New Artists, Quick Questions

What happens when you ask artists a few quick-fire questions about what they drink while creating, what they listen to, when they work best and which materials they couldn't live without? You discover that there is no such thing as a typical artist!

We put some of our newer members to the test, asking them about their studio habits, favourite colours and creative approaches. Their answers offer a fun glimpse behind the scenes and reveal some wonderfully individual personalities along the way.

Dianne Wyatt

Dianne Wyatt is clearly not one for unnecessary distractions in the studio — when asked whether she prefers tea or coffee while creating, her answer was simply: “No time to drink!” She works to music and considers herself more of an afternoon person than either an early bird or a night owl.

When it comes to creating, Dianne goes straight onto the canvas rather than starting with a sketchbook. Her colour of the moment is Phthalo green, a favourite that brings plenty of vibrancy to her work.

Lara Ashley

Lara Ashley is definitely a night owl, creating to the accompaniment of audiobooks and podcasts — and fuelled by Vanilla Coke Zero rather than the more traditional artist's tea or coffee!

Her creative process involves a workbook and wheel, while clay is the one material she couldn't imagine doing without. Working indoors, Lara is currently drawn to the unmistakable warmth of 70s orange. Asked to describe her art in one word, her answer is beautifully open-ended: “Growing.”

Bonnie Selak

Bonnie Selak starts early, although she's not necessarily rushing into the day. She describes having a pretty chilled morning before she starts painting, usually accompanied by music and a choice of chai, black or matcha tea.

Bonnie likes to do some planning before she paints, using a sketchbook to work through her ideas. Orange and gold are currently catching her eye, while her favourite Gamblin oil paint is an essential part of her studio practice. She loves both indoor and outdoor studios, but if pushed to choose, prefers working indoors with a view.

Her one-word description of her art? “Fun.”

Theo Leach

For Theo Leach, coffee is the clear winner — and when it comes to studio soundtracks, mostly silence. There is, however, one unavoidable exception: the almost constant noise of the extractor running above his kiln.

A self-confessed night owl, Theo doesn't spend time sketching before creating. Instead, he goes straight onto the pottery wheel. Clay is, unsurprisingly, the material he couldn't live without, and his current favourite colour is blue.

His one word for his art is “Spontaneous” — a fitting description for a practice that embraces the immediacy of working directly with clay.

Clare Woods

Clare Woods is an early bird who likes to create to music, accompanied by coffee. Her creative process begins with a sketch, before she moves into the making.

Her current colour dilemma is perhaps one many artists will recognise: “Gold no blue no orange no..” Clearly, choosing just one favourite colour isn't always easy!

Clare's indispensable studio material is Liquitex Gel Medium, while her preferred workspace is indoors. When asked for one word to describe her art, she chose “Meditative” — a word that hints at the quiet, absorbing quality of her creative practice.

Amy Prebble

Amy Prebble has perhaps given us the most important studio advice of all: mug positioning matters. She mostly drinks tea while creating, but is very clear that nothing good comes from a mug sitting next to a jar of paint water!

Her studio soundtrack is music — most genres — although sometimes silence wins out. When it comes to sketching, Amy takes a practical approach. It depends on the work; sometimes a little preliminary drawing can save time and prevent her from driving herself mad with composition dilemmas.

Amy's current colour of choice is hot pink, particularly welcome on grey winter days. Rather than naming a single indispensable material, she offered a wonderful insight into her artistic approach: “If a forest floor is made up of leaf litter, then I aspire to make paint litter.” She hopes her paintings have earthy, peaceful vibes — a lovely description of both her work and her intentions.

Samantha Freeman

Samantha Freeman is another night owl, creating to podcasts and audiobooks and fuelled by tea. She works directly onto canvas or ceramics rather than beginning with a sketchbook.

Her current favourite colour is Tyrian purple, while paint — including ceramic glazes — is the one material she couldn't live without. Samantha prefers working indoors and, when asked to describe her art in a single word, there's no hesitation: “Colour.”

Malcolm Freeman

Malcolm Freeman keeps things refreshingly simple in the studio. His drink of choice is green tea — definitely without milk — while his answer to the question of music, podcasts or silence is wonderfully noncommittal: “Either, or, or the other.”

As for when he works best, Malcolm admits he's becoming “less of either” when it comes to being an early bird or night owl. His usual approach is to go straight to the canvas, without the detour through a sketchbook.

His current colour inspiration is the green of lush foliage, with sap green oil paint his indispensable material. Malcolm prefers working indoors, although he'd like to try more outdoor creating. And when asked for one word to describe his art, his honest response was simply: “I'm not sure how to answer this one.”

Perhaps that's an entirely appropriate answer for an artist whose work is not easily confined to a single word!

John Hay

John Hay is a straightforward kind of artist when it comes to his studio essentials: coffee, music and an indoor workspace. His most productive time of day is around midday, and when it comes to creating, he heads straight to the canvas.

His current colour of choice is orange, while the one material he couldn't live without is surprisingly simple: “1 good brush.”

Asked to describe his art in one word, John chose “Varied.” It’s a concise answer that perhaps says quite a lot about the breadth of his creative approach.

A glimpse behind the artwork

Although the questions were deliberately light-hearted, the answers reveal something more than just studio preferences. They show how differently artists approach their creative practice — some plan carefully, while others dive straight into the making; some need music, others prefer silence; some are drawn to a particular colour, while others can't possibly choose just one.

There are early birds, night owls and those who prefer the middle of the day. There are artists who need their favourite paint, clay or gel medium close at hand, while John Hay has reduced his essential toolkit to one good brush. And then there are those, like Malcolm, who resist being neatly categorised altogether.

Perhaps that's what makes a creative community so interesting. Behind every finished artwork is an individual set of rituals, instincts, materials, influences and moments of discovery.

So next time you see one of these artists' works, you might wonder: Was it created to music or silence? Was there a sketchbook involved? Was it made early in the morning or late at night? And, most importantly, where was the mug?

After all, there is always more to an artwork than meets the eye.