Touchy-feely

Emsworth artist Heather Bowring’s tactile artworks aren’t just to be looked at – they are designed to be touched

- Sandra Smith

Seeing and hearing about the texture of paint is interesting and, yes, informative.

But I can barely describe the accompanying frustration when as a synesthetic what I really want to do is enhance my experience by feeling the brushstrokes, the consistency of layer upon layer of paint. It’s all about engaging more than one sense to conjure a three-dimensionality that is otherwise unattainable. So the anticipation of interviewing an artist who creates images designed to be caressed heightens my senses.

“Tactile art means you’re allowed to touch,” says Heather Bowring who hadn’t painted until 16 years ago when she developed her skill during a stay-at-home gap year. “Using plaster and a tiny paintbrush I go over the lines of a sketch I make onboard. After 15 to 20 coats you create a raised edge though everything is raised to different levels in order to stand out. My paintings look like fine icing on a cake.”