Eileen Hogan: Artist-not-in-residence

As the Museum was closed for renovation, Hogan came up with the idea to be an ‘artist-not-in-residence’. She wanted to create ‘a virtual garden museum’ through exploring green spaces in London. She asked people to nominate a London green space writing ‘This could be a private garden or a public space, and it might even be a remembered space, for example, or somewhere glimpsed from the top of a bus. It could be at ground level or it might be a balcony or roof terrace and it can be related to any time of year.’

The green spaces chosen by Eileen’s respondents ranged from community gardens and commons as well as large public parks and posh squares. It was not so much about the extent of green space, but its character and how it is tended.

'I expected people to choose a lot of major public parks. What was more unexpected was people loving the neglected, or something that they came across every day. Loving the regularity. And they had such different reasons. I got very interested in what the dynamic of the garden is. Somewhere to go and work, the Chelsea Physic Garden for instance – or somewhere to go and play, or somewhere as sanctuary, or somewhere to walk.' - Eileen Hogan

With a list of suggestions, Eileen travelled across London, from Dalston to Twickenham, to these garden sketch book in hand and recorded the space.

‘My method was to draw, scribble and make notes in my sketchbook in all the gardens that I visited. Through drawing I find out what connects me to a place. A relationship to some of the sites developed – it’s about becoming aware of an element I hadn’t seen before, even though I might be familiar with the space.’ – Eileen Hogan

The view is controlled by our access to the site. The focal points of Eileen’s vistas, the empty benches or terrace backs, the football nets and cul-de-sac fences, often give the impression of being at the far end of an untraversable space; an atmosphere that is undiminished by the fact of access granted.

From her sketch books Eileen choose 12 sites, one for each month of the year, to turn in to larger painting which were displayed at the Garden Museum when it reopened.

“I’m not a documentary artist. Or an illustrative artist. Starting to sift through them, the hardest thing was thinking about presenting a body of work which had to represent my language as well as the documentation of the project. And that’s when I started to choose what – for me – reflected the idea of control. The controlled view.” - Eileen Hogan

'There appeared to be no access to the Brompton Jewish cemetery. My first glimpse was from the top of a ladder, borrowed from the neighbouring Chelsea Arts Club, looking over the very high wall at the rows of tombstones inscribed in Hebrew... . So far I have only been able to draw the cemetery from the top of a ladder and it remains an elusive and mysterious place.'- Eileen Hogan

'The Chelsea Physic Garden is closed in winter, except to members. It is clearly a working garden and very different to the experience of visiting during summer when it’s full of visitors and voices.' - Eileen Hogan

'I enjoyed particularly ‘bad’ weather, including mist and a storm; and many plants, in order to protect them from the frost, were wrapped up in silvery bubble wrap which reflected the low winter light.' -Eileen Hogan

'The watering tripods and sprinklers were moved at the same time each day and the powerful spray reflected a silvery light and obscured parts of the planting.' - Eileen Hogan

'I am interested in classicism and therefore the neo-classicism of Chiswick House resonated for me.' - Eileen Hogan

Intrigued by how other artists have approached gardens, Eileen painted her view of Chiswick House from the same view point George Lambeth used in the eighteenth century. In Lambeth’s painting he include the promenading aristocracy on an invented a raise balustrade platform to enhance the picturesqueness of the scene.

This “controlled view” Eileen speak about is well illustrated here. Her chosen viewpoint is that of someone who has no business with the place but has stumbled upon a sight of it - perhaps a dog walker glimpsing it from a lane, or a child who has gone looking for a lost ball. The house, blank-windowed and shut for winter, is seen in the distance through a gap in the scrubby bramble hedge that divides her from the house and its gracious lawn.

'Until I encountered native bluebells in the woodlands at Kew Gardens I never realised there were different varieties and that the effect of wild native bluebells is very different to the garden Spanish variety, which is not a vivid blue.' - Eileen Hogan

'The monochrome bleakness of Victoria Park on a winter early morning excited me in a different way to the bluebells at Kew. The silver frost, which almost obliterated the white lines of the football pitches, created a poignant feeling of emptiness, and provided a visual metaphor for things coming into and out of existence.' - Eileen Hogan

'I love the camouflage-patterned bark of these trunks and the fact that the pattern is made because the bark comes away in large flakes which allows the tree to cleanse itself of pollutants.' - Eileen Hogan

'In Romilly’s garden I can detect the colours, tones, textures and rhythms used in her (book)bindings, and in the jewellery which she now designs. Sophisticated elegance and simplicity are characteristic of Romilly’s work and are evident in her garden. Its enclosed privacy on a busy road, makes me think about the significance of sound, smell and touch in Romilly’s bindings; the movement of the pages, the interiority and exteriority of a book.' - Eileen Hogan

'There is a trace of animal life in my painting of Edwardes Square. I walk through the square almost every day on the way to work... The tennis court is installed in June for the summer months and the nets are hooked up every night to prevent damage by the resident foxes.' - Eileen Hogan

Eileen Hogan's work throughout the residency has created a lasting artistic record of green space in London. Spaces participants came across every day, from front gardens to public parks.