José den Hartog and Nicole Mollett are collaborating on a ceramic tiled commission for the Pumping Station, Chatham. José has a studio in the Hague while Nicole is a Kent based artist. Nicole has been working at Jose’s studio and together they will be hand painting 600 tiles in total. Their artwork is rich in imagery, history, myth and rooted in research.

Our visit has brought us back to the ‘why’ we have chosen to do what we do. It has reminded us of our work as public art consultants and why it’s so inspirational to spend time with artists and talk about their process. This commission has taken a long time in development, but it has given both Nicole and José the space and time to develop their thinking. Being present when the kiln was opened and seeing the fired tiles was a particularly special moment.

Sometimes, the creative process gets lost in the commissioning. Timelines shorten or extend; people come and go over the lifetime of a project and we all flex and bend to accommodate the changes. But for the past few days we rediscovered the passion that drives our business and that we should not forget the ‘why’