Melanie Berman: Spatial Awareness

15th August 2024 by Josephine Zentner 2

Melanie Berman won a Judge’s Choice Award, selected by Hugo Barclay, in Jackson’s Art Prize this year with her acrylic painting Sugar Plum Words. In this interview, she shares how her chromesthesia makes creativity instinctual, her passion for life drawing, and how an organised studio is crucial to her process.

Above image: Melanie’s studio

Sugar Plum Words, 2024
Melanie Berman
Acrylic on linen, 70 x 60 cm | 27.55 x 23.62 in

Josephine: Could you tell us about your artistic background?

Melanie: My artistic journey began as a young child, where colour always made more sense to me than words or sounds. Creating felt instinctive, and I quickly discovered a deep connection to art. In secondary school, a remarkable art teacher recognised my skills and suggested I attend art college. The idea of escaping boarding school at 16 was appealing, so I chose Fashion Design, despite having no exposure to fashion magazines or real trends at the time. My needlework teacher, though strict and intimidating, pushed us to produce high quality work, which ultimately paid off. I was fast-tracked and became the youngest member of the Fashion Design course.

At 17, another significant change occurred when my sister and I found ourselves living alone in Reading. Our mother had moved to Surrey to be with our stepfather, and our father had passed away four years earlier. Despite feeling vulnerable, I pursued my creative path, finding solace in art. I graduated with a 2:1 degree and won several fashion awards, including the First Prize in The Glove Guild of Great Britain Award, which was presented by the Lord Mayor of London and delighted my college principal.

I initially entered the fashion industry, working in designer sewing studios, but the excitement of sewing and pattern cutting faded. I then transitioned to a buying role at Liberty’s of London, quickly advancing as a buyer’s clerk/assistant. However, at 21, I left London to travel and became a stewardess for Caledonian Airways. This experience offered me freedom and the opportunity to explore different cultures, museums, and art galleries, with Boston and New York becoming my favourite cities to immerse myself in art and architecture. Realising that drawing and painting were innate passions, I began painting and haven’t stopped since. In 2004, I returned to university to study Fine Art, driven by my deep interest in painting techniques and the exploration of existence. This led to more doors opening to further freelance design projects within the creative industry.

Then Did She Take Some Lips Like Cherry Red, 2024
Melanie Berman
Acrylic on canvas, 120 x 110 cm | 47.24 x 43.30 in

Josephine: What does a typical working day in the studio look like for you? Do you have any important routines or rituals?

Melanie: My day as an artist begins early, especially when I’m painting. At 6:30 am, I start with fresh coffee while I check emails and social media, replying where necessary and noting tasks for later. By 9:00 am, I’m in the studio – a space free from computers. My routine kicks off with boiling the kettle, tuning in to Classic FM, and assessing my current work. I take in each piece, feeling either satisfied or noting what needs to be adjusted before I start.

Once I’m painting, I avoid looking at my phone to maintain a separation between the world of words and the world of colour. This helps me enter the right creative headspace. Sometimes, I turn off the radio and sit in silence, allowing me to focus on the next step in my work. It’s during these quiet moments that I often find that “eureka” moment – a key spark that fuels my creativity. The process is a mix of perseverance and passion, keeping me deeply engaged with colour and design. I liken it to a treasure hunt – constantly searching and discovering new elements within my work. There are days when I’m so absorbed that I can’t stop painting, and others when I know it’s time to take a break. I’ll step away for a walk with my new dog, returning with fresh eyes to evaluate my progress. This balance is crucial; I’ve grown comfortable in my creative space, which feels more like a sanctuary than a workplace.

By 5:00 pm, I usually start tidying up, although deadlines can extend my work into the evening. Clearing up is a vital part of my routine – organising paints, cleaning brushes, and making sure everything is in order for the next day. Once satisfied, I wrap up with emails and any remaining tasks before spending time with my family and taking another walk with my dog. It’s a full day, often demanding, but always deeply fulfilling.

Studio equipment organised in boxes and labelled.

Josephine: Which materials or tools could you not live without?

Melanie: The choice of tools and mediums I use depends on the surface I’m working on, but I always prioritise high quality pigments. For acrylics, I trust Golden and Lascaux for their pigment ratios. In oils, I favour Michael Harding, Sennelier, and Winsor & Newton, with Sennelier also being my preferred brand for oil pastels. For encaustic work, I use Sennelier’s dry pigments and enjoy crafting my own beeswax cakes to mix with pigments.

Recently, I’ve focused on wooden panels and large linen or canvas stretchers. While I used to build my own stretchers, I now source bespoke canvases, both primed and unprimed. Over time, I’ve experimented with various handmade gessos, understanding the importance of a perfect base layer. My brush collection is extensive, but the large da Vinci flat brush is a favourite.

When working with acrylics, I always keep a bradawl nearby to unclog blocked tubes, essential given how quickly they dry. I have great respect for acrylics – they can yield fantastic results with the right techniques and mediums, though their fast drying times can be both challenging and advantageous. It took time to master them, and they shouldn’t be underestimated compared to oils. Oils, on the other hand, offer unmatched richness and depth. Handmade damar varnish, encaustic blocks, and jars of dried pigments are always within reach. In an art shop, I’m like a kid in a candy store – I want to try everything.

