The Art of Happy Accidents – Beth Kennedy’s Layers of Joy and Colour

Q. When did you first realise you wanted to be an artist?
A. I was about 16 – I’ve always loved to draw and my Dad used to paint, I remember him teaching my brothers and me how to paint with oils when I was a kid. 

Q. If your style had a personality, what would it be like?
A. It would be playful, elegant and always ready with a
hug and some kind words.

Q. What first sparked your love for abstract florals?
A. I grew up in country NSW, the light there is different
and there’s a softness to the colour of the trees & plants. Where I live in Brisbane it’s a brighter more intense
light and the plants and flowers are very vivid colours,
I remember when I first moved here it felt like the brightness and the intensity of the light had been turned way up. I’ve always loved green spaces and flowers make me happy, whether they’re in a vase or it’s apple blossom on a tree or jacaranda blooms that have fallen to
the ground.

Q. How would you describe your relationship with colour?
A. I see colours clearly; I know what paint colours I need to mix up next and what colours will sit well together. I’ve been painting for a long time and it’s like when you have memorised a favourite recipe – you know you need a dash of this and a splash of that and then it’s just right. 

Q. Who are your biggest creative influences?
A. I love the work of Édouard Vuillard & Pierre Bonnard
(Post-Impressionist French artists from the Nabis group, Paris, 1888 – 1900). They were heavily influenced by Japanese woodblock prints and the flattening of the
picture plane and included patterns in their work and simplified forms. 

Contemporary artists that I draw creative inspiration
from include Cressida Campbell, Nicola Moss & Spencer Shakespeare. I also love the work of French illustrator Lucille Clerc & Scottish illustrators of old Annie French
and Jessie M King.

Q. What do you mean when you say you love “happy accidents” in your creative process?
A. I like a playful approach to painting and I love to experiment with paints and mediums and see what will happen when I pour paint onto the surface and let it run and drip. I use a lot of different water-based products including ink, acrylic paint, gouache, acrylic gouache & liquid watercolour plus oil stick for lovely wobbly lines. 

Q. How do you feel when you’re lost in your art?
A. There’s a point when I’ve had enough coffee and I’ve been listening to my painting playlist for a little while and
I will feel myself click into the creative flow state and it is wonderful; I lose track of time and I become very clear about what I’m painting and how I’m going to go about
it, not overthinking choices and just going with it. 

Q. How do you balance your studio practice with
family life?
A. Over time I have learnt to be very disciplined with the time that I have for painting; I’m an early bird so I will start at 5am if I have deadlines and paint solidly before coming up for air and food and to throw a load of washing on. I love the flexibility of my art practice that allows me to pick my daughters up from school and be around with them in the afternoons and on school holidays.

Q. Why is pattern such a strong element in your work?
A. I am obsessed with wallpapers and fabrics and all
things beautiful – incorporating patterns into my work is also me tipping my hat to the Nabis artists that I adore. 

Q. Is there a particular feeling you hope to leave with
your audience?
A. I hope to bring people joy; many collectors have
said that looking at my paintings makes them smile and brings them joy which is just beautiful that makes me
very happy. 

Q. What is your favourite colour? Does this colour
describe you as a person?
A. I have always been obsessed with pink, even as a
young child it was always pink. I am a warm person &
I’m a hugger so I think pink describes me well 🙂

Q. Is there a recurring shape, motif, or pattern that appears often in your work?
A. Stripes, fish scale pattern, drawn botanical motifs,
leaves & leaves broken down into big stripes of colour
and cut-out shapes all appear in my work.

Q. Are your paintings guided by a story from the start,
or do they reveal themselves to you layer by layer?
A. Definitely it’s a reveal layer by layer or in my case my paintings are built layer by layer, one colour dictating the next, one shape calling for a similar shape to mirror it
and so on.

I will often have a narrative in mind as I paint but
it’s more of a feeling and an emotion that I’m wanting
to convey. 

Q. What and where is your happy place?
A. My happy place is hanging out with my family, having
a wine and just enjoying each other’s company, whether
at home or when travelling (Singapore, England and Scotland being the most recent travel destinations).