Inspired by ‘the creative urge’
Stella Cardew is preparing to hang Painting for Pleasure, her latest exhibition of new artworks for her annual show at Jeannie Avent Gallery, writes Michael Holland.
Aged 97, Stella plans her day from when she first wakes up: ‘I orientate myself and then decide if I’m going to spend the day in “Adventure Mode” or “Face Up To Life Mode”’.
The day will always start with coffee, made while she sings a song she remembers from long ago (If I Was A Blackbird), before breakfast and then sketching, drawing, or painting. ‘I always listen to classical music while I work,’ she says. ‘Something long like a Beethoven piece played by a quartet that I can lose myself in.’
Her motivation comes from ‘the pleasure of drawing and painting and the challenge of seeing if you can make an attractive picture.’
Inspiration often comes from her garden, where she can sit out and look at the flora and fauna, which means birds, butterflies, and flowers can often be found in her art.
She is also inspired by ‘the creative urge,’ she emphasises. ‘So I might look for objects around me, and sometimes from life stories.’ Stories that could involve Yoko Ono being her tenant in the 60s, or partying with Allan Ginsberg…
Stella has a somewhat avant-garde background through her late husband Cornelius Cardew, and through her art that sometimes dwells in the vicinity of the abstract, so a still life could be connected to other things, depending on their light, colour, and shade. Angels appear at least once at every exhibition. And every exhibition sells out.
Perhaps the oldest and grandest of artists still painting and exhibiting in Southwark, Stella Cardew is a still a creative force to be reckoned with.
Jeannie Avent Gallery, 14 Northcross Road, London, SE15 9EU from 20th – 27th May.
Thurs – Sun 11am – 5pm.
