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Anne Sudworth Interviewed
Pastels are an awkward, difficult to control medium, but from magic
landscapes to fairies, fantasy illustrator Anne Sudworth has proven
she has the technique well under control.
PB: Pastels are an unusual medium. Do you ever think of moving into other media? Conversely, are you surprised that more artists don't explore pastels?
As soon as I discovered pastel I just couldn't put it down. Every so often I do use other media and perhaps one day I'll get tired of pastel but at the moment I can't see that happening. Pastel is quite an awkward medium and is quite difficult to control, so many artists prefer not to use it. Pastel is pure pigment held together with a little gum and is probably the purest form of pigment that an artist can use. There is also no need for brushes or other tools to apply the pastel, just your fingers. I like this idea - almost like cutting out the middleman if you know what I mean. PB: Of course, you're very well known in the Goth scene. To what extent do you think the Goth aesthetic influences your work? Or do you think it's just a matter of coincidence, as it were, that your own sensibilities happen to accord with that aesthetic? AS: I think it's a matter of coincidence. Most of the things that influence or affect my work are things that were influencing me as a child. I have always loved castles and ruins and have always been interested in legends and mythology. My fascination with moonlight is another thing that has developed since childhood. I've never really thought about whether my work is Goth or otherwise, but I do feel that some of the subjects in my work and indeed the general moods and atmospheres I portray are what many in the Goth scene can appreciate and identify with, perhaps sometimes more than other people can.
Unfortunately, getting to galleries is not always easy or possible for some people and to some Goths I'm better known for my appearance on posters rather than for my work. I think that's the beauty of the Internet. Many more people can have access to the work which they might not otherwise see. PB: One of the many things I find inspiring about your work is that you can take an ostensibly normal scene - a ruin or a tree or a landscape - and see it in a different way from the rest of us, then convey that seeing to other people through your painting. How old were you when you first realized that you could see things differently from other people?
PB: I know that you were shy about introducing your overtly fantasy paintings into your exhibitions - why? AS: I don't think "shy" is the right word. I just didn't think people would be interested in them, and to be honest I never really considered selling them. I have always thought of the more mystical paintings as my serious work and did the portraits and landscapes to make my living. As you can imagine, eventually it came to the point where I had far more of my mystical paintings than the others. I also became a little curious as to what the reaction would be and so I decided to show about twenty of them in my Visions and Views exhibition. PB: If you were given two lifetimes, would you think, in the other one, of doing more illustration work? AS: No, I'm afraid I wouldn't. I don't really do any illustration work now, except for the cover paintings I do for my friend Storm Constantine. I don't really do commissions any more either. I just concentrate on my own work. If I had two lifetimes I would just have twice as long to spend on my own work! PB: Do you ever employ professional models?
AS: No I never use professional models, In fact, I hardly ever use models at all. I do make quick sketches of all sorts of interesting faces I come across and sometimes refer to them when working. I have used my partner Warren on several occasions, but apart from him I could count the models I've used on one hand. PB: Most of your landscapes are based pretty closely on places you know - primarily the Lake District. Do you ever see photographs or films of quite different parts of the world and think "I must go there one day and paint"? If so, any particular places? AS: Most of my landscapes are influenced by the Lake District but only a handful are actually based on real places. I see lots of wonderful places, some that perhaps I'd like to visit. I don't ever think I'd like to go and paint them though. This may seem rather a strange statement but for me my work is not about capturing an attractive landscape. It's more to do with feelings and atmospheres and things that I have in my imagination rather than particular scenes. Much of my work is to do with mysticism and ancient beliefs. Usually the landscapes I paint are connected to these in some way. PB: In recent years you've taken to exhibiting much more at fantasy and science fiction conventions, and of course you've made a lot of friends in those circles. Do you find that many of the ideas of other creators within fantasy - writers, for example - rub off on you? Or doesn't it make any difference? AS: It doesn't make any difference. It's nice to meet other artists and writers but as far as my work goes I think it's a different kind of fantasy altogether. In fact it's probably more to do with mysticism than fantasy. In my work I have to explore my own ideas and themes - my own visions, if you like. I have actually exhibited at only five conventions, though I hope to exhibit at more. I normally exhibit in galleries so convention art shows are a wonderful change. They are much more informal than galleries and are lots of fun. Also it's nice to see people's reactions to the work, something we don't get to see with galleries, except at the private view - and there the people are usually my guests. We have met some wonderful people at these conventions - and not just artists. We really look forward to them. PB: Was it very painful putting together your first book? AS: No, not painful, though it was a bit hectic at times. It was a very interesting and in many ways exciting experience - I'm looking forward to seeing the final thing. PB: Are there any other painters who you feel have had any particular influence on you, or any with whom you feel a particular affinity? AS: I love Turner and always have since I first discovered his work - his use of light astounds me. William Blake is another of my favourite artists. There are obviously lots of artists whose work I like. I think as far as influence goes, though, my influences seem to come from other areas. PB: Do you listen to music while you work? If so, what sort of music?
AS: Yes, I almost always listen to music while I'm working - though the sort of music can vary enormously, from Fields of the Nephilim to Ministry, Vaughn Williams to Plain Chant. It depends largely on what mood I'm in and what I'm working on. I love music and it would take ages to list all the stuff I like. PB: Just to continue in this vein, what sorts of books do you read? Any specific titles that are especially important to you? AS: I did study classical literature and have always loved poetry. Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Hardy and Shelley are names which immediately come to mind. I also love to read old legends and fairy stories, particularly Celtic ones, and of course Gothic literature. I'm always interested in books on mythology and mysticism. History too - I often read about places that I've visited, especially very old places. As far as specific titles go, I would have to mention Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Thomas Hardy's Return of the Native is another book that's special to me. PB: Anne Sudworth, thank you very much. A version of this article originally appeared in The Snarl, Paper Tiger's reader zine. Many thanks to Snarl's Editor extraordinaire, Paul Barnett (www.papertiger.co.uk), for letting us play with his prose
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OTHER CONTENT - April 2003
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Anne
Sudworth's is the illustrator behind: Enchanted World: The Art
of Anne Sudworth, with commentary by John Grant; which is available
in standard hardback as well as a signed, numbered limited (500
copies) edition. Anne's work has also featured in a big solo exhibition
at the regional museum The World of Glass, in St Helen's, and at
The Grove House Gallery in Keswick. Here, Paul Barnett, editor of
the art imprint Paper Tiger chats with Anne about her work.
AS:
Before I started working in pastel I worked in all kinds of media.
I used to use oil paint and water colour quite a lot but I also
worked a great deal in pencil and pen and ink. 
AS:
I think everyone sees and interprets things differently. I suppose
I've always had a vivid imagination, or so I've been told, and I've
always liked to create things from my imagination. I was probably
about seven or eight when I really started to paint my imaginary
scenes.
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