In the Studio with Liv
1. What are the musings behind this exhibition... ALIVE is a collection of works taking on the form of abstraction using paint to create marks that explore earthy notions of landscape and shape. Through emotive use of tone and colour, my pieces capture those transcendent, universal and divine moments in life that make us simply feel ‘alive’.
2. Why is etienne the space chosen to house your works... Since first discovering etienne, it has remained my favourite homewares store in Adelaide. I was also fortunate to work there for 2.5 years where Et helped to nurture my talent as an artist and gave me the opportunity to exhibit and sell my pieces.
3. What is it about etienne that resonates with you as a creative... It is a beautiful space housing textures, ambiance, creativity, a love for your home and an expression of individuality… all things I try to echo in my artwork.
4. Describe your aesthetic and technical approach to this body of works... Honestly, I just let my mind decide once the canvas is in front of me. I wanted to exhibit colour, both bold and muted, which describes mood, soulfulness, attitude, the environment and the world around us. I experiment with different colours and shapes which helps to express all of this. For this collection I have only used one brush which was a gift from my friend when she visited France, and this has enabled me to experiment with a different approach of blending paints together, providing difference from my previous works.
5. Where is your unique colour palette derived from, what are the motives behind the colours chosen... I am absolutely loving the earthy caramel, dusky pinks, mustard and terracotta tones at the moment. They are calming, on trend and easy to work with and mix. And there’s just something about magenta which will always hold a soft spot for me – it’s my favourite colour - it adds boldness and makes a real statement.
6. What is your painting uniform… An old t-shirt and my boyfriend’s old jumper. Both of which are stale with dry paint, but I love them.
7. In the studio what are you never without… Music blaring and cups of tea.
8. What is your favourite song to inspire concepts and encourage painting productivity… It honestly varies and depends on my mood….but it’s usually my playlist consisting of my fave 90’s classics to anything chilled that I can groove along to.
9. What are your routines and rituals prior to a session in the studio... I will clean my studio space, creating a sense of order, and then, as I paint, my organised mess naturally takes over - I can remain in this chaos until I’m finished. A painting or series of works will always start with an undercoat of black and white to give the canvas or paper texture and depth, then I can apply colour. I work full time, so it is on weekends and the occasional weeknight where my creativity can flow. It is easy to get immersed with ideas and then see where it takes me, especially when I have a large block of time to experiment with colours and the soul of the piece. I like each to mean something, a reflection of what I’m feeling at that time.
10. Today’s inspiration… gratitude for being happy and ‘alive’.
11. Tomorrow holds… a rest from the above! Ha!
12. What are your favourite etienne pieces that you would pair with your paintings... Everything! (Seriously!). LOVE the unique one off furniture pieces, textiles & linen as they always accentuate the colours and tones in my artworks.
Experience Liv's works here