Studio all organised and tea ready to start painting for the day.

Josephine: What are the stages of your work on a painting? Do you make drafts?

Melanie: I don’t make drafts in the traditional sense. Instead, my process begins with a journey of collecting information and developing concepts. I believe that interpretations can endlessly recombine, weaving together the past, present, and future in a beautiful tapestry of curiosity.

My hard backed sketchbooks are my personal treasure troves, filled with research ideas, doodles, and handpainted paper cutouts glued together in symbolic designs. These snippets capture fleeting thoughts and research insights, serving as springboards for further exploration of my visions and subconscious. Once I have a clear vision, I begin to paint, translating these ideas into vibrant images. For me, painting is like composing a symphony or writing poetry filled with compassion and empathy to produce a further dialogue with the materials.

In my studio, I start by masking the edges of my canvases and sealing them with a water-based medium to prevent paint bleeds. I then apply various gesso base coats, followed by a coloured base coat to set the tone and depth. I carefully select key colours and mix different tones from them. My paintings typically have many layers, more than one might initially perceive. The design evolves throughout the process, sometimes straying from the original path but always returning to the core idea, ensuring it remains relevant today.

Melanie Berman’s studio table, research book, paints and brushes all in order for the next painting day.

Josephine: Do you regularly draw or keep a sketchbook? If so, how does this inform your work?

Melanie: Throughout my career, I have consistently engaged in life drawing, a crucial component of my fashion design education. The challenge of capturing accurate perspectives and forms has always fascinated me. Life drawing is an essential discipline, key to honing the ability to render objects and still life accurately by training the eye. I find immense joy in studying the human form, a practice that I could never tire of. Additionally, I enjoy sketching with charcoal due to its versatility. Charcoal allows for ‘pressure lines’ and easy manipulation of density, enabling me to blend or build up tones of light and dark effectively. This medium offers a unique expressiveness that I find particularly appealing.

Which To The World Inverse Do Sweetly Sing, 2024
Melanie Berman
Acrylic on canvas, 130 x 120 cm | 51.18 x 47.24 in

Josephine: Have you ever had a period of stagnation in creativity? If so, what helped you overcome it?

Melanie: I rarely experience creative stagnation because creativity is innate to me, shaped by my chromesthesia. This unusual ability allows me to effortlessly tap into a world where colours and forms dance in sync with sounds, providing constant inspiration and clarity. It’s been a natural part of my perception since childhood, which led me to explore Carl Jung’s theories on ‘inherited unconscious knowledge’ and ‘Paradisiacal time’.

Growing up, I assumed everyone saw the world as I did. It wasn’t until someone questioned the floating shapes in my landscapes that I realised my perception was different. Additionally, my dyslexia has offered me alternative perspectives, enriching my artistic vision and deepening my fascination with the written word.

While creativity itself has never been an issue, I’ve faced periods of self-doubt and uncertainty about my direction, especially when I was younger. These were the echoes of inner ‘saboteurs’ that can easily take hold. However, with maturity and a deeper understanding of life’s complexities, I’ve learned to embrace these challenges, and yes I have failed at times but that’s all part of it, my need to create is greater to evolve. As an artist, cultivating self-belief is essential. It starts with the simple affirmation, “My work is good,” to produce an inner smile and strengthen resolve.

Overcoming these inner demons has taught me the importance of regular self-affirmation – something I wish I could have told my younger self. It would have helped me make key decisions earlier on and embrace the journey with greater confidence.

The Nature Of All Things, 2024
Melanie Berman
Acrylic, oil on canvas, 130 x 120 cm | 51.18 x 47.24 in

Josephine: Are there any specific artists or mentors who have inspired you?

Melanie: There are many artists whom I admire for various reasons and skills. Among the Masters, Titian stands out, especially his painting Bacchus and Ariadne at the National Gallery. This masterpiece depicts the dramatic moment of Bacchus leaping out of his chariot to meet Ariadne, pulled by two cheetahs, with sublime colours, dynamic movement, and passion, it is simply astounding. Similarly, Raphael’s artworks have left a lasting impression on me, particularly after experiencing his paintings during a Vatican tour in Rome. Viewing Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus in Florence literally brought tears of joy. Moving into more modernist and contemporary painters, I find inspiration in artists like Howard Hodgkin, Henri Matisse, Willem de Kooning, Larry Poons, Cy Twombly, Patrick Heron, Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, Barnet Newman, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Each of these artists brings a unique perspective and innovation to their work, subconsciously influencing my own artistic journey with their daring use of colour, form, and expression.

Here To Birds Of Eloquence Do Sit And Sing, 2024
Melanie Berman
Acrylic on canvas, 130 x 120 cm | 51.18 x 47.24 in

Josephine: How did it feel to realise you had won Hugo Barclay’s Judge’s Choice Award?

Melanie: Winning Hugo Barclay’s Judge’s Choice Award at the Jackson’s Art Prize was an incredible moment. The prize attracts incredibly talented painters who express their creativity in diverse and wonderful ways through materiality. Being recognised among 15,345 entries was a proud and defining artistic achievement that will stay with me.

