Artist Collaboration / 03
For our third Peer/Peer, Australian artist Emily Ferretti and London studio based artist Sandra Lott, set weekly briefs for each other
Sandra Lott
When Sandra describes her art she says, “imagination, music, art, creativity, poetry, passion, happiness, freedom, peace, strong and lasting friends.”
Sandra has been attending Headway East London since 2016, and has quickly established herself as a unique artistic voice in the art studio. Her artwork has an immediacy that is full of joy and playfulness, expressed in a riot of colour and pattern. Hidden underneath this naïve surface is a darkness that is only revealed on closer examination. Sandra always has a firm grasp on the narratives within her work, expressing them clearly with enviable confidence.
Emily Ferretti
Emily Ferretti is a Melbourne based painter who grew up in country Victoria, Australia. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2006. Dedicated to a full-time studio practice over the past fifteen years, she has exhibited widely and undertaken studio residences including Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne, Cite de Arts International, Paris, and Australia Council’s Green Street Studio, New York.
Her work is held in public and private collections and she is currently represented by Sophie Gannon Gallery, Melbourne.
Over August/September 2021, Australian artist Emily Ferretti collaborated with London based artist Sandra Lott, who attends Submit to Love Studios – a supported studio space in East London that works with artists who have acquired brain injuries. Over the course of six weeks, they set briefs and prompts for one another, like the use of a limited palette of three colours one week, artwork based on a poem sent by the other another week, abstract art another, and artwork based on a favourite trip another. The briefs were never strict, with the aim of just using art to communicate and play – and play they did! It was great to share the excitement each week over zoom, of seeing what the other had created, and how they had interpreted their briefs. Neither artist had worked on a collaboration in the past, so it was a new exploratory experience for both. Jennifer from Art et al. chatted with both artists to hear about the collaboration, the art, and what they got out of it.
Jennifer: Can you tell us a little about the work you have produced during the collaboration?
Sandra: I love the abstract, and that it is changing my work for me. When I go to the park, I sketch the trees and now I can do it how I want to do it with the abstract. We change everything every week.
Emily: I produced a mixture of drawings and mixed media works for this project that all were prompted by themes that Sandra and I decided and changed every week. My aim was to make work intuitively, but sticking quite closely to the weekly prompts. This willingness to shift themes and react to the next prompt happened naturally and I enjoyed going in many directions. Some of the works I made over the weeks were in direct response to Sandra’s work itself, like the fountain in the first week, and others where broader and based on both our general interests like abstraction. I wanted the work I made to reflect this playfulness and willingness to see what happens.
(Left) Emily Ferretti, Fountain Collage (1), 2021, Pencil and Acrylic paint on paper. (Top right) Emily Ferretti, Fountain Collage (2), 2021, Pencil and Acrylic paint on paper. (Bottom right) Sandra Lott, The Fountain and the Petunias, 2021, Felt pen on paper, 42x30cm. This older piece by Sandra was the inspiration for Emily’s fountain works.
Jennifer: Overall, how have you found the whole six weeks?
Sandra: It’s been fantastic, absolutely fantastic! I have done my poems, and images of London, Dolomites, and landscapes. I’ve enjoyed working with abstract and cubism.
Emily: It’s been a privilege to get to know Sandra as a person and artist over the past six weeks. I have enjoyed very much our conversations every week and getting to know more about her working methods and time at the ‘Submit to Love’ studios. Sandra was so easy to collaborate with because she has a very positive attitude and willingness to try new things.
Jennifer: What has been your favourite part of the collaboration?
Sandra: I like it because at first it felt hard, but now it’s easier. And we are staying in touch. Emily said we could email each other.
Emily: My favourite part was opening up Sandra's emails to receive her new weekly creations. The works were always filled with autobiography, intuitive colour combinations and bold visual language. It was a privilege to hear Sandra talk about her works and the life and memories that she had used to inform them.
Sandra’s ‘Rosella’ poem given to Emily, to inspire the piece Emily created below.
Emily Ferretti, Rosella In Flight, 2021, Pencil on paper, 21x30cm. This work was based on Sandra’s poem above.
Jennifer: If you could describe the other artist’s work in three words, what would you say?
Sandra: Collage, New York, landscapes. She’s the same as me! She likes abstract as well, and we both like our colours.
Emily: Bold, enchanting, vibrant.
Sandra Lott, Cubism, 2021, Felt pen on paper, 20x30cm. This work was created with the ‘abstract’ theme that week.
Sandra Lott, Cubes, 2021, Felt pen on paper, 20x30cm. This work was created with the ‘abstract’ theme that week.
Emily Ferretti, Formations (6), 2021, Oil paint on oil sketch paper, Dimensions variable. This work was created with the ‘abstract’ theme that week.
Jennifer: For others potentially doing the peer-to-peer collaborations in the future, what would be your advice to them?
Sandra: You can do whatever you want. I used my big table at home, my sketching and I could do whatever I wanted to. It’s been really helping me with what I want to do – with my art or something else.
Emily: If you have the wonderful chance to become a peer to peer collaborator you are about to have a very rewarding experience. Being able to meet online with an artist from a supported studio is a very special experience because their unique story unfolds and this informs the collaboration. It’s a great opportunity to have fun and experiment with themes and processes you might not usually engage with. I also found it a great way to learn about the role of a supported studio like ‘Submit to Love’ and the brilliant job they do to support artists creatively and professionally.
Sandra Lott, Trees, Cows, Flowers, 2021, Felt pen on paper, 42x30cm. This was Sandra’s memory of climbing the Dolomites.
Sandra Lott, Abstract, 2021, Felt pen on paper, 42x30cm. This is an abstract of a memory of the Dolomites.
Emily Ferretti, NYC 1, 2021, Pencil on paper, 30x42cm. This work was based on Emily’s memory of a residency in New York.
Emily Ferretti, NYC 2, 2021, Pencil on paper, 30x42cm. This work was based on Emily’s memory of a residency in New York.
Sandra Lott, Liverpool Street Underground, 2021, Felt pen on paper, 42x30cm. This work was Sandra showcasing things she likes or has fond memories of in London.
Sandra Lott, London City Buildings, 2021, Felt pen on paper, 42x30cm. This work was Sandra showcasing things she likes or has fond memories of in London.
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Images Copyright: Emily Ferretti, Sandra Lott and Submit to Love Studios, London
Banner image: Detail of Emily Ferretti, Fountain Collage (1), 2021, Pencil and Acrylic paint on paper