Em Hatton

Artist Interview

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

I mainly use acrylic gouache for its flat, highly pigmented quality; my work is inspired by digital illustration and it's the best medium to achieve that effect. However, I do see medium as a means to an end and it really depends on the concept behind the work; I have used gouache, acrylic and also printmaking techniques in the past.

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

I often create bodies of work on the premise of a theme but it stems from the same concept – In art history women have been depicted for the ‘male gaze’; inactive, submissive and demure. My work is focused on the ‘female gaze’; my femme identifying figures have agency, are empowered and comfortable with who they are. Usually I'll develop an overall concept for a body of work and keep making work specific to that concept until I have nothing left to add. I collect endless reference photos to use in my works for figure postures and often find inspiration in the everyday; for example: in taking a moment the colour pallette is strongly inspired by the packaging of tiger balm. In making a work I'll mock up the design digitally and define the colour pallette before I put any pen to paper; once I've drawn it onto the canvas or paper I love spending time defining clean lines and shapes.

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

I work out of a tiny shed I built in my garden, I repurposed a cubby house I got for free on gumtree to include proper windows and doors. It definitely isn't 'instagram chic' but it's a space I feel very safe in and can get in the zone and get messy. I've sourced second hand furniture that has wheels so I can shift the layout depending on how big the surface is that I'm working on. I'll often be out there most nights working and it's helped me have a bit of separation between home and creative practice.