We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Paige Burgess a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Paige, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I have never been as happy as I am now that I work as a full time Artist! I have had other jobs but deep down I always knew I wanted my passion for Art to be my career. In my previous job, I worked in a primary school as a learning support assistant for 4 years and I absolutely loved watching the children grow, learn new things and develop skills that directed them towards their interest in certain subjects. For me, I have always been a very creative person and throughout school I always chose practical subjects that involved hands on learning including Art, Photography and Dance. Working with children was such a beautiful way of sharing my love of these subjects and teaching them what I had learnt myself. As much as I miss working in a school environment, I have no regrets about persuing my dream job as an Artist because life is simply too short to do anything less than what you love most. Every job has its challenges and I walked into this with no business experience at all. I had no build up selling my work alongside my old job then leaving once I knew it was going to work. I just took the risk and decided to quit and start from scratch! I have already learnt so much along the way and met so many other incredible artists who have given me such amazing opportunities and advice. Everyone I have met so far has been really supportive and I can’t thank them enough for sharing their experience and helping me through this new career chapter of mine!
Paige, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am an award winning 24 year old full-time Artist based in Kent specialising in Oil Painting! I started my small business in September 2022 and have always loved painting from a young age studying Art throughout school and University. My brand is centred around connection and having a unique gifting experience that can be cherished for a lifetime. I paint personalised commissioned pieces focused around memories and important life events including newborn portraits, remembrance portraits, couples engagements and wedding scenes. I currently work from home, painting during the week and work at Greenwich Market most weekends displaying and selling my original oil paintings, limited edition prints as well as taking commissions!
My current collection of original work focuses on hands specifically, portraying a sense of connection in a hyper-realistic style. I love how the dark negative space allows the viewer to emerge in a form we so easily take for granted on a daily basis. I like to think my work is a reminder of being human, humbling us to who we are and the mortal lives we live but also the beauty of life itself from the endless relationships we create with others. I love the poetic aspect of my work where I am painting my own hands, with my own hands. I feel it represents how complex we are as humans and the beautiful things that we create in the world. I always find that looking at my hands grounds me in difficult times, and painting is something that’s always helped me relax when I want to block out the world. So it’s very personal to me that I can in-corporate these two things within my work.
I want people to feel connected to me as an Artist, and I want to connect with others through my work. I’ve always struggled with anxiety and socialising in particular with different environments having a huge impact on me. Hiding behind a canvas at home is my happy place but I enjoy having the balance of sharing my work in person and meeting new people now too! I’m extremely grateful that I have been able to change things in my life to improve my mental health and being an Artist is a huge part of that. I absolutely love what I do everyday and I’m excited to continue my journey and learn new things a long the way!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an Artist for me is seeing how my work evokes emotion in other people. I have personal meaning in my work but I love to see how others feel towards my paintings and what it means for them.
When creating commissions especially, it’s a really emotional experience being able to create and provide something so meaningful for somebody. I find it really important to connect with the people I’m working with and have conversations surrounding the subject and the purpose behind the work. I like to have an understanding of where the reference image has come from and its importance to really engage in what I’m painting. I find it really heart warming having a mutual level of trust and I always feel very honoured when someone believes in me to create something for them. It really makes a difference knowing the impact of what the piece will bring to someone and what I can achieve by the end of the process. I’m very proud of what I do and I create a real bond and emotional attachment with my paintings, so it’s an overwhelming feeling knowing it’s going to be appreciated and valued by someone else in their own way!
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
This is interesting because I think we are all creatives in some way! But talking as an Artist who specialises in oil painting specifically, some people don’t always recognise quite how much time and effort goes into my work.
There’s always a lot to consider before a finished oil painting is produced. I have to create the idea, set up a shoot and photograph the idea for a reference image, edit the image(s) to fit the idea, source the canvas material and size, measure up and custom order frames then actually draw up the canvas before I can even start thinking about the actual painting itself! My oil paintings take weeks if not months to complete including the prep work, painting, drying time, varnishing, framing, packaging and delivery. At a glance an oil painting might not look like much to some, but it takes a lot of careful consideration and patience to go from a blank canvas to a finished product and achieve a realistic style through multiple layers of paint and detail.
I think some people also struggle to understand the cost of art and it can be considered expensive at times. It can be difficult feeling like you have to justify how much your work is worth, especially when you know how much goes into it. It’s part of the reason why I love to share my process because in my experience, the majority of people who ask are usually very interested and impressed when they realise the work involved. I do believe this is why it is important to ask questions and listen in life in general before making pre-judgments. It’s all about being respectful on both sides as we don’t always understand something until it’s explained to us and that’s exactly how we all learn from each other!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.paigeburgessart.co.uk
- Instagram: @paigeburgessart
- Other: Email: enquiries@paigeburgessart.co.uk