Liz White Interviews Maidstone based artist Kay Gretton.
After speaking with Kay Gretton for only a minute it is clear she is an artist who embraces life and when it comes to her growing artistic success she is full of shock and surprise, as only a British artist could be, but Kay is keen to point out that selling her artwork wasn’t always her intention “I don’t want to be commercial - just painting to ‘sell’ - I have to do what makes my soul lift.” Kay’s eyes light up when she talks about her art. This enthusiasm and warmth is evident in her work and the emotion she puts into her paintings sings through her watercolours and acrylics stealing the show. Maybe this, as well as the great dose of talent she has, is why Kay Gretton’s artwork has been so lovingly received by the public and openly praised by such greats as Graham Clarke and author and art collector Martina Cole.
“My art teacher said I was good and encouraged me to exhibit. I went for the South East Bentliff Art Prize and they chose two of my paintings to exhibit and in November 2008 I was shortlisted for the prize! When I sold my first painting it was an amazing feeling – it was not just my friends and family that wanted my art! To date I have exhibited 52 times.”
Kay has always had a natural talent for drawing having taken A level art and every year Kay drew and designed her own Christmas cards, but for her hobby to take off as a career has been a complete surprise as well as a learning curve to understand which products to use and how to print and frame her work. Some pictures are completed in watercolour and others in acrylic and Kay uses the giclée canvas or paper printing method, printing and framing her work at Gilbert and Clark Frame and Print in Maidstone.
Her subjects vary, yet her most popular work concentrates upon nature and her very individual style of painting the same scene but at changing times of the day or changing seasons which results in a painting split into several different time frames. The inspiration for this style was borne from one of her art lessons where her teacher urged her pupils to do something completely different. Kay’s most popular work is ‘Four Seasons’ which depicts the same country scene in the four different seasons. “I want people to almost smell the difference in the seasons” Kay enthuses. Some people would swear they know the view she has painted but most of the time this is impossible “I have to dream the painting it’s like photos in my mind. I haven’t got a photographic memory but places I see strike a chord with me and I can remember them in my mind. It’s nearly all ‘Kay Land’ – my own scenery and harbours. Kay also sees the fun in her art style “People play ‘spot the difference’ in some of my paintings” she smiles.
Four Seasons by Kay Gretton