Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Interview with Winner of Threadneedle Prize 2014

This is an interview with Tina Jenkins, the winner of the Threadneedle Prize 2014 - the sixth female winner of the prize in the seven years it has been running.


Tina has won prizes before:
  • She was runner up in the Marmite Painting Prize in 2010, 
  • was awarded the Owen Ridley Prize at the University of Reading for a MFA project and 
  • currently she is the recipient of a bursary from Reading University to research her PhD in 2014.

I asked Tina about:
  • how she came to be an artist
  • why she entered the Threadneedle Prize
  • her painting - and the materials she uses for painting
Here's my video interview with her which took place at the Mall Galleries this morning.



Other quotes from Tina include:
My paintings are all about analysis. I'm looking at how paintings are constructed today and analysing that through actually making work as opposed to just talking about it
The figures are all painted first and then I peel off indiscriminate parts of the figures and infill the gaps with abstract gestures. It can be very frustrating because I don't have control as to how much comes off, sometimes I peel off too much and that makes the painting very difficult to work with
Paint is very versatile but fragile material and so is the plastic, putting the paint on the plastic heightens tensions between the two and forces me to think through those tensions as I'm working.

All in all it's a big mash up of technique materials and context, completely hysterical
I'll write about the rest of the Exhibition tomorrow - when the exhibition opens to the public.

The exhibition is at the Mall Galleries between 25th September to 11th October 2014 (10am - 5pm). Admission is free. 

Previous posts re. Threadneedle Prize

The Threadneedle Prize 2014

The Threadneedle Prize 2013

Threadneedle Prize 2012 - more from Making A Mark

2011 Threadneedle Prize

    Note: The Threadneedle Prize was established in 2008 and has the continued support of Threadneedle Investments, a leading international investment manager, demonstrating their long-term commitment to supporting the arts. Through the Threadneedle Foundation, the company is committed to investing in the community, building partnerships that create positive social impact across a range of sectors, with a particular focus on art and education.

    4 comments:

    1. good interview Katherine and much more accessible than her artist statement. I do wonder how fragile this piece is and whether that is part of the narrative about the figure. Good to see an artist who started so late(comparatively) in life, being so successful.

      ReplyDelete
    2. good interview Katherine and much more accessible than her artist statement. I do wonder how fragile this piece is and whether that is part of the narrative about the figure. Good to see an artist who started so late(comparatively) in life, being so successful.

      ReplyDelete
    3. I think materials have been dictated by budget to date - which is why the prize will make a big difference. We had a long discussion about graphic film and acetate and rolls of Mylar after the interview!

      What I find very encouraging about Tina winning the prize is that here we have a Mum who has:
      * gone back into education after children have gone to school
      * worked her way through the different courses
      and she's now producing innovative work, doing a PhD and winning prizes!

      ReplyDelete
    4. I would agree Katherine. When I came to the US I would loved to have continue my education as I was an expat, unable to work for a while with some financial aid from husband's company.

      Like any university system, they have require transcripts from your former colleges. For my Fine Art degree I had no problems even though I finished in 1980 and the college no longer exists. Unfortunately, the college where I did my art therapy degree had moved several times and they had lost all the work of the original students. With no transcript to provide, I could not continue with the studies I wanted to do. Also they would require me to do Maths, US History and Texas history besides others that are just general requirements for all students over here, regardless of subject. So I let it slide much to my regret.

      Add to fact we were already financing 3 kids through college! I have done various classes since moving over here but they are not as informative as the evening classes you can do in the UK. They are aimed more towards hobbies and are very basic. In fact in the class I last attended, the tutor was teaching techniques primary school kids learn in year 1. This was for a mixed media class- charcoal, ink and salt were some of the media included.

      So well done Tina for overcoming so many obstacles and continuing her studies as it takes a lot of gumption, something I am sadly lacking. Margaret Hunter followed a similar path. I am sure Tina will become a leader in art.

      ReplyDelete

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