GEORGIA GARDNER


Georgia Gardner, a queer Scottish artist, employs score-based movement, sound, and video in their practice to engage with internal and intuitive protests. Their work seeks to break away from the constraints of perfectionism, embracing rebellion and embodiment to explore self-expression beyond conventional reproduction. By prioritising autonomy, care, and tenderness, Georgia resists the imposed and judgmental rhythms of societal expectations.

Georgia graduated from the Edinburgh College of Art in 2021 with an MA in Fine Art and in 2022 with an MSc in Contemporary Art History and Curation. Her work has been showcased in numerous exhibitions, such as Gestures of Resistance (Chongqing, 2023), Format Festival (Derby, 2023), Royal Scottish Academy New Contemporaries (Edinburgh, 2023), RSA Annual Exhibition (Edinburgh, 2022), and the Visual Arts Scotland Annual Exhibition (Edinburgh, 2022). Additionally, she recently provided trauma-informed community coordination for a transnational exhibition at Talbot Rice Gallery and the Venice Biennale (Edinburgh and Venice, 2024).

In this interview, Georgia shares her insights and paintings, highlighting the influence of the 'Flowers' workshop series on her practice.



© 2024 Georgia Gardner, made during the 'Painting Flowers' workshop block.

THE INTERVIEW 


What inspired you to join these workshops as the Secret Workshopper, and what were your expectations beforehand?


I have admired Lucy’s work and was excited for this opportunity to collaborate. I hoped to use the workshops in tight communication with my own practice in which I use watercolour and drawing to create illustrative movement scores. I was particularly interested in encouraging more colour in my work.



How did these workshops contribute to your artistic growth and development?


The workshops created an artist-to-artist space to discuss ideas and created community. Alongside more practical guidance of colour theory, this was a supportive environment via the creation of relaxed community.



Can you share any specific skills or techniques you learned during the workshops that you found particularly valuable? 

Lucy shared information about medieval incorporation of flowers into artwork and the personification of flowers in this way. I liked this light-hearted way of discovering new artists and compositional techniques.





© 2024 Georgia Gardenr, made during the 'Painting Flowers' workshop block.

Did the workshops provide a supportive and engaging environment for learning and creativity? If so, how?



After finishing art school, it is so nice to find groups like this that allow low-stakes peer led community and mutual inspiration. Lucy does a great job at facilitating the group to make people feel at ease and free to chat and engage with each other’s practices.


What aspects of the workshops did you find most enjoyable and rewarding?


The workshops were a rewarding balance of social and creative community, Lucy’s facilitation and creation of a welcoming space was what really made these workshops. I think that they are a very accessible way of getting to now new people and new skills at the same time.



In what ways did the workshops help you overcome any creative challenges or obstacles you were facing?


For me, learning more about colour theory was the most useful as I came to the workshops from an intermedia background and had less recent experience in painting. It was also nice to chat to Lucy about blending the skills they were teaching with my personal aims, methods, and style.




© 2024 Georgia Gardner, made during the 'Painting Flowers’ workshop block.

How has your perspective or approach to your art practice changed as a result of participating in these workshops?

Since the workshops I feel greater motivation to sit down and paint as a grounding and material extension of my performance and sound based practice. I feel this will be beneficial also in terms of dedicating time to myself without the pressure of productivity. The pace of the workshops encourages independence and non-comparison, establishing a meditative mindset for painting. 



Did you find the workshop content relevant and applicable to your artistic goals and interests?

Absolutely, I appreciated that although providing specific techniques and inspiration, Lucy welcomed independent motivations.

What advice would you give to someone considering attending a similar workshop series?


I think I would say to think about what it is you would like from the workshops ahead of attending, whether that is to improve a specific technique, feel more comfortable painting, or to connect with other artists.



Overall, how would you describe the impact of these workshops on your artistic journey?

These workshops allowed me to slow down and remove pressure, getting into flow state for a few hours was so beneficial.




© 2024 Georgia Gardner, made during the 'Painting Flowers’ workshop block.