Q&A: An Interview with Issy Wilson

Do you make artwork primarily to understand yourself, or to be understood by others?

I make artwork primarily to understand the world and to put that in a format that can be considered by other people.

What are your artistic patterns or tropes?

My work mainly explores ecological connectivity through water-based media and textiles.

Does your practice benefit from more freedom or restraint?

In general, I would say the main thing that I restrict would be the color palette. I like to experiment with many different materials, and so I found that restricting the color choices helps for me and other people to see the more subtle variations in color, tone, and texture within my pieces when I limit this factor. This would be the main reason for a more restricted color palette that you can see in my artwork. I really don’t set time limits (unless I’m working for a particular exhibition or deadline), and am frequently working on many pieces at the same time. I like to have anywhere from 4–10 pieces going at the same time and to develop them in conversation with each other. Additionally, it’s not uncommon for me to go back to and rework older pieces that were never resolved.

Are you ritualistic or chaotic when it comes to creating art and maintaining a studio practice?

I feel quite ritualistic and chaotic in my studio practice. I listen to the same playlist, wear the same clothes, and use more or less the same materials that I am constantly remixing and recombining. I also feel that I am very organized, in my own way, as I at least know where everything is, but I think it might appear very messy and chaotic from an outside perspective.

Do you research and ideate separately to art-making, or do you find yourself constantly moving between the two and refining as you go?

In an ideal world, I am constantly moving between the two and refining as I go, but circumstantially, it seems that I frequently have periods of time where I can be making a lot and then other times that I’m not able to get into the studio and so this ends up being more of a time of admin and research. All of these elements influence each other, and I am at the very least, always writing, reading, sketching, and thinking, and can then take this back to the studio and create a lot of work based on my past experiences and thoughts.

Do you struggle more with overworking a painting, or with finishing altogether?

It depends on the piece, some of them seem to happen very quickly and to reach a resolution very easily while others I can end up working on for months and months and months. Sometimes these overworked ones can enter this space because I actually don’t like the piece very much, and this thought can be very freeing and important to get to. I’m able to experiment and push the piece in new directions without being too worried about “ruining” it. I find that the materials that I work with can really tolerate a lot, and so I take these moments as opportunities to push the painting and materials to see what else can be done, and then sometimes I actually end up really liking the work with this added time and experimentation.

Was there a discarded or failed work you’ve now been able to return to with fresh eyes?Yes, sometimes the best thing for me is to leave a painting alone for many months and then I actually love it when I look at the work again. Sometimes my artwork seems to have a mind of its own and does something that I wasn’t expecting. In this way, I actually really like that I can learn from the art and try to see what it’s telling me, but also sometimes I need some distance from the work to appreciate that.

Do you have a habit of collecting scraps that aren’t ‘art’ but feel like they belong to your world?

I like to collect all of my canvas strings and scraps of fabric/canvas because I typically end up using them for something else. I really actually try to not buy too much and to use and reuse whatever I have in the studio.

What are your studio crutches?

I typically feel more creative in the afternoons or evenings, so I sometimes really love to set aside a Friday night for a late night studio session. I also listen to the same playlist, typically in the same order, that I made on my Spotify. It’s called Gardening, and I actually think a lot of my painting practice is more like gardening, especially with the amount of things that I do on the ground. I also have an automatic watering can (which might be the funniest studio tool that I’ve acquired), so that I can be misting my paintings and drawings more easily.

In an era where algorithms curate visibility, do you make work differently knowing it might be consumed in a scroll rather than in a gallery?

I don’t feel that I make work in a particularly different way for it, but I am very aware of constantly documenting pieces and of my digital presence. Many of my pieces seem very different in person than on the phone, especially understanding the scale of some of the works, and also the phone really seems to boost the contrast on everything. It’s very strange to be making work in a time when most people will only ever see photos of the work and not the real thing, and so it definitely is an important element to keep in mind to be on top of documentation and digital presentation in addition to the real life making.

How do you feel about juggling the many hats of an artist?

It’s honestly crazy. There are so many different modes of being an artist, and I’m constantly learning new skills and figuring it out. This is where having a great artist community has been really helpful to ask questions and to bounce ideas off of each other to figure out how to navigate this world.

How do you measure your artistic progress?

In general, I really prefer in person conversations and studio visits to start to see what people are responding to, enjoying, and asking questions about. And then to receive any residencies, exhibition opportunities, or sales really starts to feel validating, especially after so many years of working hard without any of this recognition. These opportunities are what really start to make this whole thing possible and give me a lot of confidence.

What’s one myth about the ‘art world’ you believed until recently?

I really hate the exclusivity and pretentious vibes that can come up in the art world. It feels entirely antithetical to the point of art. I feel that we make art to open up conversations and understanding of complex topics, and to have so many people act so unavailable and to use such inaccessible language (in artist statements and general conversation etc) really bothers me. I think before if I didn’t know something, I would have felt a bit embarrassed or pretended to know that artist that was mentioned. But now I realise that it's impossible and a ridiculous assumption to expect everyone to know every artist/movement/event/etc and instead of just nodding along, it’s actually a great moment to instead ask: “No, I’ve actually never heard of this artist, can you tell me about them or show me some of their work?” If someone will look down on you for asking this kind of question, then you don’t need to be friends with them :)

Do you ever feel pressure to intellectualise your work?

I really like researching as a part of my practice, and it’s been a really exciting way to learn more about the natural world and to stumble upon unexpected discoveries through the art process. The artist statement is always a difficult undertaking, but I would say that it is definitely getting easier as I go.

What are your favourite materials to use in your practice?

I love to use unbleached and unstretched 12 oz canvas in a variety of ways, thick and handmade paper with a deckled edge, India ink, oil pastels, watercolour, loose pigments mixed with a gouache/watercolor matte medium, and cheesecloth.

What are some of your favourite art stores for supplies?

I love AP Fitzpatrick in Bethnal Green. I live really nearby, and it’s been a really helpful store to consult about how to use different materials.

What are some of your favourite galleries to visit?

Thaddeus Ropac and The Approach