A CONVERSATION WITH ANDY WAITE
Andy’s work stopped me in my tracks. I discovered him through Instagram where he showcases his paintings. His work is beautiful and ethereal; he uses colour with delicacy and in a way which delivers such impact. There’s a life to his work which draws you in. I could certainly sit and look at his paintings for hours. I was therefore delighted when Andy agreed to this conversation about his career, his art and his inspiration. I particularly like Andy’s ethos that you don’t need to know anything about art to know you love it. In his words, if something “stirs the soul…then you probably need it in your life!” I love this; it’s what art is all about – a connection, a love, a feeling. It doesn’t matter if you can’t critique it or explain why you love it.
So grab a cuppa and enjoy this conversation with Andy; I think you’ll like it.
Can you describe your work for us?
I feel my paintings would probably best be described as semi-abstract expressionist romantic, which is a bit longwinded but probably about right. However, I think that if you try to categorise yourself too precisely there is a danger you get stuck in a certain way of working and you then only identify yourself with that genre, and as an artist, you need to be open to new ways of working or you can become predictable and unadventurous.
This leads to the idea of having a style; it’s quite a conundrum – when artists start out, they are often told or feel that they need to acquire a recognisable style; galleries like that consistency and perhaps art buyers too, there is something reassuring about the familiarity of the work of a particular artist; but this of course ties an artist down, rather than freeing them up to discover fresh fields, and once a successful formula has been found, it’s tempting to just repeat yourself.
We’d love to hear a little more about your journey to becoming an artist.
I was perhaps rather guilty of taking that path earlier in my career when I painted still life watercolours exclusively for ten years, and although they were hugely successful in terms of sales, in the end they just weren’t lifting my spirit, so I made a conscious decision to abandon them and I took up oils and became more interested in exploring the landscape which I feel far more connected to. When I look at my own work I suppose I have found a style, but more by accident and experimentation than design.
I hope that within that well-worn tradition of landscape painting, I’ve been willing to immerse myself in an ever more engaged way; really trying to express the depth of what nature tells us, a celebration of the land we walk on and my own relationship to it. I sense that my work has had a slow but steady evolution which has moved in and out of degrees of abstraction, I’m also very excited about how colours work together, tending towards using a limited palette and expressing feeling over a representational approach.
What would you say are your sources of inspiration?
My work is rooted in the Sussex countryside, but I am increasingly less interested in specific geography and more in letting imagination take over. So while I will walk through nature I don’t often record it, it’s more about absorbing it – I might make the odd sketch or take a photograph, may even refer to them in the studio, but I shy away from having a fixed idea of how a painting will conclude; if I knew what I was going to end up with there would be no point in starting, no real journey or adventure, merely a method of reaching a defined goal.
Can you describe a typical day for us?
I tend to work in long and intense bursts of activity where nothing else gets in the way, it’s quite obsessive and these periods usually last for weeks or months without any real break and then perhaps I’ll suddenly realise I’m quite exhausted or need to stop to prepare for an exhibition, which is often followed by a time of rest, reflection and consideration. After that, a slow building sense of something new begins to make its presence felt and I’m off again!
Do you ever suffer from creative block? If so, how do you deal with it
I don’t tend to suffer from creative block, it’s more that I will sometimes doubt my own ability, the old imposter syndrome that perhaps many creatives occasionally feel. But my experience of painting has always been equal parts joy and frustration, which I fully accept as how it has to be, so while I am forever trying to make the ultimate wondrous painting, I am hoping never to achieve it for fear of there being nowhere left to go; nothing to strive for.
Is there anyone you’d love to create a painting for?
I have never been able or really wanted to make specific paintings for people which might sound selfish, and the very rare commissions I’ve had have not gone too well, so I no longer seek them out. I think it’s because the painting process for me comes from such a deep place that anyone else’s expectation becomes a compromise and the process stilted, almost dishonest. It feels much better to make work that resonates with my own spirit in the hope that it will speak to someone else too, and when that kind of emotional connection occurs it’s a truly rewarding experience.
Do you have any tips for people choosing artwork for their home
For people choosing art for their home, I would only advise be impulsive and trust your instincts. I often hear the time honoured phrase ‘I don’t know anything about art, but I know what I like’ which to me is really the only criteria you need. If it moves you in some way, be it thought provoking, something that you find uplifting or that stirs the soul in whatever way, then you probably need it in your life!
And finally, where can we see, and buy, your work?
My studio is set within our Georgian home in Arundel and we welcome visitors by appointment; there is always a good selection of paintings on the walls, and work in progress for those interested to see the process. My paintings are available to browse and purchase from my website at www.andywaite.net where you can also sign up to my mailing list to receive updates for new collections and exhibitions.
We hold two open house exhibitions a year, one as part of Arundel Gallery Trail which takes place during the last ten days of August, and the other over three long weekends preceding Christmas, which this year will be 2nd-4th/9th-11th/16th-18th December. All details can be found on my website at www.andywaite.net
I have a number of galleries around the UK that hold my work permanently – these are listed on my website.
I have also self-published three books of paintings which are all accompanied by a few poems, and one where the emphasis has been on poetry but which includes a number of monochrome photographs. These are available from my website.
Contact Details:
07570 807954
Website: www.andywaite.net
Instagram: @andywaitepaintings
Facebook: Andy Waite Paintings