Le Document Artist of the Month: Carson Parkin-Fairley

Carson Parkin-Fairley is a multidisciplinary artist, writer and maker who aims to bring joy with her work.

1. A lot of work went into your recent solo show in Ramsgate's Front Room Gallery. Has doing the show been a rewarding experience?

"Yes I did put a lot of work into the show, but it’s been an incredibly gratifying experience speaking to the public about my work. People have walked in and felt the energy and joy, and it’s a beautiful thing knowing that what you put into work, people receive. Being an artist can be a very insular job, I kind of make things in my studio and wonder if anyone will respond, so it’s nice to know they do!" 

2. How much of the work was new and was made especially for the exhibition?

"The works span the past 2 years when I’ve been making art again full time. Some of the icons on show were some of my first created, then the two larger icons of Yayoi Kusama and Jean-Michel Basquiat were done in the last week before exhibiting. So it’s been a lovely exercise just seeing it all together and how my aesthetic has grown over the past couple of years. 

The self portrait as an icon I had wanted to make for the show specifically, it is an ode to my journey to self-love and pride. A cardboard mosaic made in the energy of love and celebration. It took me so long to make but I’m so overjoyed seeing it on the wall here. 

3. Your mother and Grandmother have both achieved success - how much of an inspiration have they been to you?

An almighty inspiration. How lucky I was to grow up with two incredibly strong, talented women who made me feel like I could achieve anything. I’m well aware I grew up with the privilege of being exposed to the arts in the way I was. My grandma would take me to galleries every day after school then we’d be back in her colourful studio painting. 

My mother was nothing if not an inspiration, always grafting so hard, be it writing books or running restaurants, she worked tirelessly whilst raising me and my brother and I have nothing but the utmost respect for how she raised us, we were shrouded in love. And now to see her (my mother) return to making art after such a long time, is a true joy. I was engulfed in pride at her most recent 147 Women Dinner Party project. 

4. People commission you to make work about their heroes and icons - is there anyone you've made a work about you weren't personally that into?

Thankfully, I haven’t yet been asked to create an icon of someone I personally dislike. There’s famous people that, with new information, I might find it hard to celebrate in that way, or perhaps I just wouldn’t feel right doing it. But everyone’s allowed their heroes right? So I don’t think I would ever tell anyone they’re wrong for being inspired by someone but I personally might draw the line at turning them into icons. I don’t think, if asked, I’d ever do a Jimmy Saville or Rolf Harris, but hopefully I’ll never be faced with that decision. 

5. How much did you enjoy being a student at Camberwell? Were Art School Days the happiest of your life?

Ha! I wish! I think I was fed stories from my mother’s time at St Martins that it would be the coolest time in my life, but I was misled. I think she found her tribe at art school and I found that a lot of people thought they were a bit too cool for school. I was so excited getting to know my peers and everyone seemed to be so nonchalant about the whole experience. That and I think I only really liked one of my tutors. I didn’t end up finishing, worked in bars instead, and for a long time felt like I’d missed out on something. But I realise now, life is a great educator, and everything you’ve done feeds into what you make. So I guess the past two years have been a bit like catching up for me, being in the constant flow of creating and learning and experimenting, like at school, only without the £8k-a-term fees. 

6. Can you make work with the radio on or music in the background? Do you tend to be more productive on certain days of the week or at certain times of the day?

I used to write about perfume for a living, and honestly find it impossible to write with any music or podcasts on in the background. With art, however, I love connecting to music or words whilst making. I’ll put on one of many playlists on or rediscover music I used to listen to ages ago on spotify. I like podcasts and audiobooks too. I find when working alone, listening to the sound of people’s voices stops me from feeling lonely. People say your creative brain is more active later in the day so I try to get any admin tasks done in the morning, and if I’m immersed in something I will often work late into the night doing it. 

7. What, in your opinion, was the best art exhibit you’ve seen in London?  

"Hands down I would say the best thing I’ve seen in recent years was Chila Burman’s transformation of Tate Britain. It was during COVID so the gallery wasn’t open but she decorated its front with this plethora of neon and colour, it was breathtaking. I’d never seen anything so joyous, it was so kitsch and colourful and make me feel like magic. I also really enjoyed Rachel Jones’ recent works for her show Smile at Thaddaeus Ropac." 

