Debbie Crane

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO SUBMIT A PIECE FOR THIS YEAR’S SUMMER EXHIBITION?

Exhibiting my paintings at the CCA gallery each year reaches a wide and varied audience and is an opportunity to show and sell my work. Equal to this it is a local event where people follow and encourage my creative development.

TELL US ABOUT THE PIECE YOU’VE SUBMITTED. Beaches have been a central part of my life and Grève is a collective impression of these. The figures in the painting were informed by a large pile of past life sketches. The orange tones and stylised characters evoke a Jersey past which I felt people responded to.

WHAT DID YOU PERSONALLY LIKE (APART FROM YOUR OWN WORK!) AT THIS YEAR’S EVENT.

I loved the diversity of pieces, that in places, worked so well together. I think that was the success of the show this year, a combination of intelligent curation and alot of Jersey talent.

Personally, I enjoyed the line drawings upstairs; the minimalist line drawing of a female nude by Nancy Thelland and The Lobster by Simon Warren. You could see the confidence in the minimal use of line, they were fresh.

My house is busy in the summer and it’s a time to enjoy my family as well as waiting for it to cool down in my studio. However, winning this award has definitely given me an opportunity to journey further with my art. I am excited to see how I will push and progress my work in the coming months in preparation for the show.

Favorite Artist? Joan Eardley (A Scottish post war Avant-Garde artist who painted from the everyday.)

Biggest influence? I have always worked with children and watching them instinctively create in a state of boundless freedom, is a great approach to take to the studio.

Go-to pencil weight? Always charcoal.

What’s on the wall near your bed? A sensitive gouache of almond blossom by Anna Le Moine Gray

What educational class would you like to undertake? Where to start!

Give us a piece of advice you’d give our readers.... Do more of what makes you happy.

We’re going for a coffee and cake, what’s your order and where? Cappuccino, carrot cake, The Hungry Man (My office)