internet has had on retail practice, manufacturing could undergo the next revolution."
An exhibition of selected work produced during Helfa Gelf's YMYL-2-EDGE programme will be showing, Saturday 19 January – Sunday 10 February 2019, in the Bocs Gwyn / White Box Innovation Space, Bangor.
More about Bangor University's Arloesi Pontio Innovation - fabLAB - HERE
You can read the YMYL-2-EDGE call-out and brief HERE
Helfa Gelf is now an annual event - an Arts Trail through North Wales during September that involves hundreds of artists, crafters - creatives of all kinds - in an exciting and varied festival of events. Many creatives open the doors of their studios to the public, presenting an opportunity to interact and share their creative practices. The open studios season is during September and is also preceded - and then followed by - a programme of exhibitions, workshops and courses for creative professionals, interested novices, and all those between. Helfa Gelf presents a unique opportunity to meet and chat with artists, makers and doers in their creative spaces, see them at work, perhaps have a go yourself, and see their finished work - which is often available to purchase at special 'trade prices' - ideal if you want to get some unique Yuletide shopping sorted ahead of the rush...
Find out more HERE
Here artist Susan Cantrill-Williams talks with Remy Dean, the Edge2 Curator.
"My creative practice consists of drawing, painting, printmaking and images made with new technologies," explains Susan, "My work explores the visualization of the effect human activity has had on the landscape and the surrounding world we live in. I tend to make installation pieces in paint and print exploring new ways of looking and making. A body of work called ‘Drawing From the Land’ has been a significant development for me, The installation Converging Pathways is part of the work.
"Drawing is always my initial exploratory process sometimes I will make a drawing several times, this becomes a piece of artwork in its own right, but I mainly use these drawings to develop fractional pieces which build up into descriptive installations of various areas in North Wales."
 |
| works exploring converging pathways on the Great Orme by Susan Cantrill-Williams (all images in this article are courtesy of the artist) |
Susan was, "born and brought up in Birmingham to second-generation Welsh parents, on both sides, three of my great grandparents had moved from wales to find work in the industrial midlands. My grandmother Hanna Pritchard helped bring me up and told me many fantastical tales about dragons and heroic animals. Now I realise they were part of Welsh folk tales. I cannot remember a time when I didn’t draw dragons and imaginary landscapes, until I went to secondary school where realism was the order of the day.
"My parents and grand parents had been very poor, I remember living, as a family, in 2 rented rooms in Aston while my father trained to be a furnace engineer. They expected me to get a profession as a secretary, nurse or teacher. Fortunately, after a failed attempt at teacher training, I was allowed to attend Sutton Coldfield School of Art for a Foundation year. This was sneered upon because, at this time there were no formal qualification, only a portfolio, so I took A level Art and Biology at the same time, this enabled me to gain a place at Loughborough University to study 3D Design, with a second study if Fine Art. Here I met my partner, a Welshman from a farming and engineering background.
"While bringing up our family we started a design company. When the children went of to University I decided it was time to re engage with my fine art practice studying an MA in Art Practice at Glyndwr University Wrexham, which I completed in 2014.
"Once again, enthralled with the atmosphere and drama of the North Wales landscape. I engaged with its visual representation, but this time making a more in depth study examining the structure, geological composition, and how human activity has visually changed it."
Was there a time when you ‘woke up’ to being an ‘artist’?
"I have always been an artist I won 2 awards at the Children’s Royal Academy when I was 12, one painting was of a dragon, the other a seascape!
"I have drawn and painted all my life, but it has been a major struggle to make a living and in 2005 I had to change my art practice and part time facilitating to teaching full time."
Who have been your favourite creatives and what have you learned from them?
"When I was young, I was enchanted by the Pre Raphaelite painters and the whole romantic life they led. This encouraged me to develop my skills and methods of painting. The fab collection at Lady Lever Gallery, Port Sunlight, has re-engaged my interest in fine art painting.
"As my practice matured I became more interested in ideas and as I respond well to originality, I explored the work of Marcel Duchamp, and particularly Jackson Pollock’s ideas influenced my making and reading.
"As I particularly admire energy within work, Frank Aurbach, Picasso and Gerhard Richter were my next set of heroes.
"Finally, I gained enough wisdom and confidence, not to be influenced by copying or reproducing their style of painting. I examined works that related to my own, John Virtue, Anthony Gormley, Barbara Rae, Joan Eardley, Alex Katz, Tania Kovats and David Hockney. I admire John Virtue and his methods of working, because they are similar to my own. They entail days of walking, looking and drawing to get the feel of a place, before you can continue into the visual representation of a place.
