Beyond boundaries
Lorraine Brigdale hails from the continent Down Under and brings forth works that are as relevant in India as in all the countries that she has frequented over the last few decades. Her works are studies that have kept her engaged and creatively live. Excerpts of her interview with ACF
How did you venture into the world of art
Creativity and diversity in art has always been a part of my being. It’s who I am. My art explorations have taken many turns, through discovering poster paints in my first year of school, learning loom weaving during my playtimes, exploring painting on layers of glass at age 9. There are so many creative memories from my young years…
In high school, the discoveries began for real. Oil and acrylic paint, texture & modeling mediums, drawing, painting everything. Art was becoming my one true love. Many years on, through Applied Fine Art in Interior Design, pottery, sculpture, natural basket making, silver jewelery design, water colour, soft pastels, life drawing and recently, I’ve dabbled in aerosol can & stencil art. (graphiti)
My life is very different to what I ever expected it to be. Never could I have predicted that art would have me living, working and exploring in India and Singapore along with my own beautiful Australia.
My next exciting adventure is a project by the name of “Lokhari Art Escape” where I will conduct accompanied art tours of painting and sketching holidays in India and Nepal. http://www.lokhariartescape.com This is a very exciting direction for me as it encapsulates my love of history, exploration, art, interacting and sharing with people and of course adventure. A whole new chapter in my life opens up where I can share my love of India, its culture and amazing monuments with international artists from around the globe.
What is the medium that you like to work with?
Currently I’m enjoying watercolour, my main love is “plein aire” painting – painting in the urban outdoors. Sketching onsite and using water colours to depict what I see of the many historical monuments Delhi is blessed with, is a joy that is hard to explain, a wonderful pastime and a great way to get to know India in an intricate way.
Works that inspire you…
Any work of art that I see inspires me in one way or another. My influences and inspirations are diverse but I am very influenced by Midcentury Modern Design and early 20th century experimental artists. I have had so many artist heros though my life, too many to name one or two works. But I think that most of my inspiration has been through my many mentors and fellow artists throughout the years.
Artwork by: Lorraine Brigdale
Inspiration is all around, in what catches my attention during my wanderings around the city, country and world. Inspiration is also found in relationships with loved ones and shared experiences. It comes as a part of my everyday living.
What school of art have you been inspired by? Styles that you like to emulate.
I don’t emulate any particular style but rather many. More often there is some particular inspiration that starts my journey which then takes turns and directions of its own. This is very different to my professional design work which has to be much more structured and it’s lovely to have both characters as a part of my design/artistic life.
