Cassandra DOVE

Artist Interview

What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?

I love the versatility of working with acrylic paints and mediums. I incorporate mixed media supplies such as crayons and pastels for interesting mark-making. I will also use random objects to create texture such as sticks and other household items. Sometimes I create my own papers or use collected papers for sticking into a painting on canvas or board as a layer.

How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?

Some paintings are a direct response to the visual elements of the landscape. To create these paintings, I will bring plein-air paintings, photographs, and memories of family hikes into the studio. Often, I will compete a series of paintings on paper that may move from figurative to abstract representations. Sometimes I will keep these in view as I work on paintings and other times, I will put them away and work solely from my memory and feeling of a place.<p><p> I also create work based on my personal experience within an environment. For example, my ‘Experience Japan’ collection was influenced by my interaction with historical monuments, shrines, artefacts, traditional items and rituals. I enjoyed the challenge of recreating a sense of the emotions I felt whilst I was there such as the taste of ramen noodles, the coolness of the bamboo forest or the sense of calm and purpose that Japanese people seem to exude.” I usually work in series, so this means I have multiple paintings on the go at once. This is great because if there is a painting that needs time to dry, or that I’m stuck on, I can keep working on another painting and come back to it. Working on a series also allows me to share all my ideas, emotions and inspiration over several works rather than trying to capture all of this in one painting.<p><p> I really do enjoy every part of the creating process from, creating the first layers, to putting the final touches on a painting to getting them ready for photographing and hanging. I lie. I don’t enjoy cleaning my brushes!

Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?

I am incredibly grateful to work from a studio within an arts centre in Canberra, so I’m surrounded by other creatives. I’m at the studio 4-5 days a week for 6hrs at a time whilst the kiddos are at school.