On Saturday I did something that not many people get to do in their lifetime; I got to see one of my idols, an icon of illustration. I was fortunate enough to attend ‘In Conversation with Oliver Jeffers and Quentin Blake’ at the Southbank Centre in London. I have admired and followed the work of Oliver Jeffers for a number of years now, but Sir Quentin Blake has been a hero of mine since I first picked up a Roald Dahl book.
As a girl who spent her childhood reading Dahl stories repeatedly, I was totally star-struck when Blake walked on the stage. Throughout the discussion he spoke modestly about his work; his influences, the development of his signature ‘scratchy’ style, and his working relationship with Dahl that swiftly became a friendship.
This 81 year old man held the undivided attention of an intimate audience consisting of successful illustrators, families with young children, and aspiring artists like myself. The room was filled with a sense of awe and utter admiration, even Jeffers looked as though he had to pinch himself!
The completely unexpected highlight of the afternoon however was when Blake walked into the foyer after the discussion to join Jon Burgerman on his collaborative mural he had started with Jeffers earlier that day. So not only did I get to hear him speak passionately about illustration, I also had the rare opportunity to see him doing what he is world-famous for. He then waved and was led backstage, leaving the small crowd stunned - myself included!
It’s an afternoon that will stay with me for the rest of my life, and it was an absolute privilege to be there. When I was a child he bought the stories I loved to life, and now as an adult his dedication and talent inspires me to pursue what I love doing. Just incredible.
Over the weekend The London Illustration Fair held their 'Summer Festival: Tropicana' at the Hoxton Arches, and since I was free on Saturday I made a last minute decision to visit (with my mum accompanying me) and I'm so glad we made the effort to go! The atmosphere was fantastic; the artist-led event was full of like-minded people of all ages, not to mention some incredibly talented creatives from selected illustration agencies, collectives, and print studios such as Handsome Frank, Brothers of the Stripe, and East London Printmakers.
The venue was alive with creativity! We were totally immersed in a vast array of gorgeous contemporary artwork and prints displayed at the exhibitor stands, but in addition there were 1-2-1 portfolio reviews, live mural painting, and screen printing. The energy was infectious and really inspiring!
The Summer Festival also saw the addition of a new print shop located at the back of the venue. I spent a lot of time (and could have easily spent an awful lot of money) thumbing through signed prints, greetings cards, and printed t-shirts available, as well as admiring the framed prints displayed on the walls. It's just unfortunate that I couldn't afford all the pieces of artwork I had my eye on! But I was lucky enough to come away with a greetings card and signed A3 print from the wonderful Sandra Dieckmann, an illustrator I've admired for a while now.
The LIF are holding another event in December, which I'm already looking forward to attending, and I recommend anyone with an interest in illustration to check it out. It's a unique opportunity to chat with artists and discover new talent from the contemporary illustration scene, and it has further fuelled my passion to pursue a career in this fast-paced, thrilling industry!
I've admired Rob Ryan's work for a while now and the other month I was fortunate enough to visit his exhibition 'There Is Only Time', which was timed to coincide with the launch of the British artist's new children's book 'The Invisible Kingdom'.
Displayed in the Sims Reed gallery, the exhibition featured some of Ryan's largest papercuts to date alongside some smaller scale pieces and limited edition screen prints of selected designs. His entire new body of artwork was aesthetically captivating, filling the open-plan space with an aura of peace, warmth, and contemplation.
Silhouetted within the paper and print works were beautifully crafted words, as is typical of Rob Ryan, which were incorporated into the lace-like designs contemplating themes of love, life, the universe, and our place in it. The poetic text pondered the enormity of life and how liberating it is to consider our significance in the world; the impact we make on others' lives, and the main thing that we all strive to experience during our short time on this earth is to simply love and be loved -which in itself is a remarkable thing.
It was breath-taking to see his intricate silhouetted designs up close and since viewing Ryan's collection of artwork I have been inspired to pursue my fondness and admiration for papercut art further as well as explore the possibilities of screen printing, a technique I have wanted to try and experiment with for some time now.
After viewing the exhibit, my mum and I also managed to squeeze in some Christmas shopping on (a very festive looking) Oxford Street and was the perfect way to end a great day!
I hope you all had a great weekend! Just a quick post to say that my facebook page 'Hannah Webb Illustration' is currently down, but it will be back up and running in the next couple of weeks - my apologies! In the meantime please feel free to follow me on instagram and twitter for other updates; @hw_illustration
On a different note, I'm finally going to visit Rob Ryan's exhibition at the Sims Reed Gallery in London tomorrow! I've been wanting to go for weeks now so I'm really looking forward to it. My mum is accompanying me this time which will be great, I hope she enjoys it as much as I will; but I dare say we'll squeeze in a bit of Christmas shopping on Oxford Street whilst we're there, which I know she'll enjoy!
Afternoon! It's all hands on deck at the minute trying to catch up on the past few months, but I'm making steady progress! My Twitter account is up and running (@hw_illustration) and I've already gained quite a few followers, which looks promising! I've also had a wonderful opportunity come my way as a result, which I'll update you of as soon as I can.
I'm also planning one or two trips to London as there are lots of exciting exhibitions lined up over the coming months, two in particular I'm thrilled about! The first is already open; 'Nothing To See Here' held at the Lazarides Gallery in London by none other than my favourite artist & illustrator - Oliver Jeffers. It runs until Thursday 3rd October and shows a series of new works questionning human behaviour and ignorance. I've been observing the progress of the oil paintings and exhibition preparation via Jeffers' instagram & twitter accounts (@OliverJeffers) and it looks fantastic, really thought provoking! For more information, opening times and directions, click here.
Secondly is an exhibition by Rob Ryan, an outstanding papercut artist, entitled 'There Is Only Time' at the Sims Reed Gallery, London. The show runs from the 23rd October til the 8th November. I can't wait to check out the intricacy of his work first-hand! The gallery is also holding a book signing for his new book 'The Invisible Kingdom' on Saturday 26th October between 1-2pm, so I'm hoping to coincide the two. For further information and a few sneak peaks at the work to be shown, click here.
Busy and exciting times all round!
