A Discussion with the Artist – Eva Ray

The Art Buyer are thrilled to be hosting Eva Ray’s solo show ‘Towards The Sun’, featuring an entirely new collection of paintings created by the artist especially for her solo show. We interviewed the Kent based artist on her artist name origins, intuitive painting process & deep rooted inspirations for this beautiful collection.

 

Pictured: Eva Ray 

 

We’d love to know a bit about your inspiration behind ‘Towards the Sun’. How did the title of this new body of work come about?

Towards The Sun is a collection of new paintings celebrating the long awaited bloom and unfolding of spring. This body of work explores local Kent landscapes and still life studies from early spring this year. I made sketches in local gardens including Doddington Place and Mount Ephraim gardens and then worked with the oil sticks on wood panels in my studio.

 

Where did your fascination with pattern and print emerge from?

I lived and worked in Jaipur, India for 6 years where I was surrounded by an abundance of colour, textiles and pattern. I worked as a jewellery designer and studied traditional tribal jewellery in local villages. This led to an ongoing fascination with form, motifs and pattern. I designed bold indian jewellery and learnt a lot at this time about balance and harmony in shape and pattern. When I am painting now I can see these influences subconsciously shaping my colour and composition choices.

 

Pictured: Orange and Flame, Azalea by Eva Ray

 

 

Talk us through the decision to name your art practice ‘Eva Ray Studio’.

On my return from India I set up my art studio and named it after my grandparents Eva and Ray. I now respond to Laura and Eva!

 

Do you paint from memories, photographs, or a concoction of references?

I paint from a mix of sketches and photographs and overall my memories shape my vision for composition. In India I fell in love with the house frescos and I love to explore layering and texture in my paintings.

Pictured: Bank’s Grevillea by Eva Ray

 

 

We’d love to know more about your artistic process; do you outline your colour palette before starting, or do the colours find their way onto the panel intuitively?

I mark out my overall composition without too many details and the rest happens intuitively. Patterns and colour combinations fall into place like a puzzle. There’s a lot of working very close to the board and then standing back to see the overall harmony of the colours and composition.

 

 How were you introduced to the medium oil stick, and how quickly did they become a core part of your practise?

During the pandemic, like many people I wanted to try new ways of working. I have a background in fine art but hadn’t spent much time with pastels. I started exploring working with pastels on paper and instantly felt very comfortable with the immediacy of mark making and the removal of the paintbrush. I began creating small works with oil pastels but quickly wanted to work on a larger scale. This is when I discovered oil sticks and I use them in the same way as pastels just on a much larger scale. Working on wood allows me to apply pressure and mix colours on the board itself.

Pictured: Eva Ray

 

What is your favourite part about being an artist?
To work spontaneously with intuition is cathartic, almost like meditation for me. To start work on a blank board is always the most exciting part, the unknown of how the painting will unfold. I feel very lucky when I work on commissions that my clients trust this process and are also equally excited to discover the final work!

I love the medium I work with and feel that I am constantly learning new ways to work with the oil sticks. Being self-taught with this medium I feel unrestricted and able to create my own techniques and ways of working.

 

 

Pictured: Japanese Maple by Eva Ray

 

 

 

My Life In Art

First piece of art you bought?

When I lived in Kerala, South India I visited an art school and bought a very intricate traditional Keralan painting. I love learning about different practices and traditions that have been passed down for generations. This has always been an important part of my practice, to similarly develop my own methods and techniques.

 

Favourite Artist?

Helen Frankenthaler is a constant inspiration.  Her intuitive us of colour, soak-stain technique and scale is breathtaking.
A favourite quote of hers while talking with a friend  ‘Do you really get a ’charge’ out of a painting?’ ‘Of course I do! I believe that’s the only way to really look at a painting. I do think that the first second of seeing a great painting is only a charge; and then you look at the ways of it; tradition, technique etc.’

If you could own any piece of art (even if you have to rob a bank or museum!), what would it be and why?

‘’Jacob‘s Ladder’ by Helen Frankenthaler. I love her early soak-stain technique on unprimed canvas and the scale; Jacob’s ladder stands at over 9 feet tall!