SMITTEN with Candy Clarke

SMITTEN with Candy Clarke

Our secret is now revealed! We are excited to announce that Candy Clarke will be exhibiting SMITTEN with us during Auckland’s Art Week (5th -14th Nov 2021). There is so much hard work that goes in behind the scenes for an upcoming exhibition, we thought we would draw the curtain back & allow an insight into the creative process.

WHERE DID THE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR UPCOMING EXHIBITION COME FROM? 
Colour! The shows title is 'SMITTEN' which is not only how I’d like you to feel, but it’s also the name of a paint I use. It’s also a continuation of work I had already been doing. One painting leads to the next & then I review how they’ll work together in a show!


HOW MANY HOURS ON AVERAGE DO YOU BELIEVE IS SPENT POURING INTO YOUR EXHIBITION?
Hmm...About a million at a guess!


DO YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC OR WATCH TV WHILE PAINTING? IF SO, WHAT HAS BEEN THE BACKGROUND NOISE WHILE YOU'VE BEEN PAINTING YOUR EXHIBITION PIECES?
Sure, I pretty much always have music playing if I’m not having to concentrate too hard & the paint is flowing smoothly. Cruisy tunes from my vast Spotify playlists.  Latest fave, end-of-the-day, catch-the-last-of-the-sun, is – “Classic” by F-POS.

HOW DO YOU WANT ONLOOKERS TO FEEL WHEN SURROUNDED BY YOUR EXHIBITION PIECES?
Uplifted by colour & smitten!



HOW DID THIS EXHIBITION COME TO BE?
I had just ordered a bunch of new canvas' & paints... as I sat looking at them I thought, 'it would be fun to do an exhibition', next moment, The Poi Room's Brand Manager Melissa called & asked if I would like to be the featured Artist for Auckland's upcoming Art Week - it seems it was meant to be!


DO YOU EXPERIMENT WITH NEW IDEAS, CONCEPTS OR STYLES WHEN PAINTING FOR AN EXHIBITION, OR DO YOU MAINTAIN YOUR STYLISTIC APPROACH? 
Yes if I have time to experiment, I do. But you do feel a bit obliged to produce work in a style your audience is expecting. This show will have some quirky smaller pieces too which I hope will bring a smile!



DO YOU HAVE A SET PLAN FOR EACH CANVAS OR DOES IT IT ALL EVOLVE WHEN PHYSICALLY PAINTING? 
Because of the process of painting in reverse on Perspex, I need to have a fairly clear plan before I start. There’s no painting over mistakes like in conventional painting. Any editing when you paint backwards requires total scraping back & then careful colour matching. However, a big scrape back is sometimes quite liberating & interesting new things can happen!

WHEN DO YOU KNOW A PAINTING IS COMPLETE & IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON?
Usually, I decide pretty quickly & firmly! Occasionally, I put a piece aside for consideration, that’s not a good sign though... Those ones usually get the big scrap...



AUCKLAND ARTWEEK | 5th -14th Nov 2021