ARTIST INTERVIEW: KEVIN DAY
Kevin Day
Please introduce yourself. What ignited your passion for art?
My name is Kevin Day, I am 51 and have been a full time artist for around 20 years now. I suppose my passion was ignited from before I can remember, but I remember by seeing my grandfather’s watercolours of the ships he served on during the war in the merchant Navy. Conjuring stories in my mind from just a couple of sketch books he did. He had been sunk several times and each of his sketches were accompanied with notes. He wasn’t a professional artist and actually worked at Swan Hunter Shipyards as a painter after the war. I always thought he was one of the many whose natural talents were missed and they just slip through the net. Much like his daughter, my Mam, who also loved to paint and draw but never managed to take it further. She used to have a few books of famous artists; Constable, Monet and Turner. I remember looking through them and loving the scenes and different styles, especially the constable and Turner books, I used to copy them quite a bit.
The main body of your work is painted from life. What can you achieve by painting from life, that you couldn't by painting from a picture?
I try and paint as much from life as possible. I also use photo reference for figurative works. I think working from life makes you more loose and there is a profound response from something you can experience in front of you. Obviously sometimes you need photo reference if want something not possible otherwise a view point or positioning of a model. However there is much more of a challenge painting something in front of you and all the pressures that brings.
Thinking about your landscape work, what are the characteristics of an interesting scene to paint? Is there a reason why many of your new works are painted at night?
I don’t really want to say I have a favourite subject or scene, however I do love painting night scenes and painting lights. This probably comes from a love of sci-fi films from my childhood. In particular, I remember seeing Blade Runner when I was about 10 years old on video. It totally blew me away at the time and it still does. I think it triggered something where I am drawn to rainy streets and reflected lights.
How have artists such as Edward Hopper and John Singer Sargent influenced you and your work? Why are you drawn in particular to these artists?
With reference to the previous question I was drawn to Edward Hopper’s work when I was younger. I didn’t realise at the time that he was a massive influence on many filmmakers over the years. I just loved the stories you could try and read, and the way of looking in on these scenes. It wasn’t until around the time I became a professional artist that I discovered Sargent. With the age of internet (that makes me sound very old) it was a lot easier to see artists who you had never really heard off. I remember going to an exhibition at Newcastle Laing gallery and my wife was obsessed with a large John Singer Sargent painting of the Wertheimer sisters. Looking back I was more bothered about Rembrandt and Turners, she reminds much to my embarrassment years later. It was me that then developed an obsession of Sargent’s work. I like to think of him as the Jimi Hendrix of that century. The way he painted with such expression and precision.
What initially inspired your most recent painting? Describe your creative process from start to finish.
My most recent and ongoing painting is an interior of our living room fireplace with my daughter on her laptop. I just wanted to try and capture our room at night in winter with the fire. It’s quite dark and dimly lit, which is bit of challenge.
What is your favourite part of your process, and why?
My favourite part of the process is possibly maybe three quarters into the painting when things are starting to come together, you can just see where you’re going and that, hopefully, it’s going to work.
Your figurative work often depicts the subjects from behind, why is this?
The reason for most of my figurative works to be viewed from behind is probably that it makes the painting less about the character and more about the situation or gives you a slightly voyeuristic view looking over there shoulder.
What has been your greatest achievement so far as an artist? Have you endured any challenges?
Every painting should be a challenge and I think you should feel that otherwise there is no point. My achievement most recently was to have a piece accepted for last years open exhibition at The Baltic Art gallery. I don’t enter many competitions much and it was just nice to be acknowledged as a contemporary artist.
Why do you think art is important in society?
I think Art in any form is most important thing in society . It’s a bit cliché but it provides a mirror and reflection of what it is to be human in the world we live, or even glimpses into other worlds we don’t.