Welcome to another Other Ways of Seeing conversation. A podcast about the art we make alongside our already very creative jobs. An investigation into why we feel the urge to make that art. Or for the artist I will be talking to, the urge to make different work from what she’s known for and what she sells.

This conversation is rather special because it’s with Wendy McBride my mum-in-law. She is a successful artist in the South West of England drawing inspiration from her home in Devon and Dartmoor, all the way to the Isles of Scilly. Working mostly in pastels Wendy paints landscapes which are sometimes representational and sometimes not so much. In her early eighties you’d think she’d got her practice down, sorted.. but as with many artists, she struggles with what she wants to make and what she feels she should produce for her audience and the galleries that represent her. Commissioned versus non commissioned art.

We begin our conversation talking about Jude, her grandson who is an incredible drummer. Wendy’s love of Jazz and how that fits with her relationship with abstract art. We discuss the influence of her childhood, growing up alone in the wildness of Anglesey and drawing in books in wartime. Wendy speaks about how she first started selling her work in the Scillies after being encouraged by her husband Keith. We talk about how some of her earlier work didn’t sell because it was ‘too abstract’ but needing to sell to supplement the family income and how that changed her work. We chat about her most recent solo show at White Space Gallery in Totnes. Wendy explains why painting pretty pictures is not enough anymore. We talk about compromising quality for cash and we touch on Wendy’s poetry. We end with advice for aspiring artists and look to the future of her art.

A little word about our sponsor hungryman… hungryman is a global production company with offices in London, New York, Los Angeles and São Paulo. Known for pairing high-end craft with a distinctive point of view, hungryman’s work spans blockbuster spectacle, sharp comedy, and emotionally driven storytelling. And here is where it gets interesting in terms of Other Ways of Seeing.. beyond commercial work, hungryman’s advocacy arm continues to expand the role of storytelling in culture. Across its two art activist ResistDance films and live performances, the large-scale dance protest project generated more than 100 million views, reaching 1.5 billion people across nearly 100 countries. Mind blowing. At the same time, hungryman’s growing entertainment division is developing a slate of films, documentaries, and stage projects. And hopefully we’ll be diving into those art projects here at Other Ways of Seeing soon.

But now, back to Wendy McBride…