Journal
Introducing Artist in Residence – where each month we settle in with an artist, musician or creative mind whose work livens up the Permit Room. In this first edition, Jodie talks to us about capturing reality, the imagined adventures of her childhood cat and what’s next.
The walls of Permit Room Cambridge are alive with art. Among them, memories from its sister in Brighton, live drawn by Jodie Howard.
Cut to Spring 2024, when the Cantabrigian artist brought her signature style to Permit Room Brighton. Gentle colours. Soft pencil strokes. Sheets of cartridge paper filled with a hurried calm. Potent cocktails, succulent Chicken Pick-Me-Ups, juicy conversations with friends – all on one page. Now beaming proudly in Cambridge.
Jodie Howard (JH): Of course! I’m originally from the Peak District in the UK, which means I grew up surrounded by the countryside, hills and nature, and was influenced by and filled with inspiration from a very early age. My earliest memory of painting was when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I was sitting at my parent’s kitchen table drawing miniature hills and I remember the satisfaction I got from painting little dotted white sheep.
I also illustrated books when I was in Primary school. I was obsessed with my cat and would draw her imagined adventures – everything I thought she got up to while I was away at school. The places she’d go to, the characters she’d meet. I have around 30-40 of these books with me even today.
JH: Honestly, I don’t know if there was ever a point where I decided I wanted to be an artist. If anything I was always trying to come up with something more sensible because I thought there was no way that I could make art a career. But I’ve always been creative and I’ve always loved drawing and I think it was around 6th form when I started seeing it as a career path, and it became something more tangible for me.
JH: I’m a very emotional person. I’m often moved by people and places. I think all of my work comes from things I’ve felt on a personal level, and I’m trying to communicate those exact feelings through scenes. It’s never to illustrate a specific memory, but more to evoke feelings of a place and illustrate emotions that might be familiar but ones that you can’t quite put into words.
JH: I love gouache paint – it’s my favourite material ever. It dries very, very fast and allows you to draw over it with pencils and pastels. Because it reacts with water you can rework it at any point and it’s just really good for when you’re out and about and need it to be an instant material. It’s great for observational life drawing!
JH: For me, live drawing is a very grounding experience. I often have a very busy head and drawing brings me back to reality. I also love the challenges it brings, it creates a lot of vibrancy and movement compared to a still piece or working from an image. And I feel the finished drawing feels more real and tangible. It is my preference for capturing reality, I guess.
JH: Sure. Generally when you’re live drawing things are constantly in a state of motion. And so, when they’re moving, trying to draw them set in time can be difficult. The more often you live draw, the more gestural you become. You sort of start working out how long a person might be standing in a place before they walk away, and you then know to draw that person first before the rest of the scene. So it’s much like a puzzle – trying to fit everything in before it goes away.
JH: I absolutely loved creating those pieces, it was very very fun! I haven’t drawn much food before so it was a real joy to use so much colour. It was lovely to draw such a lively atmosphere – I usually pick places that are more quiet or serene in that way. But I wanted to capture that warmth and friendliness that I experienced on the day.
JH: I’m organising an art fair in Cambridge in April called LOOKOUT. Alongside hosting 60+ artists, I will also be there selling my prints and original artworks. There will be live drawing workshops and sketchbook displays from most of the artists and I’m hoping to have lots of new work to exhibit on the day.
Jodie Howard’s works are displayed in Permit Room Cambridge. Keep keen eyes peeled for when you’re in the café next.
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