“My works for ‘Make’ hold stories”: Stephanie Corkhill Hyles

Stephanie Corkhill Hyles is one of the amazing artists taking part in Make at Tyger.

Where you start from does not dictate or decide for you where you will end up. A beginning is just a first step on a journey of creation.

So when Stephanie Corkhill Hyles starts all of her art working days with the same routine, it has little bearing on the works that she will create.

“I have a daily ritual when I enter my studio space,” she says.

“I walk in, pop the kettle on, breathe out, bless myself, my loved ones and the works I am starting on with Holy Water, pop my music on and start my day with the energy that has been gathered and the intention to create something special.”

And the work that she creates from her rural 1920s property is incredibly special: awash with colour, deeply evocative, and warmly emotive.

Stephanie is one of six artist friends in Make, which opens at Tyger Gallery in Yass on 17 November, alongside Sara Phemister, Nicole Cosgrove, Ning Clark, Sally Rasmussen, and Kasey Robinson.

Her four incredible paintings in Make are rich in storytelling detail, beautifully painted, and steeped in warm memory.

“My works for Make hold stories,” Stephanie says.

“Mostly holding the emotions of grief after losing our dear beautiful Mother four months ago and special family memories.

“They hold memories, like The Swing and the importance of Joy in our lives. They hold Hope and how important it is to feel hope in your heart. They hold faith and love. And they hold gratitude for others.”

That authenticity shines through in the work that Stephanie creates. It’s easy to see how what the artist feels and experiences influences and shapes her warmly inviting paintings.

“I would describe my work as a flow on from my life. It encapsulates the joy, the grief, the unknown and the colourful. It tells the story of where my mind goes but it also is where my mind is at rest and peace.”

“My art making has always been a visual diary of my life. I don’t feel the pressure to create a certain thing, the paint brush goes where it needs to go, telling a story along the way with the brushstrokes, mark making and colours. Ending with a composition that has been on a journey.”

“I am not precious about my work until I feel it is finished. I will paint over it if I’m not happy with it. This process creates texture and brings about another story and theory, that nothing is forever except the feeling that one receives from accomplishing something wonderful!”

She says she hopes that feeling of wonder is what people experience when they see the works in Make.

“I hope that the viewer feels the love, the hope, the joy, the faith and compassion that goes into each piece,” she says.

“I hope that it evokes emotion and helps them on their own journeys and makes them smile!”

Make has its opening celebrations on 18 November, 2-4pm at Tyger Gallery in Yass. The show runs until 3 December. The gallery is open 10-4pm, Friday to Sunday.

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