"Be very still"
£2,350
Oil on canvas
Size Unframed 61 x 76 cm
Size Framed 89 x 73 cm
Inspiration There is a beautiful valley near me called “The Heavens” which has recently been purchased by the community. One evening a patch of nettles was transformed by the maytime evening light into a rather magical bush. The area is full of rabbits who scamper into their holes as you approach. But if you lie low and stay very still, they will soon venture out and continue their nibbling
Frances Clark-Stone Be very Still
Artist's statement
I am a visual artist working in oil and pastel. I aim to create a narrative in which the viewer may place themselves. Inspiration comes from dreams, experiences and relationships with both people and places. Everyday places become extraordinary in moments of awareness, feeling, mood. Buyers and followers describe my work as magical or spellbinding and often find a feeling of vulnerability in the paintings which contain figures, or a stillness in the place based ones. The drama of the moment is what I aim to convey. Some pieces start with notes on my phone, photo references, rough sketches. Others stem from memories or dreams queued in my mind for long periods, which I visit in my imagination, playing around until I've worked out how to turn them into paintings.
Working in layers I use techniques from textile making, creating pattern and texture in the early stages that may reappear at a later stage when the painting is further developed. I use a combination of oil paint, oil bars, cold wax and oil pastel, usually over a period of weeks so that each layer can dry. For the soft pastels, fixative and a liquifying medium increases flexibility, allowing a build up of texture and accidental pattern.
Having studied art history I am influenced by a wide range of art. However my style, which some have described as magic realism, is most strongly influenced by impressionism, post impressionism and fauvism as well as some illustrative artists working today.