The Icons Collection 

Working and living fluidly through each other's lives for the past 10 years, artists Gerry Kinch and Sequin Kay had always preempted a project together. Combining both their strengths as artists, this project titled 'Icons Collection' is a celebration of powerful, iconic, monumental women. These classic portraits have been painted by Gerry and given a spiritual lease of life finished with Swarovski crystals by Sequin. With the muses coming naturally to them, this collection of work depicts a moment in time, a captured glimpse that can now be a long lasting memory of the best of these women. We sat down with these talented artists to discuss all things 'Icons Collection', creativity as a journey and women as inspiration.

How did you decide on the women to include in this collection?

Sequin: It was a very intuitive decision. We didn’t choose the women in a logical sense. The female icons actually chose us, through the power of image.  Each image came to both Gerry and I and it was a visceral reaction to the photographer and the way they captured these women. We both saw a variety of subtle layers in these portraits.  I felt they were to these multi-layered and multifaceted portraits of women almost like crystals themselves.  So there was a connection between the physical material and the subtle personalities of the females all carrying layered meaning and experience inside them that struck a chord with us. 

Gerry:  When I think back to when we first met 9 years ago, we always said we would do something together but we never did. Nine years later we met again in Ibiza - she was working with her crystals and I was painting. We started talking again and decided now was the time to do something together. 

I saw an image of Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra when Sequin opened her phone and she mentioned she had been a guiding image for her during times of adversity in her personal  life.  All the magic and mystique of her character from the still image  hit me. She was an extraordinarily mystical and intelligent woman. It was like a light-bulb pinged in my head. The magic of Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra is everything - and from there we had our project.

How did you both meet? Is there a backstory to your collaboration as artists?

Gerry: It’s quite a good story. It was nine or ten years ago that we met in Trinity Buoy Wharf. Sequin walked into my studio in a blast of sunshine, decorated with crystals all over her. It was like watching a movie scene as she walked into the studio, as I’d never seen her before. I was fascinated by how she looked. She was in the studio doing work, and we just started talking. Even though our art is so far apart, the power of the crystals bind us together. We would do something one day, and then we would walk out of each other's lives and then walk straight back in. So, I asked her to start working on a project together. Sequin was up for it, and the rest is history.

Sequin: Gerry has described it really well. I love that we walked into each other’s lives and out again. We’re both open to a sense of magic and flow and the creative spirit. It was the reflective nature of the crystals that drew Gerry in and he felt the power of them when used in contemporary art. When he saw a selection of my art pieces in ibiza in the direct sunlight;  it sparked a stronger sense of collaboration. It was the crystals that ignited this idea as there is magnetism within them.

The power of light, reflections and colours of the crystals  have a visceral cellular impact on the body and this is a topic I have been studying for a while. It is more of an inward journey. Gerry’s work is more skill-based, formative and objective. My work is more subjective, interpersonal, and subterranean.  This combination has created a dynamic and fresh new way of collaborating.

Gerry: The Renaissance period is the time in art that fascinates me most, and I paint in that way. When I saw Sequin’s crystal artwork - I found a new form of energy. They’ve got an energy all of their own, and she places them so meticulously on each piece. It is almost like Frankenstein. You’re bringing something to life. You put them together, shine a light on them, and boom. 

There's an exciting combination of classic portraiture over layered with a modern flare and unique twist making the work feel very fresh and unseen. Was this conscious and planned or a natural occurrence of the collaboration?

Sequin: It was a natural flow of events, talent and I think many timelines coming together.  Both Gerry and I have dedicated many hours in the studio honing our craft and I feel it was two timelines aligning and the power of number 5, that’s all I can say for now. 

Gerry: It seemed like the stars were aligned here. It had seemed like the stars were jumping about, but all of a sudden they became lined up, and it was time to move.

The pieces seem to encapsulate each woman's personality and own flair, was it hard to capture this/did you purposefully try to pay homage to them as individuals?

