Iain Connell: 2002 Scholar

  • How did the experience affect you as an individual? I was awestruck by the architecture of Florence, the immense duomo...
    Iain Connell, Study (Rome), charcoal on paper.

    How did the experience affect you as an individual?

    I was awestruck by the architecture of Florence, the immense duomo and the pointe Vecchio most of all. I gained a sense of history behind my painting practice, which I doubt I would have had otherwise.

     

    What was the impact on your practice?

    I began researching methods of making my own oil paint, and using increasingly complex under painting and glazes.
  • What would you say the long term impact has been on yourself and your work? Since I went to Florence...
    Iain Connell, Abstract Study II, charcoal and watercolour, 2002. RSA Collection.

    What would you say the long term impact has been on yourself and your work?

    Since I went to Florence in 2002 I have returned to Italy twice. The first time, to Rome, after one of my student left me a bequest in his will, and to Garda for my honeymoon. I have a keen interest in Italian food and culture… but I still haven’t mastered Italian. In my painting, I have developed a profound sense that craftsmanship underpins painting. Being able to reply upon this allows me to experiment. Without this tactile and technical aspect underpinning my work experimentation is not possible.
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