Studio 7
The RopewalkMaltkiln Road
Barton upon HumberNorth Lincolnshire
General:
Are you inspired by particular artists (past or present)?
– If so, who and why?
I am still interested in the artists which inspired me when
I was at Winchester studying for my Art Degree.
I go back to them “like an old friend” e.g. Paul Nash who was very
influenced by where he lived. I am interested in his landscapes, the style of
his work and the psychological elements of it. He conveys a mood or feeling and
“I connect with that”. My work is influenced by his approach e.g. the coast and
the sea “and the connection with what is man-made”. (He shows me a collagraph
as an example, see below):
Tim Needham, Collagraph inspired by the coastal landscapes
of Paul Nash
Paul Nash (1889 –1946) was a British painter and war artist,
as well as a photographer, writer and designer of applied art. Nash was among
the most important landscape artists of the first half of the twentieth century
and played a key role in the development of Modernism in English art.I visited the places he painted and I actually moved to Swanage in Dorset for a while where Nash used to live to get a sense of the “place”. I like the way that Nash commented about the sea, and the quality of different seas, for example, Nash described the North Sea, near Hornsea as “fearful joy”, whilst he described the sea at Swanage as “blue and beguiling”.
I was also inspired by my contemporaries at Art School i.e. William Crozier, Gillian Ayres, John McClean– and especially by abstraction. My paintings convey a sense of place, poetry or feeling – even if the work is abstracted. I developed an interest in poetry – a language which is you and which you use to think about your work and try to explain some things which are inexplicable – the works are visual – and not transferable into words – the nearest thing is poetry. Nash was a neo-romanticist (explains what that means), but any poetry or words can connect with the art work.
Are you interested in any artistic movements or theories
– if so, what and why?
I would say Contemporary British Abstract Art which links
with my Winchester tutors of the 1980s onwards e.g. Frank Bowling. This approach
links with the development of cubism and American Abstract Expressionism where
a painting is an object in itself.
Do you aim to make a point through your work e.g.
political/social/ environmental? If so, how?
I want to convey a meaning, which is more difficult when
working with abstract painting. I compare it to music (e.g. like Kandinsky) – a
composition in visual terms. I prefer the piece to be suggestive of place – a sense
of place or of the light or colour of the place. The painting carries the sense
of place, mood, colour, light, and an emotional connection in some ways.Have you been influenced by your background or surroundings? If so. How?
Definitely – the coastal landscape and the sea. I find
inspiration or see something and wonder how I can capture the elements of what
I have been feeling- sometimes this is better as a painting or a print.
How would you describe your own “personal artistic
voice”?
I like the idea that that the work is connected to a purpose
and that it has a meaning even if decorative. My father was a sailor and was in
the navy and this connects with my work. For instance, here is a set of prints
I made based on a series of figure heads on boats.
These figure heads convey
the type of cargo the boat would be carrying, e.g. they would include a sheaf
of wheat, others figures are blind and feeling the darkness with their hands,
or listening to a conch shell to guide their way, one is of a figure belonging to an early
exploration ship in the Arctic (see below).
Tim Needham, Figure-head, intaglio print (part of a series)
How do you promote yourself as a Professional Artist? Do
you have any advice?
I have exhibited at the Royal Academy (three times – prints and
paintings) and I maintain my artistic identity. I have exhibited in galleries
across the country e.g. surrey and York – I am hoping to do more, and recently I had a joint exhibition here, at the Ropewalk, with another artist.
Practical Painting/Printmaking):
Do you specialise in a particular medium or mediums? -If so, what and why?
Painting – mainly acrylic – it is thinner than oil, dries
quickly and I like the effect on un-stretched or raw canvas as it stains and
gives an under-surface. The un-primed canvas does not rot with acrylic as it
would with oil paint. I lay the un-stretched canvas on the floor, this way the
paint does not rundown and dries like that. This way the canvas is easy to transport
as I work outside, and I work often work on things I find e.g. corrugated cardboard.
I use the qualities within the “everyday” or things thrown away and found
objects.
Tim Needham, an example of a large painting in his studio
Tim Needham, an example of a work on cardboard
Prints – usually involves preparation and involves an idea I
want to make happen or convey. I decide what process to use to get the effect I
need.
My printmaking is mainly intaglio, but I do make some
lino-cuts. I am influenced by the diving figure (I don’t know where that came
from). Recently on holiday in France I found some bits of wood and carved it
with some old lino tools I had taken. I like the idea of “ready-mades”. I used
some circus flyers to print on. The outcome of the print borrows the colour of
the flyer, but loses the clown – it loses the original identity and becomes
something with a meaning. See illustrations below:
A copy of the original circus flyer
The diving figure printed on top of the flyer
Sculpture – my sculpture has the same philosophy.
Tim Needham, Icarus, sculpture from “ready-mades”
Does colour play an important role in your practice? - If so, how?
Yes, colour plays a significant role in my work. I like
colours which are challenging – sometimes there are compromises and I
over-paint. I ask him what he means by a challenging colour – a colour which
gives a bit of a lift or edge or you notice it e.g. a pink landscape I made
worked very well, or a yellow sky would transform an image – something not
quite naturalistic, for instance a blue sky may be too realistic, so I may make
it purple.
Tim Needham, a strong use of colour
I use layers in print-making and often will make variations
in colour. He shows me some demonstration pieces of a Picasso-types image by
way of illustration (see below).
Tim Needham, finished print illustrating the combination of layers to produce different colours
Above, the three plates from which the different colours
were layered to make the final print
I also use this approach in painting. This method is good
for collagraphs – there is a mix of things in it. The method also works for dry
points, aquatints etc. and can be combined with other techniques.
Do you think that monotone can be effective? If so, in
what ways/ circumstances?
Painting will work in monotone – the composition still works
e.g. I took some black and white photographs of some of my pieces and they
still worked. Tonal elements also influence the aesthetics as well as colour
e.g. John Maclean has contrasted these elements in the same painting (e.g. as
an example, a work of a grey castle with light above it).
Can you describe how you achieve mood or atmosphere in
your work?A combination of the subject and the play of light on the surface, contrasting with a darker tone, or a combination of certain colours. As an example, in a painting I did (which is sold now) I tried to get the mood I felt years ago of being on an old playing field and the sense of place (e.g. goal posts/ white lines on grass). I used contrasts such as light and dark coming across in the painting and a limited palette, which worked very well – green (sort of like a “corporation” green), terracotta/ pastel yellow. It gave a mood of that memory.
How do you relate your work to the viewer?
Using the concepts set out above.
You must look at something for a long time, and look for something in it.
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