Kathryn Matthews introduces a new collection of paintings inspired by Hastings.
How do you choose a location and what do you look for?
I generally don’t know if a location is going to work until I get there. A lot depends on the atmosphere of the place and the shapes in the landscape.
What inspired you about Hastings to use this as the central source for your recent collection?
I absolutely adore the historic seafront of Hastings and above all the tall black sheds in the fishing quarter. These tall, matt black ‘net shops’ as they're called stand in rows, looming out of the shingle and I imagine the centuries of fishermen’s tales within their wood.
Do you have a personal connection to the town?
None other than I have been returning to paint interpretations of this scene throughout my career.
Does the location inform your technique?
I like to use black in my paintings and the clapboard construction of the net shops lends itself to my technique of scratching into a flat black surface. This is a throwback to my training as an etcher.
Are there any particular places within Hastings that really captured your interest, and if so are they evident in your work?
Every colour, shape and texture is thrown together on Hastings beach in a mass of fluro nets, flags and buoys interspersed with ramshackle sheds and half written signs. I love it! I can really go a bit wild with my compositions
What time of year did you start sketching, and in what conditions?
How long does it take for you to create the new Spring collection?
I started working on this collection last November.
How has this collection evolved from previous works?
My colours are even louder this time round
What are you most proud about/happy with how it has turned out?
I have been experimenting with space and hope that some of my new work has captured that. I tried to take the eye on a journey from busy colour through to calm.
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