Artist Focus: Jan Michaels – 3D Visualiser

In our continued series focusing on artists who are based in the Fenland areas we were lucky enough to sit down for a conversation with 3D Visualiser, Jan Michaels. Like many artists living and working in the region, Jan has an intimate connection with the flatlands that she calls home, despite rarely working on designs that involve the Fenlands in any particular way. We sat down for a coffee in her studio on the edge of the Fenlands to ask her about how her scenic surroundings have effected her work and what the area means to her.

Thanks for welcoming us to your home here, it’s a very rural environment but I can see that you’re mostly working on urban projects. Do you find that disconnect to be a barrier to your work?

Only in the most logistical of ways. Many of my clients, like Uniform from Liverpool, are based in cities that are simply not practical for me travel to for a half an hour meeting. Thankfully, technology has developed quickly enough for this to no longer really be an issue. I use Skype and FaceTime to conduct most of my architectural visualisation meetings and web-based chats like Slack really help bridge the distance between myself and those that I work with.

So would you say there are benefits to working in your industry in such an isolated place such as this?

Absolutely! Every morning I’m greeted by the sound of bird song, I drink my morning coffee whilst looking out onto this stunning scenery and I find an inner peace that I simply couldn’t get in a city. During the summer I work with the doors and windows open, there’s so much fresh air flowing through the house that it feels like I’m working outside!

How would you say working in the Fenlands has affected your work as an artist?

My ‘day job’ as I suppose you’d call it is in the field of visualisations. This involves using a computer to generate images of buildings, landscapes, products – anything really! Often I’m working from spec, which means I’m given designs and measurements to work with, so in these cases I’m rarely calling on my environment to inspire me. However, during my spare time I create my own visualisations often using the Fenlands’ panoramic landscapes as a starting point.

I understand you’re not affiliated with any artist community in the area, is this a deliberate choice to distance yourself from the local scene?

Not at all! I’ll often drop into a local exhibition and have a mooch around, but I wouldn’t consider myself an ‘artist’ in the traditional sense. Whilst the work that I produce is undoubtedly influenced by the Fenlands, you could easily be forgiven for not seeing this link if you weren’t informed first. I like to re-imagine the land around me as an alien landscape, often using an ultra-violet colour palette and fantastical shapes to transform the Fens into something quite different.

Finally, what are you currently working on, anything exciting?

I’ve picked up a string of jobs that will be utilising my 3D render skills, so I’m looking forward to getting them done and then applying any new tricks I’ve learnt to some new work of my own. I’ve spent a lot of time recently watching some old science fiction movies from the 70s, so I’m hoping to use some of those visual ideas as well!

Artist Focus: Paul Broomfield – Visual Artist

We took the train out of the Fens and into our capital for a day spent trailing Paul, to understand what a day in his shoes looks like and to see how an upbringing in the Fenlands prepared him for a fast-paced career working in one of the busiest cities in the world!

After kindly meeting us at Euston Station, Paul took us to his favourite cafe, where he had a meeting later scheduled that day. Steaming cups of coffee were a welcome respite from the hordes of hurried business people outside and Paul looked as relieved as us to take a break from it…

It’s a madhouse out there! How do you deal with the daily stresses of living somewhere so busy?

It’s part and parcel of working in this city. I’ll admit it took some getting used to at first, but after 6 months or so I’d just about got my head around it. It’s certainly a lot faster paced than life back in the Fenlands, but I simply wouldn’t have the kind of opportunities back there, so there’s really no choice in my mind!

On a day-to-day basis, I find that regular exercise is a great stress-reliever, it keeps me focused and ensures that I don’t get too glued to my laptop. I also try to wake up as early as possible to beat whatever traffic I might have to contend with at rush hour.

What does your work as a visual artist involve?

I’m fortunate enough to have some really valuable connections with some great companies in the city. My work is partly commercial and partly creative. On a creative level, I’m involved in a number of collectives which leads to some really exciting collaborations, and often these little exhibitions will lead to commercial work.

The commercial work is where I pick up my money and that’s where I’ll often team up with local firms to create advertising and branding work. This is really a fantastic place to work really, whether you’re looking to get some vinyl decals printed in London, or a graffiti artist to work with, you’re just a phone call away from the best in class!

You’ve been in London for nearly 10 years now, do you miss the Fenlands?

I really do! There’s nowhere else like it on Earth and certainly not in London! I spent so much of my childhood exploring those stunning landscapes that I still surprise myself when I wake up here in the city. Thankfully, I’ve still got plenty of friends and family back there who are happy to host me for the weekend, so whenever I find myself at a loss for inspiration, or pining for some fresh air, I hop on a train and breathe it all in again.

Even though it’s been so long, do you still consider yourself a Fenland Artist?

Absolutely. No matter where you end up, or how far your travel, I believe that an artist’s work is always rooted in their heritage and mine will forever be entwined with the Fenlands. Whilst my work and art may well have drifted away from traditions espoused by the local artists, but I still look back to my youth for inspiration for my work today – the Fens are an integral part of who I am!

Artist Focus: Fine Artists of the Fenlands

Thanks to the incredibly scenic landscapes offered in the Fenlands, it will come as no surprise that there’s a long-standing tradition of painters that call the area their home.

The wide-flats and varied fauna offer limitless combinations of textures to use as inspiration, not to mention the bustling wildlife that populates the land. Dozens of fine artists, using a range of mediums, make use of the Fens as a base, so we’ve decided to shine a spotlight on a few of them in this post.

Nick Tearle

Making the move from corporate graphic design to oil painting in 2015, Nick Tearle attribute much of his current success as a Fenland artist to his Father who he asserts as being most influential on his capabilities as an artist. Nick splits his time between running his framing shop, Fenland Frames, and painting in the great outdoors, and has sold over 50 originals to private collections both within and outside of the UK. An active part of both the Lincolnshire Artists Society and the Welland Valley Art Society, Nick is a prominent member of the Fenland artists’ community.

Lizzie Madder

Light and the way that it transforms the flooded meadows of the Fens is just one obsession of Cambridgeshire based painter Lizzie Madder. Working mainly in watercolours, Lizzie takes inspiration from the every changing palette that the Fens presents her throughout the seasons, particularly taking notice of how the autumn and winter light creates a feeling of blissful isolation which she tries to communicate in her work. Studying at Loughborough College of Art, she would later go on to study Botanical Art before moving to Cambridgeshire, where her style underwent a significant upheaval to the more impressionistic work she produces today.

Anthony Day

Anthony’s work in the Fenland spans an impressive 60 years. Born in 1922, his work is inextricably linked to the vast open landscapes that the Fens encompass. The son of a farmer, Anthony served in the Royal Army Medical Corps before studying at Cambridge School of Art, graduating in 1952. In addition to exhibiting over 80 one-man shows, he has written fourteen books on the local history of the Fens and regularly welcomes visitors into his studio in Wicken in collaboration with Cambridge Open Studios. His work is predominantly in gouache, utilising a subtle palette of colours that perfectly capture the Fens’ natural light.

John Abbott

Known by many as ‘The Fenland Artist’, John Abbot is an artist born and raised in the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fenlands. His work encompasses a wide range of mediums, but he is best known for his watercolour depictions of wildflower and the wetlands that they call home. A self-taught painter, John regularly exhibits in conjunction with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and can often be found selling his work (in addition to promoting the arts) throughout the area. Despite not having any formal training, John has also built a reputation as a capable teacher who encourages his students to, above all else, paint for their own satisfaction rather than of others.