throwback thursday - holly farrell
We thought we'd give the Canadian painter a buzz to see what's been happening in her paint-splattered world.
The last time we checked in with Canadian painter Holly Farrell, it was 2009 and she was wowing us with pretty pictures of soaps, bowls and the humble tumbler. The subjects may have been simple but the art was mighty sweet, and we were prepared to buy one of everything to adorn our office walls.
A few years on and the self-taught lass still has magic streaming out of her paintbrush wand, so we thought we'd give her a buzz to see what's been happening in her paint-splattered world.
So Holly, what have you been up to since we interviewed you in frankie magazine? Well, I've been painting my way through a variety of subject matter - I continue to paint still life, but have mixed it up a bit by delving into portraiture too.
I have had a few solo and group exhibitions... it's been somewhat of a roller coaster ride with the economy being a bit squirrely, but I am happy to say I'm hanging in there.
What kind of reaction did you get from the article? My friends thought it was great my being in the same magazine as Juliette Lewis and Charlotte Gainsbourg. It upped my cool quotient – and that's a major accomplishment for a still life artist! Also, the article was great exposure for me – frankie introduced my work to people who probably wouldn't have seen it otherwise.
For people who missed the article, tell us a little about who you are and what you do. I am a self-taught painter living in Toronto, Canada. After high school I trained in college to work with children and adults who had developmental and/or psychological challenges. At 29, due to the stress of this work, I began to paint in my off-time. I sold my first paintings at a Toronto outdoor art fair when I was 31. It seemed a long shot at the time, but I then decided to quit my day job and focus solely on painting. Over 20 years later, I'm still at it.
What are you currently working on that you want to tell us about? I have a new show in Chicago at the Packer Schopf Gallery - it's my first show at the gallery, my first show of portraiture, and my first show of Clowns!
In your opinion, clowns: funny or terrifying? Clowns are funny, mostly – or at least that's their intention. I think it's our perception that determines the outcome of the encounter. They try to pull you in, engage you in whatever way they can.
Coincidentally, just prior to the opening of my Clowns show, there was a flurry of media attention on a looming US clown shortage. Not surprising, considering the bad rap clowns continue to get in films and books. There are always a few bad apples in any population, but true clowns are not bad - historically, they are healers - laughter being the best medicine and all.
Tell us about the subjects who sat for you. At first I was a bit nervous and didn't know what to expect - and I'm sure some of the clowns were wary, considering the history of bad clown portraiture. I wanted to reassure them that my intention was to do 'good' clown paintings – I hoped that, by getting to know me a little, they would feel more confident and relaxed.
I wanted to get a range of clown types, from the birthday party clown whose focus was children, to the street performer, to the more saucy stage performers.
On a side note, my husband and I offered to drive Sketchy The Clown home after his sitting. He was in the back seat and we came up to a stoplight in the financial district of Toronto. "He's a clown", Sketchy said, and pointed to this normal looking guy crossing the street in front of us, before disappearing into the crowd on the other side. People by day, clowns by night. Clowns are everywhere and we don't realise it!
Which do you prefer to work with, portraiture or still life? I've always seen my still life paintings as portraiture, or at the very least, they are closely connected. Initially my still life paintings were studies. I was struggling to hone my drawing skills and would utilise whatever subjects I could get my hands on; the basic tools that made up my day-to-day surroundings - teacups, cutlery, bowls, chairs, to name a few. These 'things' of mine were mostly hand-me-downs from my family and friends. I would sit and draw these solitary subjects against a spare background, and over time, as I would draw, and then paint, I realised that the studies were becoming more than just practice. They seemed to reflect something back to me of the people I connected them with. In this way I saw that they fell somewhere in between portraiture and still life. I would have a hard time choosing one genre over the other.
Has your painting style changed over time? Sure, experience always fosters some kind of change. Initially, in my early days of painting, I had little focus – it was my thought to find a way to express myself that was unique. I soon realised that 'trying' was not necessarily going to work – I had to relax and just get on with the 'how to' of things. Honestly, I am still learning every day. My work is much less rough than it used to be. My palette changes from time to time, but I think most change comes with pushing one's self... which brings me to your next question.
What do you have in mind for your next project? Megumi Ogita, who represents my work in Japan, approached me about participating in a group show – Landscapes. He often challenges me to 'stretch' with my work. It was timely that I had just then started the work on two small Fall and Winter paintings. These will be showing at the Megumi Ogita Gallery in April.