Paula MacArthur won a Judge’s Choice Award chosen by Matthew Burrows in Jackson’s Art Prize this year with her work When Nothing Else Remains. In this interview, Paula shares her process of drawing into painting with transparent oil colours, the influence of science fiction on her work, and how her paintings are very much like love songs.
Above image: Paula MacArthur
When Nothing Else Remains, 2023
Paula MacArthur
Oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm | 39.3 x 39.3 in
Josephine: Could you tell us about your artistic background?
Paula: I think I was sixteen when I realised being an artist was a possibility and I decided I would be a painter. I didn’t come from a particularly creative family and don’t think I went to an art gallery until I started my A-levels. But I did have some inspirational art teachers; John Akers and Gail Wood in particular, and Texan artist David Beaman who came to our school on a year-long exchange. When he left he gave every student a tiny watercolour, such a huge undertaking and an amazingly generous gesture, I still treasure it.
I have fond memories of my A-level art class, there were only a few of us and we became good friends. Sometimes when we had a double lesson we’d all jump in the back of the teacher’s camper van, drive up to London, park in the forecourt of the Royal Academy and go to see whatever was on show. I vividly remember the first time we left the van there and went across to the National Gallery and I remember being astonished at how enormous Georges Seurat’s Bathers at Asnières was, having only ever seen it in books. This really set my mind whirring, the surface of the painting buzzing with marks that resolve into a coherent image from a distance.
This is something I have played with in my own work, particularly with the earlier Jewel paintings from 2010-2015; the idea that the image dissolves as you approach it reflects the fact that these priceless jewels are beyond our reach, yet there is joy to be found in the paint itself and in the simpler things in life. As time has passed I realise how important those school years were, the art class was an oasis within what was mostly quite difficult for me. It helped me to find my way and set me on what feels like the right path; it seems I have been very lucky in that respect.
I was now on a mission to go to art school. Despite advice from all sides to study languages, I went to Hertfordshire College of Art and Design in St Albans (foundation), took a year out, and studied Art History A-level at the local college. My old school generously allowed me to work in a small classroom; that was my very first studio. I went on to Loughborough College of Art and Design and then went straight to the Royal Academy Schools for three years for my post-grad.
In total, I spent eight years studying art, I didn’t pay any fees. On my degree we could help ourselves to as much oil paint as we needed for free and on top of that I was given a grant for living expenses. It’s such a tragedy that much of my experience just isn’t available to art students anymore. Without all of that financial support, I might not have been able to enjoy the luxury that higher education has become.
Paula MacArthur studio portrait
Photo credit: Reuben Ashby
Josephine: What does a typical working day in the studio look like for you? Do you have any important routines or rituals?
Paula: I’m not sure I ever have a typical day. Between teaching, mentoring, curating and of course painting there’s a different challenge every day. If I fall into too much of a routine, I start to feel a little trapped! However, I always start with breakfast in the kitchen, looking out over the garden and fields beyond, maybe trying to catch up with admin, and just generally clearing the decks a bit so that I can get on with my day. I’m usually at the studio by 10:00 am on weekdays.
Since 2019, I’ve led a small team of painters in organising the Contemporary British Painting Prize, so that’s taking up quite a bit of my time at the moment and gives a rhythm to the year, periods of calm, stress, excitement, and celebration. I love looking at all the entries as they come in, it gives a fantastic overview of what’s happening in contemporary painting in the UK right now without the pressure of having to choose a shortlist. I don’t envy the selectors or judges in choosing who gets to exhibit or win a prize.
Paula’s studio
Photo credit: Reuben Ashby
Josephine: Which materials or tools could you not live without?
Paula: Oil paint, brushes, and canvas; is that too broad?! More specifically, I generally use transparent oils, they provide the closest equivalent to the transparency of crystals. I usually use either Michael Harding or Winsor & Newton and have a fabulous stash of Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil colours left over from a residency I did at their headquarters in West London in 2018. Having the opportunity to work with their paint chemists for a month really helped me overcome some of the issues I was having with drying times. We looked into Willem de Kooning’s very unscientific paint recipes – mixtures of oil paint, water, and kerosene. He referred to it as ‘blubbery’ which describes it perfectly. The idea of adding water to oil paint brought the chemists out in a cold sweat; it’s a conservator’s nightmare, but it does create a rather gorgeous mixture.
I like fluid paint that dries very slowly, it allows me to remove marks without a trace and make dramatic changes over several days. Kerosene makes a great slow-drying solvent but sadly the smell is too strong and of course, it’s highly flammable so I rarely use it. I opt for the least toxic solvent I can find (Langridge 75 is good) and I’ve recently discovered Sennelier’s Green for Oil which creates a wonderful flow and dries very, very slowly.
