A wrap up interview with Grace

 Grace at Cornerhouse with her Pre Raphaelite portrait

Last week I met with Grace Oni Smith, the muse for my recent work on transgender femininty inspired by Pre Raphaelite paintings. We caught up on make up, drank tea, and talked about our time working together on the project which is currently on show at Cornerhouse as part of Cornerhouse Projects. There's only two days left so take a look while you can!

Hi Grace, how are you?

Very tired, I've been doing lots of gigs for Pride, apart from that I'm good thanks.

What have you been up to over Pride?

I performed at Mother's Ruin and Cha Cha Boudoir. I did the Drunk At Vogue Love Boat and a new night called Glitter Pig which is a fetish fantasy night, all very sexy where the lovely LGBT crowd can get all dressed up.

Sounds great! No wonder you're tired. So, we're sitting here now at Cornerhouse in relative peace and quiet surrounded by pictures of you. How does it feel to be the inspiration for this work?

It's surreal. Especially to see everything finished and shown together. Now it's all done it feels like such a long time ago when we actually started this project.

How have your friends from the transgender and gay community reacted to this project?

They're very proud.

Has this project taught you anything about yourself?

I think the main thing, even though we used artifice to explore creativity in femininty, was seeing myself with no make up and the way you handled that image. It's quite exposing to see my appearance through your artisitc filter. It's made me see things about myself I wasn't aware of. 

I tend to show myself in terms of a fierce femininty, no matter what image I decide to project. I see myself as a blank canvas which I usually paint on top of. It's interesting to see how someone else sees that blank canvas.

(At this point Grace went to bar to get tea)

The guy behind the bar was staring at me, then he realised I was all over the walls and he said 'I thought I recognised your face!'

 Ha! Well he's been looking at you for over a month so I'm not surpised! To go back to what you said about seeing yourself as a blank canvas, I think that's kind of sad. It's like your missing out on who you actually are before you paint on the character you're going to be. You're already great. Do you know what I mean?

I don't think I see that. I don't know if I will ever embrace that side of myself entirely.

I'm not happy with the way I look. I can see I've got a good face and a good body. I've got arms and legs and everything works, it's not like I'm an armorphous blob or anything, I'm just not where I want to be, but I'm interested in where I can take that. 

I hope in time you feel able to embrace yourself fully. I tried to capture something of you in the raw. I never wanted you become a character in the portraits. Even though we used drag as a way of exploring your femininity I saw that as just another way of showing who you are.

You had an incredibly interesting way of appoaching the subject matter. When you see it all together you can definately see it's from a female perspective. There's no fetishism there, it's very much anchored in emotion. When I've worked on other projects about being transgender I've felt quite exposed and exploited, but I never felt that in this work. You handled it in such a sensitive way.

I've learned so much from this project; mostly it given me an insight into the life of a transgender woman, which is something I knew nothing about before. It's also taught me how powerful drag can be as an art form and as a way of exploring infinate variations of gender. Will drag always play a part in your life do you think?

I think so. I can't look into the future and not see an element of drag. It's a way of creating who you want to be each day, creating an instant message. There'll never be a time when I don't sit down in the morning and take that route.

One day I hope to have kids and I can't imagine I'll still be getting up on stage with my boobs out performing,  but drag will always be a part of my life in some guise..

The feedback for this project has been really positive. I've had a great response to the way you have been represented, as a person who happens to be transgender. The 'transgender' is almost incidental but still very important in the context of the work. What can we/ people/ society  learn from this ?

It goes back to something you mentioned earlier about drag making you realise that there are lots of different gender variations. 

When it comes to gender, 99% of people have very defined ideas. The reality is I'm a woman, I'm a make up artist, I'm Jewish. I'm more than transgender, but not everyone sees that. 

That really becomes apparent when I meet new people and see their reactions. It is so tiring being a transgender person constantly being judged, I have to find ways to safeguard myself.

I feel very lucky to live in the society we live in and having the opportunity to change people's perceptions of gender, but a lot of people are oblivious to understanding it.

How do you feel about the recent focus on transgender issues in the media with Kellie Maloney being in the Big Brother house?

