With an evocative sense of heat and botanical aromas imbuing every artwork, Grace Green’s paintings bring a hit of gorgeous colour to chilly days.
“I’ve always been preoccupied with colour, pattern and texture,” she admits. “As a child I was always drawing. Art is something that’s followed me through all my educational decisions, I took BTEC art and design instead of A levels, and at 16 I knew it was the only subject I wanted to pursue. Both my parents went to art college and my brother too, it’s almost as if I didn’t have a choice!”
Grace’s vividly fecund paintings are the result of hours of experimentation with different hues.
“I enjoy the way two colours sit with one another more than anything,” she says. “When I left college I went to India for three months, at the time I was unaware of how much it would influence my love for colour. Now I choose my holiday destinations by looking at how colour is used within a country. Nature is so vibrant and not afraid of colour either.”
Herbaceous Hot House 2 by Grace Green
It’s abundantly clear from her creations that the natural world is a driving force when it comes to composition.
“I appreciate the contrast between linear structures and organic plant forms, as a reminder of constraints that are placed by man over nature,” she comments. “I notice different patterns next to one another in everyday set ups and it reminds me that pattern is everywhere. When looking under the microscope at something that to the eye seems flat or single tone, you see its make up is so intricate. When I paint I let my minds eye imagine these shapes which allows me to free flow forms next to painted shapes that one can understand.”
Much of Grace’s work is a response to the term ‘mother’, “both the beauty of motherhood and the anxieties that accompany it. More recently the work has focused on the fruitfulness and fecundity of life in all its forms but principally the absorption in organic growth.”
Herbaceous Hot House 3 by Grace Green
It explains her choice of setting for many of her paintings.
“I consider the idea of a glasshouse acting as an incubator to the plants, protecting them from harsher climates,” she says. “They create a safe place to enable plants to nourish and grow, much like the mother’s womb.”
Permitting her subconscious the freedom to unfurl is vital to Grace’s process.
“When trying to depict something specific I have found it is best for me not to try too much, or identify what it is I am doing until afterwards,” she says. “I allow myself to mentally go to this place. Letting go of control allows my work to reflect my most honest interpretation.”
They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds. by Grace Green
This also ensures even the most plant-tangled scene can be a deeply personal representation.
“I enjoy being able to reflect my interests through a medium,” she says. “It solidifies my thoughts and my grasp of the things I magnetise towards. It’s an expression of me. I graduated from Falmouth School of Art in 2016 and since then I have shown my work in two exhibitions and built up my online presence. It’s been fascinating to see people’s reactions to my work outside of university and to network with people around the world.”
Find more of Grace’s work at www.gracegreenartist.co.uk and on Instagram @graceellengreen.
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