Cuppa Tea with Glyn Crowder

Article by: David Phillips Published in: Artists

23 Oct 2010

Glyn opened the door of the 4th floor Raval flat, and welcomed me in. 'Cup 'a tea?' He asked. 'Yes please', I replied (you should never say no). The tea sat steaming on the sideboard, and the sound of Billy Holiday’s voice tinkered away in the background. To my right was a desk, its top strewn with colourful and intriguing characters that leaped from the canvas as though at any given moment they would jump out of the painting, and return to life with a sense of humour. One painting lay central, half finished, and I wondered what it would become…. I found the tea on the table when I looked back, nothing better, I thanked him, and made myself comfortable…

So, where do you find all your inspiration?

Well currently I find my inspiration from the people around here – I don’t have a photographic memory but if I see a character of interest, they tend to stick as a very clear image in my head, and there are so many in Barcelona, you only have to walk down the road.

How did you end up in here?

Well I started in Manchester, I went to University there, but it was a pretty dark place to live. I met my girlfriend there, and we moved out to the German countryside just outside Potsdam. That was great. I worked well there, often because there was little else to do. It’s quiet also, and that’s when I work best. In many respects it was perfect but in the winter it just got too cold, all the water pipes froze up so we came to Barcelona to thaw out.

Has the travelling affected your work?

I suppose it has, mainly due to the amount of characters I’ve met along the way –like in Eastern Europe, their appearance tends to be more angular and drawn, slightly mucky looking...

Are they the sorts of characters you paint then?

It’s an aspect; in general I prefer to paint the obscure rather than the beautiful. I find the darker, older, more twisted individuals interesting because there is more to them, they hold more expression and it sounds bad but the some of the most fascinating people to draw are the ones who just look like they’ve been fucked by life.

Who were your main influences?

Well, the artists I learnt most from were the likes of Ralph Steadman and Ronald Searle. Jan Svankmayer is amazing when it comes to animation, and musically, Tom Waits, Balkan Music, and loads of stuff from the 1920’s.

You have a band as well I gather?

Yea well, Circus Scribble is a collection of music I’ve done based on the characters I draw; it’s a mix of stuff - folk rock, garage, punk and blues. Some of the lyrics of the songs are actually on my paintings.

{youtube width="100%"}-nC443VT5E4{/youtube}