I don't personally watch that show, but I have seen the press around the story and how badly it was handeld. When Kellie came out the papers had a field day with the 'sex swap boxing coach'. They kept referring to her as 'he' this and 'he' that. It's upsetting to see how far behind things are, that people can't grasp the basics.

  
Kellie was always Kellie, she just found the strength to recently live as Kellie. The press focused heavily on the fact she was a boxing coach. Trans-people can do any job, what difference does it make?

When she went into the Big Brother house the trans issue just became a circus again. Even people in the LGBT community think it's a joke. A few years ago there was another trans person in the house; Lauren Harries. It's like there is a slot in there for the transgender clown. No well adjusted trans-person is being represented, it's like they pick the ones that will be most entertaining. I mean what other trans people are in the media?

There is a spectrum of transgender, yet we only see either the beautiful completely believable transitioned woman because society can deal with that, or the joke trans-woman. It upsets me that Kellie let herself in for that.

 She is still at the beginning of her journey and probably quite vulnerable.

Whenever being interviewed or reviewed in any way, trans -people have a responsibilty to not be put in that situation and not be taken advantage of. It's counter productive.

Is there anyone out there who you feel does it right?

Have you heard of Laverne Cox? She's in a show called Orange is the new Black. She is an amazing advocate for trans-people. She went on the Wendy Williams show and Wendy Williams proceeded to ask her really crude and thoughtless questions. She pointed out the size of Laverne's feet and asked her about her surgery.

But Laverne handled it perfectly; she was really centered and politely said she chooses not to talk about those subjects as it marginalises people's perceptions of trans-people and there's so much more to discuss. In the past she's pointed out the unemployment situation for trans-people in America among other things. There's no one else talking about these subjects.

Wendy Willaims attitude takes on the assumption that as a transgender person your situation is public knowledge. But it's no-ones right to know.


I'll definatley look Laverne up, she sounds amazing! What was her full name again?

Laverne Cox. Unfortunate really isn't it? She might as well turn up and say 'Hi, my name's Amanda Sexchange!' 

Hahahaha! Love it!

-

At this point we had finished our tea and Grace had to leave for a photo shoot inspired by Donatella Versace (Think gallons of fake tan huge lips and giant sunglasses. It sounds like a hoot!)

I'm so pleased we both got so much out of working together and had such fun doing it too! I hope this project has helped inform de-mystify and entertain you as much as the two of us!

Gemma***

My current work up at Cornerhouse

Grace poses in front of her finished portrait

It's been just over two weeks since my work celebrating transgender femininty inspired by the Pre Raphaelites has been on show at Cornerhouse as part of Cornerhouse Projects.

 

The private view went really well with a great turn out including friends family and members of the transgender and gay community. Grace arrived with her mum in tow and I'm proud to say got a little emotional as I took her round all the pieces. 

One of the main things I wanted to do in this project was focus on Grace as a person and show her in a way that would highlight her strengths and uniqueness. I wanted to show Grace as an individual, not as a transgender character. Even though this project involved the use of drag, as I have learned, it is just another way of exploring who you are, and I think certainly in this case it helped to emphasise the softer side of Grace, a side she doesn't often see in herself.

Some of the chalk studies of Grace in Pre Raphaelite drag and with no make up at all. In both cases her unique femininity shine through

 The show runs alongside the work of Layla Sailor whose beautiful work also explores female iconography

People have responded really well telling me it's great to see art that has a positive message and I'm really glad to have had the opportunity to explore a subject I knew so little about with such an interesting and lovely muse. I feel that if this has helped to melt away just a little of the stigma or preconceptions society holds about being transgender then that would be a great acheivement. 

Grace in her gilded frame with butterfly details. I named the portrait 'La Donna Della Grazia' meaning The Woman Of Grace as a tribute to Dante Gabriel Rossetti who was and is a constant inspiration

The exhibition is up until 9th Sept at the Cornerhouse cafe/bar Manchester

Grace in the frame!

Yesterday I explained how I was getting the frame I'd designed for Grace's Pre Raphaelite portrait delivered to the studio and it arrived courtesy of Tom the carpenter this afternoon. I absolutely love it! Here it is with the portrait in situ.

As you can see it has a wide flat surface and little roundals in each corner. The roundals are going to have small wooden butterflies placed inside. The butterflies are there to continue the theme of the painting. This being a celebration of transgender femininty, the butterfly is a symbol of transformation and beauty which I think is very fitting.

