Why draw the staff? Spending time to observe, talk and listen, is about valuing people. Making a portrait is a recognition of that.
From the start of my involvement with The Station Gallery I wanted to be artist in residence at the Train Station and work with the staff. Having chatted in passing with the station staff during this time, and being there during a suicide, a profound experience for me but sadly, part of the job for the staff, brought home the unseen reality of such as work space.
People and trains continuously pass through this transient space, but the staff remain the constant. Always there, ready for us, ready to help, always knowledgeable, always doing the right thing at exactly the right time – just doing their job.
In between tannoy announcements, dispatching, phones calls, customer service and deliveries. I chatted with staff, took snap shots and made sketches while they were working. We talked in depth to understand their job roles, responsibilities, daily working life and experiences. During these fleeting moments of engagement, I listened to and witnessed the emotive human stories and communication that this busy public environment brings to its workforce. These intimate exchanges and observations are captured in these gentle images of quick, sensitive drawings and watercolour paintings made whilst the staff were on duty.
The portraits are now permanently displayed across the entire station, on platforms and stairwells.
