Interview with Edgeworth Johnstone

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)I'm Edgeworth Johnstone, from Muswell Hill, London, UK. I live there with my wife and fellow artist, Shelley Li.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)Usually drawing, oil on canvas or acrylic on paper. Block prints. Design posters.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I think every painters work is different. Like our own signature.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)I exhibited my work first in summer 2006 in Brick Lane, London. I've not had a big break.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)Recently, Mexican artists like Jose Orozco and Francisco Toledo. Picasso, Max Ernst, Dorothea Tanning, Paul Klee. Expressionism. The Henry Boxer website. Philip Absolon.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)A series of paintings for my next exhibition called 'Shanghai Gardens'. I'm in Shanghai at the moment, and love walking round the parks. They're really serene, and each have lots of beauty and character. Nature seems different in Shanghai to London, or maybe it just appears it, as I'm not used to being abroad.

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)Pixies, Sonic Youth, Nirvana. Often films in the background, but mostly I paint in silence.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)I'm in an indie band called 2 out of 3 Rule. I'll do some painted wooden sculpture when I get back to UK.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Local cafes, libraries, community centres. Let the local paper know. My wife and I did a show in our flat that went really well. The BBC ended up coming round, and interviewed us.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)Yes, in Nolias Gallery, 60 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0BL. My work will be there from January 22nd 2011. There will be a solo show of my work called 'Shanghai Gardens' at somepoint, early in 2011. Further details will be posted on my website at www.edgeworthjohnstone.co.uk

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)www.edgeworthjohnstone.co.uk