CASE STUDY
Claire Gill
Q How would you describe yourself? A ‘If pushed to describe myself I would say I was a digital collage artist or photomontage artist. I get nervous about calling myself a digital artist as I think people have very particular notions of what digital art is.
‘When I first began creating digital photomontages in 2009, I wasn’t quite sure what they were, albeit I loved the process of making them. Many gallery owners at the time would not have considered them an art form and photographers would not have considered them to be photography. I knew it was not design, even though I used many skills I had used as a designer to create them.
‘I felt a bit stuck in between all of these things and it took me a long time to consider myself an artist or find anything in galleries that resembled what I was doing. In the last few years, however, digital art has become a much more established and accepted form of art, which encompasses many approaches.’
Q What does your process involve?
A ‘My process is basically that of creating a collage but on a computer. I take photographs of objects, details, scenes or surfaces that I am attracted to. This would typically be on a day out, or trip to the coast. On returning to the studio, I edit the images in Lightroom and sometimes print them out. I find that when I lay out the physical photographs on a surface, I can see connections between them much quicker than on a screen. I might see colours that sit well together, or accidentally lay one image over another and get a starting point for an image. I sometimes go further and create analogue collages from photographs to get a feel for how an image might begin.
‘I then begin to create the images in Photoshop. I cut out various parts of photographs in Photoshop and begin to layer them together. I never have an idea of how an image will resolve itself. It is a process which unfolds, like I am discovering the solution to a complex problem. It is really satisfying when I find an answer. I can build up well over 100 layers in the process of creating an image, but I tend to reduce these as I resolve the image. I save the image each time I feel I have moved forward in a significant way with it. Often it will take me upwards of 25 versions to reach the final image.’
Q What inspired you to start making photomontages?
A ‘I trained as a textile designer but gave this up when I had my first child. My initial delusions that I could continue to run my own business while my baby slept quietly in the corner quickly evaporated and I realised I needed a more structured occupation, with a regular wage. I began teaching in a secondary school but was itching to get
back to some sort of creative output. I didn’t know at that point what form it would take, but like any creative felt like there was a huge gap in my life without it.
‘I had always used my camera to record things in which I was interested and began to use it more actively to connect with the places we visited. Now, with two small children in tow, my partner and I were regularly taking trips to the coast. I had the idea that I wanted to start painting. As a textile designer I had taught myself how to create mood boards in Photoshop and so digitally collaged some of my photographs together as an idea for a painting. My first photomontage consisted of five images layered together and depicted a coastal scene. I looked at the result and thought, “I couldn’t paint this if I tried” but I loved the process of making it and continued to make more. This was the beginning of my journey into digital photomontage.’
Q Can you give us your top tips for fine artists who are new to using digital software?
A ‘I have never used anything more than basic tools in Photoshop. A digital collage is basically a digital version of an analogue process. It is just cutting things out as you would with scissors, but digitally. I use the same process now as when I started, except I have added a few more tools to my arsenal and am a bit more skilful in the way I use them.
‘With this in mind I would suggest:
● ‘Start small and basic with the tools. It is very tempting to follow a complex tutorial on YouTube to create an effect, but the danger with this is that you never really understand what the tools do and how to use them.
● ‘Start by using the lasso tools and the magic wand tool to select and cut out a shape from an image.
● ‘Then learn how to copy and paste it into another image. Already you have a collage. You can build from there.’
Q What projects are you working on at the moment and where are you taking inspiration?
A ‘During lockdown, we moved to a much more rural area and are now surrounded by trees and greenery. I have wanted to try creating landscapes for a long while, but found it really difficult. With seascapes there are clear and distinct details to cut out, such as boats, stones, groynes and ropes. Even water is possible to cut out in Photoshop. However, landscape needs a different approach. It is everywhere. One bush blends into another, a tree overlaps another tree and grass is everywhere. It is messy. In terms of cutting out individual objects for photomontage it is incredibly challenging.
‘However I think I have just recently made a breakthrough and feel excited about exploring a different aspect of the environment. This has in part been due to my ongoing attraction to the work of abstract painters, many of whom I follow on Instagram. I think I have the courage now to take a more abstract approach to photomontage in order to capture the landscape. I don’t know if it will work, but it’s the journey I love.’
All limited edition prints are printed on Hahnemühle Archival Cotton Rag and available in three sizes:
Small, 113/43113/4in (30330cm), edition of 50
Medium, 193/43193/4in (50350cm), edition of 25
Large, 24324in (61361cm), edition of 10
Shop for original fine art prints and greetings cards online: https://www.clairegill.co.uk/fine-art-prints-for-sale/ https://www.clairegill.co.uk https://www.instagram.com/clairegillfineart/