We're taking time to chat with Sydney artist Britty Flynn about her emergent practice as a studio painter.
Her works stand out to us by the way they evoke wildlife, dreams and playfully surreal still life arrangements,
that might well place her with contemporaries such as Jess Locke or Jini Maxwell. We ask about work, play, and daily styling.
Click here to shop Britty's fit.
So, you describe your practice as "watching the paintbrush move around the canvas" - but we also see how you gently guide it to a point of resolution in each piece.
How do you decide the point at which your work has fully communicated its poetry?
I think it’s important to trust your intuition. Before I start each piece, I certainly have somewhat of an idea in mind, but changes always occur naturally along the way and I like to embrace them. It’s this transformation process that is the most exciting part of painting for me and then, you must trust yourself when you’ve put enough in to convey your message.
Do you find community with other artists who share your fascination with playfulness and the subconscious?
Unfortunately, so far in my career which is still very much emerging, I have not had much collaboration with other artists. I think this stems from the current state of the world being in lockdown and so forth, which makes it difficult to meet with other artists and discuss and share opinions. I am also a bit of a control freak in terms of harbouring my own style and playfulness so tend to naturally keep to myself. But I am eager for the right opportunity should it present itself in the future to share with other artists as I feel it would be another great avenue for inspiration.
What can your work teach us about loosening up in our day to day creative endeavours like cooking and styling?
First and foremost, creative endeavours should never feel like a chore. And if they ever do, it’s important to take a step back, take a break and breathe. I hope my work inspires those to put the fun back into those endeavours and enjoy making something different. Don’t make it a chore, make it fun, make it colourful and get funky with it.
Alongside an inspiring body of work, we can see you've built a business and a personal story that puts your achievements forward in the studio art industry.
Can you tell us about the labour involved in your practice? How do you treat the patient observation and experimentation of your work, as a job?
Each day starts with a stretch of the legs and a coffee. I also like to survey the street for puppies and get excited for that day I will one day own one myself. I limit myself to one painting per day. This is so I can put all my creative energy into that one painting. Also, with the current Sydney lockdown and restrictions it is a tough environment already to stay motivated. My partner helps with keeping me on track too and driven towards my goals and aspirations when days start to feel repetitive.
Can you tell us about your goals that extend beyond making masterful paintings?
The biggest goal of mine is to one day own my own studio space outside of my home. I would love to have a space where I can invite people inside to view my work in person. Another aspiration of mine is to live overseas again one day. I miss travel and exploration and hope to (safely when things trickle back to normal) be able to visit and even live, in places all over the globe. As I know it will contribute a lot to my inspiration in my work and just general wellbeing.
You can browse through Britty's latest work here.
