Interview
Victoria Curling Eriksson
Victoria Curling was born in 1970 in Bath, England. She grew up and went to school in Bath, a city that she still visits often and loves dearly. After completing a degree in Biotechnology BSc (Honours), Victoria started working with international Clinical Trials, which allowed her to travel extensively. It was after her move to Sweden that Victoria decided to change her career totally and attended a Swedish Art school for 2 years. Following her time at Art college, she studied to become a qualified certified life coach, which has given her enormous inspiration for her artwork.
Victoria’s artwork is greatly inspired by the Swedish landscape and her International travels. Every day she walks her dogs and is constantly inspired by the different landscapes, captivating light, and seasonal changes.
Victoria chooses to paint mainly with oils, due to their exceptional qualities, textures, and colors. She paints thin layers upon layers and pours color onto the canvas and then occasionally scrapes and rubs the paint using different techniques to acquire different textures.
Victoria aims to instill a feeling of stillness and atmosphere in her artwork, never knowing how the final image will look until it gradually appears. Currently, she works as a full-time artist, exhibiting and selling her artwork internationally. She is a member of Saatchi art: Svenska Konstnärsförbundet Syd. A2 Collective & Helsingborgs Konstförening.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I am a British artist living in Sweden. I started my career later in life at 30, prior to which I studied Biotechnology at university and followed a career in Clinical trials - enabling me to travel extensively internationally. At 30 I really felt I wanted to work with something far more creative and had such a longing to paint. I applied to Art School in Sweden and spent 2 years in full-time study, which allowed me to try painting, sculpture, ceramics, and photography.
I soon realized that as much as I loved the other topics, I really wanted to paint. It wasn't automatic for me though as to what type of style I might have, and I spent some years experimenting and testing new styles and techniques until I finally found a style that I felt really comfortable with and feels like me! It took time for me to set aside that analytical part of my brain and allow myself to paint more freely and intuitively. Since then I have been working as a professional artist, exhibiting and selling my artwork worldwide.”
“Art is something that makes you breathe with a different kind of happiness.”
How would you describe your work?
“I would describe my work as minimalistic landscapes, painted with thin washes of colour to create depth and texture, slowly building up more colour and texture as the painting progresses.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“My theme is nature - predominantly painting landscapes and seascapes; creating minimalist abstract landscape paintings.
I wouldn't say there is direct message, however, I love to try and capture a certain atmosphere in my work and express that to the viewer. I am hoping to give people a moment of reflection and a moment of calmness to lose themselves in the painting or atmosphere created.”
What is your creative process like?
“My creative process starts with me being outside in nature. It could be a beach walk, a woodland walk, or simply walking through fields, and I just take in all the colors and atmosphere in my mind and return to my studio to create. I deliberately don’t work with photographs as it isn't an exact replication of what I have seen that I want to create, but rather an interpretation of the atmosphere or the wash of colours that I have been inspired by. I then create my palette of colors and start, always on a darkly painted canvas.
I just start and let the process take its course, never knowing how the finished painting will look until its created. I then work with thin washes of colors, predominantly using a palette knife as apposed to brushes. I will usually have a few paintings in progress at one time and work on one when the other layers are drying, and then move from one work to another, allowing the layers to dry in between.”
“My paintings are directly influenced by the seasons and I will find that, for example, in autumn, my palette will be full of warm tones and in winter this moves over to a palette full of whites, light greys and silvers.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I see an artist’s role in the society as a possibility to allow people to step away and be inspired, provoked and open up their senses to look and feel. Art can touch people in so many different ways. It’s a chance for people to have their own relationship with the the artwork that they are viewing; it allows time for reflection in this busy world.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“Presently, I have an exhibition at the Nordic Art Agency in their gallery, and this will then move over to a group exhibition with others that are also managed by the Nordic Art Agency called ‘Earth and Sky’.
It will be on until the 23rd of November - Private View,
and 26th November -Jan 2022 - Hansa, Malmo Sweden.”
