Cerys Scorey is an artist and illustrator from Cardiff, currently based in Edinburgh. Since graduating from Kingston School of Art with a BA in Illustration Animation in 2020, she has continued to use drawing as a tool to engage directly with her surroundings and to evoke a sense of place. Her practice stems from sketchbooks that she carries with her day-to-day. Integrating image-making into everything she does blurs the line between creative practice and everyday life, with a messy and instinctive approach. She enjoys the challenges that come with working on the go and welcomes the unexpected outcomes of a broken pen, a drop of rain or capturing a busy crowd. Recently, Cerys has been embracing small moments of calm, stillness, and rest within her work.

See Cerys’s work as part of our annual Summer open call, Something in the Mirage, which runs July 17th to August 8th, featuring an incredible collection of works by twenty nine artists inspired by the dreamlike shimmering of summer sunshine, heat hazes, lingering afterimages, or maybe the momentary glint of something half-seen and half-imagined in the dappled golden light.

Hi Cerys! Can you tell us what emotions or reactions do you hope viewers experience when they see your work?
I often get caught up in whether there’s a message or a purpose to my work, so it’s nice just to think in terms of emotion. Usually, I’d say excited and energised as there tends to be a lot of colour and movement going on in my drawings but for this particular work in the exhibition, I’d like to make viewers feel hopeful, joyful and calm.  

What challenges did you experience during the creation of your work and how did you overcome them?
The challenges mainly come after creation. As I mostly draw using what’s at hand and materials accumulated over the years, it’s relatively inexpensive to make what I make. But if you want to exhibit or sell work there are so many hidden costs involved for artists that people tend not to appreciate – framing, shipping, packaging, printing, entry fees, website fees, gallery commission, before even considering paying yourself a fair salary for your time, skills and ideas. In this case, I’m grateful that Six Foot Gallery’s systems have been clear, open, and fair. 

How do you know when a piece is complete?
My practice involves a lot of location drawing where external factors make that decision for me! For example, it might start raining if I’m outside, I might have limited time and places to be, or limited supplies that mean I’ve got to just go with the flow. When it’s time to get up and leave, a drawing is finished and it lives in that moment.

When working on longer, more developed projects it’s hard for anything to ever feel finished. I’m a very curious person and can get overwhelmed with research and ideas that stretch in a thousand different directions, which is mostly why I choose to work more instinctively. Having said that, I would like to spend more time in a studio developing ideas as I’m slowly learning how to merge these two different approaches.

Are there specific advantages or challenges to working with your chosen mediums? Have you experimented with other mediums or techniques?
I enjoy the immediacy of dry mediums like coloured pencils and oil pastel, as well as not having to clean up after! Oil pastels can get messy when out and about but I embrace the character this gives my drawings – I’m definitely not too precious about my work. There are so many things I tried at uni that I’d like to explore further, including print processes and animation. I see these mediums as requiring planning and patience, yet there’s no reason why they can’t also be experimental and spontaneous.

How do you overcome creative blocks?
Creativity comes in waves so I try not to force it, though appreciate this is easier said than done with expectations, deadlines and bills to consider. Recently I’ve been enjoying life-drawing as a way to snap out of it – you’ve got to work instinctively to keep up with the pace of the class so there’s no time to get hung up on too many details. It reminds me of the ‘external factors’ approach I mentioned before, where some of the decision-making is taken away. I leave with so many drawings and at least one or two things to be proud of. Meeting up with a creative friend is also helpful and it’s always nice to talk through ideas with someone else. We could be working on completely different projects but having an agreed time and place to meet helps build structure and accountability.

Will your next project be a continuation of your current style or are you experimenting with something different? Can you share a glimpse of your next project?
I’ll soon be heading to an artist residency by the Mawddach Estuary in north-west Wales, so I’m hoping to create something that captures the atmosphere, landscape and culture of the local area. The plan is to draw and explore, then bring my ideas back to the studio (there’s a gorgeous view and a residency cat!) to try working on a larger scale. There’s no pressure from the residency to produce tons of work or a cohesive outcome, so definitely plenty of opportunities to experiment. It’s also a chance to reflect on my current practice and enjoy some beautiful scenery. Being an artist can feel hopeless at times and these kinds of opportunities don’t come around often, so I’ll definitely be savouring the experience.

Find out more about Cerys’ work on her website or Instagram. Something in the Mirage runs at Six Foot Gallery until Friday 8th August 2025.