8) Are there any successful artists around that you hate? Are there any art world people who represent the opposite of what you're about?

"There’s not many people in the world I hate, it's not a very nice feeling so I try to not leave too much room for it in my life. But I suppose I’m not a huge fan of Anish Kapoor, I don’t think anybody should be able to copyright a colour and not allow others to use it (referencing what he did with Vantablack), I think that kind of behaviour goes against everything that art should stand for. I believe art is for everyone and it should never just be exclusive to some. Here, here to the paintmakers at Stuart Semple and how they’re fighting this by releasing the colour themselves, they say only Anish Kapoor is not allowed to buy it which I think is a comical way of combating what he tried to do.

For the most part I just think each to their own, everyone has different tastes and that’s why there’s infinite room for artists of all sorts to create, because it’s sure to make someone out there tick. Different strokes for different folks, and all." 

 

9) What do you think of Peter Blake? Would you say what you make is "Pop Art" or connected to that movement?

"I would say there’s definitely an air of pop art in what I make, it celebrates popular culture, I have a love of colour and it’s definitely comical and kitsch. Choosing to focus on who our icons are, and what we worship, now that we’re not as religious. 

I like Peter Blake’s work, I think his use of colour is great and that he’s done some really interesting stuff but I wouldn’t say he’s my favourite pop artist. I much prefer the work of Claes Oldenburg, Pauline Boty, Yayoi Kusama and Takashi Murakami." 

 

10 - Can you describe a perfect day and list some things that never fail to make you feel perkier?

"This question so depends on how you feel of a day. There are so many things that bring me joy, I guess it just depends on my mood. I really like riding my bike, I only learnt to when I was 21 and it’s undoubtedly one of my favourite things in life. I love to eat and cook nice food, allowing yourself to get lost in the enjoyment of things is a sort of meditation, I think. Swimming in the sea, or in a river surrounded by green, in summer, is up there with the most heavenly of experiences. Getting really stuck into a great book, or tv series, or a fantastic exhibition, is a kind of joy for me as well. I’ve always loved film so much that it brings me a kind of peace watching things. But mostly just people. I find it so incredibly hard to be unhappy when surrounded by friends and laughter. "

 

11- How come you live in Ramsgate and do you think you'll stay?

"I live in Ramsgate because a long time ago I felt like I was too friendly to be a Londoner. I moved to Kent about 10 years ago and met some lifelong friends and that, in turn, is how me and my fiance Will ended up here. We own a house, which I never thought would happen, and we’re slowly transforming it into our vision. And in summer our proximity to the beach is a thing of joy. I hope I stay for a long time, it’s nice to be somewhere that gives you a bit more freedom and space to enjoy life."

Above: Dolly Parton Icon by Carson Parkin-Fairley.

Carson has an Elvis themed work in the Always On My Mind exhibition that takes place at The Fitzrovia Gallery in the last week of July. 

Find out more about Carson: Here 

Billy Childish takes part in Always On My Mind exhibition in aid of The National Brain Appeal

 

The much loved English painter, author, poet, singer and guitarist Billy Childish is supporting the National Brain Appeal charity. 

Two very collectable prints will be part of the Always On My Mind exhibition which takes part in the last week of July at London's Fitzrovia Gallery.

Above: the eternal now (bridge over the seine), 2020

Giclee print on 310 gsm Hahnemule German Etching paper

30.5 x 38.2 cm

Edition of 40 prints

Signed and numbered by the artist in green pencil

Billy says: "I made this painting after a visit to Paris.

I  wanted to take my 15 year old son to see the van Gogh's at the museum d'Orsay as he was interested in becoming a painter.  Also I had never visited the Louvre and wanted to look at the Delacroix's there."

Above: two states of mind, 2021

Giclee print on 310 gsm Hahnemule German Etching paper

30.5 x 38.2 cm

Edition of 40 prints

Signed and numbered by the artist in green pencil

Billy says: "I had a serious breakdown when I was 58. I was put on medication but didn't like it so came off and have been trying to use natural remedies. This would have been painted when I was tipping between normal me and desolation me."

----

Both reproduction prints of oil and charcoal on linen paintings

Prints courtesy of the artist and L-13 Light Industrial Workshop

Photography by Rikard Osterlund.

