Professional Practice - Sophie Goodchild

Sophie Goodchild's educational background includes atteding the Royal College of Arts for her BA, then studying painting for her MA. She has also been involved with various other organisations and programmes like BackLit, Troy Town Art Pottery, Flatland Projects and The School of the Damned.

She talked about how we can interrogate our chosen materials in art, for instance, in her work she questions what painting can really be. Her felt work takes on a similar process to painting in the sense that it involves building layers and blending colours which requires a certain level of planning, although the outcome is not always controllable. This image of one of her large scale felted pieces shows these parallels with painting - the layers of felt are like thick brushstrokes that create vivid blocks of colour. When I look at this piece I see hellish imagery from the flames and a sense of omniscience from the multiple eyes. The lizard motifs travel upwards from the flames and this guides the motion of our eyes as we view the work, leading us to the text at the top. I find it hard to read but it still makes the work feel like a piece of story telling and reflects the artists interest in folklore.

Sophie Goodchild also works in 3D, predominantly with ceramics and casting. Notably, she created this playful piece of a toad with her own footprint in its back to represent the idea of life's fragility. She sent a drawing of her idea to London Bronze Casting, unsuccessfully the first time, but persisted and won the chance to have her squashed frog cast in bronze. I find it really impressive how she used a novelty toy and had the vision to turn it into a beautiful piece of art with very high material value; it gives me confidence that I can work with low status things to elevate them into something really special.  

I think a lot of Sophie Goodchild's success comes from her willingness to seek out experience and opportunities in the art world (like London Bronze Casting and BackLit residency) as well as work with different groups to build positive relationships with other artists, for instance, she created an exhibition proposal with Sam Hanner, in which 6 artists responded to the idea of 'Swamp', so she has a really active and present role in the art community. Goodchild also explained how important research is in her process, and I think this is what makes her work sophisticated and bespoke. She takes research further than the typical reading or searching online - she emphasised in her talk that research can take many forms, like collecting objects, creating collages on the wall, drawing, and engaging with other artists. This was really helpful to me because I generally learn in a visual way so I feel more confident that this is a valid style of researching in my own projects, for example I am currently gathering primary research by exploring charity and antique shops where I photograph objects that relate to my theme. 

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