Introducing Caitlin Parks

135 artists are taking part in "Inside Job" which takes place on the 7th and 8th of April on Level 6 of Tate Modern. Over the next few weeks The Rebel Magazine will be chatting to some of the Tate staff who are showing their artwork. Today it's the turn of Caitlin Parks

Q) Where did you grow up and what kind of education did you receive? "I grew up in the south of England, in Hampshire/Dorset. My parents moved there when I was 6 so I could attend a Steiner School based in Ringwood. Steiner or Waldorf education is an alternative form of education, which is based on following children's natural development, honouring the individual and learning through creativity. I did my Art Foundation at the Arts University Bournemouth and then I moved to London to go to the University of Westminster to study Illustration and Visual Communication BA Hon in 2011. I was lucky to have access to an incredible print room there that was barely used by the other students and to be taught by the amazing screen printer Kate Gibb. Both these things have hugely influenced my practise." Q) How long have you been working at the Tate and what's the best show you've seen there? "I have worked part time at the Tate Modern since the new building opened, so 2 years in June. As a screen printer, the Robert Rauschenberg exhibition was incredible. I've never spent so long in one exhibition space as I did with the screen print room, the scale of them was awe inspiring. Otherwise, an exhibtion that has always stayed with me was Mira Schendel, an artist whose work I had never seen or known of before."

Q) What can you tell me about the work you're exhibiting in the Tate Modern show? 'Till Dawn Are We' was inspired by a quote from The Jungle Book. I loved the idea of a panther ruling the dark jungle at night. I had this image of him watching the jungle, the same sleek colour as the sky and that when dawn would come, the darkness would leave and his reign would fall. It's a limited edition screen print I designed and printed myself last year in my studio. The image is compiled of different hand drawn and painted elements which I assembled in photoshop before making the nine different layers of this print. It's a limited edition screen print and all printed in my own studio. Nature and colour are some of the biggest influences on my work so I feel that this print really shows the kind of work I enjoy making."

Q) How can people find out more about your work - do you have a website or do Instagram? "I have a website: www.caitlinparks.com and you can follow my instagram account on caitlinparks

Q) Is there anything you have to declare / do you have a favourite quote, thought or joke you'd care to share? "Before working at Tate, I co founded a print and illustration collective called Underway Studio where I work as much as I can. Most of us met at university and had a similar work ethic and vision for the future. I feel it is invaluable to work alongside and collaborate with other creatives and it has definitely benefited my own work. Underway Studio takes on creative commissions, runs screen printing workshops and teaching and prints editions for other artists."

"Inside Job": An exhibition of art by Tate Staff will take place on Level 6 of the Blavatnik Building of Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern