In the first of our interviews we talked to Kate McMorrine on the occasion of her exhibition with Alec Strang 'More of Less' at Concrete Hermit (interview originally posted in July 2008)

What’s your name, where do you come from and where are you now?

My name is Kate McMorrine.
I grew up in the Hebrides on the Isle of Skye.
I am now based in the East end of London working as an artist. I also work as a print technician at a London University.

What formal art training have you had and do you think it was worth it?

I have a BA in Illustration from Bristol. My work is largely drawing based so this seemed like a sensible step. However, I wouldn’t say I particularly learned to be a successful Illustrator. I concentrated on Printmaking and kept away from the briefs. When presented with titles like:
“Factory farming in Uganda” I would most probably be far too busy drawing owls.



You’re on a bus and someone decides to break with tradition and strikes up a conversation with you, how do you explain what you do and what your work is?

This is always a tough question and I’ve usually made things up rather than explain. It’s difficult enough explaining the process of etching to someone who has never heard of it. I sometimes try to do this in incredible detail. This usually makes their eyes glaze over and I can enjoy the rest of my journey in peace.
People have often described my work as dark, cartoon-like and some have even said Tim Burtonesque.
People can be very cruel.



Has your work always been illustrative colour drawings?

No, I only used to work in black and white. Later on I found that working with 3D models informed my colour choices and compositions. I’ve made cut-outs, silhouettes, bread, mud and fur sculptures. Unfortunately the latter had maggot problems.
I also started making books last year to showcase my work.
I find it helpful to mix mediums and keep going back to previous processes from a new angle.

How do you go about working/what’s your process – if there is one?

I don’t always set out with a particular vision in mind. I try to let it develop by starting with a drawing. Everything around me is informative; I have a lot of reference books and old photographs. If I do have a definite idea of what I want, I’m always aware that a process, like printmaking, will transform my concept. There’s nothing more boring than tracing something directly on to a plate.

What or whom have been your main influences?

Goya, Breughel, Bosch, Rego, Dzama, Darger and Clowes
are examples although these are all very much drawing based I also like installation artists like Mike Nelson.
I’m heavily influenced by story telling, writers like Carson McCullers, Bruno Schulz, Jorge Luis Borges. There’s a rich tradition of yarn spinning in The Hebrides which has obviously had an effect on my work. I’m also interested in gossip and misheard conversations, the mutation of truth in to something quite fantastical. I think my work has a very ambiguous narrative.



Music?

I listen to music, yes, but also like to work in silence.
The guy below my studio listens to a lot of heavy R & B which makes me feel sick. I think it’s putting me off noises in general.

Tell us about a recent trip you took or a favourite place you’ve been to. Could you recommend some local activities or pastimes that we shouldn’t miss out on?

I recently spent a weekend in Poland and visited a wolf sanctuary and an international cat show (a bit like the Polish version of Crufts for cats). I would recommend this. Other than that I don’t get out much.

Have you got any exciting current or upcoming projects that you would like to share with us?

I’m working on a small screen printed book, ‘Lump 3’. I’m also planning collaborating on a poster book of improbable events. I may just keep producing covers for books I may one day write. I’d like to write. Oh and there’s the possibility of a short film. In the meantime, I’ll just keep drawing until “they” take my pencils off me.