And blazed through the sky, 2020
Paula MacArthur
Oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm | 39.3 x 39.3 in
Josephine: What are the stages of your work on a painting/drawing? Do you make drafts?
Paula: I begin by taking photos, so I guess my phone camera is another tool I couldn’t live without as well as photo editing software. I find crystals and jewels in museums like the Natural History Museum in London but also smaller provincial museums. I unexpectedly came across a great collection at the Dorman Museum in Middlesbrough in 2019 and the photos I took there have been a fantastic resource.
I’m not a great photographer. My original photos rarely convey the sense of awe I experienced in finding any particular specimen. However, there’s enough information to remind me of that experience and I edit the photos digitally to try to recreate the sense of excitement I felt. Once I’ve arrived at something, I usually start with a small study before launching into a larger work. I begin by sketching it out in thin paint using a grid that divides the image into quarters and thirds rather than regular squares, I tend to shift the composition to fit this grid, it helps me to think about the relationship between the object and the edges, and play with the momentum that each object has, whether it’s imploding, exploding, tumbling, or hurtling towards us.
I draw with a single colour until I can go no further without adding a second colour and the drawing naturally evolves into painting. I often heighten the colour and tonal contrast further and experiment with radically different colours, the painting selected for the Jackson’s Art Prize started out as delicate pastel shades, moved through brilliant red, cobalt blue, and evolved into a dark, quite toxic feeling palette.
There shall be no peace, 2024
Paula MacArthur
Oil on linen, 100 x 100 cm | 39.3 x 39.3 in
Josephine: Do you regularly draw or keep a sketchbook? If so, how does this inform your work?
Paula: I love the challenge of drawing the complicated geometry of crystals but the drawing I do happens mostly in oil on canvas; for me, drawing is an integral part of the painting process. My sketchbook, the place where I work through ideas, is on my laptop. I regularly sift through my photos. As I said earlier, they rarely capture the drama and excitement I remember, so I spend quite a bit of time manipulating them digitally until I find an image that gets as close as possible to my memory of it. After that it’s a process of filtering, trying to decide what to take forward onto canvas next, this is largely an intuitive process but not an easy one as I must have tens of thousands of potential images.
Paula MacArthur studio portrait
Photo credit: Adam Bronkhurst
Josephine: Have you ever had a period of stagnation in creativity? If so, what helped you overcome it?
Paula: Thankfully only once. It was after we had moved from Hackney to Kent. I moved from a small studio in Hackney Wick which looked out onto a brick wall into a huge studio – a converted chicken shed – which overlooked fields. It all sounds idyllic but that dramatic change seemed to provide too many distractions and I ground to a halt. To try and overcome my frustration, I started going to weekly etching and monoprinting classes. Changing my focus to learning a new technique rather than worrying about the image helped me to work in a more playful way and break out of the block I was experiencing. I find it’s always useful to explore new ways of working, it makes you think differently and I feel more fluent when I come back to paint.
Teaching and mentoring help keep the energy and momentum going too. I find that all those creative conversations are really helpful for me and hopefully provide some inspiration to whoever is on the receiving end too.
She’s in love in her own mad mind, 2020
Paula MacArthur
Oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm | 39.3 x 39.3 in
Josephine: Are there any specific artists or mentors who have inspired you?
Paula: If I feel I need inspiration I go and see painting exhibitions, whatever’s on. Whether or not I like what I see, seeing other people’s work fires me up. The recent Michaël Borremans show at David Zwirner has impacted the way I’m applying paint at the moment. Somehow his paintings have allowed me to start to move away from the very precise way of working I’d returned to in 2020. Also, the interview he did with Ben Luke was very relatable, he seems to crave a daily routine but rarely achieves it. That feels very familiar!
Until I remember that you’ve gone,
2022
Paula MacArthur
Oil on linen, 100 x 100 cm | 39.3 x 39.3 in
Josephine: How did it feel to realise you had won the Judge’s Choice Award award selected by Matthew Burrows?
Paula: Well, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve entered and not gotten anywhere so it was a surprise to make the longlist and quite a shock to make the shortlist. One of my studio mates – Sarah Seymour – came up and excitedly asked me if I’d seen the news, she’d spotted the announcement on Instagram. I was in such a fluster I couldn’t find it until she showed me – it was very exciting and I think I was in shock. Fairly quickly I found myself making mental lists of art materials but I think the best part of winning was Matthew Burrows’ comment on my painting. It was very touching to read those words from a painter I respect and admire. I have been hugely influenced by Matthew’s thoughtful approach to painting and his Artist Support Pledge initiative has helped me, like so many others, through the pandemic and beyond.
We’re all going down together, 2022
Paula MacArthur
Oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm | 39.3 x 39.3 in
Josephine: For the last 14 years you have been painting larger-than-life minerals and gemstones. What is it about this subject that interests you? They are often depicted floating in space like an asteroid. Are you interested in the macro versus micro?
