Artist’s Studio - Becky Brown
You’re participating in the Dulwich Festival Artists’ Open House in London this weekend. How did you come to be involved?
My Aunt is a textile artist and has been doing this for quite a few years, I exhibited with her at her house one year and when I got a flat of my own I thought well why not? It can be quite fun and it makes you do the spring cleaning. She is number 91 in the brochure and will be liberal with the wine. I’m baking cake and staying sober!
What are you exhibiting?
Some of my animal drawings, some handmade greetings cards and I’ve had some fun making some pop ups in found objects, old cigarette boxes mostly just for this weekend to see what reaction they will get. I might put out some of my MA work but it won’t be for sale.
Your illustrations are so distinctive, particularly your animals – have you always depicted them in such an energetic way?
I have no idea, it is always a bit of a surprise what comes out, perhaps that why a lot of people say they always look a bit alarmed. I think of their character or what they are thinking or feeling when I am working, I think that just comes through. I have always drawn and I’m much more comfortable drawing animals than people, and they are much more forgiving if the anatomy is wrong.
Talk us through your work process…
Well I sit at my desk, get up make a cup of tea, answer an email, sit back down, panic, change the radio station … make more tea, talk to the cat, you get the picture. It really depends on what I’m doing, if I need to focus then I really need to clear the decks mentally as well as physically. I will procrastinate days away otherwise, I have to remove excuses not to work. I use reference and work on getting shapes and movement right in a sketchbook or on big sheets of paper until I get it right then I will put the reference away and start ‘properly’ using memory and the sketches. I will often do a piece several times.
What’s been inspiring you lately?
I have been looking at Brian Wildsmith a lot because of his exhibition at the Illustration Cupboard. Alexander Calder because of piece I am doing for my final show and I have been looking at rouge taxidermy as well.
Whose work would you hang on your wall?
Money no object? Klimt and Kandinsky with some Klee, all the K’s andHannah Hoch. I’m actually more than happy with some of the work I do have which I have ‘swapped’ with friends. I like reciprocal nature of it. There was also a fantastic painter called Helen Tabor I saw at the Affordable Art Fair and I fell in love with her landscapes, all summer Scottish evening light and colours, they glow. She also paints a damn fine cow.
Fave galleries and museums?
The Soane’s Museum in Lincolns Inn Fields and you can’t go there without going to the Hunterian the other side of the square and the Horniman in Forest Hill. Oh and Pollock’s Toy Museum. All the odd collections! I think my favourite gallery is the Isabella Stewart Gardner in Boston, it’s like the Soane’s but with amazing paintings as well.
You work for the Association of Illustrators (AOI) and you’re an MA Visual Arts student – what made you choose the life of an illustrator?
Well it wasn’t the money! I was a prop maker and teaching and although I loved aspects of both those jobs I wanted to use my drawing skills as well, I’m still trying to combine the 2D and the 3D. Watch this space, I’m still not there ….
You’re a published greeting card illustrator and you’ve had a lot of success with your handcrafted cards – how did you start out?
My friends made me! I made my Christmas cards every year which always went down well so I went to Top Drawer and collected some business cards from companies I liked the work they produced, that I thought I sat well with and approached them.
What’s the best part about what you do?
When something is going well, and you know it might be special, there is no feeling like it.
Back to the Open House – for those who can’t make it, do you have a dedicated work space?
No, I work from home, too poor for a studio right now. I do occasionally make a mess in a friend’s but after the last time and the polystyrene ….
You’re working towards your degree show right now… what’s next on the horizon for Becky Brown?
Well I have quite a big (for me) illustration commission that we are sorting out the all the boring legal stuff for which I can’t wait to get started on and I want to make some more ‘objects’, a friend and I have been talking about a joint exhibition. Fingers crossed both of those things will come off. All other offers considered! That and the AOI is always busy.
Thank you Becky! How can people contact you?
Details are on my website: http://www.becky-brown.com/