I based my design on frames that had been designed by Pre Raphaelite artists to enhance their art work and show it off it it's best advantage. Nature; flowers, animals and insects were a usual sorce of inspiration in the symbolism they used.

A detail of the frame for Holman Hunt's The Scapegoat showing Heartsease and Egyptian Palms to reflect the story of the Scapegoat

 

This weekend I will cover the frame in gold metal leaf so it will look something like the frames you can see above. Sumptuous, yet simple and stylised. I think it will look gorgeous! Once again thanks to Tom for making such a wonderful job of my frame. 

 

This work along with several chalk studies of Grace will be exhibited at the Cornerhouse from 31st July next week until 9th Sept. There will be drinks in the bar 6-7pm  on Thursday so come along and say hi and see the finished thing!

Gemma ***

Girl with a curl, or two

So this week the end finally looks in sight, and I have to say I am loving working on this portriat of Grace Oni Smith my beautiful transgender muse! I really really love this picture! This week I have been finishing off her hands and tattoos and filling in her masses of hair. Nothing says Pre Raphaelite goddess like a head full of glorious tresses.

I enjoy painting hair very much and this was no exception. There's are still a few little highlights and definitons to be added but this crown of curls is the definative statement of the painting. Next to add is the rose in her hair and just a suggestion of clothes (if you know Grace you'll know that's about usual for her. See her perform live if you don't know what I mean!)

I cannot wait for my specially designed frame to be made to finish this piece off once she is fully painted! Now I still have a few drawings to tackle and a trip to the framers for those. So keep posted and remember to put 31st of July in your diaries as this is the opening night for this work Cornerhouse.

More soon...

Gemma***

We're Born Naked The Rest Is Drag

Last week I went along to one of The Beauty Project events at Selfridges in Manchester; 'We're Born Naked, The Rest is Drag: Identity, Fantasy and Beauty beyond Gender'

Upon reading this title I would have bought myself a ticket and gone along anyway! However the added draw was that Grace Oni Smith, the subject of my current portrait exploring transgender femininity, was one of the guest speakers on a panel consisting of drag queen Cheddar Gawjus (AKA Dr Micheal Atkins) and Dr Sally Hines Associate Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at The University of Leeds.

It was a brilliant talk and gave me me lots think about. Grace spoke from the heart and gave us an insight into her life as a trans gender female. How her discovery of make up was a tool she used not only to transform her appearance but also transform her life.

     
Taking inspiration from strong androgynous role models like Siouxsie Sioux David Bowie Grace Jones and Boy George, a teenage Grace began to experiment with her looks and built a goth persona who wore her make up like armour. Still living as a male in a small rural town, this act of deliberate defiance to the norm brought her much attention, most of it negative resulting in being beaten up for being different.

As the panel explained, gender is something we perceive through learnt roles and behaviour. We copy it from others as we develop and there are certain acceptable characteristics we associate with men and women. However as in Grace's case, these ideals are malleable, they can be played with, broken down and rebuilt into new and sometimes confusing formats that challenge society and make people uncomfortable.

Take for instance this years queen of Eurovision, Conchita Wurst. An undeniably beautiful drag artist who just happens to wear a beard along with her lipstick and wigs. Many people's reaction was one of bewilderment, even disgust; It was too provoking to flaunt both genders at once.

Cheddar Gawgus pointed out that while Conchita was challenging for many people, the fact they were introduced to a new concept of what gender can be was a positive step.

For Grace, her gender is no longer the same issue it once was. As she rather fabulously put it, she is 'a new person'. But it hasn't been easy to get to this positive stage in her life. As an individual of transgender she still scrutinizes her looks on a daily basis and it isn't easy to escape that very marginalised view of what acceptable beauty is in western society.

Cheddar illustrated this perfectly by showing us results of Google searches for 'Beautiful women' and 'Beautiful men'. Both searches showed white young symmetrical flawless faces and slim lithe bodies.This is not a representation of most of the worlds population. Yet so many people strive to attain it or as close to it as possible.

  Grace, Cheddar and Dr Hines all suggested drag was one of the most powerful ways of subverting our narrow view of beauty and gender and I found this the most interesting aspect of the discussion.

