Freya Croissant

Your work seems to invite us into the dream-states of childhood and play. Could you share what memories or experiences inspired this sense of wonder and exploration in your latest work?

Freya- In the last four years I've been on a bit of a journey exploring my relationship to Cornwall in an ongoing body of work ‘Remembering Places Once Trodden’. Conjuring feelings of grief intertwined with memories of childhood naivety and fearlessness. These pieces serve as both reflections and recordings of the North Cornwall countryside the landscapes that shaped my early years. So I’m certainly thrilled this is how you have seen my work. 

Your work often blends the natural world with intimate, personal spaces. How do you approach translating these elements from your surroundings into the pieces you’ve created for Under the Laurels?  

Freya- Since moving to Brighton I have been trying to draw and paint from my immediate surroundings more. I think this is because I’m much more inspired by being near the South Downs coastline. In my painting ‘Tulips outside St Peter’s’ this was a turning point for including man made structures into my images. I would usually shy away from anything rigid and man made but there has been something really pulling me to the repeat patterns of fencing. It’s such a silly little thing but I have been really enjoying looking at it!

Tulips Outside St Peters, Oil and bleach on stretched canvas

  You’ve mentioned before that walking and being in nature are essential to your creative process, is there locations you work from regularly?

 Freya- Since moving from London to Brighton this year I have been drawing lots around the downs. I have family in North Cornwall so growing up I spent a lot of time down there. There was one particular walk called ‘lovers walk’, winding down from my grandparents bungalow high up on the cliffs to the beach. Passing through farmland, a shallow river, little woodland areas and opening up onto the slate clad beach.

 Could you talk about light and how working in different settings influences your use of colour, light, and texture?

 Freya - I’m definitely happiest when I’m drawing / making outside. Sadly my studio doesn’t have amazing lighting so I’m often running my paintings out onto the street to check my work. Light has a huge impact on my ability to focus on my work and enjoy making, so when the weather permits I’m out on that side street! 

 Your art often reflects a sense of solitude and introspection. How do you think this sense of personal space and contemplation resonates with the broader themes of Under the Laurels?

Freya - I am so excited to be included in an exhibition which is exploring the Bloomsbury group. I take inspiration from their decorative approaches & freedom to making, politics and life. A major influence of mine is Vanessa Bell, particularly her use of colour.

How do you approach your palette?

 Freya - Colour is possibly the most important part of my practice. I became fascinated by colour theory and the science behind colour being a learned experience whilst studying. I try to be true to my memory with how I portray light and colour, this is why i think my palette is often soft with injections of bold blues, pinks and reds. These childhood colour associations seeping through.

Freya’s studio in Brighton, Sussex.

You work across multiple surfaces—from paper to board to canvas—with what feels like an experimental confidence. How does the choice of medium impact the way you approach each piece or idea?

 Freya - The way I approach my painting came from when I was studying Illustration and I discovered soft pastels. I fell in love with how I could blend and blur & blend colours and shapes. Although I love experimenting with different textiles practices I do feel very content with a lightly primed canvas. Im always pleased by how the canvas soaks up the oil a little and I can work in endless thin dreamlike layers. 

 There’s a strong sense of layering and process in your work, often revealing past versions of an image through faint marks or uncovered lines. Could you describe what draws you to this recursive, storytelling approach?

 Freya - I work from memory a lot of the time or at the least from drawings which are often remembered so I am glad that these works come across like this. They are me processing my memory of that place and time. 

Your work often contrasts soft, imagery with the vastness of landscapes. How do you balance these playful, day-to-day inspirations with the more profound themes in your work?

 Freya - My memories of Cornwall scattered over the last 20 something years have become a feature in most of my work. Even when I’m not painting or drawing them directly. I think simply the process and rhythm I got into when I first started working this way has had a huge impact on my practice. Complex familial relationships, personal development and set backs a defiantly play a role in my paintings but I don’t tend to think about these too much. More how the colour I remember at the time made me feel - which in turn I suppose reflects my wider feelings towards my environment.

 Your pieces seem to capture the life cycle of an idea, evolving through layers of color and line over time. Could you elaborate on how time and the evolution of thought play a role in the creation and completion of each piece? 

 Freya - I think this really comes back to working from memory and mentally unlocking the layers of my memories and the different iterations of them.