Portrait and still life artist, ESTELLE DAY, tells Sarah Edghill how she creates the varied and detailed artwork which is sure to captivate viewers ▸
LONDON-BASED ARTIST, Estelle Day, did a foundation diploma at Chelsea College of Art and Design, then graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Fine Art. She exhibits annually with the Society of Women Artists at the Mall Galleries and has sold both her portraits and still life paintings to clients in the UK and across the world. One of her portraits, Robert, was on display at the National Portrait Gallery London as part of the BP Portrait Award 2017 exhibition.
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As an art student, I was adventurous with subject matter.
A lot of my work came from my imagination. The human figure and faces were a common feature in my paintings, which were very expressive in style. This theme continued to evolve when I was studying for my degree and I went through an experimental period of painting people, without looking at my canvas. The resulting lines and shapes always fascinated me. Rather surprisingly, the people I had painted were still quite recognisable, albeit very distorted!
I use the same materials for a portrait or a still life.
I paint on smooth, wooden boards, which I prepare with several coats of transparent gesso, sanding between each layer if necessary, and I always use professional quality oil paints. I was fortunate that I was exposed to all sorts of media at art college – printmaking, photography, sculpture – and in the past I have done intricate pen and India ink drawings which would take me hours due to the amount of detail. But my favourite medium has always been oil. My methods vary, depending on whether I am working on a portrait or a still life (and depending how much time I have) but one thing I consistently do before I begin painting, is to draw or sketch out the subject first on paper. The only time I skip this preparatory stage is if I’m painting faces and people I’m familiar with; myself or one of my children, for example then I’ll just draw straight onto my wooden board.
As a child I had a tendency to collect little treasures.
My house is filled with so many bits and bobs – from unusual ornaments and vases to more random objects, like old keys and vintage bobbins. Pretty much anything can be turned into a painting and the biggest problem I have is never having enough time to paint them all. I have two display cabinets which are filled with these tre
