Janice Luckman
Janice luckman lives and works in Hobart. You can see some of her recent work on her members gallery webpage.
- LL: How long have you been working in printmaking?
- JL: I completed my BFA in 2000 majoring in printmaking. My studies had been part time over a period of 8 years as my partner and I had been running a catering and café business at the same time. My time at art school kept me stimulated, inspired, disciplined and “on track” but after completion I found it difficult to make time for my art work. Having recently sold our business I am now able to devote more time to my creative pursuits.
- LL: Do you concentrate on one medium, or do you use a few different techniques to create your work?
- JL: My preferred medium would be drypoint etching in combination with collographs. Post art school I have been digitally manipulating my drawings to create prints with a combination of text etc. Now that I have access to the press at the HIP studio I plan to further incorporate the drypoint image with digitally manipulated images. I also have an interest in the combination of textiles and fabric within my prints.
- LL: What is it about printmaking that inspires you to work this way, rather than painting for example?
- JL: I like the different mark making and effects that are possible, but also the possibilities with scale. In my drawing I prefer the freedom of large scale but the reproduction in the form of small prints makes it more accessible.
- LL: What inspires your work at present and can you tell us a bit about your work?
- JL: I am concerned with memory loss and the ageing process and at the moment I am interested in producing images to aid in retaining memories or ones that trigger a sense of nostalgia for the past. I am conscious of the accumulation of possessions over a life time and the need to sort and discard but at the same time the desire to recycle and not to waste. I am reluctant to throw out things that “might come in handy”, or things that I might be able to use in my artwork, and I have difficulty letting go of objects that remind me of people or events past. There is a fear that if they are discarded the memory will be lost.
- LL: Has this been the basis for your work for a long time, or is it a recent passion?
- JL: Probably over the last five years while sorting through the accumulations of the family home following the death of my parents I have felt more acutely aware of the fading of memories, the passing of time and the desire to somehow record that era visually.
- LL: How much do you think living in Tasmania influences your work?
- JL: I think living in Tasmania is particularly inspiring. I have lived in the Canadian prairies for 17 years and the contrasts in environment could not be more extreme. The sense of Tasmania’s history is so much more evident and the wide variety of scenery is a constant stimulation.I think living in Tasmania is particularly inspiring. I have lived in the Canadian prairies for 17 years and the contrasts in environment could not be more extreme. The sense of Tasmania’s history is so much more evident and the wide variety of scenery is a constant stimulation.
- LL: Are there any artists that you look to for inspiration?
- JL: It is easy to feel inspired by the talent of local artists, I always admire Barbie Kjar’s prints. Richard Wastell’s Whalers’ Camp pastels drawings were awesome and an inspiration as they allowed me to see the environment of my childhood as it would have been a century earlier. Other artists I have admired include Jorg Schmeisser , Frida Kahlo, Kathi Kollwitz. Recently I have been researching early French prints with a particular interest in those of Janinet.
- LL: What ambitions do you have for your continued development as an artist?
- JL: II have recently enrolled in the mentoring program “LAB”: Supporting Accelerated Entrepreneurship for Tasmanian Arts-based businesses and after only two workshops I feel excited at the prospect of discovering the tools to help with my continued development as an artist. I hope it will be of benefit in many areas, including especially self management and perhaps increasing my confidence in order to apply for a residency in Paris. Travel again to Canada is also a possibility.
- LL: What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
- JL: To join a group such as HIP post art school to keep the impetus going as it is difficult working in isolation.
- LL: Where do you see yourself in three years time?
- JL: Hopefully being productive making artwork full time.
