Artist of the Month - Jane Robbins

23rd January 2014: Artist of the Month - for our first feature this year we have interviewed the wonderful Jane Robbins, collagist extraordinaire, who turns hundreds of scraps of paper into beautiful prints and collages featuring birds, flowers and landscape views. Read on to hear what Jane had to say...

What's been your best-selling design or piece of work to date? Trellis Bird (shown below, left)

Which part of the process do you like most? Pulling together different textures, colours and patterns and realising that this is the combination or look that will work. Then to see the work actually printed and all the lumps, bumps, shiny bits and rough scraps, all ironed out on to one surface is magic.

Which part do you like the least? Admin

What would your dream project be? To do a round trip of Britain and produce images of the all the harbours and coastline. I would also, at some point, like to design a book jacket.

What's on your drawing-board/ in your kiln / on your easel / etc. right now? It is the first little rough for a project I would like to do about weathervanes. I have just become very keen on them. The one I can see from my garden is on the parish church and is a huge golden arrow with a little cockerel on top. I saw one the other day – it was a huge fish. Gorgeous.

Who or what is your biggest source of inspiration? I suppose if I have to narrow it down to one thing, it would my very wonderful printmaking teacher at Art School. A great teacher and artist – Robert Tavener.

 Which is your favourite Yellow House Art artist & why? (www.yellowhouseart.com – our closely associated site selling original artworks) Jane Muir. I love her dreamy little people.

When designing your studio, what was the most important factor? Firstly a good long table and then lots of storage to house my collections of Scraps

What's been your biggest mistake/cock-up?! Early on, I did a limited edition of prints and only made the limit 10. Sold all 10 instantly and realised I should have done a much bigger run.

What is the last book you read? Marks out of 10?  Iain Banks – Crow Road. 7 out of 10

What is the last exhibition you went to? Marks out of 10? Australia at the Royal Academy. 8 out of 10. Much better than expected. It had rather bad reviews so was pleasantly surprised

If you could own a masterpiece, what would it be? One of Matisse’s cut-outs. Any of them – you choose.

What’s your proudest achievement? My Children

What’s been your biggest challenge? Surviving

 

 Thanks Jane - It's so interesting to read about your work, and it must have been very special to have been taught by Robert Taverner. We love the delicacy and narrative of your work and are looking forward to what you will create in 2014!