An interview worth waiting for
Sonja Benskin-Mesher and Jo Tunmer share an email conversation...
Why the delay? Jo Tunmer lives in Cambridge and I live in North Wales. Also, Jo has a love of travel, and has been enjoying a journey to Canada. Unable to get together, I have interviewed Jo over some months via the internet.
My first introduction to Jo’s paintings was through her personal website and her Ovenden Contemporary profile. My initial sense is of strong bright landscapes- Jo appears to be a painter not afraid of her medium or subject.
I asked her to tell me a little about herself, her life...
"I was born in 1963 and I grew up in an eastern suburb of London. Some of my fondest memories as a child are of travelling on the tube and the buses with my mother visiting the National Gallery, V & A and the Tate."
Did you travel a lot?
"Well yes. My father loved cars so we would spend holidays travelling around the UK staying in bed and breakfast's and trying to dodge the rain."
Do you still do that as an adult?
"Oh, absolutely! A love of travelling stays with me still. Now I take my camera and sketchbook everywhere so I can capture moments and then recall them back in my studio."
And what about now?
"For the moment I live in Cambridge with my partner and two children. I started oil painting in 2000 and became a full-time painter in 2007 and have not stopped working and exhibiting since then."
Where did you start?
"I originally trained in textiles at The College of Furniture in the late 70's, early 80's but being young and broke I didn't have the confidence to do anything with it."
So what did you do?
"I carved out an alternative career for many years dealing with people. Ironically, I now keep people out of my work entirely!"
Does that bother you?
"No, not at all. I can admire other artists who paint people but it really isn't something that interests me.”
If you do not paint people, what is your favourite subject?
"Right now I am focusing on landscape. It is forever changing with the seasons and light and I never tire of looking out of windows towards the sky to see what sort of weather it will be that day. Natural environments interest me. However the city buzz is buried deep in my soul and I have already started to work on a city series of paintings."
I look again at the images on her webpage and wonder what and who influences Jo's work.
"The obvious things- the landscape and the weather influence me. I also love to study certain painters; Diebenkorn, Thiebauld, Hockney and Hopper particularly. My friends also influence me, although they are probably not aware of it!"
I liked this last remark. How little people may know how they influence the arts. As a painter and writer myself, I empathize with this.
What is your medium Jo?
"Always oils. Always pure graphite. I paint on canvas, wood, canvas paper and more recently perspex. I will use brushes but I prefer palette knives and my hands.”
And what about the creative process you use?
"For non-commissioned work I start with my memory and then with photographs. I am a contemporary painter, not a realist. I focus on colour and shape but the sounds and smells of places I have been to also play a part in starting a piece of work."
Do you sketch at all?
"I sometimes sketch out ideas but I am more likely to start on the surface directly as I like the spontaneity of it."
How would you describe your work?
"My work changes constantly. I like to experiment with different surfaces and techniques but I like to ensure that the work can always be identified as one of my pieces. I paint with oils, using traditional methods of thin layers of paint mixed with mediums and glazes. I often scratch back the layers, revealing the colours below. Pure graphite pencils, gold and silver leaf, metallic paints are also usually found in my work."
Continuity is important to you?
"Yes. For the last few years I have been painting skies and low horizons. But I recently worked on a new series of abstract work based on burnt trees that I saw in west Canada in 2010."
By now, I have an appetite to see the work in the real world, so I asked Jo, where I might see it...
What about non-commissioned work?
"Well, locally I show at the Cambridge Open Studios and I am a member of the Cambridge Drawing Society. I am also represented by The Agora Gallery in New York and I have permanent collections in several Cambridgeshire businesses and privately owned pieces around the world. I also organise annual one-off shows in Cambridge, usually raising money for chosen charities."
So if you hunger to see her work, travel to Cambridge. I hope to. I hope to see a lot more of Jo Tunmer's paintings. They are real, they are strong and they are inspiring.
Sonja Benskin Mesher RCA (2010)
