Meet Andrew Torr, Winner of Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024

Andrew Torr received Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024 along with his oil on linen portray Property, which we stay up for exhibiting at Bankside Gallery in July.

On this interview, we chatted with Andrew to seek out out extra about his physique of labor, creative journey, his curiosity in estates as a topic, and the way it felt to grasp he had received First Prize.

Interview with Andrew Torr, Winner of Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024

0:00 Introduction

0:40 “I’ve three favorite topics”

1:32 “The panorama of the housing property says one thing political”

1:59 “Nostalgia and melancholy”

2:19 “I make work about paint”

3:11 “There may be an underrepresentation of the housing property”

4:19 “I’m drawn to a traditional color palette”

4:32 “There’s not one technique to start work on a portray”

5:00 “I’m not unhealthy with Photoshop, which could ship some painters screaming!”

5:23 “The push and pull of portray jogs my memory of 90s guitar music”

5:57 “My curiosity in artwork began after I was very younger”

6:12 “After my accident I wasn’t certain what I used to be going to do”

7:10 “It’s essential to be within the studio whether or not you need to be there or not”

7:46 “Figuring out when a portray is completed is wholly intuitive”

8:09 “If you recognize what the tip product might be, there’s no level in doing it”

8:57 “After I came upon I received Jackson’s Artwork Prize, I couldn’t converse”

9:34 “Don’t fear about rejection’”

10:07 “Have faith in what you’re doing”

10:20 “I’m trying ahead to being a decide for subsequent yr’s Artwork Prize”

10:43 “Nonetheless discovering magnificence within the traces of the property”

11:28 Credit

Property, 2023
Andrew Torr
Oil on linen, 120 x 120 cm | 47.2 x 47.2 in

“What I noticed is when you have a look at these housing estates, the eaves and the windowsills and stuff like that, they’ve this beautiful type of rhythm. The subject material is nearly incidental; it’s a approach of discovering what paint can do.”

Andrew Torr in his studio

There are particular issues that painters don’t assume they’ll deal with or paint, particularly actually up to date issues. You want a language to have the ability to get in there to have a look at it.

What I noticed is that when you have a look at these housing estates, the eaves and the windowsills and stuff like which have this beautiful type of rhythm. The subject material is nearly incidental. It’s a approach of discovering what paint can do. I believe there’s one thing there and I’m glad that Jackson’s Prize thought so too.

I’m Andrew Torr, I’m a painter residing and dealing in South West London and I used to be fortunate sufficient to win Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024.

Andrew’s Physique of Work

I’ve three favorite topics that I’m engaged on in the intervening time. The primary one is a collection of work that are nocturnes across the commons and open areas of London. The sunshine air pollution is clearly horrific. It’s that type of yellow sodium mild, the old-school lights. You get these sorts of white LED lights after which there’s a lot constructing work. You get the purple as effectively. So that you get this unbelievable type of colourscape above your head. That then led on to the Thames work. I don’t know when you’ve ever tried to color water however it’s fucking tough. It retains shifting. It’s simply, it’s robust. The floor is one factor however really, the undulations and the motion are made by this stuff. Massive outdated forces getting into, whether or not it’s the tide or whether or not it’s the wind or no matter it’s. Generally it’s extra profitable than different occasions however that’s portray. The third is the estates.

Supplies in Andrew’s studio

Topic Matter and the Estates

I’ve all the time been within the housing estates that now kind a serious a part of the subject material of the issues I paint about. That panorama, which is so type of ubiquitous across the UK, as an issue, it says one thing political concerning the UK in the intervening time and concerning the world in some type of sideways approach. I didn’t say that as a vacationer. I used to be born on a housing property like that and like I say my dad and mom stay there. I imply people who have seen the work that I’m making in the intervening time type of discuss nostalgia and discuss a melancholy type of air about this stuff and I get that. There’s something a bit of unlovely about these locations. The portray that received Jackson’s Artwork Prize this yr, Property, works on the identical degree. I nonetheless go and do wreckies round there and attempt to discover the proper place to do it. I’ll take lots of of images and sketch across the estates.

