ARTISTS INTERVIEW
Interviewer: Jennifer
Crowshaw, owner, SOTA gallery
Name of artist: Roberta
Tetzner
Medium:
painting.
Mixed media (including
acrylic paint, watercolour, pastel, collage and other media) on canvas
1.
What age did you realise art was something you wanted
to pursue?
When I was 12 years old, my
painting was held up as an example of good work at school. This was when I realised
that Art was for me.
Some time
later, I found out that an observational drawing I had once done, had for some
years, been used my old art teacher, as an example in his lessons. This was
despite the fact that the sugar paper it had been made on was fraying at the
edges! Not just an Art Teacher but the School Careers Adviser, too, it was him
who suggested I consider studying Art.
2.
Did you study Art after leaving school?
Yes I did, although not at
first. My grandfather, a respected surgeon, thought I should study something “sensible”
like law or medicine as I had very good academic grades. As I am bilingual in
Dutch and English, I chose to study French and Italian with European studies at
University. I did this for a year, but realized, that I kept being drawn back
to art, spending all my spare time drawing and painting. I also missed the art school environment. So I
ended up going back to art school. After
several years at College I completed my MA at Brighton University thus
combining an academic and artistic education.
3.
What inspires you to create?
The environment around me.
This could be travel; a beautiful view; a garden layout or even something as
simple as a blossom branch lying on the ground or a tiny weed growing in the
grass.
4.
Have you always worked in this medium?
I have worked mainly in
acrylic, as I like the speed at which it dries and the varied ways in which it
can be manipulated.
5.
What has been your biggest achievement?
Being able to communicate
my visual interests to others through the medium of art. It is a very special
feeling when someone falls in love with a piece of art you have created.
It
makes all the struggling to communicate something visually, worthwhile. The
fact that someone understands and appreciates what you want to say is hugely
rewarding.
Being
selected for the Contemporary Painting Prize FRINGEMK
Finalists Catalogue, and the Light Space Time International Online Gallery gave
me a special recognition award. My work has also been printed in a Finnish art
magazine HESAInprint.
And last year, my work was used in an
independent film, which was screened at the Institute of Contemporary Art in
the Mall, London. That was great fun.
6.
Is there an Artist whose work you admire?
Many! And I am continually
discovering more! Bonnard, Raoul Dufy, Matisse, Picasso, Howard Hodgkin, Pete
Doig, Beatriz Milhazes are simply a few!
7.
How has your work/Style changed over the years?
I have worked in a variety
of ways but the core idea has always been the same, to translate they joy and
beauty I feel in the world around me, into a piece of art in some way.
8.
Where do you see your art in the future?
I have been working on some
larger canvasses at the moment and would now like to mix this with some smaller
work. I would like to explore the fine line between abstract and figurative
painting further.
9.
If you could live as any artist for just one
day who would it be and why?
David Hockney. I think he
has been very good at “getting out there” and keeping control at the same time
and I would like to learn from him how to market myself better.
10. What
advice would you give to a young artist just starting out?
