Residents Journal
Residents Journal
Colour is Therefore Light by Katie Sollohub, oil on linen, 80x80cm,
available to buy as a print. Photograph Colin Mills
Jennifer Mason
Katie Sollohub Sarah Ketelaars
Home
is where the art is
Jennifer Mason meets Katie Sollohub, the recent artist-inresidence at J.M.W. Turners house, Sandycombe Lodge, as
the exhibition of her work comes to a close this month
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ucked away down an innocuous residential
street in Twickenham sits one of the
UKs best-hidden architectural treasures;
Sandycombe Lodge the house that
Turner built. In November 2013, I met Catherine
Parry-Wingfield, chairman of Turners House Trust,
an organisation dedicated to restoring this crumbling
mansion to its former glory. At the time, she and her
team were mired in the process of applying for grants,
fundraising and keeping on top of the propertys
numerous problems. Since then the coffers have
begun to fill, but before any restoration takes place,
the Trust thought it important to record for posterity
the shell of J.M.W. Turners architectural dbut so
they called in Katie Sollohub, an artist known for her
emotive representations of spaces and places.
Katie, a resident of West Sussex, was to visit
Sandycombe once a week and make an artistic study
of her reflections. Although she began travelling
to Twickenham infrequently two years ago, the
project only began in earnest after an Arts Council
England grant in May 2014 enabled her financially
to increase the frequency of her trips. Since then,
Katie has spent one day (or night) a week exploring
the house through the medium of charcoal and oil
paint, with some stunning results.
I didnt start with any particular plans or
preconceived notions in mind, she tells me, it was
just about experiencing the space. But as I became
more familiar with the house, the weather and
seasons began to play a much greater part in the
project. The first few months that Katie spent at
Sandycombe were during the summer, so she began
by taking stock of the houses exterior and creating
several studies of the iconic hallway (designed in
partnership with famous architect Sir John Soane)
along with bright, colourful oils of interior scenes
from the (infamously yellow) basement. I think you
get to know a place like you get to know a person,
from the outside in, she muses.
It wasnt until the cold weather drew in and
Katie took refuge in the main sitting room that she
realised the significance of the full-length window.
I took inspiration from the fact that this was a view
Turner would have enjoyed on many occasions, she
says. The scenery might have changed somewhat,
but when you look up into the sky, the clouds passing
and the changing weather patterns are the same
as the experiences he would have had (though the
aeroplanes are new!). That made me consider lifesize drawings and paintings, using the window as a
frame. Completing a life-size piece means working
Katie Sollohub Sarah Ketelaars
I think you
get to know a
place like you
get to know a
person, from
the outside in
on the floor, which can be a messy process. Thats
initially why I worked in charcoal, Katie laughs. I
didnt want to be sitting around in my oil paints quite
as often! Charcoal, according to Katie, was an ideal
medium for capturing what she saw from Turners
window, but as she spent more time in the house,
looking out into the garden, her process began to
develop. One day in January I decided to paint an
early snowdrop that had appeared. I used mud from
the garden mixed with PVA glue to prime the white
canvas and I loved the result. Ive continued to use
it in my latest work, including large-scale canvases.
Putting a physical part of the house onto the canvas
is something very special.
Working in a place which was once the creative
hub of one of Britains most famous artists must
appeal to her, I suggest. Its interesting, because
in many ways theres nothing of Turner left in the
house, Katie replies thoughtfully. But then again, he
designed the whole building. It was originally created
by an artist as a space to live and work in. I was very
aware, especially at first, that this was Turners house
particularly when I was working in the
hallway. I loved to imagine him coming
in and out. I didnt find it oppressive,
though. I felt that if there were any
remnants of him left, he would approve
of my work and of what the Trust is
trying to achieve.
As we take a final stroll around the
exhibition, I think back on my first
impressions of Sandycombe Lodge
when I visited a year-and-a-half ago.
I remember feeling a great sense of
dormancy as though underneath the
200 years of modern extensions, garish
70s paint jobs and general wear and
tear, the original property, as it was
in Turners day, had remained intact;
biding its time, waiting for something.
I share my musings with Katie, and
she smiles. After his death, Turner
wanted to leave a refuge for destitute
local artists, she explains. That never happened,
but I think he would be proud that the Trust is
actively encouraging artists like me to engage with
his house. In some ways, its keeping the spirit of his
final wishes alive. n
The exhibition A Guest in Turners House runs
until 24 May at the Stables Gallery, Riverside,
Twickenham, TW1 3DY, 020 8831 6000, and entry
is free. For more information about Katie and her other
work, visit [Link]
To find out more about Turners Sandycombe
Lodge, visit [Link]
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