Sequin: Once we had decided on our subjects, for example Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, there was definitely a deep purpose. We wanted to bring forth Elizabeth’s personality,  her raw passion, and her love of jewels. We wanted to understand her story as a woman and as an actress and how she had to step into the role as Cleoptra which she did extraordinarily. I felt into and researched their archetypes, attributes, and what each of them brought to the world. We had to illustrate this within the sensitivity of both the painting and the crystals. Everything was purposefully planned from the colours to the sizes of the crystals. For some it was more total full on crystal bling, others more elegant and refined - but all a reflection of the different layers and aspects of their characters.

Gerry: There’s an old saying; East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet. This collection proves the exception to the rule. East did meet West in a very harmonious way. Two different art forms came together to form something quite unique.

Ever since the Impressionist, artists have been looking to create something that has not been done previously. Although crystals have been used in art, and even in portraiture - they haven’t been done in the way in which we do it. I paint a picture, and then Sequin paints it again but with crystals. It just seemed natural. It seemed like it would flow and it did. The magic kicked in. It was like jazz meeting rock or something. Two things met and it worked.

Can you tell us a bit about your own individual backgrounds as artists?

Gerry: Art has always been my way of expressing myself, ever since I was a kid. I grew up in the East End and experienced all of the ups and downs of growing up in a place like that. Art was a way out for me. 

I tried to get into Art College but didn’t have enough exams. I had an A-level in art which I passed easily, but didn’t have the other exams which was the prerequisite at the time. You needed 5 A-levels, but all I had was art and an O-level in English so they wouldn’t let me in, even though they loved my work.

Then, by pure chance, I stumbled upon a sign company that needed an artist. They did pub signs and they needed an artist to paint The Dog and Duck, The King’s Head, and The Red Lion and so on. I did a test for the guy and he liked it, and I was doing that for quite a few years. That was my college. I painted pub signs and that’s where I learned how to get it from my head and soul, down my arm and onto a board or canvas. Sometimes it can be so evident in your mind but being able to form it infront of your eyes is the hardest part.

After I left there I started my own sign company which went really well for a while, until the Government made a move which stopped pub signs going forward, and then graphic computers kicked in. So from there I went back to pure painting and established some fairly wealthy customers that have commissioned many pieces from me over the years.

Being a freelance artist is a struggle. There’s some great artists out there who can’t earn enough money to buy a loaf of bread. I’m so lucky that I found a way to paint, to be an artist and to earn a living out of it. It has never made me rich, but I’ve never been poor either. I’ve been around the world, and painted in different countries such as the Maldives, the Seychelles, Spain and France, and I’ve painted for some important people like Alan Sugar and other multi-millionaires, top restaurants like Sheesh, and gilded the whole of the Asian Room in the British Museum which was opened by the Queen with my work lying behind her.

It has been a great ride. As I say, I’ve never been able to buy a Rolls Royce but it has always been a pleasure to go to work. I’ve always had enough, and as Shakespeare said - enough is as good as a feast.

Sequin: Gosh, my journey as an artist, I never know where to start. I’ve been creating since I was 15 years old. I received my first commission from my school to create a mosaic which is still there to this day outside of the library. From then, I had this deep passion and drive for creativity which has taken many, many forms starting with illustration, painting, and sculpture.

I studied a Painting BA at Camberwell for four years, and it was an experimental four years of discovery which opened me up to the history of art, diverse creative techniques, contemporary art, and many different ways of thinking about what art and creativity is.

When I left Art College, I was living in Brixton, South London and I became deeply involved in the world of sequins. I found them a massive source of inspiration and it became my material. I felt a deep affinity with them, and for years I was mummifying objects with sequins - from telephones, to saucepans, and creating interior art pieces for people’s homes.

I went on this long journey of creativity. I’ve exhibited in many different parts of the world such as Costa Rica, Malta, Malaysia, London and Ibiza all the while creating different works, and taking on commissions for diverse clientele. 

Travel has been a huge inspiration for my work. I lived in India for three years and that was partly to explore and understand the spiritual aspects of creativity, and why I am so drawn towards these reflective objects. The environment I have lived in and the people who are part of the journey have had a profound impact on what and how I create - environment is everything. . 

