An interview with Yolanda Cray

Q – Could you introduce yourself briefly to the readers?

My name is Yolanda Cray, my parents are Dutch and moved to Ireland for their honeymoon and stayed. I was born in Dublin and moved to the U.K. 25 years ago, and to Wiltshire 4 years ago.

Q - How did you become interested in art?

My interest in art has come from a love of colour and texture since doing an Interior design course and working in the interiors industry, as a result I started doing an evening class with Susanna Bailey a very talented tutor and it has grown from then

BEFORE THE WEDDING

Q - What inspires you most as an artist?

What inspires me most as an artist is encouragement from fellow artists, enthusiasm is infectious. Also the beauty of landscapes as a memory of a moment in time.

Q - What is your favourite medium or media? Why?

My current favourite medium is acrylic as it gives a lot of flexibility of use and dries quickly.

Q - Could you tell us some more about your work?

My style is traditional landscapes with emphasis on creating texture to give the piece a mood and feeling.

Q - How would you define your style?

My current work is influenced by places I have visited recently and have photographed or sketched wherever possible especially the relationship between sea and rock

CREAMY CORNWALL

Q - What are your influences; artists from the past or present who inspire you?

My influences from past and present are Rothko for colour, Turner for mood and Barbara Hepworth for shapes.

Q - How do you choose the subjects of your works?

I choose my work from photos taken, sketches made and memories stored, size and shape of the canvas and how one feels on a particular day when faced with a blank canvas

MELLOW MEADOW

Q- How do you prepare yourself for an exhibition or a show like the Open Studios?

I am preparing for open studio by putting together a series of paintings called aspects of nature, so there is cohesion with the exhibition. I am also setting aside as much free time as possible to get prepared


Q- Did you take part in the Swindon Open Studios in the past?

This is my first open studio

Q - Are there territories (media, subjects, etc.) you want to explore in the coming years?

I would like to explore other media such as watercolour, pen and ink and also to mix some of the above media. I would also like to attempt some very large canvasses in the future. My imagination is my limitation.

Q - As an artist, what would be your dream?

A large successful solo exhibition, where every painting got sold. I would also like my own studio away from my house to escape too.

Q - Could you share one thing that you have learnt in your own art practice that would be useful to other artists?

P -PATIENCE -be patient
A –AWARENESS -take in your surroundings whenever you can and sketch and photograph
L - LOVE -love what you do it must never feel like a chore
L - LIGHT -notice what affect light has at different times of the day
E - ENERGY -put energy into your each piece
T- TIME -try and set aside time every day even if it is only an hour each day