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Your World, our Art
From Shameless and East is East to Coronation Street and his current role as Jai Sharma in Emmerdale , actor and art collector, Chris Bisson has undertaken a series of exciting roles throughout his career. We caught-up with him to talk about his favourite galleries, artists and the influence art has both in his personal life and his career YourWorld, Our Art Interview: Chris Bisson
the resin finish interacts with the colours. I have actually commissioned Alex to do a painting in the shape of a heart for my girlfriend and I to celebrate the birth of my son. I can’t wait to see the finished piece! What do you think is the most important factor in choosing the right piece of art for you? There are somany factors that I think are important: space, location in the home, style, relationship to room, size. Personally, I am drawn to art whichmakes me happy but I think the important thing is that any art you invest in should have something in it for you. Caroline’s work is exquisitely detailed and the character she manages to convey through her animals is captivating. I think this ability to make her characters jump out of the canvas is what attracts me to her work. As an actor, I am always studying people’s expressions and character traits and I think it’s amazing howCaroline manages to convey so much personality through the curl of a lip or the slant of an eyelid. I also like the fact that her work appeals to children. I think it’s beautiful. Peter Smith’s work draws on humour and creatures of his imagination. Do you see art as a mode of escapism? Yes, I do. I like the fact that a lot of Peter’s work is quite dark with a childish front. It takes emotion and feeling and makes it accessible. It’s happy, childish, quirky and easy to relate to, which I like. You own Dizzy Heights by Caroline Shot- ton, what is it you like about her work?
work and the colours he uses. I especially like the Blue Nude series. I find myself star- ing at them for ages and noticing something new every time – I think that’s a mark of good art. I also admire Manchester-based artist, Michael J Browne after filming a BBC documentary of his calledMade in Eng- land. Michael is known for creating quite controversial pieces, but the documentary challenged him to create a painting of the Lake District; something far removed from anything he had done before. It was really interesting to see howMichael tackled the challenge and it showed what a talented artist he is. Which pieces of art do you have your eye on next? I love Alex Echo’s work and find the intricacy of it fascinating. From a distance, his work is intriguing, but it gets more interesting the closer you get to it. I love the vibrancy of the colours and the way
Why do you like to have art in your home? Not only is art a great way to brighten up a living space, but it’s also a reflection of my personality. I look at the art in my home every day and so I like it to be bright and happy. I have an eclectic mix of art from landscape paintings and master graphics, to photography, all of which inspire and challenge me. Where is your favourite gallery? What gallery have you visited that you’d recommend our readers to visit? I visitedMOMA in NewYork a few years ago and thought it was fantastic. It is so much more than an art gallery – it’s an experience. The way the art relates to the space and the interaction it encour- ages amongst visitors means it manages to engage with people of all ages, even children find it fascinating. In the UK, I love Manchester City Art Gallery and Leeds Art Gallery, which I sometimes visit when filming Emmerdale. The nice thing about city centre art galler- ies is the oasis of calm they offer, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The Lowry is another favourite – it’s great having the work of a world-famous artist in Salford. The gallery is never busy and the exhibits are always changing. Who are your favourite artists? I have so many! I like everything from the abstract and thought-provoking work of local artist Geoffrey Key, to the great masters like Henri Matisse. I am lucky enough to own a number of master graphics byMatisse. I love the abstract nature of his
Matisse: Blue Nude
make-up the Blue Nudes were inspired by a visit that Matisse made to Tahiti in 1930 and his collection of African sculpture. It took another twenty years and a period of ill-health before Matisse translated these influences into this seminal series.
Matisse’s Blue Nude series is a collection of gouaches découpées (paper cut-outs) dating back to 1952. Representing female nudes either seated or standing, the work is amongst Matisse’s last in any medium. The painted gouache cut-outs that
SPRING 2013 FINE ART COLLECTOR
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