Paddy Sutton is a painter from London, who graduated from MA Contemporary Photography Philosophies and Practices at Central Saint Martins (CSM) in 2024.
Why did you choose to study your course and why CSM?
Originally a photographer I began to lose my way a few years ago. Looking back I realise that I spent too much time trying to dream up projects and not enough time just getting on with my practice. When I started looking at MA options I was drawn to this particular course because it seemed to offer a lot of scope for experimentation and exploration. The philosophy dimension was also attractive – I wanted a course that would help me think about my practice in different ways. When I applied, I thought and hoped I would find my way back to photography. It didn't work out that way. Instead I found my way back to painting.
What’s the most interesting project you worked? Towards the end of the first year I started working on my research paper, which I chose to do around the colour blue. I’m inspired by the power of colour, how colours create relationships and emotional responses in ways that can be accidental and unexpected. I think colours are more than a visual language, more than a way of defining objects in time and space. They are active beings, individuals with distinct characters and personalities. And yet they also depend on each other for their power. They work together in seemingly limitless ways. I often think they pay no attention to whatever rules we might like to impose on them. I’m especially drawn to blue. It’s not a colour you often see in nature, except in the sea and the sky, and as we know they aren’t really blue. Blue is abstract by nature. It’s also the colour of jazz – abstract music which loves improvisation and dissonance. I think it’s the most philosophical of colours. My research work around the colour blue has shaped all my work since.
Have you completed any work placements / internships whilst being on the course? Not specifically placements or internships, however I have continued to work in a design agency. Being able to work at the same time as taking the MA was an important consideration. I wouldn't have been able to do a full time one year MA.
What important piece of advice would you give to students thinking of studying this course?Be open to trying new things out. And just make work!
What has been the highlight of your CSM experience so far?Ultimately the final work I produced on the course. However, I would also say that the facilities at CSM are exceptional and I spent a lot of time in the first year experimenting – learning to weld was definitely a highlight and the processes of metalwork later influenced the way I think about painting.
What are your career aspirations? Where would you like to be in five years' time?Painting, showing work and making some sort of living from my practice. I'd also like to get involved on the teaching side, but it's early days. We'll see.
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