Jarvis Brookfield studied Fine Art at De Montford University and without previous exposure to art, he was heavily inspired to explore painting as a key medium and discovering his process that has developed since graduating taking inspiration from the mysterious nature of the internal world of being human.

Q: Can you tell us about your Artistic background/education?

Sure, so I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory is after many failed attempts, convincing my dad to draw Crash Bandicoot, a PlayStation game character for me at the age of 4 or 5. I always reflect on this moment because it made the impossible seem possible. I think of it as one of the main reasons why I still draw to this day. That said, I don’t come from an artistic family and I was never really exposed to art galleries and art growing up but when I started my BA in Fine art at De Montfort University in 2017 which I graduated from earlier this year, it opened me up to a world which I never knew existed. The art history lectures in my first academic year were inspiring to say the least and became the catalyst for me wanting to dive deeper into painting. In short, I’m essentially self-taught and started painting in the springtime of 2017.

Q. Do you work in a studio or from home?

At Home, in my corner of solitude.

Q. Who are your Art Influencers? inspirations?

My mains source of inspiration at the moment comes from contemplating the mysterious nature of the internal world of being human but as for artists, Im currently inspired by the works of Ernst Fuchs, James Jean, Ruprecht Von Kaufmann, Kenichi Hoshine, Prateep Kockabua, Josh Sperling, and Maura Holden.

Q. What helps get you in "the zone’ to create your work, music? out in nature? quiet?

I used to listen to a lot of podcasts and music, but it made my head very chaotic so it’s just silence and the natural ambient sounds of day to day life, now.

Q. Do you keep a sketchbook? How often do you use it and do you travel with it?

I do yes, but I haven’t been using it as much recently due to lockdown restrictions as I often drew from life a lot, whilst travelling on the train or coach to London and in and around the galleries. Now days I paint in it a few times a month to test out ideas.

Q. Where does a piece of work begin for you? Can you describe your process?

For me, everything begins with a drawing. I enjoy the process of creating from my imagination and have abandoned using reference images altogether, but I am always looking at found images on the internet and observing people and the world around me. I rarely have a specific idea in mind for what I want to paint and instead find that they emerge out of the process. From the point of finishing a drawing and after having prepared a surface of either wood or canvas, I’ll then transfer the drawing to it, using a projector or transfer paper, depending on the size of the surface. My painting process is rooted in traditional painting techniques and principles, so I’ll often create underpaintings, overpaint them and then scumble, glaze and semi glaze etc to bring them to life. But, my approach to colour is more naturalistic and spontaneous. I tend to pick a single or group of basic colours i.e Blue-green, Yellow green and red and then without a specific plan in mind try to create patterns and a sense of vibration to lead and guide the eye throughout the painting.I’m currently exploring different ways of approaching painting which I’ll start revealing more of in 2022.

Q. What technique do you prefer to use?

I use a variety of techniques, most of which sits on top of underpaintings. But semi glazing and glazing are some of my biggest crutches in painting!

Q. What are your most important artists tools?

A semi destroyed Daler Rowney number 6 filbert brush and a well-kept Daler Rowney number 4 round brush for details.

Q. What are your favourite materials?

Fluid acrylic paint, Matte and Gloss medium, Canvas, wood and good old brushes!

Q. What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on a variety of paintings and have a few rough plans to create a mural in 2021. There are also a few projects that I’ll be involved in throughout the year which I’ll be sharing more info about closer to the time.

https://www.jarvisbrookfield.com/