Lisa Loader: Your current practice centres on painting in oils - has this always been your preferred medium?

Lucy Buttenshaw: In the exhibition Away, half of my paintings are in oil and half are in acrylic - a reflection of how I regularly paint. I choose oil for longer drying times and rich blended colours, but love the immediacy and flexibility of acrylic for other effects. I came to appreciate the versatility of acrylics years ago finding it so practical while teaching workshops. These days I usually have a palette of each on the go in my studio. 

Drawing is a fundamental part of my everyday practice. It is also an accessible, practical way of recording experiences and making art when you are travelling. Although my drawings in the exhibition Away are ink and pencil, I will experiment with anything that makes a mark.

LL: Can you tell us a little about how your practice has developed during the time you have been working as an artist?

LB: As a child I mainly recorded the things around me - kangaroos, dad inspecting the wheat and Trixie our horse eating hay.

As an adult I have continued to reference favourite, familiar things from my world and experiences. This includes ideas collected through travelling, music and reading. I love combining imagery in inventive ways to suggest new stories and to comment on how I feel about things. 

LL: Which artists have influenced your practice the most and in what ways?

LB: At school I discovered the German expressionists. I admired the way they painted their feelings, using directness of brush stroke and imagery.  I am still interested in painters who work in an expressionistic style, but am also drawn to naïve artists, paintings that embrace symbolism, and folk art from various cultures.

LL: A number of works in this exhibition focus on your experiences in Mexico. What is it about this place that resonates with you?

LB: Mexico has the most wonderful art embedded in its richly diverse culture. Art is not just in the museums and galleries, it appears on the street, in the clothes and in the celebrations. There are so many stories in their art, and the Mexican history is fascinating.  On top of all this, I found the people to be generous and gracious with a lovely sense of humour.

LL: How do you find the experience of working with a group of artists and exhibiting together? What do you hope visitors will take away from this exhibition?

LB: Distance prevents me from regular art making with others, so most of the time I am working independently in my studio. However the opportunity to exhibit in a group stimulates my artistic world and friendships. We share motivation, inspiration and rejuvenation in the process of exploring a theme. Individual responses are diverse and when viewed together they seem to add more layers to what is being said. I hope this is something visitors to our exhibition of  Away will experience. 

You may be interested in participating in Buttenshaw’s upcoming workshop “draw yourself into travel ”on  September 5 and 6 from 10am-4pm, cost $195. To see more of Buttenshaw’s works visit: www.lucybuttenshaw.com

Away will be on display until Sunday October 4. The gallery is open every day from 9am to 5pm (except Christmas Day). Entry to exhibitions is free. For more information or bookings contact 6393 8136 or visit the website www.org.nsw.gov.au