A thoughtful and inspiring Artist Parent interview with Anna Ketskemety @annaketskemety an artist from Liverpool, UK.
Tell us about yourself?
I am a visual artist with a grown-up son who is now in his early-mid twenties. I had my son a couple of years after graduating with a BA(hons) in Fine Art from Liverpool John Moores University. My practice has largely gravitated towards painting since then, after being in the sculpture department at University. My current works utilise found objects as strata or framing devices - ranging from pieces of board or furniture to mirrors – exploring the relationship between the object and the painted surface. Subject matter comes from the people and places of my everyday life, dreams and imagined scenarios. Realistic figures appear in atmospheric settings suggesting narrative interpretations. I work from home in Liverpool while my son is completing his own art studies in London.
How has being a parent had a positive impact on your artistic practice?
From an early age I took my son to exhibitions. Interactive installations at Liverpool Tate and The Liverpool Biennial were fun when he was little and as he got older, interpreting what we were seeing was enriching and inspiring for both of us. Having a very young child meant we could enjoy the wonder of the everyday world together – making scenes in the park out of sticks, stones and other debris; tearing up leaflets in café’s to make paper people for role play, making outfits out of spare pieces of fabric. In short, playing and inventing together - the keys for making art. As time went on, the everyday of our world entered into my paintings. Now, I am lucky to be able to share and critique artistic ideas with my son.
What are the challenges you have faced in your artistic practice being a parent?
The challenges were all at the beginning from when I was pregnant. Morning sickness was unexpectedly triggered by the sight of rich colours making me over-sensitive to colour for a couple of years afterwards. The sudden shift from living and breathing ideas for works, to an inability to realise them with a baby at my breast, meant that the ideas eventually stopped coming. When my son was two, I started going to pottery evening classes and when he started going to nursery, I took on a studio. It felt like an incredibly slow process getting the creative wheels moving again. The break meant starting a new thread of ideas.
Any advice for other Artist Parents and how they can continue to nurture their practice?
It is a personal road. For me it was important to find a way to continue thinking about and making work without loosing sight of the needs of my son – two very different ways of thinking. This was possible when he was old enough for me to have chunks of time apart in a dedicated space. At first this time was spent just sitting and thinking or making things that I didn’t think were very good. Sticking to a routine for this studio time was essential for making any progress even if it seemed incredibly slow.
Is there anything else you would like to say, share or promote?
My work ‘Flowering’, which features my son as a teenager, will be showing at the Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate, as part of the New Light Prize Exhibition Tour from 12 October to 31 December 2024.
Thank you to Anna for sharing her story and thank you for reading. If you would like to read more stories or for your work to be shared then follow and tag @artist_parent on Instragam.
Uploaded 8th October 2024