Art has been Keziah Brook’s passion her entire life. Encouraged and supported by her family, Keziah took inspiration for her art from everything. Now age 18 and studying fine art at university, Keziah creates art through many mediums, but most enjoys using acrylic on a large scale canvas that allow her totally free, wide-open expression.
She doesn’t overthink what she’s going to make or how it’s going to look as she prefers to go with the flow, and let the piece develop as it does. Here, Kezziah shares with PIRL her views on creativity and her hopes of inspiring others to express themselves by creating artwork of their own.
How did you first become interested in art?
I’ve always had a strong interest in anything artistic and creative and have been constantly drawing, sewing, painting or making things throughout my childhood. My dad always encouraged me to make as much as I could with anything I could find around the house. My mum always kept anything I made and supported me so much, always inspiring me and helping with anything I needed.
At first I experimented with art with my twin sister, especially in the holidays we’d always be making a mess. However, now that I’m making my own artwork, my whole family are so encouraging and are always challenging me or inspiring me. My auntie will often show me new artists and exhibitions and I think it’s had a huge impact on me by having a very creative family.
What is your creative process?
Through my art GCSE and A-level courses I’ve begun to explore more with different medias. Acrylic paint on a large scale canvas has become a favourite of mine, and sticking with portraiture, as I am still learning about different ways to express a person through a simple portrait of them. I never think about what I’m going to do or how I want it to look. I prefer to just do it the minute I feel like it and go with the flow of things. I often work in my room or in the studios at school when I was doing A-level. I love to create large pieces of artwork because it gives me more room to express different things and challenges me to use the space.
Your favorite tools?
For drawing I use a range of pencils from H to 9B and a cotton bud to blend as that works best for me. With painting, I’ve only ever really worked with acrylic paint and I think I’ll continue experimenting with acrylics for a while.
What role do you think art should play in society?
I think that art is becoming more prominent within society and I think that different art styles are slowly becoming more accepted and challenged.
Art shouldn’t have to be explained to society for why it is the way it is. I think it needs to make them think and inspire something within them.
Why do you do what you do?
I create art because it relaxes me but also challenges me into thinking about different ways I can express something or someone and a message, feeling or atmosphere I’m trying to portray in a piece of artwork.
I create pieces of artwork to develop my skills, ideas and the way I convey things and to inspire others into producing their own artwork. I would love to one day inspire someone to create their own art and express themselves through it.
What do you hope to accomplish with your art?
I hope that with at least one piece of art that I create, whether that’s a painting, drawing, textiles piece or anything else, that someone feels the same way I do about it, that someone can almost become lost in it and will never stop questioning it or discovering smaller details within it. I hope that one day I get a painting in a gallery or an exhibition somewhere and I hope that at least one person won’t be able to stop looking at it.
Your best advice?
For 100 no’s there will be one yes. Just keep doing whatever you want to do and never try to make artwork that you think everyone will love.
