ART ATTACK
Artist Keith Tyson tells Chris Evans’ Virgin Radio Breakfast ‘anyone can draw’ as he talks Isolation Art School project
ARTIST Keith Tyson told Virgin Radio listeners ‘everyone can draw’ as he discussed his Isolation Art School on Instagram.
Speaking to Chris Evans on the Virgin Radio Breakfast Show today, the Turner Prize winner encouraged fans to take up art while on lockdown.
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The new project, which is backed by photographer David Bailey, Sir Quentin Blake and portrait painter Jonathan Yeo, is to encourage people of all ages to create art and spark creativity while they’re stuck in the house amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It comes after The Sun launched it's Who Cares Wins campaign to raise £1m for NHS staff fighting coronavirus.
Speaking from his art studio in Oxfordshire, Keith told Chris: “We’ve got world famous painters, photographers, origami-ists, if that’s the word, lots of different crafts for people to try.
"You don’t have to be Michelangelo, you just have to roll your sleeves up and have a go.”
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He went on to reveal that Morrisons supermarket had also backed the project, by sending 100,000 ‘art packs’ which include activity books, sketch pads, colouring pens and pencils to distribute through the food banks near their stores.
“About a week ago, we gave out about 300 art packs to low income families, and response was so overwhelming and heartwarming and heartbreaking, and Morrisons just contacted us and said they’ve managed to acquire 100,000 kids activity books and coloured pencils.
"They’re also encouraging people that when they drop off their pasta or tins [for the food bank] to leave a few coloured pencils, or something for a child without any art materials, that might entertain themselves and learn with.
"It’s an amazing idea, all run through Morrisons Community Champions. It’s a fantastic generous thing they’ve done.”
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The Isolation Art School Instagram account – which already has 20.4k followers – has featured portrait painting live with host of Sky’s Portrait Painter Of The Year host Dexter Fletcher, a kids drawing class with Sir Quentin Blake and a ‘painting for absolute beginners’ class with Keith - who is also judging The Sun's NHS Nightingale art competition.
He said: “There’s an Instagram TV live, people are doing long-term lessons, you can do a painting course with me if you want, you can do photography lessons or you can do children’s projects.
"They’re just one-off, five minute projects that you can do with your kids at home. Make a castle, or make a hoopla set.
“They’re colour-coded – yellow means it’s for children and red are a little more advanced, you might need some craft knives or dangerous paints.
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"So you can really navigate it quite simply. We’ve got lots of content, but I’m uploading it from my phone, so dodgy bandwidth!”
Saying that everyone should have a try at creating art, Keith said: “You might tell from my accent, I grew up in the north I was on a shipyard, I used to draw cartoons and things.
"My next door neighbour said 'you should go to art college', so I went along, followed that path. I never saw a museum, never opened an art book for the first twenty years of my life, so if that’s a testament that anyone can do it, there you go.”
He added: “Everyone can draw, and one of the things that we’re really keen on saying is that a naïve children’s drawing has a lot of energy. A photorealistic drawing may look impressive, but it might not have that energy.
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"There’s an argument for every style of painting and if you’re putting your head above the parapet and having a go, you’re part of our community.”
And now we’re in lockdown at home, Keith said it’s exactly the right time to take up a new hobby. “I’ve lost count of the amount of people I’ve met at dinners who’ve said “I would love to paint if I had the time” – well, we all have time now,” he said.
“However you start, you will learn things from some of these free lessons from the world’s best.”
Talking about his studio, Keith, 50, who won the prestigious Turner Prize in 2002, said: “It’s actually a converted stable but it’s a temporary thing – we got caught here in Oxfordshire, normally I’m in London.
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"So I’ve made the best I can of it and I’ve made a little working studio, I’ve got my camera in there.”
Chris revealed he recently bought two paintings by Van Gogh on a recent trip to Amsterdam, and signed off by saying his family – wife Natasha, sons Noah and Eli, and twins Walt and Boo, would all be getting involved at home.
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