FENTON & FENTON

Fenton & Fenton
Style Journal

MEET THE 2021 RISING TALENT WINNER

Llewellyn Skye, known simply as Skye, is a dynamic, passionate and soulful visual artist, whose unique and expressive abstract paintings are captivating public and private collectors around the globe. Drawing inspiration from nature, in particular florals, Skye seeks to explore the paradoxes of pleasure and pain, of infatuation and betrayal, of joy and despair and of love and loss. She endeavours to capture the tiny fleck of gold that marks the transition – that precious moment in time, however fleeting, of beauty and light, before the change occurs.

How would you describe your art?

My art is floral, gestural and abstract. I like to keep my work as painterly and expressive as possible.

What attracted you to apply for the Rising Talent competition?

I am totally in love with how F&F represent their artists and artworks. To have a chance at being represented in such a colourful and unique way is what attracted me the most.

Can you tell us a little bit about your artistic journey?​

I have always been interested in drawing and painting but it wasn’t until my mid twenties that I ran off to art school. Since then I have always been painting and exhibiting but also juggling babies - our youngest has finally started school so I’m able to paint full time again and it’s fabulous.

Who are your muses and what inspires you?

My muse is Joan Mitchell, she was bold, unapologetic and fierce. Her thirst for painting and experimentation are so inspiring. My everyday inspiration is looking at nature, poetry, song lyrics and the tactile nature of oil paint.

Tell us about the first time you picked up a brush and painted.

My degree was in sculpture but I had always wanted to be a painter so I went onto further studies to learn painting. Picking that brush up and learning to paint completely besotted me, I was instantly obsessed, still to this day, I think about painting and my work constantly.

Have your works changed or evolved?

Yes, absolutely. Although my work has always been quite gestural, I began mainly as a figurative artist. I loved painting people and animals, which I still love doing but I find myself more and more intrigued with colour and abstraction, painting florals allows me more freedom to explore this.