Eline Brontsema: The Fun in Finality

Eline Brontsema won the Relief Award in Jackson’s Art Prize this year with her work Stadtbad Spandau Nord. In this interview, she discusses the physical demands of woodcutting, allowing for spontaneity within her process, and the beauty of working slowly. Above image: Eline in the studio     Josephine: Could you tell us about your artistic background? Eline: I’ve been drawing my whole life, and from a young age, I wanted to go to art school. After high school, I enrolled in the preparatory program at the Minerva Art Academy in Groningen. I was looking for an art program where I could learn technical skills. I was always drawing, but I also wanted to learn to paint well. Ultimately, I didn’t find what I was looking for. So I started studying Philosophy at the University of Groningen. That was fun, but after I finished, I still wanted to be an artist. After working for a while, I finally enrolled in the art academy, the Klassieke Academie in Groningen, the Netherlands, in 2014. Including the preparatory program, the study took six years. I graduated in 2020. This was what I’d always wanted!     Josephine: What does a typical working day …

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Art Through Symbols: The Moon

The moon doesn’t just move our seas, and mark time through its phases, but is an ever-evolving symbol in the visual arts that has collected a broad net of meanings. From rebirth to madness, and introspection to immortality, our fascination with the moon is imbued with the reassurance that it’ll be in our sky as long as we are. The Art Through Symbols series explores the interpretation of symbols throughout art history – be they cultural, religious, folkloric, or personal. Each article analyses a series of artworks, before detailing an art-making tutorial inspired by the symbol for you to try.     Art Through Symbols: The Moon Interpreting the Moon     The moon has hung bright on our collective visual consciousness throughout history. Perhaps we are so enchanted by it because it’s our closest planetary neighbour in an endless universe, or that its cycles plainly mark the passage of time. The moon has always been associated most broadly with eternity, appearing to every living being for as long as our planet has existed and will remain. Our tides roll because of its constant tugging, and folklore and mythology both suggest the full moon pulls people into madness or beastly …

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Inside the Sketchbook of Ranny Macdonald

Ranny Macdonald is a London-based artist and musician whose practice is deeply rooted in drawing. In this article, he describes the important role sketching plays for him, and how rapid, intuitive mark making in his sketchbook allows him to capture fleeting moments and elusive ideas. Whether it’s the quickly shifting light and colour of a scene, a moment caught within the briskness of urban life, or creative concepts competing for dominance in his imagination, this spontaneous sketchbook process allows him to record ideas in their rawest form – ultimately shaping the distinct perspective of his work.     Inside the Sketchbook of Ranny Macdonald Drawing is at the heart of everything I do (artistically speaking!), and for as long as I can remember, it has been a beloved companion and a space I feel totally safe within. Despite this, and the fact that I try to carry a sketchbook everywhere I can, I’ve never thought of myself as a sketchbook person. You might know the type I mean, the kind of artist who might be in your A-level class or art school, whose shoulder you can gaze over in awe as they flick through endless colourful double spreads. I don’t …

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