Oliver Tipper (Artist Feedback Session)

9.12.20. Conversation with Lynne Shaw today. A wonderful mixed media artist living in Morecambe, Lancashire. She led me to the fact that Canadian Geese don’t like thermals and only fly at night. For that nugget of wisdom I will be eternally grateful.  

Naturally, the topic we kept coming back to was how the pandemic is affecting our work and mental health. Lynne’s artistic process is shifting towards collaboration after years of working quite independently. She isn’t alone and there are plenty of factors for wanting to work more collaboratively right now! 

Apropos, we also discussed responding to the crisis around us by setting up a community project to support others in need and our own subsistence as artists. There seems to be enough funding out there if you meet the criteria. But as an independent artist with no track record of applying for funding this could present a challenge, particularly from some of the big national funders. We thought aligning oneself with a local group or charity would increase your chances of success. If you have the luxury of some spare time and are able to volunteer initially while the project gets started, then this would be worth doing; it would make it easier to talk about the project and evidence the need amongst your group and community.  

I really enjoyed talking to Lynne and loved her collages, which you can see more of by visiting www.lynneshawart.com.