Please tell us a bit about yourself and the journey you have taken to becoming an artist.

Painting has been a passion since childhood, my mother painted, and I remember delving into the wooden boxes full of oil paints and the smells of paint and linseed oil. I was fascinated by this introduction to a whole world of new colours and many weekends were spent wandering around the local art shop. I studied for my BA in Fine Arts and spent a year afterwards volunteering in schools around the world as an art therapist. I worked in a village in Kerala for 6 months teaching arts and it was there my mind was opened to a new language of colour combinations, patterns and forms, and breathtaking landscapes.

I work in pastels, both soft and oil pastels on paper or wood panels. I love being able to get close to the surface, which the pastels allow, and a sense of really being involved physically with the painting.

Tell us about your studio practice. How do you create your artworks and what does a day in your life look like? 

I have two young children, so every day is different, and, in the evenings, I quite often have one of them sit next to me painting! In the studio, I like to allow myself at least an hour a day to paint freely and explore new ideas and I find this helps my flow with whichever projects I have planned that day. My day can be filled with commissions, new works for galleries, or framing and packaging my works.

Before I begin working on a new painting, a long time is spent exploring colour compositions in soft or oil pastels. Colour very much comes first and then composition.  

How do you find inspiration for your art and what sparks the beginning of a new piece?

Throughout the year I work in collections. I love the process of discovering a new place, sketching ideas, creating a colour story, and watching a new collection evolve. I feel that working in these collections helps to encapsulate a rounded perspective of a new landscape.

What do you hope that your work communicates to the world

Expressing myself through mark-making is an important element of my work that I truly enjoy, and I hope the viewer can sense this enjoyment and movement within my pieces. Colour and composition are fundamental to my practice as well as texture. I became fascinated by the fresco art in India and the tactile element of the murals. I like to play with this in my work and create interesting layers and textures.

Which other styles, artists, or artworks have influenced you? 

A lot of my inspiration comes from post-impressionist painters such as Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard. I also love the colour compositions in paintings by Anne Redpath, Andre Derain, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Can you recall the first piece of art that deeply resonated with you? What drew you to it?

Carrying on from the last question it was Georgia O’Keeffe, so the large-scale botanicals have had a lasting influence! I was mesmerised by the impact on the viewer and the scale of her works.

As you join Artsnug just when we are about to launch our Happy Place group show, can you share your happy place and your entry into the show? 

My ‘Happy Place’ painting was inspired by my time travelling through India. I lived and worked in India for 6 years and the hill station in Kerala was a magical escape to a cooler climate, lush fauna and a haven of peace. A very happy place for me that also marks the beginning of my creative journey and constant influences from my time travelling through India.

I wanted to paint this work portrait to portray the vastness of the towering trees. My painting technique is heavily inspired by my love of wall textures and fresco paintings and my love of colour combinations was undoubtedly fuelled by my vibrant surroundings during this period.

And lastly, If you could choose three pieces of work from Artsnug to ‘snuggle up with’ which would they be?

Helen Chambers “Where the River Ends”, Anna Macdonald’s “Llyn Du Modified I” and Bethany Kohrt’s “Skywire 2”. I also love Emily Kirby’s work!

SHOP EVA RAY’S WORK