A feature on the practice of POST artist Cecilia Kinnear appears in the national magazine for John Lewis Partnership this January:Cecilia Kinnear creates conceptual art, including an installation for Liverpool's 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations.
The Warhol-inspired work saw 2008 tins of scouse (a traditional Liverpool stew) rather than Campbell's soup, on display around the city.
The John Lewis Liverpool Partner used to make her living as an artist - but now enjoys the freedom to create work without commercial restraints.
'I've continued my art practice alongside my career in John Lewis,' she says. 'There's less pressure to sell my art, so I'm able to explore concepts and branch out into different media.'
This means she rarely works in her studio these days, and is as likely to start thinking up ideas while sitting in a café or out running.
John Lewis is also often a source of inspiration. 'At work, I'm always thinking about brands, about the way people behave... it really influences my art and sparks new ideas.'
Her art has taken her far from home. 'I helped set up an artists' collective called POST (www.postliverpool.com) and we've followed the Capital of Culture around Europe, from Liverpool in 2008 to Linz in Austria, and then to Istanbul this year,' she says.
Cecilia acknowledges the role the Partnership plays in her work/art balance. 'I've received a Bursary of Excellence from the business (which provides support and financial help to Partners who meet specific requirements). 'The commitment is two-way,' she says. 'From me to the business, and back again.'
