Landscape ID1
Harry Clitheroe, 2018

“I like the idea that artists all share a big pot of thoughts and feeling and approaches and techniques.”

Name

Harry Clitheroe 

Profession

Painter 

Website

harryclitheroe.com

Harry Clitheroe, Untitled, 2018, Harry Clitheroe
Harry Clitheroe, Untitled, 2018, Harry Clitheroe

Who are you? What do you do?

I am a graduate from Glasgow School of Art, I am still living here and painting on the other side of my bedroom.

Where are you from?

I am extremely lucky to be born and raised in the Peak District, England. 

Your style in 3 words?

Really big drawings.

Your weakness? Your strength?

Being too relaxed. Being relaxed. 

Harry Clitheroe, Untitled, 2018, Harry Clitheroe_
Harry Clitheroe, Untitled, 2018, Harry Clitheroe

What makes you different?

I never really considered being different. I like the idea that artists all share a big pot of thoughts and feeling and approaches and techniques. You can go in and see something you like and borrow it. After a conversation about this with my friend last week, she sent me this Siri Hustvedt quote, artists are cannibals. We consume other artists, and they become part of us, only to be spewed out again in our own works.

When did you decide to become an artist?

I guess like everybody I drew a lot as a child. I have been raised surrounded by art, my mum is an artist and my granddad too. I think I first recognised it was more important to me when I reached my teenage years. My twin sister, Lucy, has always been artistically talented, so my awe for what she did probably had something to do with my own making. We are extremely close and so whether we are actually working together or not I see our paintings as collaborative. She is my go to when I need a second opinion, advice or support, in my art as well as every other aspect of my life.

What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?

No matter how planned a piece is, the paint always has the final say. 

Harry Clitheroe, Driveway, 2017, Harry Clitheroe
Harry Clitheroe, Driveway, 2017, Harry Clitheroe

A few words about your favourite creation?

I see a clear change in my approach to painting in Decapitated By The Pool. I don’t necessarily think it is my best work, however doing that piece alone really set me in the right direction. Everything just became a lot clearer to me and I will always hold that one close to my heart.

Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…

Whenever in doubt, look at Diebenkorn.

A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?

I want to go bigger.

Finish the sentence „More important than my career is…“

Spending time with people. The guilt you get from not working for a few days, and telling yourself you’ve not been productive is wrong. I think it’s the most productive thing you can do. We are social animals, and having conversations and being close to your friends and family is the most important job in your life. 

Harry Clitheroe, Decapitated By The Pool, 2017, Harry Clitheroe
Harry Clitheroe, Decapitated By The Pool, 2017, Harry Clitheroe

A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?

I want to go bigger.

Finish the sentence „More important than my career is…“

Spending time with people. The guilt you get from not working for a few days, and telling yourself you’ve not been productive is wrong. I think it’s the most productive thing you can do. We are social animals, and having conversations and being close to your friends and family is the most important job in your life. 

2018: Where are we going?

My mind is set on organising an exhibition with Lucy before the year is over!

When the going gets tough…

Watch some horror films. 

Harry Clitheroe, Limb From Limb, 2018, Harry Clitheroe
Harry Clitheroe, Limb From Limb, 2018, Harry Clitheroe

Your city’s favourite spots?

The Necropolis. The 78 for a burger. My kitchen.

What would you do if you could change the World?

Give everybody the confidence to be themselves completely. 

Tell us about your future plans…

I have a solo show lined up next summer in Motherwell Concert Hall & Theatre, and I am showing work at The Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, as part of their New Contemporaries 2019 exhibition. I am hoping to move abroad, and start making paintings in new surroundings.

Last but not least: what is your favourite Song?

Jeff Buckley and Elizabeth Fraser – All Flowers in Time Bend Towards The Sun / Rufus Wainwright –Vibrate?!?!!?

Follow Harry on Instagram