ARTIST INTERVIEW: Frederick Terpstra
Tell me about yourself. Why have you chosen to pursue a career in art?
When I was younger I read a lot of manga and drew a lot of manga figures. Other than that, my grandfather on my mother's side used to paint a lot and always drew the landscapes around him during his holidays. I also started doing that when I was about 8 or 9 and I'm still doing it.
In 2017, I started drawing faces. In 2020, during a 2-week project at teacher training school, I noticed that if I put more time into the work it becomes more realistic and I'm more satisfied with the result. After that, I'd say I managed to do my first portrait in a realistic style that looked like the person in the photo (Stevie Wonder). After that, some friends asked me if I could draw portraits of them. Later on, out of curiosity, I looked at some drawing competitions on the internet and the participants presented their works which looked like photos - this inspired me a lot. After that I started drawing people as well as the background. I never took any art classes outside school or went to an art school. But my art classes during secondary school (in Australia), college in Switzerland, and during my training at the teacher training school in Switzerland, helped me a lot. On top of that, my grandfather's advice and my parents' feedback helped me develop a lot too.
Drawing is something very close to my heart and something I am very passionate about, which is why I wanted to then pursue it.
Your work considers our reactions as individuals in public spaces, what fascinates you about human behaviour in public spaces?
I'm very interested in showing people in public spaces because as humans there are similarities and also differences as to how everyone acts in public spaces. What's more, people's behaviour in public spaces has been greatly influenced in recent years by technology, particularly mobile phones, which are often featured in my drawings. Mobile phones sometimes prevent people from interacting with each other, sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. It’s also interesting how different the interaction can be between humans that know each other, that don’t know each other and are in a crowd or that don’t know each other and that are the only two in a space.
The Zurich Train
How have your surroundings been influential to your work?
As mentioned above, my Grandpa was a big inspiration for me. Thus it was also a great honour for me to have my first exhibition in the Mall Galleries with the Society of Graphic Fine Art in London and win the ‘Aspiring Artist’ award.
My Dad’s uncle was a black and white photographer and he also used to do sketches of people in the city. This has also been an influence for me since I have been inspired by some of his photos.
My Mum comes from England and my Father from Holland. I now live in Switzerland which also is a mix of cultures partially due to the different languages spoken (French, German, Italian, Romansh).
I think such a background and such experiences have helped me recognise the beauty of different cultures but also recognise that we are all the same in some ways. I feel as if this appreciation and also inclusion of different cultures is some what portrayed through my work, for example through the fact that my drawings are based on photos from different countries and that all types of people are portrayed in my drawings.
What are the characteristics of an interesting scene to draw? Which scene has been your favourite so far to capture?
I especially like figures that are in a natural state and not distorted, for example they don't look into the camera on purpose while smiling.
I also like the structures of the buildings in the background and drawing different clothes in different materials on the figures. Sometimes I also find it interesting to draw blurred images or images with the background or foreground out of focus. Images with a high contrast also appeal to me.
My favourite scene so far has been ‘A Train Station Snooze’, with amazing lighting on the man’s beanie, as if it is glowing, very nice clothing textures and an interesting blurred background.
A Train Station Snooze
How does your medium; Graphite pencil, relate to the narrative of your work?
This medium is very old, almost as old as the drawings of cavemen on cave walls. It is fascinating that such an old-fashioned process can still be practised today in contrast to the technology of artificial intelligence and photography. It works a bit in contrast to some of the scenes I draw by pencil of people on their phones, also because of the large amount of time spent on the drawing compared to snap shots taken by phones. I am also one of these people on my phone sometimes but I just what to also show that the time spent offline is special too.
I also find it fascinating that you can do so much with as little as a pencil – there are parallels to this in my pieces in the sense that there is so much beauty just in the small details in the world.
Rendering reality with a pencil is also very meditative, especially with my technique of drawing with a circular movement. I also find it can be meditative looking at my drawings, since there are so many details to see and even just the repetitive texture of the pencil on paper also can draw the viewer in.
I am also fascinated by the possibilities offered by this medium to change the lighting, composition and contrast, or even to add objects or figures that were not present in the original photograph, allowing me to express my creativity and my messages.
The Middle Age
How do you approach a drawing? What is your creative process?
I always start with the outlines of the characters and the background, using a 2H pencil, then I usually work on the faces and hands. I then add details (using 2B and 6B). It's towards the end that I do the background. I use a putty rubber to erase any small mistakes.
If you could ask a question to any artist; dead or alive, who would it be, and why?
I would like to ask Leonardo Da Vinci what he thinks about the image of the Mona Lisa today as it is viewed by society, and also what he thinks about the fact that it’s one of the most expensive pieces in the world now.
Why do you think art is important in society?
One aim behind my drawings is to use everyday situations to show the value of moments in life and the beauty that can be found in small everyday moments. Sometimes they are also a bit of a reminder of the special moments which can be spent without looking at your phone, even just by zoning out, reflecting on the day or daydreaming for a few minutes whilst waiting for the train.
It also my goal to motivate others to draw and to show what you can be capable of, which I wasn’t always aware of in the past.