My day in cups of tea
WE ASKED SOMERSET VEGETABLE ARTIST NATASHA CLUTTERBUCK TO DESCRIBE HER DAY IN CUPPAS
Morning! What’s the first drink of the day? I have a good strong coffee to start the day, which I drink over breakfast with my family. We live in a lovely old stone cottage – the kind that looks like a house you might draw as a child. Breakfast is usually porridge or boiled eggs with soldiers, and fruit, before we walk across the fields to school. Tell us a little bit about your work. I make vibrant, earthy vegetable drawings using locally found natural raw materials, including willow charcoal, red iron ore and ochres found in the Mendip Hills. I also use mud and oak bark found nearby. On a typical studio day, I start by preparing my paper with oak stain and hanging it to dry, while I gather vegetables from my garden and set them up in my studio or outdoors for inspiration. I often work at home but I also travel to the Yeo Valley Organic Garden, where I’m artist in residence. I draw their ornamental and heritage vegetable varieties, which are grown alongside beautiful companion plants such as marigolds and catmint. Kettle’s on. What do you fancy? Builders, strong with a bit of milk, in my favourite mug – a stoneware puffin one (above), which reminds me of a lovely holiday in west Scotland. And do you browse as you break? I try to keep my feet firmly in the real world and avoid the digital one as much as possible! So to switch off, I like to sit in the vegetable patch. Talking of breaks, ever had any mug mishaps? I do remember smashing the lid of my friend’s mum’s best teapot and being asked to leave… We’ll remember to keep you away from the crockery! When do you down tools for the day? I usually stop at around 6pm but quite often start up again after 9pm and work into the night. Then it’s a mint tea before bed.