Jef Staut: sketching is playing
October is a month full of drawing experimentation and fun. A paper / a day invites you to go wild with pencil and paper for 31 days. Jef Staut indulges in his sketchbooks. For him, they are a playground and a place to create freely.
Jef Staut's studio is a lively place where two cats happily roam. He shares this studio with his girlfriend Ellen Meers. On the walls hang a mix of works by both of them, supplemented by playful objects: feathers, a colourful abacus or a plastic puzzle of a boat in red, green, blue and yellow. The studio is a real treasure trove, you will discover fascinating objects like dice and toy pieces everywhere.
Jef: 'I used to draw only on the right-hand pages of my sketchbooks. I didn't want my drawings to print through on the next page. Now I use both the right and left pages and I just find that print-through interesting and also the interaction between the pages. I like to draw a motif over and over again until it is completely in my hand. Then I can experiment with it and develop new things. I also like stickers because they can quickly add playfulness to a drawing.
Drawing in my sketchbooks is not something I impose on myself, I follow my urge to work in them. The sketchbook should be a space where I can create freely and without pressure. I originally used mostly coloured pencils in primary colours. Now I have expanded my colour palette. I also like to work with a fountain pen because it glides so smoothly on the paper. I also like to buy the same A4 sketchbooks over and over again, in different colours.'
Jef: 'Sometimes I choose work from my sketchbook and transfer it to larger format or paint it. I am currently reading ‘I Paint What I Want to See’ by Philip Guston in which he talks about the difference between drawing and painting. Guston talks about the simplicity of drawing and how that process helps discover ideas. Drawing is often a direct way to capture thoughts and images, without the distractions of colour and mass, for example, that come into play in painting. My friend encouraged me to paint too, which offers a different experience from drawing. Working with a brush feels very different, but I am starting to appreciate it more and more as a complement to my drawing work.
The graphic design of toys inspires me. I put together a small catalogue with pictures of toys I found on Vinted. I find the colours, shapes and patterns very appealing. I use them as inspiration to experiment in my sketchbooks. Every now and then, I still can't resist buying a toy.'
Jef Staut
°1994
Has a studio in Brussels.
Draws, paints with a fascination for the colours and shapes of toys.
