An interview with Kate Mercy

Posted by Jazmine Saunders on 9th March, 2024

• ... "I have always loved art but I never considered myself to be artistic. I didn’t make things as a child and I didn’t discover working with crafts until relatively recently."

  Jazmine Saunders

  1. Can you share a bit about your artistic background and what inspired you to become an artist?

  Kate Mercy

  I have always loved art but I never considered myself to be artistic. I didn’t make things as a child and I didn’t discover working with crafts until relatively recently. Going on a number of craft workshops in different mediums made me realise how satisfying it is to produce your own things. Seeing other people’s work and talking about their own crafts has developed in me a love of some mediums and the processes as well as just a love of the end piece.

  Photographic Credit: Kate Mercy

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  Jazmine Saunders

  2. What specific media do you work with and how do you choose the materials for your work?

  Kate Mercy

  I work with fused glass. Although you can “fuse” any glass you can only mix glass when fusing if you know that they are compatible with each other – otherwise the piece will crack. So, I use specially manufactured glass that is guaranteed to be compatible across the whole range from that company. But that range is very wide – transparent glass and opaque, every colour you can think of, some with multiple colours within the same piece and so on.

  Photographic Credit: Kate Mercy

• Jazmine Saunders

  3. Could you describe your creative process, from concept to completion, for a typical piece of artwork?

  Kate Mercy

  It is difficult to say where the initial inspiration comes from. Sometimes it is just a colour that I see, or a shape, or a movement. It is rare that I set out to make a piece without knowing how I want it to end up. But before I even set hand to any glass I must determine the processes that I will need to develop the shapes that I want, and the colours that most suit that design. Only then can I start cutting and firing the glass.

  Photographic Credit: Kate Mercy

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  Jazmine Saunders

  4. How do you draw inspiration for your work and are there particular themes or subjects that resonate with you?

  Kate Mercy

  I love nature and the myriad of colours that abound in the natural world. Whilst there is no single theme to which I restrict myself, I will often find myself coming back to sea-life.

  Photographic Credit: Kate Mercy

• Jazmine Saunders

  5. Can you discuss any challenges you have faced as an artist and how you have overcome them?

  Kate Mercy

  I love working with glass but I didn’t consider myself an artist. It is the belief of others that my work is artistic that has helped me develop as I have.

  Photographic Credit: Kate Mercy

• ... "I was delighted to find the Chichester Open Studios event when I moved here. In fact it was one of the things that gave me an interest in becoming an artist."

  Jazmine Saunders

  6. What role does the Chichester Open Studios Art Trail play in your artistic journey and why did you choose to participate?

  Kate Mercy

  Before I became an artist I lived in Cambridgeshire. Obviously, there were galleries in Cambridge itself but very few in the county as a whole. There was nothing like Chichester Open Studios in the area to give access to the great work that local artists produce. I was delighted to find the Chichester Open Studios event when I moved here. In fact it was one of the things that gave me an interest in becoming an artist. Now that I am one, I think it is a fantastic way to display my work and for new people to get to know me.

  Photographic Credit: Kate Mercy

• Jazmine Saunders

  7. Are there any specific pieces you will be showcasing during the Art Trail that hold special significance to you, and if so, why?

  Kate Mercy

  Probably my “bubblegum” bowl is the piece that I am most proud of. They look beautiful but are challenging to get right. Another piece would have been my Jelly Fish sculpture but this has now sold. Maybe I will have produced another piece based on a jellyfish by the time of the Open Studios!

  Photographic Credit: Kate Mercy

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  Jazmine Saunders

  8. How do you hope your audience will engage with or interpret your artwork during the Chichester Open Studios Art Trail?

  Kate Mercy

  I love making my pieces accessible to people who are interested enough to come and look. The two comments I love to hear most when someone sees my work are “wow” and “how ?”.  I particularly enjoy teaching people how they could also make their own pieces.

  Photographic Credit: Kate Mercy

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  Jazmine Saunders

  9. What do you enjoy most about being part of the local artistic community and how does it influence your work?

  Kate Mercy

  I enjoy seeing other artist’s work as much as anyone. Being part of a local artistic community lets me see the breadth of skills out there and allows me to see the way others think. It fascinates me how different people can produce works that end up so different when they have based them on the same subject. This further stimulates my own artistic designs.

  Photographic Credit: Kate Mercy

• ... "Reactions to your work, good and bad, are important and help you develop."

  Jazmine Saunders

  10. Can you share your thoughts on the importance of community support for local artists and events like the Chichester Open Studios?

  Kate Mercy

  Without community support, some artists would not develop and some would just stop after a while. It is only through people seeing your work that you get validation that others like it. Your thought processes are stimulated by hearing what people think, what they like, what they don’t like. Reactions to your work, good and bad, are important and help you develop.

  Photographic Credit: Kate Mercy