I remember from my contact report zine with Nick White last year he said
"If you are interested in things you will be interesting and therefore make interesting work"
which I think is so important!!!
BE CURIOUS
A bunch of things that have been important to me / transformative in my practice & development over the course of this year:
HOCKNEY BIOGRAPHY
I got this book for Christmas and I am in love with it. Learning so in depth about Hockney's life has given me an even deeper appreciation for his work. What struck me especially was his family, and how forward thinking they were for their time. His Dad was an anti-war campaigner who would bring home every newspaper and make his kids look for the same story and see how it was reported across the different papers, telling them to form opinions for themselves. His Mum was a strict vegetarian. Some of my favourite of his work are his etchings, I found out in this biography that he only started etching because he ran out of money to pay for canvases and printmaking was free at the Royal College of Art !
He's a hugely inspiring man who's been so important to me throughout uni. I've watched so many interviews with him on YouTube, I love his sarcastic Northernness in the face of annoying pretentious American interviews. What a gem
HOCKNEY GRIMM FAIRYTALES
- I'd seen these etchings Hockney had done of Grimm's Fairytales at Salts Mill, but when I went to the Hockney exhibition at the Hepworth I actually found and bought the book!
- it is such a dream
- seeing the images matched up to the text and seeing how he interpreted the language is gorgeous. his use of negative space is really effective - makes your mind wander more
- he talks about how "They’re fascinating little stories, told in simple, direct language and style; it was this simplicity that attracted me."
- been v important in my fmp project - simple but rich language, the ideal content for illustrations to pair up with
HOCKNEY EXHIBITIONS - HEPWORTH & NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
I've been to 2 great Hockney exhibitions this year
- The exhibition at the Hepworth had his early work in which is actually some of my favourite stuff of his, it was fascinating reading and seeing his influences during his younger years
- The exhibition in London was an exhibition about his drawing! The importance of drawing always. He is such a prolific image maker who isn't afraid to try new things and constantly evolve his process. It followed 3 of his muses and the portraits he had drawn of them, one guy got increasingly noticeably pissed off as time went on in the later portraits
- It was amazing seeing his work in the flesh after reading his biography book, gave me an even deeper appreciation for his work
- his etchings of a rakes progress were there too which are my favourites of his , probably my favourite pieces in the world tbh.
READING
- I've really gotten back into reading this year which has been a big help to my mental health and adopting healthier habits I think.
- Instead of working stupid hours til 3am, I've started getting into bed earlier and reading for a bit like I used to when I was younger and calming my brain down before bed.
- I think its been vital in the success of me writing my FMP stories
- I love language and I love responding to language , I'm so happy I'm back reading again
- One of the things I do for inspiration is wander round Waterstones. It calms me down and I always leave with lots of ideas
-There's something quite comforting about a whole world and story behind contained within two boards, its a good escape from hectic life.
ANNIE ATKINS
- Annie Atkins is a graphic designer for film - she designed most of the props for Grand Budapest Hotel , Isle of Dogs etc
- She is super inspiring, I've watched lots of her talks on t'internet
- The research that goes into designing props is amazing - if something would've been made by hand she does so, and vice versa with by machine.
- Large breadth of researching, everything has a reason, so much thought behind every creative decision
- I bought this book she released in February and it is a TREAT
- The realisation that an obsession with things and tactile objects and the design of everyday things can become a creative job!!
LAURA CARLIN - IRON MAN
I love Laura Carlin's approach to this and the clever use of space throughout.
Really interesting to hear her talk about this project when she came to speak to us in first year
- Her process of working on multiple spreads at once so as not to get bogged down on one image is definitely something I'm going to try with the book I'm illustrating for FMP.
- Really clever subtle storytelling techniques, like the fact only the Iron Man has a shadow throughout the book until everybody displays kindness and then they too get a shadow
- Collaborating - working with a photographer
MATCHBOX LABELS
- I'm very obsessed with vintage matchbox labels. Especially Eastern European and Indian ones
- I've been collecting them on eBay but I've put a ban on myself at the mo because its getting out of hand
- Theres just something about the print quality and the way they overlap that is so charming
- The colours and the shapes and the size! the size!!! so tactile and intriguing.
- BEAUTIFUL
- massive source of inspiration always
DESERT ISLAND DISCS
- This is pretty nostalgic to me, it reminds me of Sundays whilst mum was making soup. I've been making my way through the back catalogue whilst I make my work this year and its one of my favourite things to listen to. I've learned so much about people I'd never even heard of, and found some great new music too. Some favourites = Thom Yorke, Bob Mortimer, Maya Angelou, Arundhati Roy, Wendell Pierce, Tim Waterstone, John Cooper Clarke, Lubaina Hamid, Chris Riddel.
Not sure what its relevance to PP is but its been important to me this year
VINTAGE PENGUIN COVERS
I'd seen a lot of vintage penguin covers pop up on Pinterest, but I was wandering through the library and saw this book and woweeeeee.
I've renewed this book so many times because I can't get enough. The designs of these vintage books are endlessly inspiring - so many gooduns. Simplicity and graphic imagery. Telling a story in a snapshot. Eye catching but not bright and garish. so goooooood.
Some favourite artists in it: -
Alan Aldridge - (The Birdcage) (The Company She Keeps)
Enzo Apicella - (Clochemerle-Babylon)
Erwin Fabian - (The Organisation Man)
Edda Kochl - (The Best of Beachcomber)
Paul Hogarth - (Men Without Women) (The Heart of the Matter)
Duncan Grant - (To The Lighthouse)
Terence Greer - (The Sandcastle)
CINEMA
- Theres been so many great films this year, Parasite has been my favourite so far. Couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks
- Going to the cinema is a real treat. Immersing yourself into a piece of art with no distractions for a couple of hours is really valuable.
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