Maxine Hart - Artist
Maxine Hart was born on the Wirral in 1971 and is now living in Cornwall, after a move from Cheshire in the Autumn of 2008. She lives with her husband, three children and cocker spaniel near the inspirational Helford River.Following an early interest in Art, Maxine continued her foundation studies at Chester Art College and then a BA Honours degree in Fine art at the Birmingham Art School in 1992, specialising in painting. She is a contributing artist in the Lizard Art Co-operative; a co-operative of artists who mostly live and work on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall. ‘The Cornish landscape has always been my constant inspiration on land and sea.... all is worthy of capture, from the calm to the wild weather; the trees, the lanes and beaches always exposing their changing colour, moving line, energy and form. I combine my drawing qualities in my paintings, scratching, layering, often on board which allows me to etch the charcoal or pencil into the paint, mixing mediums, always experimenting, always chasing the image taken from my sketches or photographs, making the work take on its own form and directed purely by the painting process once back in the studio.’ ....'rhythmic movements of lines, colour and shape charge by memory: a remembered feeling...' Lucy and Maxine have been friends for over twenty years so our chat was both inspirational and old friends catching up. We discussed the colours of the seasons; having the confidence to reduce mark-making and the difference between dithering over the colour to paint a kitchen versus the absolute surety of creating a painting. Maxine shares with us the time she painted a mural on the ceiling of a swimming pool, her involvement in the Artist Support Pledge and Lizard Art Co-operative; as well as how she draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape and incorporates it in her work. As ever, there was lots of laughter and some pretty gross discussions about feet, long toenails and a debate on who actually needs a pencil when you can have dirty feet.