Fiona Stanbury

Q: You describe your process as intuitive, where colours and shapes evolve without a set plan. How do you know when a painting is complete, and what emotions guide you through this journey?

A: When you work intuitively, it is much harder to know when a painting is complete because there are no guidelines as, for example, when you paint a portrait and have a visual reference in front of you. Up to a certain point, the arena is open to change because I like the act of painting to surprise me or offer suggestions for exploration. This can mean that many elements will emerge and at some point a structure or form will suggest an Endgame. Sometimes a painting finds its form early on and I will set it aside for a few days or weeks to get a fresh perspective on it. I've destroyed work by jumping in too quickly with more paint when something already feels right! The painting needs to feel right emotionally and in terms of shape and colour, which is not always easy to explain but over years of trusting my intuition, I know that this process works for me even if it takes time.

I don't always start paintings with the same approach or process. Some may be specific to a theme and I will use that theme as a vehicle to express and explore colour, for example, my Nicosia paintings. Other paintings start from a word or memory, or I lay down a set of colours to see what might happen. I like to alternate my approaches but they all bounce across my work generally as a way to keep things fresh and open. I always trust my intuition more than any purely intellectual decisions because thinking tends to stick to the known path whereas intuition can allow leaps of imagination. It's a delicate, balancing act and I like that sense of the unknown leading to a recognition of something that is not possible to explain but which holds a truth.

Q: Your use of vibrant colours and abstract forms creates a sense of movement and life. How do you choose your colour palette, and what role does colour play in conveying emotion or narrative in your work?

A: If I am working with specific memories, I choose colours that I feel hold the emotional experience of that place. The colours may not be literally connected with that place because I want to express my reality rather than copy exact colours. As I work, I like the colours to suggest other colours, or I may work on top of the initial colours. A lot of changing and editing goes on. I've just completed a painting of Daymer Bay, (Cornwall} where I spent many happy years with my Grandparents in their house next to the beach. The painting began with shades of blue, black, white, ochre, red and pink. I wanted to capture the movement of the sea against the jagged rocks because the tide there can be treacherous, so my colour was informed by this. The painting has rearranged the scene due to my emotional need to translate the energy and life of the sea.