What I don’t need to do with any of those is paint the scenes of issues. The first factor is that they’re type of work about paint. it may be so unmanageable typically. It does stuff that you just don’t need it to do. I don’t assume there’s any purpose why anyone ought to use paint or you recognize portray isn’t essentially the factor. It’s not higher or worse than something. It’s only a language. It’s a language that I actually like. It’s a approach of discovering what paint can do and paint actually has a relationship to material however you need that steadiness between the factor described or depicted and the way you depict it and what processes you employ. You need to discover that good steadiness between the 2 and I believe there’s one thing there.

Andrew engaged on a portray

Estates

I believe they’re English work. St George’s Cross in that portray is one thing I made up. I believe it’s essential as a result of they’re in every single place. I believe there’s one thing about that type of patriotism that’s related to points with immigration in the intervening time and stuff. I don’t need to type of over-egg it. a giant shift has occurred in these locations, notably in that property. I do know that they’ve all gone and voted conservative for the primary time of their historical past. That’s a giant shift and I believe one thing’s taking place in there and I’m not saying that my portray can carry any of that info but it surely’s simply I believe that that aesthetic, that vernacular structure carries all that stuff with it in the intervening time. I don’t need folks to assume that I’m trying again on it in any type of damaging approach in any respect. The factor’s there and that’s attention-grabbing. Many of the inhabitants of the UK stay in locations like that now and there’s a sure under-representation of that place. It’s not the motive force for me portray these issues however why shouldn’t folks paint them and make them a worthy material for portray?

Artwork Supplies

I genuinely get drawn whether or not I prefer it or to not the full-on earth colors like Sap Inexperienced, Burnt Umber, and the nice and cozy cadmiums for purple and yellow, nearly like a traditional type of palette. There’s nobody technique to start work on a portray. I prefer to work on an extremely clean floor. I’ll gesso the hell out of linen. I might do like ten coats of gesso sanding between and all that type of stuff. When the canvas is like cartridge paper that’s after I actually prefer it. What you didn’t know while you gave me Jackson’s Artwork Prize was that the portray is on a Jackson stretcher and so they’re good. If I believe it desires a floor I’d do this.

I’ll usually work from a collection of images and it is perhaps a type of patchwork of various images that provide you with a unique perspective. I’m not unhealthy with Photoshop which I believe would possibly ship a number of painters screaming, like type of how dare you, but it surely’s one other instrument. I type of layer it in order that I can work out how that rhythm would possibly work throughout there. What it jogs my memory of is I used to be a giant fan of type of 90s guitar music and so like there was this aesthetic of being loud quiet loud. That push and pull between these two issues I believe is basically much like the best way it really works in portray. You get a extremely beautiful crisp edge and I’ll work with masking tape to get that edge as effectively like a number of painters now. I can even reduce out stencils. The paint’s working by itself phrases. You get a pleasant music with that. You get a pleasant I don’t know what that’s but it surely’s type of wordless, you recognize it’s tough to explain. It’s simply the factor that makes you assume ‘yeah’.

Andrew portray a floor

Artist Journey and Profession

My curiosity in artwork and portray began after I was very younger. I principally spent all my time within the artwork room. Then I went from secondary college to do a level at Wimbledon. I obtained a studio within the East Finish in Cable Road. Like lots of people who paint, I needed to have a secondary job and I used to be working at a restaurant and I had an accident within the restaurant and I managed to almost lose my hand. Lower all of the tendons to my fingers and the artery and all of the nerves and it was actually actually grim. I used to be principally out of motion for 3 years with follow-up operations and stuff like that. Misplaced the studio and wasn’t fully certain what I used to be going to do. I began a job at London Marathon and I continued to color by means of that point however clearly took a again seat. I left London Marathon six years in the past as a result of I used to be able to return to portray full time and that’s what I do.