I’ve created astrology collections, geometry collections, interior abstract collections; a zodiac collection which I exhibited in Ibiza and I’m currently working on a swarovski crystal goddess collection soon to be showcased in Ibiza this October. 

My work is often a reflection of my inner world and shows my own spiritual development and evolution. What is going on inside of me is very much reflected in all of my creations.

Do you feel personally connected or inspired by the women you’ve included in this collection?

Gerry: I mentioned the magic that inspired me whilst creating Cleopatra. However, when I painted Princess Diana, I felt almost as if I was in a church altar because I had such great respect for her. She was a fantastic woman, and being who she was and what she did, I tried to paint her with this sensitivity. I was so careful with how I painted her, almost like walking on rice paper. That was the inspiration for Diana.

With Beyonce, it was just the pure energy of it that inspired me. You could feel the explosive nature of the painting and the subject. But with Veronica, it was less obvious. She was such an interesting woman in her own right. She died of alcoholism, mixed up with all of the gangsters. She was a great movie star, but could have been even greater. She’s got a huge character, and a naturally injured spirit which struck me.

Sequin: Yes. I feel connected to each and every one of these women in a unique way I cannot rationally explain. I feel even more connected to their stories, what they’ve been through, and what they’ve overcome. 

I’m reading Diana’s book at the moment. You gain an insight to  the layers, depths, and the adversity each of them has overcome. In  some way I feel very personally connected to each and every woman and take inspiration from their words of wisdom and personal journies. 

Elizabeth Taylor is hilarious, witty, strong and has a range of understanding for the human condition that I relate to. For Veronica Lake, I feel a longing and sorrow in her eyes and I sense a very misunderstood woman, and have a shared understanding for when I myself have also felt misunderstood.

For each one, different feelings and emotions arise. There’s a teaching, a learning, and an essence of revealation with each portrait that we have embarked on. It’s an incredibly interesting process.

Do you have any women in your own personal lives that helped influence your artwork /professional life?

Gerry: I did have a girlfriend in Berlin, half-Turkish and half-German. She was very much an abstract artist. She used to open my eyes to different ways of painting. 

Sequin: I am a little bit sentimental. My mother has been a constant enduring, quiet, and subtle support. Without this I wouldn’t be able to do what I am today. Then in a professional way there have been so many female artists who have broken political or cultural barriers that have inspired me. 

Monir Farmanfarmaian is an Iranian artist and she has created some incredible mirror and back painted art which has inspired me since the age of 17. I admire her understanding of mathematics and quantum physics and the way she has incorporated that into her work. She’s deeply inspired me along with Yayoi Kusama. Both of these artists really embedded themselves within the fabric of my own creativity.

The paintings of Georgia O’Keefe have inspired me. As a female artist living alone in New Mexico she broke boundaries in many ways. When I’m in the studio, I often listen to Mary Oliver and Joan Didion so these have a daily influence in the studio. 

Often as a female artist, you feel as though there is a glass ceiling above you; all of these women have broken through a glass ceiling of their own, collectively we are helping each other rise. Their achievements and enduring ability to keep going have touched my soul. 

Will the collection be showcased anywhere in particular for people to see up close?

Sequin: The collection will be showcased in London this October. We will be hosting an evening exhibition and private viewing at this location. This is the only time in London it is planned for the pieces to be shown as a full collection. We have a vision to also take the pieces to Dubai later this year. 

What’s next for you both? Could you envision more collaborations down the line?

Gerry: 100%. We’ve got so many ideas buzzing around our heads which we haven’t made public yet. We’ve got so many ideas and we’d like to start abstracting things as we go forward. Creating more original stuff and creating subjects from our minds. When we first started, it didn’t seem there were so many avenues open to us, but there are. So we definitely want to travel down a few of them.

Sequin: Definitely. From the minute we started, there are many other people we desire to capture. We have an idea of creating live portraits, and arranging people to sit for us and go deep into the fabric and narrative of their personal stories as we wish to honour humanity and the process it takes to be on a path. There are of ideas buzzing around, and there’s lots in the pipeline.