Kayleigh Heydon
Between Painters interview with Kayleigh Heydon (she/her)
We interviewed Kayleigh to learn more about her evolving practice, and what lays ahead for her in 2022. Kayleigh Heydon is collaborating with Emma Currie for the June 2022 exhibition in Melbourne/Naarm at Backwoods Gallery.
Image courtesy of Kayleigh Heydon.
About Kayleigh
Kayleigh is a multidisciplinary artist working from her studio in Melbourne/Naarm. Born in Manchester in 1992, Kayleigh graduated with a first class honours in Interactive Arts from the Manchester School of Art and Design in 2014. Currently based in Australia, Kayleigh’s practice continues to focus on painting and sculpture in response to her ever changing physical, social and emotional landscape. Her work often draws inspiration from her emotional experiences, creating a textural and ever-changing landscape of colour inter-play, soft and bold movements and wild yet harmonious endings. Her works bounce between joy and despair. Structure and smooth bold meditative lines with calming colours, to rough bristles and transparent layers of colour interweaving a chaotic symphony. Constantly pushing her practice forward, Kayleigh feels most comfortable when her work is in a state of metamorphosis, trying new things and constantly questioning her approach to painting as a way to better understand herself and the world.
Image courtesy of Kayleigh Heydon.
Charlotte: How would you describe your current practice?
Kayleigh: I would say my work is abstract, but has an inherent landscape quality and narrative. My work is rooted in the world around us, rather than dream spaces, however there's never direct references to nature, only loose suggestions based on colour or composition or title. My practice is constantly evolving. I think that I've always been trying to understand myself better and painting is the best way for me to do that. I'm always pushing forward, trying to crack myself open a little more each time. When I look back over my work from the past few years, I can see that loosening of tension piece by piece, like my shoulders are relaxing and I'm not afraid to make mistakes anymore, and I think that translates to my life too.
Charlotte: Tell us about your process and what intrigues you as an artist
Kayleigh: I always have multiple works on the go at once. I tend to have a stash of blank canvases try and pick one or two pieces i feel like working on, then i'll either (1) turn every other work around so i'm not distracted or influenced by my other pieces, or (2) leave my other pieces in eyeshot to they do bounce off the pieces im working on. It depends if I want the works to speak to each other or have totally separate voices. I dont sketch before I begin a painting, I’ll usually lay down a ground colour to break the silence. I take regular breaks and procrastinate on my phone sometimes. There’s more contemplating than painting.
Image Courtesy of Kayleigh Heydon.
Charlotte: What are you working on now and working towards?
Kayleigh: At the moment I'm experimenting a lot with colour, particularly with colours I have avoided in the past due to fear or misunderstanding their voice. Currently they are bright, with multiple (10+) layers and moments of colour peeking through like small windows back through the painting. Acrylic paint is inherently more dull than oil paint, so I'm working to understand and push my medium, to try and use layering to create a glow to my work. I am also playing with spray paint, I'm finding the speed and softness of application really fun, and the density and intensity of colour is exciting! I have some exciting projects and workshops I’m doing next year which cannot yet be revealed, stay tuned!
Charlotte: Tell us about your collaboration for Between Painters
Kayleigh: My collaboration is with Emma Currie. Our practices work well together but we work very differently. I’m excited to see how our voices work together and how we can play with our practices.
Charlotte: What challenges/excites you about this collaborative project?
Kayleigh: The challenge of relinquishing control and working simultaneously with another painter in a situation where we both usually work quite solitarily will be fun and and interesting unraveling of habit. Seeing where another painter may decide to stop or that a work is finished compared to where I would usually stop or finish with also be another challenge. Mostly I’m excited about seeing this hybrid of our work, how they will play with each other.
If you would like to find out more about Kayleigh, please see her website or her instagram.
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