An interview with Jocelyn Roberts

What it means to feel and see

Jocelyn Roberts infuses her paintings with every fibre of her being. She wants you to feel what she feels when you stand in front of her work. 

“I shut my eyes when I stand in a place on the beach or on the rock or in the water. I draw on what I’m hearing and what I can feel and smell. I notice whether the wind is blowing or whether my feet are warm in the sand or cold in the water. Then I open my eyes and something will scream at me – this needs to be painted!

“Or it could whisper it. It can be silence. These are the things which trigger me to paint. I want to be able to pass on this experience of being at a place, the smell of the sand or the taste of salt.  My experience of this moment in time is my gift to anyone who sees one of my paintings.” 

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Painting is an obsession for this Colwyn Bay artist. She once painted the same scene outside of her home every day for a year on the advice of her mentor.

“It’s purposeful practice. And five days of misty days shows you that mist comes in various colours! Once you start seeing colour, you can’t switch it off.”

According to Jocelyn, everyone can learn a technique but you can’t teach somebody to see. “To see something as a possible painting comes from within.”

Jocelyn’s works have typically been dominated by the seascapes that surround her home but she’s recently turned her paintbrush to everyday objects – exploring the ordinary and often overlooked. Part of the Lockdown series, Jocelyn has painted everything from door knobs to light switches. “I like to push my skills by trying to chase reality. It is so different to plein air work.”

Her advice to people looking to purchase their first piece of art is to slow down. “Pay attention to the piece you spend a bit longer looking at as this is the painting that will have different layers to keep you interested.”

If you would like Jocelyn’s art in your home, visit our online shop and stayed tuned for the opening of the Life:Full Colour gallery in Caernarfon later this year. Jocelyn is one of our featured artists and her work will be showcased at one of our very first exhibitions.

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