It's been quite a while since my last post so there's lots to catch up on! I got another part-time job mid-November working as a barmaid at my local pub, so it has been a bit of a juggling act but I'm slowly getting used to splitting up my time between my jobs and my artwork! On top of that, with the build up to Christmas, December was one of my busiest months to date regarding commissions, so expect an influx of blog updates over the next week or so!
Starting from where I left off, this papercut was completed back in November as a wedding gift. As someone who believes strongly in the equality of same sex marriage I was so proud to have the opportunity to help celebrate the occasion and couldn't wait to get cracking on the design! The client requested that I included two, interlocking, male gender signs and also spoke about the couple's passion for music. The design process of this papercut was enjoyable not only because of the freedom of the brief, but because of the flexibility the musical theme gave me when sketching out the papercut's composition - it was really fun to put together!
Towards the end of July I had a message from a friend telling me about a call-out for local artists she had spotted regarding a music festival, held only 20 minutes away from where I live. I enquired and I'm so glad I did!
Strawberry Fields Festival is a relatively young, independent music event which has previously provided performances by the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen, Labrinth, and Example. As well as showcasing an eclectic mix of well established artists SFF also offers a platform for emerging local talent, displaying a mix of genres from folk to reggae! As well as this, the festival also offers a wide range of non-musical activities including live art by local graffiti artists, a shisha lounge, and Strawberry Fields traders selling a wide range of bohemian clothing, crafts and jewellery - which was right up my street!
The call-out, however, was requesting for local artists to submit some of their work to be displayed in the artists' dressing rooms backstage; again providing an opportunity for local talent, as well as brightening up the dressing rooms! I created 4 papercuts for the event - 2 were exploring techniques I hadn't tried yet, and 2 were of the 'Strawberry Fields Festival' text - and I got some great feedback! In exchange for my artwork submission I was given a couple of weekend passes for the festival so my brother and I camped overnight in the VIP area, and despite the rubbish weather we had a great time! The festival is certainly one to look out for in the future as its reputation continues to soar!
It was a great chance for me to showcase some of my work with a wider circle of creatives including some well established, and very talented people, and I'd like to thank Emma Higgins for the opportunity - the tickets were an added bonus!
Incidentally, I am now selling one of the pieces I submitted! It's the first piece I've sold as an 'open bid' as all of my other work have been commissioned pieces, so I'm excited (and a little nervous) to see how it does! For anyone interested, here is the link, the auction is open over the next 4 days and ends on Sunday (21st) evening.
