Long Range Studio Visit
Thomas Klein Horsman and Sophia Pauley
In the latest edition of Long Range Studio Visits the painters Sophia Pauley and Thomas Klein Horsman
discuss the inspirations for their work, how their work developed whilst at PADA
and how painting can break free from two dimensions.
Thomas Klein Horsman´s artistic practice revolves around a playful approach of the infrastructural elements within the city landscape. His composite pieces focus on fostering an illusion of depth and movement. The use of contrasting elements within his work, such as raw multiplex and colourful gradients are a conscious decision to strengthen this illusion while creating an interesting tension between the layers. By doing so he encourages the viewer to walk around the sculptural paintings to alter the perception of the works in front of them.
Sophia Pauley’s work focuses on the spaces in between the physical forms of the urban landscape. The shapes, lines and composition of her work stem from architectural environments associated with water; inspired initially by her love of swimming. She recreates experiences of particular places by recording, using drawing and photography, then remembering and re-imagining, both visually and emotionally. She aims to transfer these experiences into a more interactive environment for the viewer, initiating movement around the exhibited work as well as the imagery within. Aiming to do this through surface texture, materials, and alternative methods of presentation, questioning the boundaries between painting and sculpture.
Sophia: Hi Thomas! I’m delighted to have been introduced to you and your work as we seem to have a shared interest in sculptural paintings and a love of architecture. How did the industrial town of Barreiro affect the way in which you started making at PADA and how was it different from your usual day to day studio life?
Thomas: Likewise Sophia, nice talking to you! Being in Barreiro was a great change of scenery for me. The amazing industrial landscape gave me a lot to work with in my time at PADA Studios. The contrast between Barreiro and Lisbon was probably of most influence for my work. I wanted to start a new series of work focusing on a tactile contrast as seen in the images below.
Photography by Thomas of PADA Industrial landscape, 2021
Life at PADA was very different compared to what I am used to at home. Almost everyday we were in the studio from 9:00 till 23:00 since a lot of things were still closed because of the covid regulations. So I only went out to buy food or explore Barreiro & Lisbon. It gave me a very nice focus to just think about my practice as an artist and explore new ideas. I also learned a lot from the fellow artists at PADA. At home I am fairly isolated from frequent feedback as i dont share my studio with anyone. It was very refreshing to be able to talk about my work/process any time of the day with others. I really like the Intersect series you made for the ‘Salad Days’ residency show. Can you tell me something about how the process looked like to get to this result?
Sophia Pauley ´Intersect´ for residency show ´SALAD DAYS'
Sophia: I loved the industrial landscape in Barreiro! It seemed at first quite overwhelming as I was drawn to so many aspects; the different colours, textures, architectural structures, open space! It is interesting how you started to focus on contrasting features between the two places – great focus.
I was also at PADA during times where lockdown was approaching so a few things were limited, however, in October 2020 there were only a few measures in place so we were able to explore a little further. Having said that, we were in the studio similarly most of the day which was great to really get stuck into a piece of work. I also loved working amongst artists again and this encouraged me to apply for my masters as I realised how valuable I found the input!
I struggled at first to focus on just one idea to progress as the month was flying by! I use drawing as a research process, so I started making numerous drawings, abstracting elements from my surroundings. The overlapping shapes within my drawings initiated making small models of what these layers could look like physically and encouraged me to use wood as a material for this series rather than canvas.Did you use any materials/methods that were different from usual, and if so, what influenced this?
Sophia Pauley´s studio and studies at PADA, 2020
Thomas: Yeah I learned to use an airbrush a bit, it finally gave me the opportunity to play around with color gradients in my work. Roberto Rivadeneira was next to me in the studio and brought his set with him to the residency. He helped me get the hang of this new tool, which was great! Material wise I only switched it up by using OSB for the first time. I wanted to play around with the contrast of raw wood textures and color in a new series of works. This is an element I took from my Drift series I made in 20/21. These sculptures were a combination of black and white structures and colourful abstract forms. The OSB has a very present pattern which I got drawn to (plus it is affordable haha).
Sophia: Affordability of a material makes such a difference! I become too precious over expensive materials... so that's great you found something you could be more experimental with. I love the composition of shape, OSB wood texture and pastel colours used in the work made for the end of residency show. I can see how this change in material made a significant difference to the textual and visual aesthetic of the work! Are you continuing to use this material at home and have there been any changes in the way you make since returning from PADA?
Thomas Klein Horsman, ´Rosa Viola´, 2021
Thomas Klein Horsman, ´Pastel Pink´, 2021
Thomas: Thank you, It is refreshing to have a new project to work on. The works I made at PADA gave me a nice direction to build upon. At home I started changing things a little bit by trying other wood types and textures. The OSB panels were a bit too much for bigger surface use so I shifted towards multiplex instead. This direction however did create a more subtle contrast than the works I made at PADA. At the moment I am working in the studio on three new pieces. I think it will be very interesting to have some textural differences within the works. That is why I will be trying a variety of painting mediums and screenprinting that will focus on different paint finishes and screen print patterns. How has your practice changed since you are back in your own studio?
Work in progress by Thomas Klein Horsman, 2021
Sophia: Ohhh I love that you’ll be looking into screen printing on the wood panels - I love screen printing! Will be interesting to see how that turns out with the shadowplay between the layers. I have definitely become more confident in experimenting with new materials whilst placing more focus on how the work can represent a particular experience to the public by how it is presented. Due to moving to a smaller studio space I have been making smaller multiple series of work with lots of plans and studies for future larger scale paintings. At the moment I have a large scale diptych which needs a final clash of texture and have been experimenting with using resin with this smaller series (been proving difficult on canvas) but having lots of fun with this at the moment.
With going back to study in September I definitely want to take advantage of the wood workshops as I loved using this material to make installation based paintings at PADA. I also can’t wait to get back into screen printing again! Are you working towards any shows at the moment or have any exciting projects lined up to look out for?
Thomas: That sounds very interesting! Yeah it is great to have those workshops around. Looking forward to seeing where it will take you in the future. Right now I am taking part in a group show (until 8th August) at Útero in Lisbon, where I am showing the first two works that I made when I got back from PADA. I wish I could be there myself though as the weather in The Netherlands is quite dire haha. For the upcoming months I am working towards a group show at Kunstliefde and a Duo show in collaboration with Qkunst. So I definitely have plenty to do this summer! Looking forward to getting back in the groove as I just moved to a new studio.
I can imagine you are looking forward to starting your master degree in September. What are you most excited about?
Sophia: Oh how exciting! Love that you are exhibiting the work made post PADA in Lisbon. Aww I bet – being in the UK I’m constantly missing that sun…haha. That’s great you have lots of exhibiting opportunities post Covid, I’ll make sure to watch out for your next shows! I think I’m most excited to be making in and around creatives again as I realised this was so beneficial whilst at PADA. I feel I’m definitely ready to take full advantage of an open studio environment to be critiqued and challenged by my peers and tutors!
Thank you to Thomas Klein Horsman and Sophia Pauley for discussing about their experience at PADA.
Thomas was a PADA Resident in March 2021 and Sophia in September 2020.
