The Agony and the Ecstasy of Oil Painting

A friend recently asked me if I ever get bored painting the coast? My reply came easily - the coastline is always changing, in every second it metamorphoses. Aiming and failing to capture that energy or tranquility is so bewitching that I'll never master it or tire of trying to do so.

Painting the Norfolk Coast

The elements of sky, sea and shore dance and shift continually. It's the movement and the interplay of the elements that is beguiling. Standing before the ocean and absorbing the sights, sounds and smells to carry home to the studio, is both humbling and invigorating. I find making short videos of the panorama can help the journey, but nothing matches the initial excitement of the moment. Doing quick sketches and colour studies are an intrinsic part of the process. The large scale I prefer to work at demands a big set up, so it is highly problematic working on location.

Painting Simple Compositions with Complicated Layers

The compositions are rudimentary - I really like that. Capturing the viewer's eye without an obvious focal point demands other elements of interest and nuance. Colour and texture are key.  The process is dynamic. It makes it even more challenging to carry that simplicity and create a picture that has depth, movement and spirit. The techniques I use embraces this - nurturing the notion of shifting layers. Visualising and then building the layers is a multi-pronged operation where understanding three-dimensions is critical. One is building from the back of the painting and seeing forward - therefore planning is key.

Each element is faceted like colours - their translucency or opaqueness is important to exploit the medium's variables. Subject matter such as skies and seas envelop the multi-layered approach and react well to embracing different strengths of coloured layers.

Emotional Painting

Yes the paintings are emotional expressions, not copies of anything stagnant.  I want them to be transitional - to carry one to another place - to form a ticket to ride. Painting requires concentration and control, and yet however much you master the materials, there is always an element of serendipity that I love. That unexpected joy or horror that emerges when you think it's safe. This duality of agony and ecstasy whilst painting becomes a canvas full of problems to solve and I am elated if I manage to master them. Such an absorbing activity is demanding both mentally and physically, especially when I work on the big panels. The width and longevity of my art practice definitely informs my painting. It has nuances towards sculpture - planning in three dimensions, layering and cutting back.

Moving to North Norfolk

I grew up by the sea and regularly spent hours watching the waves, never thinking that those early memories would guide my focus now. When we moved from Bournemouth to the Lake District I was still needing to regularly visit the coast and share the big skies away from the brooding mountains. Moving to North Norfolk was liberating - it is a special place: a sanctuary and a stimulus for my spirit and my art practice. We had visited for seven years before we decided to move permanently - it was the best thing we ever did.

 A simple story of a painting.

Sometimes it’s the simple pleasures of living in this beautiful county that bring a lingering smile, such as looking forward to the casual, yet dynamic blooming of the wild poppies in June. The impact can be just a single lost flower or the invasion of a whole field swathed in red.

 But usually it’s a graceful lacing of the field edges - red heads of delicate crepe paper petals bobbing in the breeze.

This June on a winding lane from Edgefield, near Holt, there was a particularly wonderful field of poppies - so inspiring I had to paint the view.

 Raw Luxe Collection 2020

We're delighted to announce the launch of a NEW COLLECTION of our designs - the Raw Luxe Collection. This collection offers luxurious antique and vintage textiles given the Utopia treatment to bring them into the contemporary fold.

Raw Luxe specialises in creating contemporary atmospheric interiors that exude a faded grandeur with a twist of casual chic.  The Collection celebrates the tactile and sensuous qualities of old fabrics with their natural imperfections and worn narratives. We source antique and vintage textiles that capture a palpable sense of history in their weave and drape, then mix them to create new interfaces for interior accessories - thus making enduring and unique style statements.

All the creations in the Raw Luxe Collection are one-offs, we may be able to find and make something similar that happily partners another, but none will be exactly the same.

Raw Luxe Collection: Luxury Vintage Velvet & Handwoven

Antique French Linen Cushions

Sumptuous cushions created from softly faded, vintage velvet that has been utopiaised to create unique patterns on the front face of the cushions. The velvet is 'framed' with a flange of French antique handwoven linen with a great natural slub texture. The reverse is made of the same antique fabric with a deep envelope to contain the cushion pad.

A British-made cushion pad is included in the price.

A variety of sizes are available in this design. 

Raw Luxe Collection: Embroidered Antique Linen Cushions

Little cushions created from finely embroidered vintage/antique cloths with linen envelope backs.

We love the sophisticated texture of white embroidery on white cloth and enjoy how the light plays on the surface creating shadows.

A British-made, duck feather cushion pad is included in the price.  

A variety of sizes are available.

The Best of British Design and Craftsmanship

We are passionate about harnessing traditional British trade and craft skills to make our exclusive designs, so expect: well made creations with a strong attention to detail.

Drawing to commission has a different dynamic, one where the poetry of creativity has a tension. The management of that is where Utopia excels, as exemplified in the last twelve months when Jac has been commissioned by both corporate companies and private clients to draw a range of subject matter.

We thought you might be interested in both the process and the results.

What happens when I commission a drawing at Utopia?

• CONSULTATION

The first step is to have an in-depth consultation with Jac on what your ideas are and how Utopia might fulfil them. We also discuss options for developing the idea and find out your budget and deadline – key parts of working productively together.

• SITE VISIT                  

Secondly, a site visit is booked. From this, basic research material is gleaned and then a quote is provided. Utopia does not charge for these initial meetings.

• CONTRACT                  

A simple contract is drawn stating: the brief, financial terms and schedule. On signed agreement and exchange of the contract, plus receipt of the non-returnable deposit, the work begins.

• RESEARCH                  

Jac will need to make some site visits to collect research material (sketches, photographs etc) but exactly how many are arranged, depends on the brief. The visits are always arranged with the client in advance and at times of mutual convenience. Many of the site visits are outside and therefore dependant on suitable weather conditions.

• SKETCH

It is usual for a preliminary sketch illustrating the composition to be forwarded to the client prior to a full drawing being created. This ensures that both parties are clear about the brief and that both are heading in the same direction. Any amendments are then made.

• DRAWING                  

At this stage the exciting part commences as the full drawing is developed. On completion a low-resolution version is emailed to client for feedback.

• CHANGES                  

Any little changes to the drawing are executed, the final version is agreed, then this stage is signed-off by the client.

• OTHER MATERIALS

If developments like framing and printing have been asked for, then it is at this stage in the process that they are managed.

• COMPLETION

On receipt of the drawing (and other materials) the client pays the balance and does a final sign-off to show the commission has finished.

This process enables both parties to clearly understand what is happening and when, so there is little chance for misunderstandings. Jac has spent twenty-five years as a professional artist working to commission, so she understands the process well and finds it rewarding developing new works from clients ideas.

Please get in touch if you have a concept you’d like to explore further.

Here are some commissions from clients in the last twelve months.