‘Brighter Days’ is a joint exhibition by Ayrshire based artists Vanessa Reynolds and Catherine McClure, who have brought together an eclectic mix of painted canvases, fluid art, botanic contact prints, mixed media, and stitch. They don’t think of art as a straight line – it is something that lives and breathes, guiding them this way and that, organically. It is art that makes them happy, and they hope that their visions give you happy vibes too. This is a celebration of optimism, sunshine and colours of long, warm summer days. Evoking feelings of energy and freedom that the natural world brings, with its cycle into growth and abundance being apparent right now. Enjoy!

Hi Catherine! Can you tell us about how did your artistic journey started?
My artistic journey started quite late on in life as a mature woman in her 50’s. Although I have always maintained some kind of creative practice of making things as a knitter, crocheter, tapestry maker most of my creative endeavours followed a pattern. In 2019 I started to create an art installation of my own design in my garden driveway. The installation called My Universe consists of 19 individual pebble mosaics which explore the concept and nature of the multiverse. Overall, the story of the mosaic driveway goes from the macrocosm of the possibility of multiple universes and the creation of ours, to the microcosm of the spiritual qualities I believe are fundamental to our existence. The work took almost a year to complete. When this work finished in early 2020, I was strongly motivated to continue this artistic journey and decided to paint. I instantly fell in love with painting and have in the past 4 years continued to paint daily, developing techniques to allow me to express my own style and voice.

What advice would you give to artists who are just starting out?
At the beginning of my artistic journey, I was very nervous to even try to ‘make art’. When faced with a blank canvas I say to myself “It’s only paint”. I am also a nurse so in my day job my actions can have serious consequences. It’s useful for me to keep this perspective in mind to overcome the fear of making the first marks on a blank canvas: what’s the worst that can happen?

I was very nervous to show my artwork publicly when I was starting out and still find this a bit nerve-racking. I’ve been encouraged by people’s interaction and enthusiasm both to my pebble mosaic installation (which is public facing by nature) and to my paintings. Something that has helped me conquer this fear has been discovering how diverse people’s tastes are. Sometimes the work I am most excited about gets little interest, while a piece I was originally unsure about is very popular allowing me to see it from a new perspective. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

What emotions or reactions do you hope viewers experience when they see your artwork?
I tend to use lots of bright bold colours in many of my paintings and primarily hope to elicit feelings of joyful energy. There is often a theme of dualism in my paintings and a desire to portray the light and dark, seen and unseen, beauty and chaos as being of equal value, importance and beauty. My paintings express the cycles we go through sometimes explosive vibrant growth other times the need for a quiet restful contemplative period.

What do you do to keep motivated and interested in your work?
I really love painting and find the focus required in the process a perfect antidote to the pressures and stresses of everyday life. Even when pursuing other enjoyable activities, I find myself drawn back to thinking about and missing painting. I am keen to try everything, so if I do lose motivation to continue a particular technique, I always have lots of new things lurking in the back of my mind to have a go at. This change in medium/style etc means when I return to it I do so with fresh eyes and enthusiasm.

How do you typically approach your creative process from initial inspiration to the completion of your artwork?
I initially have an idea or seed of an idea of something I would like to paint or a feeling I would like to express or evoke. Currently all my thoughts are related to the Far East having recently holidayed in South Korea and China. My initial seed will develop and mutate as I go along and may in the end turn out a rough approximation of my idea or it may develop into something really very different from my plan. I don’t worry much about this and just let myself wander in whichever direction the brush takes me 😊

How do you know when a piece is complete?
I often think a painting is complete but come across it sometime later having developed a new technique or skill or style and will go back and tweak it. The only time a painting is truly safe from this process is when it is sold and hanging on someone else’s wall 😊

Are there any upcoming events or additional information you would like the audience to know?
I am a member of Open Studios Ayrshire and open my home studio to the public each September for our annual event. This year it runs from 12th -14th September. I really enjoy opening my home and studio to the public and hope you will all come and visit 😊 My studio is also open by appointment throughout the year.

Find out more about Catherine’s work on her Instagram. ‘Brighter Days’ is on show at Six Foot Gallery from 1st to 15th July.