When the Rye fine artist James Tomlinson moved to Rye it was intended to be a stop gap between other things, that was some sixteen years ago now, and he confesses that “it’s been a very long stop gap indeed.”
Why has the artist stayed so long? Well, it’s not for one particular reason but a plethora as he tells CommunityAd “Rye has a very active social scene, people are very encouraging, engaging and helpful, I have never felt like an outsider here. With its medieval look it poses loads of reason for artists and photographers to flourish. There are so many characters coming from a wide variety of backgrounds who are always willing to share stories and opinions, gives me so much creative food, sometimes I have to note things down so I don’t forget them.”
There’s a real community of artists here, isn’t there; why is that important for the town itself do you think?
Rye is a big tourist destination so galleries and gift shops seem to flourish here, it has 2 beautiful main galleries (Rye Bank and The Rye Gallery) that have a very diverse group of artists exhibiting here, with the wonderful colourful work of Louis Turpin, fairy-tale style of Richard Adams and Andrew Viner’s impressive earth feeling landscapes and many part time artists like myself, Jason Lee Reynolds, Oliver Brooks, etc; there is plenty to choose from. It’s important the input we (artists and musicians) have at charity events and fundraisers to help the local community. Also, I found the locals to be very encouraging and supportive towards us artists.
For those readers unaware you’re an artist who creates stunning portraits, could you tell us a little about what inspires those?
When I was a teenager the hip hop culture really gripped me particularly the graffiti side (I used to copy the art work from comics etc); graffiti gave me a platform to engage with people. I left my mark around Southeast London for a few years, slowly it took a back seat with work and family stuff. But recently my art has evolved into a kind biographical representation of myself, my years as a graffiti artist with comics and birds (I have an obsession with birds and nature).
As well as these portraits of people, the feathered and winged locals also urge you to get the paint out, don’t they?
I love birdwatching, I still get the buzz I used to get when I was young trying to identify a bird in the field (usually I am searching for rare gulls). Birds are amazing, some migrate thousands of miles with many a pitfall to overcome like storms, predators and hunters shooting them just for the fun of it. I’ve never been a fan of old country type paintings with fields and trees, they remind me of old jigsaw puzzles hence I compose my paintings with the 3 elements I mentioned before.
You raised over a thousand pounds this Christmas time for the Rye Nature Reserve, how did you go about doing this and why is it important to you?
I am really interested in conservation and protecting what is a free form of beauty for us and our children to enjoy. I am a volunteer at Rye Harbour nature reserve and help Barry and the crew as much as I can, they really do a remarkable job for our local wildlife. With all the political upheaval going on we really need to educate our younger generation on how importantly our actions affect our environment and what we can do to repair and sustain it. It’s very important for the community as well. I do local birdwatching tours from the Globe pub which helps raise funds, we hope we can resume again in the future.
I also Run RXwildlife Facebook group which showcases facts about local wildlife in the Rye area with photography (I am also a keen photographer).
Window Wanderland was a great way of celebrating the town’s heritage and the festivities, when we were allowed to do so, must have been an enjoyable experience seeing people stare in as you created?
Well, it was a little nerve wracking but it went really well and Arabella of A Rye Good Time has so much energy and enthusiasm that it’s very hard to say no! We tried to create a studio setting where people could see how things are created and the feedback was tremendous, I will be doing some more live painting later in the year hopefully.
How do you plan on spending yet another lockdown? Some artists that I’ve spoken to have struggled to create while others have been prolific, where do you stand?
I am very fortunate now with people buying my art, it has allowed me to step back from full time work a little and concentrate on art a little more, as time has always been an issue. I generally go birding in the morning till lunchtime then paint into the evening, not being a TV fan, I don’t get too distracted (only my dog Vonnegut needs a stroke once in a while).
Anything else you’d like to add?
I think in the long-term future we should really start to step back from travel and slow our pace down a little. We need to look after ourselves and one another, buy local to support our local community.