How has your involvement with EDGE2, through Helfa Gelf, challenged or extended your way of working?
"My involvement with EDGE2 has re engaged my interest with technology and 3D designs.
"I am translating some of my monochrome drawings into rasters for laser-etching. But certain drawings don’t work, and so far it has been a surprise to see the ones that succeed.
I am starting to be able to forecast the viability of the drawing as I become more familiar with the software program.
"Initially, I visualised illuminated acrylic etching, or etching plates for printmaking. The printmaking did not work - well not so far! If I get time I will modify some of the plates.
"The illuminated acrylic is quiet lace-like in texture and currently I am exploring the translucent effects of etching on handmade rag paper.
"But the major change in my practice has been identifying the possibilities of these CNC machines. How they could alter my ideas about making or producing certain types of installation pieces and exactly how they are, effectively, types of contemporary brushes."
Can you describe a moment of revelation or inspiration you may have experienced during the EDGE2 project?
"I have had an ‘OMG’ moment when failing miserably to translate a small section of a drawing of Parys Mountain into a raster for laser etching. It just turned the drawing into a 200x200mm 300dpi dot square. I suddenly thought of a quote from David Hockney. He explains how it is up to the artist to look at a familiar subject, such as Landscape. with ‘new eyes’. I have pondered on this for any hours but suddenly I thought about Parys Mountain where I have spent days drawing and walking and made a nine piece installation describing the area. The installation’s nature looked like ariel photographs. I thought get out and make a drone video walking over the same pathway of the installations in Drawing from the land, I have done this and this is now a 2 min film for projecting.
"The video is now part of a new body of work called ‘Trace’ which re examines the sites of ‘Drawing from the Land’ by using drone footage. This visually shows how human activity has changed the visual appearance of the landscape and will explore more than the man made holes we all know. This will be a project for next year after the Edge 2 project.
How did you address or respond to the Edge2 theme, "to address questions about the modern world and our human experience within it"?
"All of my work reflects human activity and experience related to how we view the environment we live in. Daily I pass an active quarry, and see farmers caring for their animals, fencing and hedging their land changing its appearance, but most of them respect the environment. Will future activities respect the land or will factory practice destroy it? Will the environment be altered by fracking and should we be trying to artificially landscape some of the big holes we have made or fill them with our rubbish?"
What has been the best thing about taking part with EDGE2, through Helfa Gelf?
"I have enjoyed the learning process of translating my work into viable, useable files. The technical staff in fabLAB [Arloesi Pontio Innovation- ed], have been so helpful and fun to work with, their extraordinary knowledge and skill is shared with encouragement and empathy they want everyone to succeed.
"To me the realisation of the possibilities for these machines are endless the process of manufacture could be changed forever.
"For the past 150 years products have been made in factories and distributed. An example of this could be a new kitchen. Traditionally one would measure the kitchen, go to a supplier, chose the kitchen, and order it, then have it fitted. The kitchen would be made in a factory, may be in China imported, sold to you and then fitted. Now, even though these machines are in their infancy, you can measure your kitchen, chose a design off the internet, down load your design, hire some time in a CNC production unit, manufacture the kitchen yourself out of locally made materials, then get it fitted.
"The potential for this practice could be economically life-changing for all of us, considering the effect the internet has had on retail practice, manufacturing could undergo the next revolution."
- Thank you Susan Cantrill-Williams!
To see more art by Susan Cantrill-Williams! check-out her online galleries:
An exhibition of selected work produced during Helfa Gelf's YMYL-2-EDGE programme will be showing, Saturday 19 January – Sunday 10 February 2019, in the Bocs Gwyn / White Box Innovation Space, Bangor.
More about Bangor University's Arloesi Pontio Innovation - fabLAB - HERE
You can read the YMYL-2-EDGE call-out and brief HERE
Helfa Gelf is now an annual event - an Arts Trail through North Wales during September that involves hundreds of artists, crafters - creatives of all kinds - in an exciting and varied festival of events. Many creatives open the doors of their studios to the public, presenting an opportunity to interact and share their creative practices. The open studios season is during September and is also preceded - and then followed by - a programme of exhibitions, workshops and courses for creative professionals, interested novices, and all those between. Helfa Gelf presents a unique opportunity to meet and chat with artists, makers and doers in their creative spaces, see them at work, perhaps have a go yourself, and see their finished work - which is often available to purchase at special 'trade prices' - ideal if you want to get some unique Yuletide shopping sorted ahead of the rush...
Find out more HERE
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