A Stained-Glass Window on the World | The Art of Stephanie Gay
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Stephanie Gay gives us a stained glass window through which to see the natural world around us.
We chatted with Stephanie about her work ahead of ArtPort 2022, Portishead Arts Festival.
We chatted with Stephanie about her work ahead of ArtPort 2022, Portishead Arts Festival.
Where does creativity come from? I find myself pondering this as I listen to Stephanie talk about her own creative journey.
Perhaps everyone has the seeds of creativity within them. Despite a first career in the sciences, Stephanie knows that she has always been an artist.
Always a creative child, she recalls spending hours making clothes, houses, and furniture for her toys. As a teen this progressed to upcycling old items and making her own clothes. Nevertheless, Stephanie found the art lessons at school uninspiring and went on to pursue a scientific career path.
It wasn’t until she started a family that Stephanie reconnected with her creative side. In a moment which I think many women may empathise with, the act of becoming a mother, and the change in outlook and working circumstances that this often brings with it, can be a watershed moment. Emerging from those first baby years, Stephanie wanted to find out who she was again, to reconnect with that innate creativity.
So: evening classes in watercolour followed, and a supportive tutor led to exhibiting her work and further study.
Then a creative breakthrough: the discovery of a medium that allowed Stephanie to give full expression to her passion for colour, fluidity and the natural world.
Perhaps everyone has the seeds of creativity within them. Despite a first career in the sciences, Stephanie knows that she has always been an artist.
Always a creative child, she recalls spending hours making clothes, houses, and furniture for her toys. As a teen this progressed to upcycling old items and making her own clothes. Nevertheless, Stephanie found the art lessons at school uninspiring and went on to pursue a scientific career path.
It wasn’t until she started a family that Stephanie reconnected with her creative side. In a moment which I think many women may empathise with, the act of becoming a mother, and the change in outlook and working circumstances that this often brings with it, can be a watershed moment. Emerging from those first baby years, Stephanie wanted to find out who she was again, to reconnect with that innate creativity.
So: evening classes in watercolour followed, and a supportive tutor led to exhibiting her work and further study.
Then a creative breakthrough: the discovery of a medium that allowed Stephanie to give full expression to her passion for colour, fluidity and the natural world.
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The first thing that strikes you about Stephanie Gay’s glorious silk paintings is - colour - a radiant palette of jewel tones arrayed in carefully considered compositions, enhancing the hues in nature that provide so much of the inspiration for her work.
Stephanie’s work comes to life all over again when she talks about it: “vibrant” “uplifting” “fluidity” “serendipity” are all words she uses to describe her work and the process of making it. I asked her to tell me more about her creative process.
What inspires you?
“Primarily I am inspired by the natural world around me: the colours and the patterns and shapes found in nature. I also love wildlife - especially birds.”
What are your favourite aspects of your practice?
“I love the vibrant colour and the fluidity of the silk paints. The way that the paint travels across the silk is still incredibly pleasing to me and I love the fact that it often finds its own path giving you those happy accidents and surprising results.”
Tell me about your process
“I fell in love with silk painting; the vibrancy and depth of colour that the medium offers and the fluidity of the paint. Many of the techniques are similar to watercolour but the principle difference is the mobility of the paint into the silk. Watercolour paint will run a bit but silk paint runs a lot. Controlling this is what enables me to create unique results with silk. I use a special type of paint called gutta to create the structure of the painted design, it acts as a resist and limits the movement of the paint from one area to another. The silk paints (which are the consistency of ink) can then be blended within this structure. Dropping in water or salt while the paint is wet creates interesting effects. The paints are fixed in the silk with heat.”
You created a series of paintings on British shot taffeta silk woven at Whitchurch Silk Mill in Hampshire, the oldest working silk mill in the UK. Did you find this a challenge?
“ I usually work on Chinese Habotai silk, which is delicate and has a lot of movement to it. The Whitchurch silk is much thicker, which affected the way in which the paint interacted with the silk; the absorbency of the fabric is very different, which in turn affects the way in which the paint moves on and into the fabric - it doesn’t ‘run’ as much.
The other main difference as a painter was that the base colour of the English silk is very much an ecru off-white, rather than the pure white ground provided by the Habotai silk. I therefore had to the adjust the colours I was using to take account of this.”
Stephanie’s work comes to life all over again when she talks about it: “vibrant” “uplifting” “fluidity” “serendipity” are all words she uses to describe her work and the process of making it. I asked her to tell me more about her creative process.
What inspires you?
“Primarily I am inspired by the natural world around me: the colours and the patterns and shapes found in nature. I also love wildlife - especially birds.”
What are your favourite aspects of your practice?
“I love the vibrant colour and the fluidity of the silk paints. The way that the paint travels across the silk is still incredibly pleasing to me and I love the fact that it often finds its own path giving you those happy accidents and surprising results.”
Tell me about your process
“I fell in love with silk painting; the vibrancy and depth of colour that the medium offers and the fluidity of the paint. Many of the techniques are similar to watercolour but the principle difference is the mobility of the paint into the silk. Watercolour paint will run a bit but silk paint runs a lot. Controlling this is what enables me to create unique results with silk. I use a special type of paint called gutta to create the structure of the painted design, it acts as a resist and limits the movement of the paint from one area to another. The silk paints (which are the consistency of ink) can then be blended within this structure. Dropping in water or salt while the paint is wet creates interesting effects. The paints are fixed in the silk with heat.”
You created a series of paintings on British shot taffeta silk woven at Whitchurch Silk Mill in Hampshire, the oldest working silk mill in the UK. Did you find this a challenge?
“ I usually work on Chinese Habotai silk, which is delicate and has a lot of movement to it. The Whitchurch silk is much thicker, which affected the way in which the paint interacted with the silk; the absorbency of the fabric is very different, which in turn affects the way in which the paint moves on and into the fabric - it doesn’t ‘run’ as much.
The other main difference as a painter was that the base colour of the English silk is very much an ecru off-white, rather than the pure white ground provided by the Habotai silk. I therefore had to the adjust the colours I was using to take account of this.”
Colour is clearly very important to you.
“I think colour is the most import aspect of my work. I am inspired by the colours I see , but I use my artist’s eye to enhance what I see in nature, to create something that is even more joyful and uplifting than the real thing.
Rather than sticking slavishly to the colours I find, the important thing for me is to convey the joy of the subject to the viewer and celebrate the wonders of nature.”
Your pieces strike me as “art to live with” - beautiful pieces that would enhance any home. Is it important to you that people find your work accessible?
“I want people to find my work uplifting; I hope that it gives them something to look at in their homes which makes them happy and reminds them of the wonder of nature.”
Has your move to the Somerset coast changed your work or your practice?
“The accessibility of beautiful countryside has given me loads of lovely inspiration and I have made new artist friends who have encouraged me, sometimes challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone and accompanied me on some artistic adventures.
And finally, just for fun - tell us a secret about your work or practice…
Guilty secret......I love to stop for Popmaster!!
Stephanie Gay is exhibiting at ArtPort 2022. Find her in our Somerset Hall venue, 24-25th September.
