Inside the Studio
Victoria Horkan
What are the major themes you pursue in your work?
I think for a long time it’s been about nature. I think all artists are inspired by this to a certain extent, but what they do with it and how they progress with this theme can be worlds apart. I’ve explored water and almost created my own version of what lies beneath the depth of our seas-then this progressed to birds. The birds arose from the waters I was creating, and now I have kind of metamorphosed these creatures into my own version of butterflies. Nature has always moved me, and I feel happiest when I am painting it. I never paint these things in their realistic form. Instead, I distort what’s there and give an impression of the impossible. We are creators, so I certainly divulge that notion within my work that I am not interested in realism or fact, just exploration.
What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
Don’t sell your soul.
Prefer to work with music or in silence?
Definitely music, this plays an enormous part in how I paint. I listen to quite diverse music, and it can affect my painting! The two are very much linked, the notes, the sounds, the music that moves you-it all helps in this big bubble of creativity we like to immerse ourselves in.
If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?
It would have to be something totally huge and imposing so it would eat me up and spit me out every time I looked at it. I’m really loving Andrew Salgado’s work at the moment. Just love his style and use of color, it’s as simple as that.
Who are your favorite writers?
I don’t have any favorites. I read thrillers and I like gritty reads that are hard to put down. I suppose I look at pictures all day, that’s where I get my feed- my satisfaction. When I have been looking at pictures all day that tells enough of a story for me.