Despite drag making somewhat of a comeback in mainstream society thanks to shows like RuPaul's Drag Race, the idea of what drag can be is still to be fully explored. Traditionally viewed as a man dressing up like a woman to become an extreme character, it was argued drag can actually be a platform for anyone of any gender to play with roles and looks. Women men and people of transgender can all be drag queens or kings. However, sometimes drag doesn't even fit into these roles, as in the case of artists Leigh Bowery and Cindy Sherman. Their use of drag is both surreal and without limits.

It is this total freedom to play with the carefully constructed boundaries we put in place as we grow, and the unobtainable ideals which we try to achieve in everyday life which makes drag an awesome device to navigate your personal identity.

It really made me think. As the title to the show suggested ('We're born naked, the rest is drag' a wonderful quote by Ru Paul), we all indulge in drag to some degree to create our outward persona. From applying a dash of mascara to choosing which shoes to wear we are constructing the story we choose to tell each day. Drag, in it's fullest sense is just an extreme form of this. If you chose to ignore the learned patterns that keep our identities in check and felt free to wear anything and act in any way, how would you choose to leave the house this morning? 

I'm so glad I went to this event, I enjoyed every minute and I'm sure I'll be applying these ideas to future art work, and maybe next time I sit down at the dressing table too!

 

Gemma***

This week at a glance...

This week I got a great response from one of my favourite bloggers who runs The Kissed Mouth, a site about all things Pre Raphaelite and Victorian. Kirsty Stonell Walker is the author of two novels about the Pre Raphaelite muses, Fanny Cornforth and Alexa Wilding (both favourites of Dante Gabriel Rossetti who is the style inspiration behind my latest painting).

She said she loved my work and thought it was 'lovely', which is praise indeed from a fellow Pre Raphaelite fanatic, and a published one at that!  

 

I spent another contented day working away at Grace's face on Tuesday and have started to put in the deeper shades and contouring. Again this process is so much like applying make up sometimes it's just one small step away from make up brushes to paint brushes!

I have a few days off work coming up so I am looking forward to spending more time at the studio and really pushing on with this piece. It is such a joy to me to be using one of my favourite artists as inspiration for something that is still considered a controversial subject matter.

When I wonder what Rossetti would think of his style being used as a platform to celebrate transgender femininity I can't help thinking he'd be quite pleased. He was ever a one for liberal thinking and championing left wing causes (they were a free thinking crowd those Pre Raphaelites!); Siding with abolitionists against American slavery during the civil war, using models of mixed race and encouraging his wife to become a fellow artist, I'm sure Rossetti would have approved of this most recent collaboration, or at least have found it entertaining :)

 

Stay tuned as the project continues, 

 

Gemma***

Pre Raphaelite portrait, glowing from within

Just a quick update about what I got done in the studio this week. I had a lovely day putting the first washes of colour onto Grace's face for her Pre Raphaelite portrait. This is a particular technique I use when painting flesh in acrylic. I start by applying the lightest tone I can see and then building up different shades in washes and blending them. Eventually the 'skin' will build up a full coverage but it will still have depth and the various colours, highlights and low lights will shine through. I'm not sue this is how the Pre Rahaelites would have applied their paint but it's very good for creating a 'glowing from within' look which is definitely something the Victorian glamour girls had in the original Pre Raphaelite works of art.

This technique is also a little bit like applying a base of make up: primer, foundation, contouring and blush. Quite apt when you remember that our girl Grace is a professional make up artist!

The last post about this project got some great comments and feedback on Facebook! I thought I'd share some of them with you as you can see in the picture above. My favourite comment has to be from Grace herself, 'I never knew that there was such a resemblance until Gemma took me to see some of Rossetti's paintings. I must say that seeing the similarities has helped me to feel more at ease with my looks and see the soft features as well as the strong ones'.

That makes me so happy as if fulfills part of this projects brief by sending out positive messages about being transgender and celebrating your differences!
I'll keep you posted as the work continues

Gemma***

A Pre Raphaelite stunner in the flesh and on canvas!

