Tell me about yourself. What in particular drew you to become a landscape painter? When did you decide to pursue a career as an artist?

I've had an interest in painting as long as I can remember. I studied art in Waterford college of Art & Design 1981 -1986, and have been working since then in the animation industry as a background/layout artist, location designer in Germany, Denmark & California. I was trained by the late great Annie Guenther of Disney fame, in the art of Background painting with Murakami-Wolf in Dublin 1989 (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV). Every show since has had a different style, so I’ve spent many years painting with teams of artists on different productions. Since around 2009 we have transitioned from painting “BG’s” with acrylic, watercolour etc. to painting and drawing backgrounds in photoshop. I moved to the west of Ireland in 2003 to work from home and make more time for personal painting and freelance in the animation industry. Since then, I've been toggling between both animation work and fine art painting. I think I painted my first plein air painting when I was 13yrs old, so I definitely had an inkling for it early on. However, my second plein air painting was 20yrs later. I was working at Dreamworks Animation over 7yrs. and would get out to paint on weekends with my amazingly talented colleagues. That really got me back on track.

What are the characteristics of an interesting scene to capture?

Hmmm... Spotting, that is the biggest challenge on a paint day. Some days I can drive or hike for hours before I have a scene in my mind. Other days a scene is screaming "Paint Me"! I think I’m getting better at that though. Less procrastination. Almost any subject can be made to work, I think, as long as there is a balance to it. Good composition, colour harmony, interesting texture for example. On a sunny day, strong passages of light and shadow can be the shapes I compose with, whereas on a dull day it’s more about mood and texture. The great thing about painting outdoors in a single session is that you can’t really plan ahead. The results are not always successful, but always a surprise.

Thinking about the last painting you produced, describe your creative process.

My last painting was "Last Year's Flowers". It's a still life but approached the same as I would en plein air. The first decision is choosing the aspect ratio that suits the idea. I generally sketch on the board after that. I'll block in the main shapes loosely and push these around until I'm happy with the design. I usually use large flat brushes here with thinned transparent paint and a cloth to remove for light values keeping it loose but under control. At this stage it looks like a monotone/duotone tonal wash with a few details but keeping in mind the value structure. While the solvent is evaporating, I have time to mix colour. Mainly one or two dominant greys, in the general mood of the scene that I can tap into as I go with my local colour mixes, shadows and highlights. I think of the design as a pattern of shapes, so I'll decide on how to get a good balance to these, opaque or transparent paint, loose or crisp details etc. with a variety of brushes and pallete knives.

Do you paint all your landscapes in plein air? Is there something you believe you can achieve through plein air that you couldn't through a reference photo for example?

I paint in the studio also. I work from photos sometimes, or use smaller paintings as reference. That’s an enjoyable process where I can take my time. Some background music and more coffee... but there is definitely something unique when painting en plein air. There's an urgency to dealing with the time limit and weather conditions, and an energy to the final painting that is impossible to plan.

Out of all your work, which piece are you most proud of, and why?

I would always want to say the last one. Painting is a lifelong journey. Hopefully always improving. There are one or two from last summer that were to me my most intuitive.

I'm going to say "Hill St. Blues", because I won a bronze award for this one at Artintheopen Wexford, (Largest plein air event in Europe these days and hitting it’s 20th anniversary this year) amongst some of the best artists around. I'm also proud of that one because it was such a wet, drab day. My palette, the painting and myself were soaked with the rain. Was glad I didn't give up!

What are your future aspirations as an artist? Do you have an idea for your next painting?

I am planning on a working larger scale than usual but as always aspire to paint more freely, intuitively. I also want to travel and paint as much as possible. That’s my retirement plan hah! I love to camp and paint. Much as I love where I live here in County Mayo, I really want to revisit places I have lived in the past and beyond. New environments are always inspiring. Berlin would be first on that list, but I really want to visit my Sisters in Australia and paint there for a while. I’m giving some workshops this year so hopefully I can make that a regular part of my painting life. At the moment I'm preparing for this year's season of plein air painting. There is a growing movement of painting festivals in Ireland at the moment, and a great community of artists, so looking forward to the Summer. The first is a weekend event Kiinvara, Co. Clare in May. Not sure what the paintings will be until the weekend, but will be prepared for the conditions. Sunscreen hopefully!

If you could spend a day with an artist, who would it be, and why?

That’s a tough question. It could be a long list!... If I could go back in time I would mention Edgar Payne, Richard Schmid, Robert Watts to start with. Currently it would be Jeremy Lipking, Jennifer McChristian, Mark Lague, Matt Smith, Qiang Huang, Peter Brown ("Pete the Street”), to name a few. However I met Rob Pointon 2yrs ago at Wexford. He was a guest artist for the week and I got to see him in action. I would love to pick his brains for a day. He's a natural with complicated arrangements that look effortless. Great ideas and style.

Why do you think art is important in society?

At the risk of sounding profound… The world needs artists as much as we need scientists. Art holds a mirror to us. It is ingrained in our lives. Whether it's fine art, design, cinema, music etc... it's how we communicate our humanity and we have been at it since the cave drawings, drums and smoke signals. I don’t think Artists can help themselves. It’s a passion, or a vocation. We just need to do it! I love this quote from Julia Cameron, “Art is not about thinking something up. It’s the opposite… Getting something down”. Ideas are the bi-product of thinking outside the box. I like to think that the smart phone was first an idea in Star Trek, imagined by a geeky cartoonist, and technology followed suit.

Desmond Downes

ARTIST INTERVIEW: DESMOND DOWNES