My painting, Sugar Plum Words, was directly inspired by Margaret Cavendish’s 17th-century work, Poems and Fancies, that intertwined seamlessly with her profound reflection on nature, love, and existence which I adhered to as a form of intelligence. I was delighted that this painting captured the imagination of Hugo Barclay, demonstrating his openness to seeing beyond the surface to engage with the inner truths depicted in the painting. Furthermore, this recognition highlights the courage and vision of the Jackson’s Art team in championing forward-thinking creatives. I am sincerely grateful to be acknowledged within their esteemed community, and it was an honour to align with their vision and values.

Wafer Promises Which Fall Sweet, 2024
Melanie Berman
Acrylic, oil, wax, and gesso on linen, 70 x 60 cm | 27.5 x 23.6 in

Josephine: You play with transparent and opaque layers in a beautiful way that feels delicate and bold at the same time. What is your process of building up these layers within a piece, and is there a meaning/intention behind them?

Melanie: I begin by applying transparent layers over a gesso base, carefully masking areas to preserve them. I then introduce opaque layers, followed by additional transparent ones, using water-based mediums to create fluidity and depth. Delicate ‘coffee-ring’ doodles in my paintings echo the pre-ink lines found on ancient papyrus documents. As I layer, I blend soft colours to achieve the desired effect before adding my designs, either freehand or with masking tape. This layering process is central to my work, allowing me to evoke the aged appearance of ancient papyrus and indigenous textiles that have always fascinated me, especially those in the British Museum and the British Library. The worn edges of these ancient pages inspire the borders of my paintings, where I embed fragmented poetic forms. My paintings serve as visual documents, holding knowledge from the past that I aim to make resonate in the present and future, whether through replication or reinterpretation.

The interplay of bold, opaque hues and delicate forms expresses a balance between the search for truth and the fragile essence of existence. My work also explores shamanic, indigenous, and primitive languages as forms of visual poetry, using symbols, metaphors, and intuition to create a narrative. Through this holistic approach, I address sociological, ecological, and geopolitical themes, connecting deeply with the human condition. Layering paint becomes a way to explore interconnectedness and humanity.

Melanie Berman is in her studio/home in East Sussex 2024

Josephine: Delicately balanced composition is so important in abstract work. Do you have any tips for mastering an abstract composition? Do you plan it out or do you let the composition emerge during painting?

Melanie: Balancing a composition is about connecting to a natural order within each painting. It involves a keen spatial awareness within the confined space of the canvas, although you can extend beyond these boundaries if desired. Ambiguities in composition open up endless possibilities, allowing for fresh perspectives in depth, tone, and form. Achieving balance, whether through harmony or chaos, involves creating a synergetic relationship between all these elements.

Mastering abstract composition can be both analytical and intuitive. I usually start by planning the initial shapes, as this links to my vision – a vision I’ve developed over time that seeks to gain a voice and join the artistic conversation. However, as I progress, some areas become more intuitive, allowing something beyond conscious thought to take over. I also enjoy pushing the boundaries of balance, experimenting with how far one can go before returning to the fundamental principles of composition.

Sharky we’ve got plenty, 2022
Melanie Berman
Acrylic, gesso, oil, and wax on reclaimed wood, 25 x 15 x 2 cm | 9.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 in

Josephine: What materials are you looking forward to purchasing with your voucher?

Melanie: I have already expanded my collection with a vibrant new range of Golden Fluid Acrylic paints and topped up on Lascaux mediums to dive into even more delicate depths. Then, I treated myself to a variety of oil paints, along with some oil mediums for glazing, and a set of large brushes. One of my best investments was a Jackson’s bespoke wooden frame for a large wooden panel, which I ordered online to the exact size I needed. The quality and colour is fantastic, and I’m thrilled with it. I also ordered a professional 12oz canvas, sized at 130 x 120 cm, featuring a smooth, tight surface and perfectly folded corners. Needless to say, I’m absolutely delighted with my new equipment.

Moon River of the mountain, 2023
Melanie Berman
Acrylic, wax, oil on reclaimed oak, 30 x 15 x 4 cm | 11.8 x 5.9 x 1.57 in

Josephine: What’s coming up next for you?

Melanie: I’m currently exhibiting two paintings at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and have recently had my work selected for the Beep Biennial in Wales. My next step is to create an art piece related to music for them. Having been accepted two years ago, I’m thrilled to be included again. A new collaboration is underway to create a final painting and research book for a gallery and museum. I have been exploring and pondering about this idea for some time and now it’s time to go ahead.

I’m also working on a new collection, following the advice of New York art critic Jerry Saltz to “Spread my wings more.” My aspirations are for my work to be featured in major art fairs such as the London Art Fair, Frieze Art Fair in London, Art Basel, The Armory Show in New York, Art Dubai, and TEFAF Maastricht in the Netherlands. It’s a grand prospect, but by expressing it aloud to the universe, and as long as I don’t fly too close to the sun and keep the moon in my sight, it will happen. How’s that for reaffirming positivity!

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