Q & A with Ria Green

Colour and light is a particular focus within your work. Could you explain your process of generating ideas around these elements?
For me, it's not really a process of generating ideas, rather colour and light are key elements to help express the awe and wonderment I experience the world; they're felt, not manufactured. They arrive as a kind of raw response to a moment — a certain quality of light, a shift in tone — before I've even started to think about what I'm making. The "process," if there is one, is really about staying open enough to notice that response and trusting it, rather than deliberately constructing an idea from the outside in.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you? Do you have a clear idea of what you want to create, or do ideas evolve once you begin working?
I make a coffee and head into the studio, usually beginning the day with a sit and a think - looking at how recent works have dried and settled, deciding what needs more time, more work, or what simply didn't work at all.
I never start with a clear idea, maybe I have an idea of a colour or a texture I want to play with. Making work is a journey of discovery — a collaboration with materials. I often know a material’s characteristics, but I never know exactly what will happen, and that unpredictability is a key part of my practice.
What influences do you have in your art practice? Who are some of your favourite artists?
Many influences — the natural landscape, light, and natural materials chief among them, alongside Romanticism and Impressionism as movements. Artists include J.M.W. Turner, Cy Twombly, Clarice Beckett, and James Turrell. Among contemporary artists, I'm drawn to Kate Tucker, Rosslynd Piggott, and Amber Wallis.
Your practice "presents abstracted representations of ephemeral moments of wonderment found in the natural world." How do you find inspiration for these fleeting moments?
Everywhere. It's how I experience the world. I'd say the inspiration finds me, rather than the other way around. The way light changes at sunset, a reflection off water, a shift in wind moving dust through the air — these fleeting moments are always present. My work is an attempt to get back to the experience or emotion felt in that instant, in that landscape or environment.
What would we find on the playlist in your studio and what helps you move forward if ideas aren't flowing?
It depends entirely on my mood. Podcasts about history, philosophy, and artists talking about their materials or process feature heavily. Music is wide-ranging too — from gentle classical to dance-inducing hits to lift my energy. I'm often trying to reach that flow state where the painting happens without me quite realising it — that's often where the magic happens.
What advice would you give to young emerging artists that are keen to start moving into the world of fine art?
Keep going, and find your community. It's also worth remembering we're all trying — and often failing — behind the social media or public outcome facade.
Are there any exciting future plans/projects for your practice that you would like to share with us?
It's been a really busy year of exhibitions for me — a year of focus, collaboration, and production, which I've genuinely loved. Now I'm looking forward to heading back into the studio to play and think without the pressure of an outcome, and to experiment more with materials and scale.





