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Sevina Yates
Interview with the artist
What do you like best about being an artist?
Seeing the world in a different way.I didnt realise I did this untill recently . I was on a marsh with a gamekeeper ,taking photos ,and I said those clouds are fantastic, look at the way they streak across the sky and the blue changes colour behind them, and he said, you look at the world differently, I look at clouds to see if I am going to get wet.Untill that point I assumed everyone did what I do,see colours and shapes in everything.
What do you like least about being an artist?
My feelings of frustration when things dont go right. I get very intense when i paint.
What is the most expensive art related purchase you have made?
My new digital camera.It is a canon 350 digital SLR with zoom lense and high speed flashcard. It is worth its weight in gold.I can see if I got the shot at the time so I know when I need to keep going and I can take crisp pictures of birds in flight because of the fast shot per second speed.I can also tell if I have the white balance right. I bought it after I took some shots of an Alaskan Bald Eagle that was flying straight at me and the white head was bleached out by the dark feathers. I wasnt best pleased when I got the film back but that is now a thing of the past.
Where do you work, do you have a studio?
I will have a studio soon when I get my extension finished, and how long have I been saying that ! At present I am painting in the bare bones of it in huge fluffy slippers and coat and I have to constantly keep hot drinks handy to thaw my hands out.
If you could pick just three colours to work with what would they be?
I would use a yellowy gold ,a blue and brown.I havnt got a clue what the names are, I just grab the ones that look good at the time.
What do you find most difficult?
Getting the right level of concentration. If I havnt got it it shows. When I have got it I forget everything around me and my work looks like I know it can. With three young children its difficult, the screams from inside distract me!
Which artist, past or present, would you like to study under or collaborate with
Carl Brenders. He has a pure love of animals and texture and it shines through. He captures the essence of the animal and more than that, where it lives, what it does, how it moves and his pictures show he knows what he is painting because he has seen it and understood it.I would love to go on a field trip with him to share his enjoyment of it.
What is the best tip you can offer budding artists?
When someone says your perspective is wrong, people wont buy that, why dont you paint something else or that person is better than you, check what you can see in your head. Do you know you can do it? if you know you can, ignore them.Only you can see what you want to achieve.It may take years but when they say I have no idea how you learnt to do that its really good ,you can enjoy the feeling that you were right to be bloody minded. On the other hand constuctive criticism is well worth listening to even if it hurts.
What is the best thing somebody could say about your art?
I can feel it.
What is the worst thing somebody could say about your art?
You are wasting your time.
Do you find art relaxing?
No way! Painting is one of the most stressfull things I do. Because I need things to be accurate when I paint wildlife I concentrate to the exclusion of all else exept music . The picture has to give a sense of being real and if i dont feel I am acheiving that I get very grumpy, when it does work I experience a sort of high. my husband doesnt talk to me for half an hour after I finish.
What is your favourite subject and why?
Wildlife and mountains. Wildlife in mountains is perfect.As to why.. I dont really know. Pianting is a compulsion for me and these things affect me most.Its not for the prettyness of it, wildlife when you get close to it is vicious and mountains can be pretty deadly if you are not carefull. I am not immune to things that just look nice but i think i prefer things that can let you know just how real they are. I have painted several pictures of the swiss mountains on clear sunny days but when I am up on the high glaciers I am aware that a faraday cage is the safest place to be because lightning can and frequently does strike out of a blue sky.
What are your future plans? What would you like to achieve?
To keep painting untill someone stops me. I would like to achieve a painting that puts all the skills I am still learning into one picture and do the best that I think is possible. And then the next week to do better.
Do you have a favourite amongst your own artwork?
No I always feel that I can do better or should have done better as soon as a picture is finished. When people take me to task over this my answer is thats what makes me paint better. I always have to stretch myself to find what I can achieve. I am nowhere near what I want to be able to do yet. If I dont criticise my work myself and accept it as good I wouldnt learn from it. I can be very annoying!
Do you have a funny story related to your art?
Yes . I was in the lake district and in my typical style wanted to get as high up as I could but I also didnt have much time so we thought the passes would be a good idea. They were a long way from where we were camping so we took the car and drove, planning to walk from the car. We found the first pass ok and got out for some pictures. It was stunning. All misty ang glowing light and no-one about. we were between two passes in a secluded valley so I was a bit concerned about the nasty smell in the air. We tracked it down to the car. We were in, and we had to get out again. Two exits.. two passes. We picked the one that looked best .As we came to a halt without exploding on the other side my husband leapt out of the car, ran to my side, left me holding everything as he dissappeared into the distance shouting the brakes are on fire !The mechanic said we had turned them to dust.
If your artwork could be displayed anywhere in the world where would you choose?
Interlaken Switzerland so I could have an excuse to go there.
Which piece of art has provoked the strongest reaction in you and why?
It changes. Everytime I see something I cant do it drives me crazy untill I can so it will be whichever painting presents me with something new or special.For example "Mother of Pearls" by Carl Brenders was the last one because of the snow. It is a picture of a polar bear family and the colours, reflections and sparkle in the snow is special.
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