part two:
How long does each painting take?
DY: The oil paintings took anything from 5 mins (I think only one was that quick) to a couple of hours but most took around an hour at most. I think it got quicker throughout the year and could paint and post in under an hour on a good night. The watercolour paintings are very different because I need to wait for some areas to dry before I can move on to other areas so they can take a bit longer to finish but I am probably not working on them for as long. I am lucky enough to have my studio at home so I have a developed a great technique where I nip upstairs to paint in the ad breaks during TV programmes and allow it to dry while I watch tele. Other times I will make several other paintings at the same time and rotate which one I am working on.
Are you inspired by any other artists?
DY: Yes all the time, just thinking about that way of working by painting several watercolours at the same time is something that JMW Turner did! I have always been inspired by Velasquez, I love the way he uses lively brush-marks to describe things, the impressionists for similar reasons as well as their use of colour. There are a whole load of other daily painters I look at who are a constant source of inspiration and competition.
Who is your favourite still life artist? Why?
DY: I love 17th century Dutch still life paintings, Eduard Manet, Jean-Baptiste Chardin, Georgio Morandi, Lisa Milroy, Claus Oldenburg…
But favourite I think has to be Van Gogh mainly because of the everyday nature of his paintings especially the still lives. I like the honesty of them, like the famous painting of his boots – possibly made because he has just taken them off, or painting a bowl of potatoes because he has them in his kitchen and will eat them later. I love the way he shows us the things (and places) he has around him and tells us so much about him and his life, and those around him.
Do you take suggestions on what to paint each day? Can we influence your decision?!
DY: It all depends on how good the suggestions are! How about you give me three ideas and we will see……
