Inside the Studio
Clara Hastrup
What is your medium?
Primarily acrylics. Acrylic paint is fast drying and can resemble watercolor or oil to a certain extent. I find these qualities very suiting for the way I work.
What themes do you pursue?
As for right now I find most of my inspiration in nature. I try to capture the vulnerability of places that doesn’t suggest habitation or humanization – an exoticism that is afterwards dissolved and fragmented in the sense of non-existence. Illusions basically.
How many years as an artist?
About a year ago I decided to focus on my painting and I gradually realized there was no going back. It is something I strive to become.
Sketchbook? Do you use one? What type?
I always carry one but I rarely use it. When I do it’s mostly for taking notes or writing a grocery list.
Most important tool you use?
A critical eye
Where is your studio?
I go to a school with 23 other artists and we all have our own workspace next to each other. It’s just 10 minutes on bicycle from where I live.
What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
Not to be afraid
Process> Concept or Process<Concept?
Process > concept, but frankly I’m not too concerned with this.
Why do you make art?
To me, my art is my freedom.
Art school or self-taught?
Self-taught, but now I attend a school to learn more.
Tattoos?
None. I have no desire.
Prefer to work with music or in silence?
When I get comfortable in the process I usually listen to music. I also find it to be very motivating working in the silence of many people concentrating on their work at the same time.
Everyone has a vice. Care to call yourself out?
Candy. Oh there I said it.
What’s around the corner from your place?
The Royal Theater, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and soon there will be a McDonalds too.
Favorite sound?
Jungle
Who are your favorite writers?
Paul Auster and Isabel Allende
What could you not do without?
Friends, family, my dog, 24 hours access to my studio, solitude
Food or sleep?
If I could avoid both I would.
Finish the sentence: “I would never be caught dead….”
Smoking a cigarette or watching a reality show.
Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die?
To make a living as an artist would be a dream come true.
Traditional or conceptual?
The combination
What do you collect?
Free stuff
Favorite contemporary artist?
My list seems to expand every day. Hmm… Peter Doig and Ali Banisadr definitely though.
A piece of art you love?
Nalini Malani’s “In Search of Vanished Blood” installation for dOCUMENTA13.
If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?
A water lily painting by Monet.
Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet?
Jean Michel Basquiat.
Figurative or abstract?
It depends on what you see.
Photo references?
Yes. They are an essential part of my work process. I take many photos when travelling and they serve as a great source of inspiration.
Is painting dead?
No. Nevertheless our perception of what painting is and can be continually rises from the ashes and that’s refreshing.
What do you wear while you paint?
An old denim shirt.
Painting Inside or Outside?
Both.
Monet or Manet?
Monet.
Is bigger better?
Is less more?
