In Conversation: Polly Plouviez on colour, neurodiversity and finding her creative path
Mixed media artist Polly Plouviez chatted to What’s on Plymouth Culture reporter and Fashion designer Victoria Lammie about starting out in textiles and moving into painting through her love of colour, moving to Plymouth, being diagnosed with dyslexia and using her art practice to raise awareness for mental health.
Image - Jo Weston
Can you tell me about your practice for those discovering your work for the first time?
I initially trained as a textile designer in surface pattern in the eighties. My practice today has somewhat been informed by this, it grew out of my love for colour, fabric and paint. Therefore coming from a textile background, more recently I have been trying to develop my design history and get back into authentic painting and back to my first love, which I suppose was painting.
Image - Jo Weston
Image - Jo Weston
I know you relocated from Cambridge, why was this? And what made you choose Plymouth?
I used to visit Cornwall as a child with my family. I lived in Scotland for a year on the Isle of Mull and it gave me a taste for trying to live in a more rural area. Even though Plymouth is a city, I’ve still yet to decide where I want to settle. I feel living here inspires me. Accessing the moors and nature I feel it grounds me and makes me feel more connected to my practice.
Image - Jo Weston
What are you currently working on?
I’m starting to work on painting with oils, which I have done in the past. I’ve always struggled with them due to the toxicity of the thinners. So I’m now experimenting more with non toxic thinners and fluids etc. But I want to try oils and work on board rather than canvas. I feel oils will help me get closer to the look I want to achieve, with my paintings.
I then go on to ask Polly how she’s finding the non toxic alternatives. ‘So far I don't like the water based oils, I’m not getting on with them that well. They are similar to acrylics but they haven’t got the lustre of real oils. So I want to work with real oil paints, but look at going back to traditional binders and thinners and things such as egg tempera. It’s quite early days, but I feel oil paint is the way I want to go, or if I stick to acrylics I need to change the surface. Canvas is too Matt for me at the moment I feel like I need to get more glossy and ethereal’.
How do you see your art practice developing in the future?
I am looking at ways of getting my work out otherwise it accumulates. I’m not a huge fan of social media. I find it stressful. I’m therefore trying to keep it simple. I also work four days a week with people with autism, ADHD and all forms of neurodiversity at the University of Plymouth, Arts University Plymouth and online around the country. When I moved to Plymouth I was tested for dyslexia before I started my MA and that opened up a whole can of worms for me, which has been quite life changing. It confirmed a lot of things, it also informed my masters where I focused my research on neurodiversity and how we experience art, painting and our environment. I used the jellyfish as my muse and I worked with it, looking at it as a creature that was pushed by the tide and I felt that's how my life had been up until my diagnosis. Supporting people in my working life is lovely, I now feel like I’ve found my tribe. Through my artwork I’m trying to raise awareness of children getting tested, across the board, while in education. At least twice, in primary and secondary. It's not something I can achieve single handedly, it's the government that needs to invest in making these changes, but there are a lot of people already fighting for this, which is great. It is encouraging that there is much more awareness now of people’s autism and ADHD because they changed my life massively, times, opportunities, I will never get back. It now feels like the last five to six years the light has finally been switched on.
Image - Jo Weston
Where can the general public find you? Do you have any exhibitions coming up?
I’m part of the ‘Plymouth Art Weekender’ at the Melville building in Royal William Yard and also the ‘Artober’
Getting to know Polly and find out about her art practice has been really interesting. I was instantly drawn to her paintings, which have a wonderful textile quality about them and her use of colour is truly stunning. Hearing about her dyslexia and neurodiversity and how she works helping others with these conditions was inspiring. I particularly admire her commitment to raising awareness through her art.
Be sure to go and see her beautiful art this October at the following locations:
Plymouth Art Weekender : 16th - 18th October in the Melville building at Royal William Yard, Plymouth, PL1 3RP
https://plymouthartweekender.com/
Artober : 23rd October - 1st November, Melville Corner, Royal William Yard, Plymouth, PL1 3RP
https://royalwilliamyard.com/artober
https://info342274.wixsite.com/pollyplouviez
https://www.instagram.com/pplouviez
