South Devon, UK

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How would you describe your work?

I don’t have a single definition; my work includes collage, assemblage and book art, in roughly equal proportions. A common thread is that I use found materials such as old letters, found photos, vintage textiles and papers; materials that have lived a life before they reach me.

The choice about what form my art will take often depends on what motivated it. My assemblages are often made in response to an event or something I’ve heard about whereas my collages tend to be a place where I play with textures and composition and my books are where I explore my visual language, capture memories and develop ideas.

What inspires you?

So many things. For example, inspiration can come from observing the structure of seed heads as we move from summer to autumn, a snippet of something heard on a podcast that has taken hold in my mind, an injustice of which I’ve become aware, a book that I’ve read.

My family history includes generations who became refugees through conflict and had to repeatedly build new lives. This definitely influences my work.

This all sounds rather gloomy, but I’m also inspired by humour and often include it in my work. I have a head full of ideas that I will never have the time to realise

Can you speak about your process?

Often my art is led by a thought or feeling that I want to express visually and I choose materials that physically become part of the story.

An example is a piece called Cloth of Innocence. I’d seen a drone photo on the news, showing the graves of the 120 schoolgirls killed by bombs in Iran. They looked like tally marks on the earth. I was overwhelmed by sadness. I took a piece of a bedsheet saved from my childhood home, distressed it and stitched folds to represent the topography, and made red, silk stitched tally marks to represent each grave. The use of the bed sheet added the poignancy that I was seeking. A simple piece of fabric that represents everything that a mother wants; to keep her child safe.

How did you become interested in art?

My route into art wasn’t straight forward. I explored different creative things over the years including dressmaking, patchwork and making music. About 25 years ago, I joined a cartoon drawing class which eventually led to collage and working in sketchbooks.

I experimented with different materials and ways of working and was drawn to combining papers, photos, found objects and textiles.

Do you have any favourite movies, artists, books or quotes?

I love the work of Joseph Cornell, Cy Twombly, Kurt Schwitters, Egon Shielle.

I have a large collection of art technique books and ‘coffee table books’ that I regularly browse for inspiration.

If I had to choose one book though, it would be ‘A Smile in the Mind’ by Beryl McAlhone and David Stuart. It gives examples from hundreds of creatives on the way that wit is used in graphic design to portray messages. Whilst I’m not a graphic designer, I find the intelligence behind the ideas captivating.

What advice do you have for younger artists?

Actively fill your head with quality input.

Slow down and embrace the analogue world. Allow your brain the time to think and develop ideas.

Read widely, novels, non-fiction, technique books, poetry. Read things that stretch your mind, give it hard things to do.

Go to talks and lectures, whether they seem directly relevant or not. I go to as many as possible and always find something that inspires my art of business.

Jane Chipp

Poojitha Ravi Menon