I am loving being back in the studio! At the moment Tuesday is studio day! As I mentioned in my last studio post I was going to share with you guys the Pre Raphaelite photo shoot I did with Grace Oni Smith my wonderful and gorgeous trans gender model and muse! I was SO excited doing this shoot with her as she looked absolutely amazing and it felt like all my dreams had come true as I had a true Pre Raphaelite stunner sitting right in front of me! Thanks again to Grace for being so great to work with and collaborating on costume and styling. (If you'd like to know more about how we put this look together let me know and I'll write about it)

These photos were taken in Grace's Manchester flat, so you'll have to excuse the kitchen background (not very Pre Raphaelite!) The poses were inspired by the paintings, Bocca Baciata, (The Mouth that has been kissed) and The Blessed Damozel both by Rossetti

 I had chosen the flowers Grace holds in the photos especially to reflect an aspect of her story and personality. The pink rose in her hair literally means 'grace', while the Daffodils, a Spring flower, represent rebirth and renewal and overcoming the hard times of Winter, a fitting sentiment since Grace had just weeks earlier undergone her gender reassignment surgery. The Gladioli posed a problem as they had failed to open in time for the shoot but in theory they represented strength of character. (I have since learned Gladioli are an August birth flower, and Grace was born in August! One of those flukey coincidences)

As you can see from the photos we arranged a selection of items in the foreground. These included, a magnifying glass, a mirror, some of the daily medication Grace takes, and make up brushes. Each item was chosen to represent a part of Grace's life and follow the Pre Raphaelite tradition of placing corresponding items in a painting to tell us something about the person we are looking at. (See the apple for instance in Bocca Baciata above, she's a temptress, a modern Eve waiting to lure you in!)

Now I have images to work with I am unsure about whether to use these items or not, or at least how to use them, I think this is something that will became apparent as I continue working on the project.

I've begun my first painting from the shoot  and in my last studio post I promised you guys I'd also share how my experiment on canvas board was going. So here's the scoop!....

I decided I wanted to recreate the feel of one of Rossetti's unfinished paintings, which just happens to be another version of The Blessed Damozel. He often painted the same subject several times, sometimes with slight differences. Here you can see the Damozel's gaze, hand placement and flowers are different to the original.

I find this unfinished painting more exciting than the actual finished version! I love how we can see the textured background and the raw edges to Rossetti's work. This is also my reason for painting Grace in this way, because as yet, she herself is unfinished, a work in progress, with raw edges.

To replicate the textured background I began this piece by painting the entire canvas board a deep ultra marine blue mixed with a little yellow to bring out a green tinge. Once this was dry I painted over it with gold. I am using acrylic paints instead of oils as I can't stand working with oil paint and hate waiting around for it to dry. So I will be trying my best to get the softness and depth with my own paints. The blue paint shows though the thin washes of gold and creates a metallic gold/green that looks mustard or deep green depending on the light and will contrast nicely with the softness of the skin and hair.

Once the gold layers (I put two thin coats on ) had dried then came the hard part of placing my image onto the board. I would usually do this by having a scaled down version to the exact dimensions and use a grid to transfer the outline onto the unpainted canvas. But for this work it felt right to do as much by eye as possible. This proved extra hard as I found it really difficult to draw out Grace's outline to the correct size! In the end I placed sheets of baking paper (a cheap alternative to tracing paper, plus you can use whatever size you need!) over the the board and drew onto that. It took a few attempts but I finally got the size and shapes I wanted.

I cut out the cartoon, as this kind of preparatory drawing is called, and placed it where I wanted it on the board securing it with tape. I then drew around this with chalk to fix where I wanted the image to stay. 

The gold paint makes it very hard to see where you are working and other acrylic paints do not sit on it well. I would have to build up lots of layers to get a purchase on it, so instead I filled in the outlines I'd created with white primer! Once I'd done a couple of coats I had a Grace shaped cloud floating on the canvas board.

This reminds me of how the Pre Paphaelites achieved their vivid colours by painting onto a white background, so I feel this is a good start! Next I had to add some loose detail as a guide line so I went back to the cartoon I'd done and drew on it's reverse. I then taped it back into position over the white shape and drew over the lines to transfer them onto the canvas board.

Now I have everything set up to begin painting Grace onto the board. I have begun by blocking in her hair for now. I have put in roughly the pattern of her curls and I will finish her hair after I have finished painting her face.

