In the studio with… Chrissie Hynde

Best known as the chief songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist for The Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde has more recently made a name for herself as a painter. Like many rock musicians of the 1970s and ’80s, the Ohio-born singer trained at art school. She briefly took up a job at an architecture firm in London in 1973, but made her first serious foray into visual art only in 2015, when she made an oil painting of a ceramic vase. Hynde’s oeuvre, which is characterised by bright colours and sharp outlines, largely comprises still lifes and portraits, though she has also produced abstract works that bear the clear influence of Kandinsky. Since embarking on her career as an artist she has completed hundreds of canvases from her flat in London. ‘Hynde Sight’, an exhibition of her recent work, is at Cromwell Place until 14 December.

Thursday Shapes on Yellow (2023), Chrissie Hynde

Where is your studio, and how long have you worked there?

In my flat in London. I’ve had a few. I move every three years or so; I guess I just like to be moving.

How would you describe the atmosphere in your studio?

Very quiet. I live alone so I don’t have many distractions except for my head.

What do you like most about your studio?

Knowing I can walk in and there they are – canvases, brushes and paints. Like good friends.

Thursday Evening Bowl (2024), Chrissie Hynde

What do you like least about your studio?

I don’t dislike anything about it. I am eternally grateful for it. I think about guys in jail, unable to have one. Most people don’t have the luxury of a studio. I realise that every minute that I’m in there.

What is your studio routine?

No routine. I can just dabble if I feel in the mood. It’s like having my own playground to myself.

What do you listen to, if anything, while working?

Usually nothing. Radio 3 might be on in another room. As long as the disc jockey has a low and soothing voice. Jumpy high-pitched voices distract me – I have to go and turn the radio off.

Three Jugs (2023), Chrissie Hynde

Who is the most frequent visitor to your studio?

Only Nico, the dog.

Who is the most interesting/unusual visitor you’ve ever had to your studio?

I’ve had a few friends visit and I’ve quickly done their portrait – like the painter James Gillick, who came over once to advise me when I was just starting to paint. I ended up making him sit so I could paint him. It was not a very successful portrait. I probably should have just let him give me advice.

Is anyone banned from your studio?

Everybody!

Afternoon Poppies (2024), Chrissie Hynde