insideKENT Magazine Issue 89 - August 2019 | Page 32

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE:
VIRGINIA GRIFFITH-JONES
MOST ARTISTS CHOOSE ONE MEDIUM TO WORK IN AND THEN MAKE THAT THEIR
TRADEMARK. FOR KENT ARTIST VIRGINIA GRIFFITH-JONES, ONE MEDIUM IS JUST NOT
ENOUGH – SHE LOVES (AND USES) THEM ALL. INSIDEKENT SPOKE TO VIRGINIA ABOUT
WHY THIS STYLE OF WORKING APPEALS TO HER AND HOW SHE DECIDES WHAT ARTISTIC
METHOD TO USE EVERY TIME SHE WANTS TO MAKE A NEW PIECE OF ART.
If you had to define your art, how would you
describe what you do?
When I paint, I challenge what I see. I am a
spontaneous painter and in much of my work I set
out to combine the traditional and the abstract. I
approach my painting with an instinctive desire to
fill the canvas with expressive patterns using shape
and colour in an uninhibited and vibrant way. I am
a great believer in ‘looking’; it is the key to my
painting.
he always painted in his free time. To encourage my
development and learning for my creativity and
painting (but always making time for my own) I went
to Kingston University and after a while working in
advertising I taught art to children in schools and to
adults in my studio. I also organise painting holidays
in England and abroad (www.x2artholidays.com).
It is brilliant to share and encourage others to share
my passion.
What is the most unusual, daring, or
interesting commission you’ve ever received?
How did you become an artist?
I have painted all my life and I paint/sketch every
single day. I have lived in Zimbabwe and the
Netherlands, so from an early age I have been
influenced by colour. My father encouraged me as
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I always love painting commissions as they give me
the opportunity to paint something really personal.
An interesting one I have done is a large ‘collage
type’ painting of Islington, which you can view here:
www.virginiagriffithjones.com/wp-content/gallery-
bank/original-images/islington-2.jpg.
You like to paint in many different
media – do you have a favourite?
What tells you which medium you should be
using for each piece?
I do paint in all mediums and they depend on my
mood, the subject and how I want to portray the joy
of life at the time. I don’t have a favourite as I love
them all. My work has developed from traditional
roots using watercolour, and I now love
experimenting and combining different mediums,
for example chalk pastel with watercolour. I also use
a pen initially to record what I see. Paul Klee has
said “drawing is taking a line for a walk”, which is
very much me.