Callum Youde, ‘Everything Everywhere’
We caught up with Scottish Artist Callum Youde ahead of his solo show with The Rafiki Gallery & Detail in Edinburgh. Youde has slowly been building a following since graduating from Duncan Of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
Words by Leo Sartain | Images by Emilia Barclay
Leo: Thanks for joining me, let’s start at the beginning, what makes you want to paint?
Callum: I paint because I love it and because it brings me joy (when things are going well that is). When I’m in the studio immersed in the painting process, I feel transported out of reality, and all my worries and stresses seem to disappear - my mind empties, and the canvas becomes my main focus of attention. I feel that painting lets me express myself in a way that words never can.
L: It sounds like you are definitely doing the right thing then, I am curious though - What has been the biggest moment of change in your life that has affected your artistic output?
C: Selling my first painting after graduating was a big moment for me. It gave me a real confidence boost, knowing that someone out there liked my art so much, that they wanted to buy it and hang it on their wall. Someone had recognised that something I had created made them happy. That was a great feeling! It made me believe in myself.
L: I can totally understand how that is important. Now a slight cliche of a question but, what other artists do you admire?
C: Hundertwasser is someone I've admired since I flicked through one of his books that my brother owned when I was very young. I even went to Vienna to see his paintings. I love his works – the vibrant colours, his wild childlike imagery, and his spontaneity. I loved the fact that his freedom as an artist was really important to him and that he didn’t like to be bound by the artistic process or rigid artistic rules of the past which is why many of his paintings look so irregular with lots of wildly different shapes, curves and irregular forms. I admired Jean Michel Basquiat when I began university – I was drawn to his neo-expressionism style and his impulsive and intuitive approach to making. This was very inspiring for me. His use of mark-making and colour drew me in. From then on, I began trying to find my unique painting style. More recently I've been drawn to the works of Adebayo Bolaji, Kevin Douillez, Jenny Brosinski & Billy Bagilhole – all of whom create incredible colourful abstract work.
“My art is a representation of me, and who I am. I don’t like to dwell on the darker side of things. I much prefer my paintings to be happy and full of life. I want them to be joyful, so I like working big, boldly, with bright colours dominating. ”
L: Lots of brilliant names there, for you personally how does your art help you process your experiences?
C: I tend to feel grateful for the smaller more mundane things in life and celebrate those whether that is wild swimming, a rainy walk, having drinks with friends, or listening to music. I use my thoughts, feelings and beliefs about these experiences and aim to capture those fleeting moments on canvas. The actual process of creating helps me move away from the reality of life and lose any of the negative debris of daily living, immersing myself in the ebb and flow of paint on canvas.
L: Can you explain why your art looks the way it does?
C: I've been thinking about this recently and subconsciously think that skateboarding has played a part. Skating since the age of 8 and growing up in that scene, you see an insane amount of street art... this was something I was really into growing up. There was always so much colour, loads of abstraction, weird graphic characters, random motifs, and mark-making. the lot. Street art is just a public exhibition of art. So as a kid, I was probably just absorbing everything I saw. Also, I love the colours and markings in African paintings, and textiles and think these influence my art. I think this comes from my family’s links with sub-Saharan Africa – my parents worked there a lot, and as a young child, I lived in Tanzania and then I visited East Africa again as a teenager. So, growing up, my Dunblane home had lots of artefacts that reflected my family’s love of sub-Saharan Africa – baskets, carpets, textiles, and masks full of colour. All these subtle things from my youth have stuck with me and influenced the use of colour and the style of work I create. My art is a representation of me, and who I am. I don’t like to dwell on the darker side of things. I much prefer my paintings to be happy and full of life. I want them to be joyful, so I like working big, boldly, with bright colours dominating.
L: I was going to say I can see a lot of colours that make me think of East Africa, the Bird of Paradise orange for a start! On a different note If you could take the skills of another artist, what would it be and why
C: I feel like I wouldn't want to take another artist’s skills as I want to try to become my own artist and create my own unique style instead of trying to be like another artist. However, if I had to choose then Adebayo Bolaji is someone who comes to mind. I would love to have his skill of using colour and his ability to be truly intuitive, to commit to the process allowing the painting to develop organically, going where the journey takes him. Why would I like these skills, well, it would give me more confidence in myself as a painter.
L: To finish up, what is the last piece of music or art that spoke to you?
C: I don’t know the last piece of music that spoke to me, but I know for sure that ‘Burial’ is someone that speaks to me. His music is incredible. It’s so immersive, pensive, reflective and cathartic. He produces electronic music that is at the same time emotional yet also uplifting & optimistic. I feel that listening to his music is a source of escapism, it makes you take a step back and lose yourself deep in thought in a good way. His music gets me through a lot.
Thank you, Callum, for taking the time to chat with me.
His Exhibition opens on the 28th of October with a PV from 6-8 at Detail Framing Studio, 11 Lochrin Place, EH3 9QX
The show carries on til the 26th of November 2022.
See more from him at the following spots