In this article, John Reed, Visual Arts Exhibitions Assistant, joins artist Esther Cornell in an exclusive interview.
I spoke with Esther Cornell, whose works feature in the Immersive Landscapes exhibition, at her Winchester studio and out in the field, where she gave me insights into her career so far and on painting outdoors. In this article, the artist, who assuredly interprets the wispy wills of the Hampshire clouds through thoughtful observation and astute paint application, brought us to a spot that underlines the beauty and complexity of the Hampshire countryside, where wildflowers, chirping birds and multiple lines and layers provide an artist with a bounty of inspiration.
Cornell talks us through the essentials for painting en plein air (outdoors), demonstrating techniques, her practice and the landscape in our recent YouTube video:
Esther also spoke to me about the beginning of her career, recounting how she developed such an intimate connection with landscape painting:
I live in Winchester, and I've always been interested in art and communication. On my journey as an artist, I started painting a lot during lockdown - that period really reignited my interest.
In the day, I cared for my children, and in the evenings, I would turn to painting. It is something that would help me with my mental health. My sister asked me to paint a specific landscape for her lounge, and then I had various other friends asking me to paint things for them after that.
After lockdown, I lost my mum. She became ill with cancer, and she was gone quite quickly from then. Painting was something that helped me deal with a lot of the feelings that I had around that, and she had always encouraged me in.
It was quite a turning point for me. I reflected on the vulnerability of life and what was important to me going forward. Art, landscapes and being outdoors are things that I find very important, as well as communicating feelings around them.
Our fragility and landscapes are things I try to get into my painting. I suppose that turning point in my life began my journey as an artist. I started painting small panels, a commonality among plein air painters. As you're working out how to go into a landscape and simplify what you see, it is helpful to paint very small. When you paint in a landscape, there is a lot of visual information that you have to distil down into a two-dimensional object. At first, it can be difficult. So, I started painting very small.
When I decided to paint plein air, I found an artist in a local bookshop. I looked at his paintings, and I couldn't believe the use of light and colour that he had got through in his work. I found it very inspiring, and he happened to be a plein air painter. I wanted to be able to paint like that.
So, I started to look at the techniques he used. He would paint in his car, and he would paint in the middle of winter, and it just absolutely fascinated me. It took me on a journey – I then discovered other plein air painters. It's a growing art movement around the UK, and there are many people now, spurred on by lockdown and our realisation of the importance of nature, who will go into the landscape and paint.
Immersive Landscapes runs until 15 September 2024. All works are available to purchase.