Paula: I think these paintings manage to be both micro and macro at the same time. The emptiness of the background isolates the forms and there’s no context so the scale of these objects is decided by the viewer and of course, it changes. I’ve always enjoyed science fiction and its influence on my work is becoming increasingly apparent. I remember as a child reading Trillions by Nicholas Fisk, a book from the local library, and loving the possibility of tiny crystals raining down from the sky. In my memory at least, the children managed to solve the mystery while the adults made just quite destructive decisions. I must find a copy and reread it! I love the endless possibilities and the idea that these alien worlds and fictional technology are just out of reach.
Looking at these strange worlds we can’t fully understand, we find ourselves and our own inner worlds reflected back. I see these paintings very much as self-portraits that record important moments, emotional states and memories. When I make these paintings I’m looking inside my own head, it’s a strange and wonderful and terrifying place! I hope to offer the viewer something that resonates and gives a sense of connection, not to me as such, but to life, the universe and everything; I like a challenge!
I started these paintings back in 2010 as an attempt to make paintings about love. The paintings are very much love songs in a way, romantic, yearning, and heartbroken. Gemstones and crystals are precious and one of the primary associations with these objects is their monetary value, however, even or perhaps especially, diamonds are not at all rare, so why do we value them so highly? Aldous Huxley said: ‘It has certainly no economic reason, no biological reason why people should have spent an immense amount of time, energy, and money on collecting and cutting and setting coloured pebbles.’ They look unlike anything else within our experience and have a mystery and otherworldliness that attracts speculation about what their special qualities might be. Spiritual vibrations and healing properties, they’re very strange. Is this why they are so valued or is it just the market manipulation by the mining companies?
Crystals also have practical and scientific applications, but above all they are beautiful and the quality of light they give is mesmerising. Is this what makes them so desirable? Light is an essential life source, is this why we’re all naturally drawn to crystals that seem to encapsulate light? It is probably all of these things and more; their desirability has led to environmental and social devastation, so these stones have a darker side which is an important element of my work. I’m attempting to navigate my way through this problematic world and find some resolution between the light and shadows.
Paula MacArthur in her studio in Rye working on Keep me in a dream
Josephine: What is it about oil paint that allows you to achieve the qualities you’re looking for?
Paula: Oil paint, particularly transparent colours, is just about the closest material to the crystals themselves. Some colours are made from transparent minerals which gives a conceptual connection to my subject.
What materials are you looking forward to/have you enjoyed purchasing with your prize voucher?
Paula: Canvases. I’m scaling up and expanding on the crystal series. This summer I’ve had the luxury of being able to spend most days in my studio and I’m carving out as much time as possible to just paint. I’m moving back to a more gestural way of working, or at least trying to, but each painting tells you what it wants so it doesn’t always go as expected. It’s keeping me on my toes. There are always lots of interruptions with teaching and mentoring, curating and organising the Contemporary British Painting Prize. But all of these things feed into my work, so I’m really not complaining.
Paula MacArthur and Narbi Price exhibiting in Cultural Landscapes at Studio KIND, 2024.
Josephine: What’s coming up next for you?
Paula: After opening the Contemporary British Painting Prize in Cardiff, the exhibition is currently on show at Thames-Side Gallery in London. It runs until 17th November before it heads up to Persistence Works at Yorkshire Art Space in Sheffield. Grant Scanlan is curating that iteration of the show for Huddersfield Art Gallery while the new developments are starting to take shape in Huddersfield town centre. He’s been such a great supporter of the CBP Prize so we look forward to returning there in the future. I’ll be heading there on 29th November for the opening of In the Cabinet of Fancy curated for the Terrace Gallery by Karl Bielik and Rob Hall at The Art Studio which I’m really looking forward to.
The next large project I’m working on is a group exhibition at APT Gallery in London next Spring. It stems from an idea I’d just started working on with Judith Tucker just before she tragically died last November. We were both concerned with ideas of light through the darkness, which now feels especially poignant. I’m working with a couple of friends from the Contemporary British Painting group; it’s great to be part of such a supportive network of painters to celebrate her work.
Judy and I worked very closely, sharing successes and consoling one another when we got rejected from open calls. Her work had been shortlisted for the Jackson’s Art Prize a few times and she won the Scenes of Everyday Life category award in the Jackson’s Painting Prize 2020 with her work Why Destroy a Thing of Beauty. She told me she knew I would get my chance to be part of the prize one day and she was right, so this feels particularly special yet so sad that I am unable to celebrate with her.
Further Reading
Inside the Sketchbook of Stella Murphy
Van Dyck Brown: Its History and Role in Colour Mixing
Using Black Gesso for Depth in Your Painting
Artist Review of Jackson’s Watercolour Spiral Bound Pads
Shop Oil Painting on jacksonsart.com
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