I'd run out of time by this point so I'll be continuing when I return this week. So far I am loving working on this painting! I am hoping to get some more free time in the next few weeks so will be able to make more progress. I'll be documenting the whole thing so will let you see how things are coming along!

Gemma***

A Day in the Studio: Pre Raphaelite project continued!

Last week I finally got back in my studio after a two month unplanned break. It felt so good to be back and it was like the studio felt the same way as sunlight flooded through my window and made everything look just that little bit more wonderful!

I began the day by popping along to Fred Aldous, one of my favourite shops in Manchester! It is a bit pricey but is a wonderful emporium for art and craft materials. While there I indulged in a mini haul of goodies; New paint brushes, some coloured paper and a canvas board. 

I bought a pack of brushes rather than individual ones as I think they are just as good and a lot less expensive, and if I do ever need a specific brush I can always go and get it separately.

The coloured paper is for a chalk study I plan to do for a painting of Grace Oni Smith, the brilliant model I have been working with to investigate and celebrate transgender femininity. As you might remember we have been working towards creating art work for this project in the PreRaphaelite style. Grace is the perfect muse and a fascinating person. (You can read more about her in this interview I did with her last year)

I worked on a separate chalk study from a photo shoot we did a few weeks ago. This shoot was a major part of the work we've been doing together in that it brought together many elements from over the past months; Make up trials, colour and style investigations and different parts of Grace's personal story. I will write more about the shoot in my next art work post and put some pictures up!

While at the studio I also blocked in the canvas board I'd bought with layers of deep blue/green. This is for an experiment I'm working on as part of the project and I'll also write more about this as I get further along with it and added more stages.

I really enjoyed my day at the studio and I'm excited to get to continue my project. Hope you'll join me next time to find out more

Gemma***

Hidden treasures

In a basement below Manchester there is a hidden room of treasure.

Racks of paintings and boxes of drawings by some of the worlds greatest artists lie in darkness waiting to be viewed. Unseen and unknown by public eyes.

I followed the curator down the stairs not knowing what to expect but with excitment bubbling in my veins.

The heavy doors were pulled open and the lights switched on.

A room with unassuming grey metal racks lining the walls met my eyes.

The curator pulled a rack out towards me and I came face to face with a beautiful woman; Her eyes looked out at me with depths of emotion, her lips were a perfect rosebud. In one exquisite hand she toyed with a red flame, her other hand rested in the masses of her raven hair.

I gazed with fascination at the Rossetti chalk drawing I never even knew exisited. La Donna Della Fiamma (The Lady of the Flame). This was just one of the many wonders I saw on my visit to Manchster Art Gallery to meet collections curator Rebecca Milner.

I'd emailed the art gallery some weeks before hand to ask if someone could give me some insight into the creative process the Pre Raphaelites used to work a narrative into their painitngs. This was to be research towards my Pre Raphaelite inspired portrait I will be doing of Grace Oni Smith to investigage transgender femininity. (See past posts to learn more about this challenging project)

My expectations were supassed when the art gallery replied with the offer to view some rarely seen Rossetti drawings and the chance to chat about my project with the curator.

 Rebecca Milner Collections Curator at Manchester Art Gallery

So, there I was standing before this image of a mysterious beauty. I was in awe of the softness of the chalk which made up her skin, lips, hair and diaphanous gown. So velvety yet so strongly defined.

Next was a glimpse of a study for 'Pandora'. The same evocative face looked down at me. This was again modeled by one of Rossetti's favourites, his lover, Jane Morris.

As I studied the layers of colour which made up her towering neck and strong features, the details I'd read about the artist and his muse filled my mind; Their illegitimate affair and enduring passions. To think that both these people were present as this picture was created was a true link to the past and a nod to the power of the image. Something about this woman fuelled Rossetti's creativity.

I asked Rebecca the collections curator why she thought the Pre Raphaelites were so inspired by women. 

'They were total romantics. They were inspired by medieval poetry and art and they used women as muses to draw this notion out. As young men they were highly interested in women anyway. They helped to create a new kind of beauty by using women with a truthful contemporary look that was inspired by the past'

My ears pricked up. Wasn't this why I was drawn to working with Grace? 