Property (The Home of the Hanged Man), 2023
Andrew Torr
Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 cm | 11.8 x 11.8 in

How Andrew Approaches Portray

After my accident, I undoubtedly made a aware determination to work in notably oil paint. So I stand up at 7:30 each morning. My spouse’s a instructor and she or he must be up and out and get off to work. I stand up at 7:30 each morning to make her a espresso earlier than she goes out and that’s my approach of getting myself up and out of the pit and portray. And I undoubtedly give this recommendation to anyone who’s considering of a profession in portray – that you must be within the studio whether or not you need to be there or not. Generally I’m unsure what I’m going to work on. there’s that factor the place you’re not fully certain the place you’re gonna begin, what your place to begin is however get within the studio and get working as a result of one thing will come out of it.

How Andrew Is aware of When a Portray is Completed

I believe it’s wholly intuitive when you recognize when a portray is completed and I believe that’s true of anyone who actually is aware of what they’re doing. I imply I wouldn’t be so disingenuous as to say that I don’t know what it’s going to prove like. I imply I’ve obtained an issue and so I type of know what’s going to be concerned in there and I’ve an thought of the best way colors will work by means of expertise and no matter but when you recognize what the tip product goes to be there’s type of no level in doing it. You’re simply going by means of the motions. You need to shock your self. You’ll be able to find yourself unsure whether or not what you’ve performed is correct. You don’t see it objectively in a approach that you just see different folks’s work and I don’t know why that occurs and that’s the worst one. You get to some extent the place it’s doing issues that you just discover uncomfortable. Now you possibly can both assume ‘Nicely I higher rectify that and make it like what the portray ought to be’ or you might flip them to the wall within the studio and allow them to fester for per week or so after which have a look at them once more. I can usually assume ‘What have been you considering?’ after which I keep on figuring out, however you possibly can return to them and assume ‘Oh blimey that’s actually attention-grabbing’ as a result of one thing completely different is going on.

Andrew reflecting on his portray

Successful Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024

After I came upon that I’d received Jackson’s Artwork Prize I used to be advised that I’d received and I genuinely couldn’t converse for 4 or 5 seconds which is a protracted very long time on a telephone name. I couldn’t discover phrases. It was such a wonderful shock. The standard of artists and the work that Jackson’s prize attracts yr after yr is all the time actually actually excessive. Genuinely received’t overlook that telephone name as a result of it was so bizarre. It was not that I used to be making an attempt to seek for phrases. I type of simply misplaced it a bit of bit which was nice.

What I might additionally say to folks, particularly in the event that they’re simply beginning out is don’t fear about rejection. There may be such a component of probability concerned in this stuff and I don’t imply that the judges will simply select one thing on a whim. I believe that genuinely there are days when a decide will select a portray over one other portray due to what’s occurred to them due to the sunshine within the room, due to all kinds of things and it doesn’t in numerous methods replicate on the standard of what you’re doing that you just won’t get chosen in any respect. When you’re assured in your work and you need to be, when you’re not real, you shouldn’t be doing it. It’s important to have some confidence in what you’re doing and the way it stacks up towards what portray is.

Are you trying ahead to being a visitor decide subsequent yr?

I’m actually trying ahead to being a visitor decide for subsequent yr’s Jackson’s Artwork Prize as a result of it’s such a broad church but the standard continues to be nice. By the point you get all the way down to the shortlist, I ought to think about it’s actually actually tough to slide a cigarette paper between two work that you just actually like and even 5 work that you just actually like.

Property (The Blue Tarp), 2023
Andrew Torr
Oil on linen, 50 x 50 cm | 19.6 x 19.6 in

What’s up subsequent?

The Property work being such a brand new type of novel factor to work on are nonetheless actually fruitful. Why would anyone paint the unlovely estates of rural and semi-rural England and attempt to discover one thing lovely in these traces and people little marks? A extremely good aspect impact of it’s that the subject material is uncommon. It’s common as a result of it’s extremely widespread but it surely’s like oh you’re portray these so it’s type of simple in a approach. I’m tremendous simply to work on the work that I’m engaged on in the intervening time and see what occurs.

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