How Artist Mary West Curates Her World
We have long admired the luminous, layered canvases of Mary West, so when the chance came to spend a morning with her ahead of her forthcoming show at The Chancery Rosewood, we did not hesitate. Over breakfast, she spoke with characteristic warmth about paint, place and the small daily rituals that keep her grounded.
Your work feels intuitive and very free. Can you talk us through how a piece typically begins and how you know when it’s finished?
Every painting starts with a wash of oil paint on the canvas. I hate working straight on to a blank canvas. My studio is scattered with photographic images, art books and sketches. Quite often I’ll use one of these as a starting point. Each painting builds up in layers. I work quickly and intuitively on the initial layers, making large sweeping gestures and allowing the paint to drip down the canvas. These initial marks guide the later layers, building on the marks that have formed. If I try to control the painting too much it doesn't seem to work, somehow the spontaneity and energy is lost. Each painting takes me on a journey and surprises me every time. I know a painting is finished when I see the work as a whole and no longer fixate on one particular area.
How does the natural world show up in your creative process?
The natural world is the central theme to all of my works.The current weight of global politics is increasingly hard to make sense of. Nature offers a sense of hope and renewal. I find comfort in nature's ancient rhythms, the steady growth of trees, the changing of seasons, the persistence of light after darkness. Capturing these elements in paint becomes a way of reconnecting with something enduring and reassuring.
Are there recurring ideas or questions that you find yourself returning to across your work?
I often return to the theme of rivers and woodlands in my work. I was born in London and went to art school in London. People don’t always connect landscape painting to the city but London is the world’s largest urban forest with over 8 million trees. I think this is completely magical.
Fragrance is so tied to memory and emotion. Are there particular scents, landscapes, or environments that have stayed with you over time?
One of my favourite scents is lavender. My Grandma’s garden was full of lavender and I still have lavender bags she made before she died. My Mum always fills her linen chest with bars of lavender soap (along with bars of Imperial Leather) and these scents combined remind me of clean sheets at home and the feeling of safety. I now fill my linen drawers with the same bars of soap. I also used a flannel soaked in lavender essential oil when I was in labor with my boys, I found it calmed me. It’s a scent that is tied to so many memories.
Are there small, everyday rituals that help you stay connected to nature or grounded creatively?
Every morning I have a brief potter in my garden and look at what is shooting. I usually walk to the studio. I’m lucky enough to live in a very lush part of West London. Spring is a particularly inspiring time of year and full of hope. I paint almost everyday and find the act of painting itself to be grounding. Painting slows the mind, requires observation, patience, and presence, all of which counter anxiety.
Is there a specific place, past or present, that’s shaped your perspective as an artist?
The River Thames, the stretch along Strand On The Green in particular, has certainly shaped my perspective as an artist in recent years. I live a couple of minutes from the river and when my children were little it was our walk to school. I would drop the boys off and then go straight home to paint. Inevitably it began to filter into my paintings. That walk provided a routine and calm during some difficult years when I was going through a divorce. I found the rhythms of the tide and its beauty (in all seasons and weathers) a great source of comfort and inspiration. The river is knowable and yet unknowable and it is this sense of mystery that I try to create in my paintings.
What is your interior style like?
Our home is full of earthy tones, very much like the palette of my paintings. We’ve used lots of natural materials.The kitchen is oak and we have terracotta tiles throughout the ground floor. My partner is a cabinet maker so he has made the kitchen and is gradually installing the rest of our wardrobes and storage. I have lots of books that are waiting for shelves. We found our dining room table on a stall on Golborne Road and have a mix of inherited furniture alongside built in pieces. We spent the last year renovating. The house was built in the mid 50s and had barely been touched over the years so it needed lots of love. I want the house to feel cosy, the sofas are covered in quilts made by one of my friends' mothers and the walls are gradually filling with a mix of artworks collected over the years or made by various family members. A favourite new piece is a large embroidery from Mexico which has been framed and covers one of the walls in our kitchen. We have two of my paintings, one of which was made 20 years ago and has always moved with me, it feels like an old friend.
Is your home complete or a work in progress?
Definitely a work in progress! I think it always will be. Houses evolve over time and grow and change with the family. I love moving things around and am always on the look out for bits and pieces.
And finally, what is your favourite VERDEN fragrance?
Find Mary:
