Local Artist Interview: 5 Questions for – Ruth Gray

19th November 201521st November 2015 Emma Clinton

1. As an artist, what inspires you about the locality around Belper? Belper is set within some of the most beautiful countryside, it has a long and interesting history and this is witnessed in the diversity of the buildings. It is the combination of this that inspires me to paint it.

2. Name three artists that inspire and/or influence you. There are many regional artists that inspire me on a daily basis but the well known artists that have had an influence on my work are Turner because I love his skies, Lowry because of his honest depiction of working class life and printmaker Norman Ackroyd for his outstanding portrayal of the British landscape.

3. Where are you from, and when did you start realising you wanted to be an artist? I grew up on the Nottingham / Derbyshire border in a village called Toton. I pursued a career in fashion design after university for twelve years then moved to live in Australia for six years. It was while I was living in Australia that I developed my lifelong passion for painting and became an artist full time – that is almost thirteen years ago now.

4. How and where do you regularly work? My life as an artist is very varied as I work in many settings. I paint in my home studio, exhibit in local and regional galleries and conduct demonstrations at art societies. I also work for a number of local galleries, either manning the space or working with them on their promotional materials. I also help run a separate business called ‘purple and grey’ which co-ordinates artist’s talks, educational seminars and networking events for new and emerging artists.

5. Where will you be exhibiting in the coming year? I am currently exhibiting at Number 28 on Belper Market Place until December 12th, then I will be showing work in a joint exhibition at Cromford Studio and Gallery, Cromford Market Place throughout December. My main exhibition will be with Cromford Mill next year during the discovery days in October where I will be showing my completed Derwent Valley series. I am in several East Midland galleries all year round and have frequent stalls at events such as Derbyshire Open Arts and Notts Open Studios.

Listings on Ruth’s website http://ruthgrayimages.net

One thought on “Local Artist Interview: 5 Questions for – Ruth Gray”

Jack Halford

23rd November 2015 at 10:11 pm

Very good, I definitely can see Lowry in Gray’s paintings & found it interesting to learn more about her vibrant journey as an artist.