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Q&A with Belinda Griffiths

April 7, 2022

Belinda Griffiths answers some questions as we exhibit her latest exhibition, Exhale.

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Is your use of a monochromatic palette conceptual or aesthetic?
Both. I work with a limited palette to keep the mark-making pure and uninterrupted, but I have always liked the look and feel of monochrome works.

Do you have a favourite scale to work at?
I’m very hands on with the works that I make so I like any scale where I can really get involved in the work. At the moment I am enjoying making works at human scale.

What is the largest work you have produced?
It was 3m x 3m on the wall of the Silos at Silo6 on Wynard Quarter.

 

 

Is there an element of self-portraiture in your work?
Probably. Although it’s not intended to be self-portraiture, I am my most willing and available sitter so I will often use a reference photo of myself (or someone I know) as a starting point.

What media do you use?
Golden Open Acrylic mostly, with a bit of the Golden Retarder to slow down the drying a bit more. I want to keep the paint workable as long as I can, as there are certain parts to the process that have to be done in one go.

Has your work always been so free flowing/gestural?
Not quite as gestural as it is now, but I’ve always worked fast and loose!

What is your first memory of painting?
My mum is an artist so I would imagine my first memory is of her painting.

How do you begin a work?
I take a good reference photo, with lighting that inspires me. Then I usually do a few smaller studies with the same medium i’ll be using, to loosen up and get familiar with my subject.

What do you like?
Exploring new places and pizza night with my family.

What’s your process?
I work backwards, compared to most painters I know. I put the darker tones down first and then I pull back the lighter areas with a rag or a brush.

Do you have an end goal in mind or is your work more process based?
My work is very much led by the process. I never want to know what the work will look like at the end, because if it doesn’t surprise me or interest me I don’t tend to keep it.

What wins out in your practice intention or intuition?
Intuition.

How does your background in printmaking relate to or inform your painting practice?
I would say they tend to inform each other. I love the spontaneity and immediacy of printmaking so over the years I’ve identified and found new ways to incorporate that into my painting. My current work is a good example of that.

How would you describe your work?
With difficulty…

Most unfortunate studio mishap?
Not a very recent studio mishap, but my dog once ate a Christmas decoration I had made out of glued together raw pasta. I had spray painted it gold and left it drying in the sun. He ate anything.

Most memorable artwork/s you have seen in person?
An installation by Patricia Piccinini, at Sydney Contemporary a few years ago, and Francis Bacon at the AGO in Toronto in 2014.

 

Patricia Piccinini,  Sydney Contemporary 2018

 

Which other artists do you admire (locally and internationally)?
There are so many artists that I admire, but locally I particularly love the work of Francis Uprichard, Lorene Tararewa and Garry Currin. Internationally, the works of William Kentridge – and I have recently discovered Jennifer Packer’s incredible paintings.

Morning, evening or all day long?
I prefer to paint in the morning. With an occasional session at 3am in which I usually do some writing

What’s your studio soundtrack?
RNZ concert for classical music. No words and plenty of angst.

Studio tool you couldn’t go without?
A good rag.