ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE :
MARY JANE ANSELL
INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED PAINTER , MARY JANE ANSELL SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN BORN TO STAND BEHIND AN EASEL . HER CAPTIVATING PORTRAITS HAVE GRACED THE COVERS OF BESTSELLING BOOKS , BEEN FEATURED FRONT AND CENTRE ON POP STARS ALBUMS AND HAVE BEEN EXHIBITED REGULARLY IN PRESTIGIOUS GALLERIES . WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE ACCLAIMED ARTIST TO FIND OUT WHAT INSPIRED HER SUCCESS , HOW HER PORTRAITS PLAY WITH THE CONCEPT OF LIGHT , AND HOW HER WORK HAS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS .
What inspired you to become an artist ?
I knew I wanted to be an artist from a very young age , I don ’ t think I ever really entertained the idea of being anything else . I bought my first set of oils at around 13 or 14 years old , though I ’ d been drawing and keeping sketchbooks for some time before that . I had a book called The Great Paintings of the World and I was absolutely enraptured by the work of Ingres , Caravaggio and Vermeer , so of course I was desperate for an easel . I snuck into my father ’ s shed and made myself a little table top contraption from some wood I found there .
What is it about portraiture that draws you in ?
I tend to work with a small group of models and though their likenesses are recognisable in many of my paintings , they are not portraits in the traditional sense . I think of them more as archetypes which recur and evolve . Once I start working with my models , I ’ m endlessly fascinated by the layers of meaning that they bring to the idea .
How does light play into your portraits ?
I was always drawn to a dramatic chiaroscuro , employing a single light source can be endlessly fascinating for a painter , but I was also drawn to muted colours and more flat light so I find that I let the idea evolve and the sitter and subject dictate whether I am looking for a natural , soft effect for the final piece , or the mystery and drama of deep shadows and singular highlights .
How has your work evolved over the years ?
My work constantly shifts in relation to my response to what ’ s happening around us . Like so many other people through the pandemic I ’ ve found an incredible comfort in and deepened connection with nature . I ’ ve always loved flowers , so I started to grow more and more until they took up most of the garden . It brought great comfort and I took inspiration from my favourite Dutch flower paintings which in turn inspired my work .
What is your greatest achievement ?
I was a finalist in the prestigious BP Portrait Award in 2004 , 2009 , 2010 and 2012 and subsequently commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to paint Easyjet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou . I exhibit regularly with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and am a member of the CBPP Contemporary British Portrait Painters . My work has featured on the covers of numerous magazines , a number of recent novels , and on Adam Ant ’ s recently released album : Adam Ant is The BlueBlack Hussar In Marrying The Gunner ’ s Daughter .
Where can your work be viewed ?
I have held solo shows in London and internationally , and will be exhibiting a small series of paintings at the Fairfax Gallery ( www . fairfaxgallery . com ) in May , who have exhibited my work for over 15 years . You can find the Fairfax Gallery at 23 The Pantiles , Tunbridge Wells .
maryjaneansell . com
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