Artists under Lockdown / Charles Trevelyan

Charles Trevleyan working in his kitchen
COURTESY: Charles Trevleyan

The Design Edit (TDE): How are you keeping busy in self-isolation?
Charles Trevelyan (CT): The first week we were just figuring out how to work. For me, it was a question of how to turn a 3D practice into a 2D practice. Years ago, I made sketches as a record of ideas – rather than a useful tool to present to clients – but I haven’t sketched for ages. Now, however, I have remembered how to sketch and I’ve begun to develop a new way of presenting ideas …  but I am keen to return to 3D work as soon as possible.

TDE: Everyone’s pace of life has slowed down considerably; what is the impact of this new rhythm on your work life and home life?
CT: Whenever you are forced to work in a different way, that changes your work. It could lead me to places I wouldn’t have gone another time. I am certainly hoping that breaking the established process will throw up new ideas. Meanwhile, we are all having to incorporate our own private goals into the family schedule – it is a logistical issue, trying to keep everyone doing what they want, in our shared space.

Charles Trevelyan, ‘Fuse I’, 2018
COURTESY: Carpenters Workshop Gallery

TDE: Do you have a favourite self-isolation recipe to share with us?
CT: We have a pizza oven at the bottom of our garden and so making a pizza is one of the things we can do together as a family.

• Raw prawns, de-veined, halved lengthways and lightly salted.
• Strips (vegetable peeler) of courgette marinated in lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt.
• Red onion cut in half and then thinly sliced, marinated in moscatel vinegar, verjuice, sugar to balance the vinegar and a little salt.
• Can of San Marzano tomatoes blitzed up with a clove of garlic, salt and dried oregano.
• Wild garlic leaves and flowers (or replace with samphire).
• Chilli flakes.
• Pizza dough.

Layer the blended tomato sauce (sparingly), courgette, prawns and onions (in that order) on the pizza base, taking care not to overload the pizza so that all the ingredients cook through quickly. Bake pizza and then sprinkle with fine chopped wild garlic leaves, garlic flowers and a dash of olive oil with chilli flakes to taste.

Charles Trevelyan, ‘Askance’, 2016
COURTESY: Carpenters Workshop Gallery

TDE: What is saving your sanity under lockdown?
CT: I haven’t got there yet! The first week was a real mess of home-schooling and home-working. Before self-isolation I would get everybody off to school, stop for a coffee on the way to the studio before the working day, and make some sketches or phone calls. After work I would relax by going to live music with friends. Neither of these is now possible. So now in the afternoon, around five o’clock, when we get the sun on our front steps, I sit out there with a drink and talk to my wife about her working day – and chat to our neighbours who are also on their front steps.  

Charles Trevleyan at home on his doorstep
COURTESY: Charles Trevleyan

TDE: Which online exhibition/gallery viewing room, or other internet offerings have caught your eye?
CT: This isn’t something I have had time to do. But it is interesting to see how people have been adapting. And it will become more interesting at the point when people have had an opportunity to generate new material specifically for the way we are living now.