Le Document Musician of the month: Paul Speare

Paul Speare is a highly talented saxophonist and flute player. In 1981, he joined Dexys Midnight Runners. He featured on the singles "Plan B", "Show Me", "Liars A to E", "Celtic Soul Brothers" and their worldwide hit "Come On Eileen". Paul can be heard on classic 80s albums such as In The Studio with The Special AKA and Punch The Clock by Elvis Costello. In more recent times he's worked with Stone Foundation and Paul Weller. To listen to Paul's latest work you can visit his You Tube channel:   Here

Le Document: What was the first music you heard that you remember having an impact on you? Did you connect with records your parents played or music from films you saw?

Paul Speare: "Hoots Mon (1958) by Lord Rockingham's XI was one of the first records I remember, being played on my (much older) brother's radiogram when I was a toddler.  I still have the original single which was lost for a few decades and then returned to me three years ago by a friend who was at the party where I left it.  I still think it projects so much energy and joy.  My parents were keen Old Time dancers and their 78rpm dance records were lovely, especially now, in retrospect.  Aretha Franklin's Respect - and its B side, Save Me - were the first soul tunes which captivated me.  But, in 1971, my first exposure to Curved Air on Radio 1, when they recorded a session and then a live In Concert performance, changed my life.  I think it was the combination of rock and classical influences - without being too pretentious - together with an ethereal sound, enhanced by the haunting voice of Sonja Kristina which drew me in.  Then it was the Canterbury sound - particularly Soft Machine, Hatfield and the North, and Robert Wyatt - which still influences my writing to this day.  Music always had the ability to move me to tears of sadness or joy - or for no obvious reason - for as long as I can remember."

2) When you started to make music who encouraged and inspired you the most?

"I started late, with piano lessons at fifteen, and then flute at sixteen.  My family had no experience of having a musician in its midst so, although they supported me in every way they could, they had limited finances and really didn't know how any of this worked.  We had no instruments at home so I started on a school flute - the least tatty one from the store cupboard - until my parents scraped together the money for a modest student instrument (I continued with this one flute right into my professional career, so it's on all my recorded work in the late 1970s and early 1980s).  My school music teacher, Dorothy Hodgson - a superb Royal Academy pianist - seemed to spot an innate talent within me, and was largely responsible for guiding my progress to music college.  And my first flute/saxophone teacher, Frank White - a London professional who unfortunately died a week ago as I write this - did a miraculous job in getting me through the necessary grades in double-quick time, with a great sense of dry humour.  So I'm a product of free school music lessons, sadly now a thing of the past.  Regarding inspiration, Jimmy Hastings - who played flute, tenor sax and bass clarinet with the Canterbury bands - was probably the first, and John Surman's earlier albums set me on a path to playing baritone sax, eventually.  And I couldn't talk about musical influences without mentioning the master of soul sax, Junior Walker!"

3) What can you tell us about your new album - how many tracks have been recorded and who do you have playing with you?

"Most of my professional and semi-pro work has been in soul/funk brass sections or big bands.  I'd been composing and arranging for these for many years but felt the time had come to write some material - without any stylistic restrictions - for myself to play a lead part.  The style would best be described as jazz/fusion and it has a strong groove.  There are four tracks, all instrumental, all new, and recorded totally live to sound and video at Space Sequoia, a studio near my home in Canterbury.  I then mixed the tracks at my home studio.  The title of the collection is Time and Place because I naturally write in a variety of time signatures (which I hope are not too obvious), and three of the titles refer to places which have been significant in my life in some way.  I wanted to record with musicians who had never worked together - or with me - before, as much of the material is based around improvisation and I felt that it would be more spontaneous - "sparky" if you like - if they weren't used to working with each other, or me.  The lineup is: Hilary Cameron (keys), Simon Golding (electric guitar), Flo Moore (double bass/bass guitar), Jonathan Ward (drums).  They were all so cooperative and completely exceeded my expectations on these recordings after only one day of rehearsal; the grooves were fantastic and musical communication was remarkable.  I'm playing baritone sax, flute/alto flute, and bass clarinet." 

4) Will your album be a downloadable thing only or will there be a CD or Record version?

