'Artists can challenge perspectives and open up new worlds.'
Desiree Crossing works from her studio in Perth, Western Australia, and has undertaken residencies in Italy. Her work has appeared in several major award exhibitions.
Do you prefer to work in silence or does certain music inspire you?
I am usually listening to something - audiobooks, podcasts, or music- while I work. I have a record player in my studio and it's the absolute best! Plus, having to turn over the record reminds me to take a step back from my work for a minute. I have extremely broad musical tastes, so what I listen to depends on my mood and the subject I'm painting. If I'm painting a portrait of someone, I like to listen to their favourite music as another way of connecting with my subject. Music is very powerful.
Studio life can lead to isolation, how do you address this/ keep a balance?
I love to be alone, so I'm quite content being a little isolated and that space is infact where my best ideas grow. I go through phases in my process where I will get obsessed with a painting and work long hours for weeks or months on end, then when it's done I make sure I have time to relax, see my friends and not think about art for a few days if I don't feel it. I also really enjoy meeting my creative friends for little collabs, brainstorming sessions or paint and tea dates in my studio.
Describe an obstacle you have faced and how did you overcome it.
So often art is catharsis, the antidote for everything else. The physical process of painting or drawing, for me, is pure pleasure, which has helped me through some of my toughest experiences and been cause for some of my most joyous too. It calms me, settles my restless mind and brings my focus in. I give myself over to the process, and while I'm painting my world is right. Nature versus nurture- do you believe you have inherited abilities from creative parents, do you have creative siblings? Can you identify environmental factors or influences which led to your choices or directions?
I come from a creative line on my maternal side, which I do think gave me a leg up initially. I remember spending time with my mother and grandmother painting, drawing, crafting things, from a very young age. I would do woodworking projects with my dad and grandfather. Creating was always something exhilarating. I have a curious mind and remember staring at paintings for hours trying to break down how they were made. That's my nature. However, my work really evolved through hard work and dedication to growing as an artist. It was a conscious decision on my part, and I started to notice results immediately. So, long term, I would say hard work trumps 'talent' always!
Is there something you regard as essential to your preparation or process?
I require lots of quiet, alone time to work ideas through in my mind. Sometimes an idea will spark in me months before I deem it developed enough to begin work on. I find most of my solutions will appear suddenly while I'm walking or gardening. The physical aspects of those activities help my ideas to flow, so I make sure I do them every day. You've got to make space to daydream. What do you hope to convey through your work?
I want my work to capture a moment, and something of the soul of my subject, in a way that holds up a mirror to and makes the viewer come to a greater understanding of themselves through the process of viewing. I've always been fascinated by how people see aspects of themselves in the portraits of others.
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