In this interview with Chisara Vidale, we delve into her creative journey and the artistry behind her stunning works that beautifully capture the spirit and grace of the equus.
How did you first get into art? Did you study art or are you self-taught?
I have been making things for as long as I can remember, keeping diaries and documenting through drawing my experiences in the world. I have also always had a deep love for nature and animals, which is the foundation of my art practice now. I was enrolled in art classes from a young age and at school, which continued into a studio practice when I finished college. I began as a self-taught artist, in that I don’t have a formal degree in art, but I feel that all of the exposure I had to art and making as a child deeply informed my ways of working now. Over the last year I also complete a course at the ESOP (The Essential School of Painting), which really helped me to develop a multi-disciplinary approach to my practice.
Where are you located? Is that where you’re from?
I am currently based in North London, which is also where I was raised. Living on the edge of London meant that growing up I have had a lot of exposure to nature, growing food and the land as well as city life.
Does a sense of place, influence your art?
Absolutely. Place is everything in my work. I walk daily on the same trails along canals, forests, heaths and parks, whilst doing so feeling and observing the change of the seasons. This constant interaction is such a large part of what I do. Certain trees are like old friends who I get to spend time with most days, which cultivates a sense of belonging to a place, which is a large well from where I draw inspiration when making art.
What mediums do you primarily work with?
I work mostly with watercolour when painting, mainly because I really love the immediacy of it. I tend to go for a walk and then have an idea for a piece come to me quite quickly. Watercolour allows me to create small pieces in a few days and larger ones in just a couple of weeks. I am also addicted to the intensity and vibrancy of watercolour, which sometimes surprises people when they see my work. When I am working in textiles I tend to use mixed cottons and poly-cottons, these hold their structure well for piecing together and don’t warp when working. I have also worked a bit in sculpture and mixed media, and when doing so tend to use found materials.
Can you tell us about your latest series? What is the central story or feeling you’re conveying through this collection?
My most recent series is all about feeling a connection to land and place through the eyes of horses. The Latin word ‘Equus’ derives from the same root as the word ‘equal’, horses share the same bone structure as humans, with only one bone difference. They have drawn chariots across the sky, struck the ground and created springs, traversed the veils between the worlds. Horses were an obsession throughout my childhood, collecting figures, drawings, anything that allowed me to be part of their herd. Within my work, I now create worlds where horses are the protagonists, mythical creatures, and symbols of elemental forces such as the sun and moon. I feel that the horses are aspects of my own psyche, seeking solace in the natural world. Within these otherworldly landscapes, I can be a small mushroom or have my head in the treetops, in this space the boundaries between myself and the world around can diffuse.
What was the initial inspiration behind this body of work? Was there a specific moment or idea that sparked this series?
This body of work began a couple of years ago when I was looking at the work of Franz Marc. I had been making work for a few years about plants and fungi, influenced by artists such as Agnes Pelton and Hilma af Klimt. I was really inspired by Marc’s way of integrating animals into the landscape with such tenderness. I realised that animals, such an integral part of ecology, hadn’t really entered my work. I began drawing horses gain after many years as they were so important to me as a child, this turned into a mythic realm in my work that I am still exploring now.
Horses play a distinct role in your work, can you tell us a bit more about that?
The horses in my work operate on a couple of levels, on the one hand, they are animals living in herds, sometimes alone, sometimes together, but always part of a network of siblings, parents and family. I think it’s important, with so many domesticated, to remember that in wilder settings they have families and relationships with each other just as we do and that these bonds matter.
There is also a mythic element to this, I also see them as folkloric personifications of elemental forces like the sun and moon, embodying a changing and dynamic landscape.
Do you prefer to work solo, or are there aspects where collaboration enhances your vision?
When I am making the work I tend to be quite solitary and don’t work in a studio block with a lot of other artists, as I find that I get into the zone of working in less stimulating environments, although I do really enjoy working collaboratively.
Are there mentors, or collaborators who have helped to shape your creative journey? How have they influenced your approach?
There are many people who have really helped shape my work. My time at the ESOP and the support of the tutors really helped me to develop my work and gain confidence in different ways of working. Other artists I have met along the way have also really helped me to feel like I am finding my way, the art world feels really obscure in the beginning, so the kindness and advice of others who have been in it longer means a lot!
What obstacles, if any, have you faced in your recent projects, and how have you navigated or overcome them?
Usually, when obstacles occur I adjust my ways of working. I have recently been without a studio for a few months, which makes it really hard to make work that is larger than small paintings and drawings. Luckily over the summer months, I was offered a residency with womb.ms supported by Bow Arts, which allowed me to create three large quilts, a project that I had been thinking about and wanting to make for almost 6 months.
How do you ensure that the final piece aligns with your original vision, especially when working on such layered, thematic art?
I work quite quickly and make sure that I am in the right mindset or ‘zone’ to make the piece I am working on. I might listen to certain books or programmes that help with this. I also work quite quickly in bursts, like three intensive days and then a break. This way of working allows me to fully dive into an idea or moment and put the whole piece together before the feeling that inspired the work shifts.
How do your recent pieces engage with current cultural or social themes? What do you hope viewers take away from experiencing your art?
My recent work is all about shifting the human-centred and patriarchal narrative that is so dominant at the moment. They are small moments in nature that take sensitivity to perceive, and question our sense that humans ‘run the world’ in the way that we are raised to believe. Perhaps it was the fungi all along?
How do you approach developing the aesthetic and tone of your work? Are there specific artistic influences that have shaped your style
My aesthetic has developed through the last five years of making most days. Gradually I began to recognise my own colour sense, shapes and patterns that were appearing subconsciously. Over time these tropes merged to create their own visual language that is inescapably present in all my work now. Artists that had really helped me to find this voice are often outsider and spiritualist artists, such as Emma Kunz, Leonora Carrington and Georgiana Houghton. Coming into the art world from an unconventional route, they have really helped me find my way.
Can people commission artwork from you? If so, what does that process look like?
Yes, people can commission my work, this has often happened when someone has seen my work and then has an idea in mind of something they would like me to respond to. They can reach out by email and then usually we meet for a chat to discuss further and go from there.
Where can people view your work? Are there any exhibitions, installations, or online galleries where audiences can experience your art?
At the moment people can see my work online on my website and instagram, I just recently exhibited work in a solo show ‘Passing Through’ with FUSEBOX. I am currently excited to be working on my next body of work!
What’s next for you as an artist? Are there any upcoming projects, themes, or directions you’re excited to explore?
I am really excited to be beginning making new work. I am making new work that delves deeper into specific aspects of the landscape. I want to make works that go deeper into our relationship with trees and the wisdom they have to offer. I am also in the process of dreaming up and making new ceremonial costumes which I think will be ready by the end of next year.
Website: chisaravidale.com
Artist: Chisara Vidale
Instagram: chisara__
Contact: [email protected]Location: UK
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