Ann Kilvington
Biography
Born in Sunderland, County Durham, Ann Kilvington attended the York School of Art before studying at the Royal Academy School of Art, graduating in 1967. She was awarded Royal Academy Silver Medals for both drawing and painting.
Her work explores the landscape, particularly estuaries and industrial sites, using layers of coloured washes to form backgrounds from which paintings develop. Her practice is informed by drawing, sketchbooks and photography, with recent work including a portfolio of paintings featuring Burgundian landscapes. In 2011 she staged a solo exhibition, Putting on the Ritz, as artist in residence at the Ritz Cinema in Thirsk, North Yorkshire. She has also exhibited in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions.
Artist Statement
Ann Kilvington RI’s work explores the landscape, particularly estuaries and industrial sites, and more recently the landscapes of Burgundy. She is interested in the layering of experiences, both seen and felt, and in how mood, atmosphere, weather and a sense of place influence the way a painting develops.
Kilvington uses different sketchbooks for different subject matters. She often begins by creating washes over the paper, avoiding a blank surface and giving herself something to work against. Drawing is used to record weather, texture and mood, while photographs provide an aid to constructing the finished painting.
Back in the studio, she creates surfaces of washes, marks and textures before constructing the painting. Hog hair brushes, palette knives and sandpaper are used to build and develop these surfaces, allowing the materials and accumulated marks to contribute to the atmosphere and sense of place within the work.