Grace has a very specific look, and as a transgender woman, she is certainly a product of modern times. There were no trans gender people back in the Victorian era, but I am still drawn to using a style from the past in order to convey her story. Grace's likeness to a Pre Raphaelite painting is uncanny.

Rebecca continued,

'The Pre Raphaelites were drawn to their models because they looked like 16th Century paintings. In painting them they were not using a general version of beauty but something specific'

In using Grace as the starting point to a Pre Raphaelite inspired portrait I hope to highlight her individual beauty and personal story.

I then asked about the use of symbolism to tell stories within Pre Raphaelites paintings. We discussed the use of repeating motifs from the paintings into the frames, as seen in 'Astarte Syriaca' where stylised fruits and flowers can been seen in the the frame and the girdle of the godess within it, helping to underpin the message of fecundity. A repeating motif could be something to think about for my own work...

But what about the audience, I asked, would the ordinary joe be able to decipher these symbols?

'Victorian's loved narrative. They made paintings to be read. So certainly a good number of them would be able to understand what was going on in the [Pre raphaelite] work. The language of flowers was prevalent in their culture with things such as greetings cards and they would have understood the religious symbolism.'

This made me wonder... would a modern audience still be able to read an art work using this form of narrative?

'Audiences today don't use the same language. We don't use signs or symbols from the classical myths. I think a modern audience would find it interesting but not know what it signifies. That's one reason why Pre Raphaelite work fell out of fashion during the early half of last century. It was considered too fussy and too much like hard work to read. It wasn't until the 60's that they began to become popular again.'

It seems obvious when you think about it. As soon as Rebecca said this I realised that I would need to invest time into finding a modern equivelant to the Victorian use of symbols. It was always my intention to use a mix of the classic and comtemporary within this work but now I will only use the Pre Raphaelites as a starting point. The finished piece will have the Victorian aesthetics that a modern audience will recognise but the content will be full of modern signifiers.

It's going to be fun figuring out what things to put in and how to use them!

I immediatly thought of Grayson Perry whose work I love! He is an artist who takes massive inspiration from the past to make sense of the present. For instance his work The Vanity of Small Differences took the work of William Hogarth's, 'The Rakes Progress', as the template for his huge tapestries which tell the story of modern class mobility and the influence social class has on our aesthetic taste. 

Each tapestry is full of details helping to push the narrative.

Incidentally this work is now on show at Manchester Art Gallery and will definatley be a field trip for this project. Get down to see it if you can!

Back in the picture store beneath the galleries, Rebecca showed me more treasures from the past. We flipped past gorgeous watercolours and drawings by countless artists including tiny intricate drawings by Rembrandt no less! We settled on a pencil study of Lizzie Siddal, Rossetti's first muse and wife. I tried to get my eyes as close to the page as I could without my nose smudging the line work and Rebecca thinking I was a bit odd. It was so beautiful up close.

 
Then on to another box of tissue wrapped gems. She folded back the rustling paper to reveal another Rossetti piece, this time a study for a painting called 'Silence'. Jane Morris again, this time she sat on a chair her hand resting on the heavy folds of a curtain behind her. No other information was within the drawing. This was a good example of a subject matter being symbolised by a woman. The sitter personifiying the topic, becoming and idea. 

We discussed Rossetti who as you have read is a big influence in this project; In his later work especaiily he would work with a single abstact idea such as Silence, or Music for instance and deptict them through the beauty of women and nature. For him beauty was something to be celebrated and revered. This simplicity makes his work immediatly accessable and is probably one of the reasons I admire him so much.

Rebecca pointed out how 'Silence' like much of Rossetti's work flattened the space within it. 

'Something stops the viewer from going further into the picture, and makes it immediate and intense'

I love this idea and will use it in my portrait of Grace. I want it to invite the viewer into her personal world, a space that is unique just to her.

As my visit to the gallery wound to an end and the art works were locked away in dark saftey once more, I thanked Rebecca for giving up her time to help me in my research. I certainly feel I got a lot out of it. I have many things to think about and ideas to work on. Plus I got the opportunity to view art work that fires me and fuels my imagination. Next time you take a stroll down Mosely Street, spare a thought that nearby somewhere deep beneath your feet lie glorious images that are just waiting to be seen and inspire!