"This initial collection is only available to view on YouTube, on my channel Paul Speare Music.  This is Phase 1 of the project and I have plans to record Phase 2 - still based on Times and Places - which will expand the instrumentation on further tracks to big band, string players and vocalists.  I like to keep an eye on upcoming musicians and the plan is to feature some of them as soloists and to take more of a back seat myself, primarily as composer/producer.  I plan to make these Phase 2 recordings available on the usual streaming services."

  

5) You were previously a member of Dexys, The TKO Horns and worked with Costello & The Attractions, The Special AKA, and Paul Weller - do you keep in contact with any of your former collaborators and colleagues?

"Most of us are still connected - to a greater or lesser extent - via social media.  In recent years I've met up personally with Kevin Adams (aka Billy Adams), Steve Shaw (aka Steve Brennan), and Micky Billingham, all from Dexys.  There's a special bond we have - from working in such a unique band and intense circumstances - which is difficult to describe.  I also enjoyed participating in the Tim Burgess Listening Party on Twitter when Too-Rye-Ay was featured; Kevin Rowland, Helen O'Hara and Jim Paterson also took part.  My session work with Paul Weller is more recent."

6) As a musician do you feel you're improving with age like a fine wine? Do you think you've been playing better and that your compositional skills are at an all time high?

"I think my compositional skills have improved in the last few years through just doing more of it.  Prior to that, for a long time, I seemed to have something like writer's block; a few interesting ideas but a lack of ability to develop them, or being too much of a perfectionist and dropping them.  Now I have so many tunes and ideas that there aren't enough hours in the day.  I think my playing has stepped up recently by having to practise the parts for my own pieces as I don't usually worry about whether they're playable when I come up with them!  With the Time and Place recording session approaching I felt as if I was practising for a recital (which I suppose it was, in a way)."

7) When you're composing are you sometimes like a designer or architect? Do you imagine the music you're putting together being played live in front of an audience or are there some pieces you think 'this would work as soundtrack music in a film' or 'this would sound best to someone playing this at night on their own at home'?  Or do you just make what you want to hear?

"I mainly just write what I want to hear but my reference is how it will sound when recorded.  I also aim to provide scope for jazz musicians to work their magic.  These days I find the recording studio more of a natural habitat than the stage; in fact that may always have been true. Of course, I did compose a soundtrack for Team Beswick & Pye's John Lennon Is Not Dead project, which was a new challenge for me.  For that I took cues from some of the more psychedelic Beatles tracks, and also the piano on Lennon's "Imagine". Watch the video for 'Reality Leaves A Lot To The Imagination'

Here 

8) Do you have a favourite decade for music? Do you tend to listen to records made in the 1960s or 70s? What have you recently most enjoyed discovering or re-listening to?

"I don't really have a favourite decade for music; I'm mainly interested in new music and emerging artists from the world of jazz, particularly UK jazz, which is very exciting of late.  On Time and Place, the bass player is Flo Moore who is in increasing demand on that scene and has recently toured the UK and Europe with Jordan Rakei.  Some of the music I currently enjoy is by artists such as; Emma-Jean Thackray, Alpha Mist, Nubya Garcia, Panam Panic, Hemai, and Esperanza Spalding.  But I can't deny that there are strong influences from early 1970s jazz and prog in my writing: Soft Machine, Mahavishnu Orchestra, even Curved Air.  I recently bought the remastered Soft Machine albums on vinyl so I've certainly been revisiting their work and enjoying it immensely."

9) Were the lockdown periods good for you in any way - did anything positive come from not being able to play live?

"Lockdowns were mostly an unproductive time for me.  I was aware that I had a golden opportunity to work on something substantial but it just didn't happen.  I need deadlines - externally or self-imposed - to get things done.  I did have a couple of recording sessions for Paul Weller, so that was more positive, but had to pull out of some other sessions due to the risks prior to vaccinations.  But perhaps that period of inactivity has spurred me on now with more urgency, and I think I see that in the live music scene too."

10) Do you feel re born as an artist? Is there a lot more to come or do you like the idea of retirement?

"I do seem to be enjoying a creative chapter at the moment so intend to make the most of it.  I've already started writing for the second phase of Time and Place and have had discussions with the studio about the requirements for that as it will involve larger ensembles for some pieces.  I hope to be able to start recording again in the summer for autumn release.  So retirement isn't something I'm considering right now!"

www.paulspeare.com