Interview with Stephen Watkins
Stephen Watkins is an artist based in Suffolk, United Kingdom specialising in contemporary works of art of city skylines in various styles that blend his experience as an architect with his passion as an artist. He has been commissioned and sold over 200 paintings around the world focusing on major city skylines.
Could you please introduce yourself and tell us how you started in the arts? and your first experience in art-making?
I'm actually an architect by profession. I've always wanted to be an architect from the age of 12 and always had a love of drawing buildings. Even as a child I used to draw and sketch buildings. The funny thing is that I actually studied art at school, but I failed miserably! I always ignored the teachers and drew what i wanted to draw, which was always more technical. So let's just say that my grades in my art classes weren't exactly great. Then when I was 27, I married an art teacher, and she convinced me to try a couple of paintings of local city skylines. Afterwards she took them to a local gallery without telling me. Much to my surprise. they actually sold, and the rest is history.
How would you describe yourself and your artwork?
I'm very detailed and love working in bright colours - something that is dramatic and stands out!. I love to express memories in my paintings about places I've visited. I'm an outgoing person who loves to try new things and I love travelling and think its so important to have these memories of places on your walls. I've had some big recent changes in my life that have definitely inspired me in my paintings over the past couple of years.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from the distinctive skylines and memories of places I've visited. I lived in Doha, Qatar for 10 years, and the construction out there moved so fast: the skyline quickly became iconic, with so many great new buildings. My inspiration also comes from the early days of how architects used to draw buildings - it was all hand drawn and beautifully done back then. These days, it's very technical and all done on computers. I like the idea of bringing the more traditional style back.
What emotions do you hope the viewers experience when looking at your art?
I just want them to get lost in my paintings, to get sucked into the detail, and to sink into the memories of important places they have been to. A piece of artwork is for life, and i just want to help bring back special memories of places in people's lives when they look at them.
When do you know that an artwork is finished?
I get this question a lot, and I think you just know.. it just feels right! Sometimes too much detail can look wrong-it's just getting the balance right. If a painting is going badly, I often have to walk away from it for a day and then come back to it. Things tend to start falling into place then.
What has been the most exciting moment in your art career so far?
Probably an exhibition I did in a 5 star hotel in Qatar. it was my first big exhibition, and it got a lot of media attention in Doha. The UK ambassador came around to open it and was over the moon with all the positive comments about my work. It just inspired to me to keep doing more.
How long does it take to produce one work?
It depends on the level of detail. The piece that took the longest was 'Over the Thames', which is a very detailed perspective view of London. That one was done over a few weeks with a few hours every day. I really enjoyed just getting into the flow with that one. A smaller skyline of London could take in the region of 5- 8 hours. It helps if i'm familiar with a city and the landmarks
What exciting projects are you working on right now? Can you share some of the future plans for your artwork?
So after years of painting on the side, I finally decided to try it out full time. It was a scary leap to take, but I have so many ideas going around in my head - its just finding the time to do them! I'm working on a new piece now which will be very colourful and will incorporate 9 different city skylines around the world - its taken a while but I'm on my last two skylines now - watch this space. I've also been swamped with commission requests, which gives me a chance to work on new skylines I haven't painted before. These pieces also help me iterate on my style bit by bit.
Do you have any upcoming events or exhibitions we should know about?
Yes.I haven't done an exhibition in a long time, but i have one coming up in Framlingham, Suffolk at the 'Carousel Gallery' from the 5th August - 11 August. I'm really excited to jump back into doing exhibitions again- though also kind of nervous at the same time.
Where do you see your art going in five years?
I just want to keep painting and create memorable pieces for people. I have so many ideas for new pieces and am desperate to get them out of my head and onto a canvas to show! My dream would be to travel the world displaying my Art in the cities that I paint!
Online Gallery: sjwatkins.com
Instagram Profile: Art By Stephen Watkins
FB Page: SJWatkinsart
