Fleur Rendell has enjoyed art throughout her life, both as a maker and a viewer. She finds inspiration for her work in everyday objects and items that hold memories.
How did you get started making art? Why do you do it?
I grew up in a family who had an appreciation for the arts, visual art, music and literature. My interest in art was encouraged and I was lucky to be able to attend pottery classes at the Benalla Art gallery that was near our primary school.
My aunty taught art at secondary level and is a ceramicist and her influence was important. My mother is skilled at drawing, and she took up art once us three kids became adults.
Art is something I have enjoyed throughout my life, whether as a maker or as a viewer.
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When did you first realize you are a creative person?
During high school I always chose art as an elective, first and foremost. Art with a capital A!
Getting accepted into art school helped my confidence and the rigorous training, especially in drawing, was helpful in establishing my skills as an artist. I had a ten-year hiatus when I trained and worked as a classroom teacher. I missed the artwork and felt like an important part of myself was on hold.
After twenty years of art practice, I know that art suits my nature. I chose it, but I also fell into it. My new part-time job in the gallery combines my love of art and my teacher training, but it also leaves energy/time for my own practice.
Where do you find inspiration for your designs?
I find inspiration in nature, in everyday objects and objects that hold memories for me. I enjoy the optimistic colours of post war designs of the 1950s especially.
What different creative media do you use in your work?
I like the basics such as a 2B pencil and cartridge paper. Sometimes I print with water-based inks and other times oil based, depending on the image and texture that I am seeking. 100% rag printmaking papers, white and smooth, are my preferred working surface, for prints and thick museum board for collages.
Do you plan your work out ahead of time, or do you just dive in with your materials and start playing?
A bit of both – I am playful at the planning stage, diving into the ideas. When I come up with something that looks like it has potential, I will then bring in the ‘inner editor’ and work more consciously to plan the finished piece. Mostly I sketch. I have A4, A3 and larger sketchbooks.
I prefer working from real-life objects but do use photos when that isn’t an option. After the drawings, I might make a linocut or a collage, or both!
How do you manage your creative time? Do you schedule start and stop times? Or work only when inspired?
I work part-time at Benalla Art Gallery three days a week. I have Monday and Tuesdays as my studio days and do my best to stick to that as my schedule. I like to get to the studio by 9.30am and keep going until about 5pm.
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like?
I have a half hexagon shaped studio, with my Albion press in the centre. There is lots of bench space for carving and printing as well as drying racks. I have plan presses for storing paper and prints. The walls are rammed earth.
My husband built the studio. We lived in it when we built our house in 2001. Large north facing windows look out to the Warby ranges and our neighbour’s vineyard.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
It varies. I usually focus on one piece at a time. Sometimes if a piece isn’t working, I will abandon it. It can be frustrating, but now I see this a part of the process and there is usually something that I have learnt through that work.
What have some of your most meaningful projects been?
My sister, Zoe Randell, is a musician, and I have illustrated all Luluc’s albums. It is a wonderful process, where she sends me music mixes and I play with the imagery until we work out what will be best for the album art.
It is fun for me to see what the graphic designers do with the images. Also, Zoe and I support each other through the ups and downs of creative work.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works?
This work, The orange jug 2017 is based on a linocut and sketch that I had made in years prior. I had been exploring making puzzle prints where I cut the block up, ink the bits separately, then place them back together again to print them.
Collages proved an excellent way to plan the composition. My dealer, at the time, saw the collages in my sketchbook and suggested I could frame them too. That comment inspired me to explore collage as well.
Is there an overarching theme that connects all your work?
I think there is an optimistic mood and harmony that connects my work. I hope that the work brings comfort and a sense of peace to the viewer.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
When I was doing my teacher training, one of my mentors said, ‘don’t try to do it all at once’ – that reminder to focus on the task in front of me, instead of the whole year ahead, has been helpful.
How has your creativity evolved over the years? What triggered the evolution to new media/kinds of work/ways of working?
I saw a woodcut by Edvard Munch at the gallery in Melbourne. I noticed that he used the jigsaw technique, and it inspired me to cut up my lino blocks.
I also feel inspired by the paper cutouts that Matisse made towards the end of his life. I wonder what he would have made if he lived in Australia and apply his approach to banksias and other native plants. His works inspired me to make abstractions based on my sketches.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
Gallery visits, vintage bizarre shopping, bushwalking, attending workshops and chatting with other artists.
Travel and seeing different sights seem to help when we can manage it. There is something about being in strange places that brings our senses to life, time seems to slow down, and it is a bit like being a child again.
However, I am a bit of a homebody, and I like my routines! There is plenty of inspiration in ordinary life.
Where can people see your work?
www.fleurrendell.com
insta @fleuralicia
www.blueislandpress.com publishes cards and calendars that can be purchased at many galleries and bookstores in Australia.
www.australiangalleries.com
Interview published January 2025
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