Andrea Hytch

Do you concentrate on one medium, or do you work in several?  :

Having had a career in art and design education, I am familiar with the use of many creative processes. However, since my retirement, I have focused specifically on the use of oil and cold wax medium. I particularly enjoy the rich textures that can be achieved with this technique, its unpredictable nature, its surprises and rewards. It’s incredibly messy to work with and really only responds to pallet knives, scrapers and rollers (I rarely use paint brushes), but its perfect for working in a more stylised and abstract manner.

Tell us about your workspace. 

Previously a conservatory, my home-based studio provides me with a light-filled area from which to work. Beyond my easel, I can look out across the valley and onto the fields and hills beyond. This view is a recurring theme in many of my paintings.

What inspires you?

I’m very fortunate to have a wonderful view from my studio. The prominent horizon line and fields stretching up to it, offer many opportunities for interpretation - especially as the seasons change. This is not only evident in changing colours and vegetation, but also in the patterns created by agricultural practices.

I also go walking a lot, taking my sketchbook and camera. Often, I see something that inspires me when I’m driving and I realise that I often see the landscape in terms of future paintings.

Do you have a favourite piece in your Little Gallery exhibition?

My favourite piece in the exhibition is ‘Derbyshire; Last of the Melting Snow’.

This was created in January 2026, during the particularly cold spell when the fields and hill across from my studio were white with snow. During these days, it didn’t seem to get light at all, and the land seemed almost subdued. Long after the snow had disappeared elsewhere, it remained on the hill opposite, slowly fading as the earth warmed up again.

How did you start doing what you do?

I did a Degree in Wood/Metal/Ceramics before doing a Post-graduate Teaching qualification in Design Technology, so I’ve always been interested in creativity. Ironically, my own creativity had to be put on hold until I retired.

Do you work on your creative business full time, or do you have another job as well?

My creative work is purely for pleasure, but like many artists, I find that it becomes ‘a need’.

Nothing gives me greater pleasure than working at my easel, whilst listening to music or a podcast.

If you have spare time, what do you do with it? 

Apart from art and walking, I have a love of music and folk tradition. I’m a dancer in a Border Morris side; I play ukulele in a local ‘uke-jam’ and love going to folk sessions and live bands.

What’s next for you?

I’m planning on sketching areas along the River Derwent and Wye, with a view to creating larger compositions that focus on riverbanks, with their undulating shapes, vegetation, reflections etc.

I’ve an artist residency in the first week of September, at Aqueduct Cottage on Cromford canal and I’m hoping to use this opportunity to create further sketches and gather more resource material. Lots of ideas in the pipeline!