Talking titles with Alice Neave
Of course, with the same first name, how could I resist? I first met Alice a year ago at The Other Art Fair and we’ve been in touch since then via Instagram (her and me). We recently had brief exchange about the importance of titles for abstract paintings and I suggested we get together and try and record a “Creative Conversation” for you.
I visited Alice at her London studio in Woolwich and we talked about how work changes over time. She shares where her inspiration comes from, how people respond to her paintings. And we get the giggles.
You can see her work on display at The Other Art Fair in London, 4-7th October 2018 and sign up for her newsletter for a complimentary ticket code here:
I hope you enjoy this, and that it may be the first of other conversations between artists. I know I love listening to conversations such as this. Let me know what you think!
Thank you for that interview.
I found your discussion informative and inspiring. It was interesting to hear how you are both discerning about who you go to for feedback/criticism. I appreciated your discussion about the importance of giving a title to your work but would have liked you to go a little further into that ie how do you find that title, does it emerge as the work progresses, is it about how you felt as you worked or plucked from the ether at the end – maybe all of those!
You are an excellent interviewer – hope you do more of these.
Thanks Mary – you raise a good point. For me, it can be either of those three. I never have a title at the start – it either emerges as the idea unfurls as I’m working, or I sit with the painting at the end and explore ideas until one sits well with the painting. Sometimes they are quite straightforward, but I prefer when they add another layer. I also quite like to play in a series. For example I had a set which all had single word maths terms, or I restrict to paired words. I find I like to play with the rhythm. I hope to do more too – it’s great to do in person, but perhaps logistically a little more restrictive!