Colin Barnes is a multidisciplinary artist based in South London. Recently, Colin's work 'Visible / Invisible Blue' was featured in our exhibition #notquitedisney, curated by Magda Archer. The work fit the theme perfectly, and we really loved seeing Colin's playful spin on popular imagery. Check out his thoughtful answers to our questions below to find out a bit more about our newest artist!

Jealous:

There is a playful element to your work, with strong references to pop culture. Can you tell us about your works ‘Visible Invisible Orange’ and ‘Visible Invisible Blue’? What inspired these pieces?

Colin:

Prior to the series, I was interested in a lot of collage work which usually involves a lot of vintage magazine and film imagery, so I began thinking about what type of black popular images I could find.

It turns out that black magazines and film memorabilia is very collectable and you probably won’t just find it in a second hand book shop or thrift store, so I was thinking about what I watched on TV as a kid and the character from Tom and Jerry popped into my head. So I thought that would be and interesting and slightly risky theme to explore.

Jealous:

Colin:

I remember watching these cartoons when I was younger and not understanding why her head was missing. So in an attempt to rectify my childhood curiosity, I thought it would be a good idea to recreate her image but then leave a negative space at the top of the painting to imply that there is more to this person than what is being shown. I actually left it blank for at least 6 months while I worked on things, then when I had some down time I eventually added the outline which is actually based on the actress Lillian Randolph who voiced the character Mammy Two Shoes.

Jealous:

Could you tell us a bit about your background in printmaking and what intrigues you about the process of making editions?

Colin:

So I mentioned before that I was heavily into collage and in 2015 I did an MA at Camberwell Collage of Arts because I thought I was going to end up making a lot of silkscreen collages but in the end, I showed a final piece that was using acetone printing and animation on video screens, which is interesting because I started to realise that a lot of what I was influenced by was coming from television and I began referencing that in one way or another. Also the idea of an edition of this particular piece is interesting because essentially, it’s one frame or cell of an animated sequence and I find that very appealing because to take one small aspect and repeat it reminds me of early sampling and Hip Hop, which is another part of my background.

Jealous:

We picked ‘Visible Invisible Orange’ to be part of our recent exhibition ‘Not Quite Disney’, curated by Magda Archer, because it fit the theme perfectly. With this in mind, is there something about cartoon imagery that appeals to you?

Colin:

I used to read a lot of comics when I was younger, things like 2000AD and watch cartoons like Battle Of The Planets so guess I like comic and cartoon imagery because of the bright, flat areas of colour and the bold outlines, which later resurfaced when I started getting into graffiti, I see it as all the same thing, really.

Jealous:

What are three things you’ve learnt about making art?

Colin:

1) Ideas in your head are always amazing, you have to actually make the thing to really know if it’s good or not, it has to exist in the real world so you can judge it properly.

2) Sometimes, you’re going to make something that is going to be a bit shit, and you should learn to be ok with that because it’s all part of the process! 

3) Inspiration is a myth, you have to just get up and do the work. Something unexpected will happen if you remain consistent, which can feel pretty boring at times but sitting around waiting for that magic moment is a waste of time. I’ve also said in the past, there’s no perfect day to go to the studio. Sunny day? Don’t wanna go. Rainy day? Don’t wanna go. You just have to clock in and do it!

Visible / Invisible Blue

Visible / Invisible Orange

Jealous:

Do you have any advice for any new artists starting out?

Colin:

Take part in shows as soon as you can, it doesn’t matter if you don’t feel ready, it’s good to gain the experience and you never know who you might meet.

Don’t get too hung up on having a studio, they’re nice but it doesn’t improve the work, only the size. You improve by constantly making work and you can do that at home, if you have the space. Make work firstly for yourself, seeing as you’re the first observer of the work, and trust your instincts, they’re never wrong. You know when you’ve made something that you connect with.

Also don’t show half finished work to someone expecting them to get it, you can see it in your head but they might not understand and that might change the outcome of the piece. 

Click here to find Colin's work on the Jealous website!