Being inspired by artists, creators, architects, makers (the list could go on!) has always been a large part of LoLA’s identity. We want to share how a creative home life and childhood can lead to many different life paths, some which aren’t the most obvious, but where art had and has a role to play.
For our Summer ‘In the Art Room’ we speak to the wonderful Freya Barton, a local artist who focuses on vibrant colours and playing with perspective. She also often uses elements of pattern and 2D imagery stemming from her background in textile design – have a look at her beautiful work here.
Freya has just launched Gather and Garner – a wonderful treasure trove of collected homeware and fashion items for sale in a newly opened shop in the garden of her gorgeous Georgian home.
What did you study at school/university? Was creativity and art part of your home life growing up? What did you dream of being when you grew up?!
I went to a school where creativity and the arts were seen as as nice relaxing extra to have alongside the academic subjects so I dropped art after GCSE and carried on Textile design as an extra A level in addition to more academic subjects. I then followed this route and went to Uni to study History, but early in my second year I realised my heart wasn’t in it and so I left to take a step back and do an Art Foundation course at my local college. This was a brilliant experience and gave me a chance to try out and experiment in a whole range of disciplines before applying to university courses. I went on to Uni a second time to study Textile Print Design. I worked freelance in textile design until I had my first child. Although painting was always a part of my design work, it wasn’t until the first lockdown that I started painting on canvas more and my studio work has grown from there.
How did your creative upbringing shape how you chose your career? How do you think a creative education gave you tools to be successful in your adult life?
My mother is creative and skilled at making things, so I suppose it didn’t occur to me not to have a go and we had art and sewing materials at home that I could use if I wanted. I feel like being creative is an essential part of who I am and is something that I simply have to do – I suppose I feel like I had no choice in who I am today! I often get that feeling when I am working on a painting. I may have an idea when I start but it just takes on a force of its own and I don’t feel I have control over the outcome.
I think if you are a creative person, you need to scratch that itch to feel happy and fulfilled, so if you can do that through your work all the better. It’s not the kind of work I will ever retire from, it is a part of who I am and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to get paid for doing something that I NEED to do.
My creative education has given me a tool kit to express myself, the bravery to follow my instincts and my heart when it comes to what’s best for me and the courage to just give things a go. So many times in art things don’t work out, it doesn’t look right, or I’m not happy with it, but the joy of paint is I can let it dry and try again… I think this is a philosophy we can apply to so many areas of life!
How important is it for you that your own children are inspired by the arts in their childhood and education? Can you give us your top 3 tips on how you add creativity to your own children’s lives?
It is a top priority to me that my children are inspired by the arts in their education. My two children are very different – my son is Autistic and my daughter is neurotypical and so the arts play an important role for each of them for different reasons. My daughter is naturally artistic and so I suspect may follow a creative career path of some sort. For her it is wonderful to see her experiment with materials and make increasingly confident decisions about how she wants her art to look. She has grown gradually more capable and confident with her hands and has taught herself to sew and knit as well as seeking out chances to work with clay. She has definitely learnt to give things a try and sometimes she finishes something, sometimes not, sometimes she will completely change direction part way through creating something! All of this is so important in human development as well as giving her a way to express herself and her emotions.
For my son art is not as enjoyable for him as he struggles with sensory issues and his dexterity. For him I just gently encourage him to have a go when he feels like it, and he has created some very emotionally expressive paintings. He will be hard on himself and becomes frustrated that he can’t create work as well as he would like. So I have made sure I talk to him and show him images of art that he can relate to and understand that art isn’t about something looking perfect, otherwise we would just take a photo!
My top three tips
1. Have art materials out and accessible to children so they don’t have to ask to use it. We are lucky enough to have a home studio which I work from, however, when I was setting it up I made sure all the children art materials were in there too and my daughter helped me label the drawers so she could find things when she wants them. They also have a desk each in their rooms where they have access to art materials and we have a little table in the playroom too. Its good to rotate the materials if you can’t have them all accessible at once to keep it interesting.
2. Buy the best materials you can afford for your kids. If you buy cheap children’s paints and brushes they are much harder to work with and the work with and the children won’t enjoy it so much. Good quality acrylics have a much nicer texture and vibrant colours and good quality brushes don’t leave shed and go all spiky!
3. Display the work. Show them you love what they have done and put it in pride of place. Nothing will encourage them more than knowing that you think they have created something beautiful and worth celebrating. It doesn’t have to stay there forever, just until they create another piece to put up instead. We have framed some pieces both of my children have done and they love it when friends comment and see their work on the walls alongside mine.
What artists/people/cultures have/still do influence you the most?
I think local artist Nick Schlee has hugely influenced me. Many years ago he let me go and watch him paint and talked me through his creative process. It was such an inspiring few hours and I remember so many of the things he said to me still to this day. I think it was the first time I realised that painting is a proper grown up serious job, but also so playful and fun and fundamentally fulfilling too. It keeps you young at heart!
A children’s company or brand that you use that you feel particularly aligned to?
Of course LoLA!! The subscription has been brilliant and we dip in and out of different boxes, switching around materials from different projects. We keep the project cards in a basket in the studio so they are easily accessible to inspire ideas.
Other companies I use are Myriad Online, and I like A Year and A Day magazine for its seasonal stories and crafts and handmade feel to each issue.
