Ceri Hand interviews painter Eleanor Moreton, exploring her artistic journey from childhood to her current practice. Eleanor's rebel spirit, unique approach to creativity, and commitment to her craft shine through as she discusses her influences, challenges, and success. From navigating art school to finding her stride in painting, Eleanor's story is both inspiring and realistic, offering valuable lessons for artists at any stage of their career.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Eleanor's upbringing in a suburban environment significantly influenced her artistic themes, particularly her interest in family life and the 1950s-60s era.
• Eleanor compares her artistic process to "herding a swarm of bees," juggling various ideas and influences until they coalesce into a cohesive work.
• Embracing beauty in her paintings was a decades-long process for Eleanor, overcoming the art school taboo against creating beautiful work.
• Collaboration with poet John Hegley provides Eleanor with a different creative outlet, balancing her solitary studio practice with performance and music.
• The year 2007-2008 marked a significant turning point in Eleanor's career, with multiple achievements affirming her place in the art world.
• Don't underestimate the importance of artists identifying their ideal audience and platform for showcasing their work.
• Eleanor stresses the value of showing up consistently to work, even during challenging periods or creative droughts!
• Artists need to view themselves as custodians of their work, responsible for sharing it with the world rather than focusing on personal ego.

BEST MOMENTS

"My mind is always alert to new things that will come in and there's some kind of detector that will, you know, detect something, even when I don't know why or where it fits with other things."

"There isn't one art world, there are many. And I think it's in a quite practical sense to say, where would I like to show, who would I like to show my work to?"

"Freedom is incredibly important to me, particularly mental freedom and I get quite irritated when gallerists or people who visit the studio sort of frown and say that something doesn't connect to something else."

"It's not called a practice for nothing. You know, you do it over and over”

"I love Eleanor's rebel spirit and her willingness to embrace discomfort, pushing both her practice and life."

EPISODE RESOURCES

PODCAST HOST BIO

With over 30 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.

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