I have been trying to work with Lizzy Stewart for a while now. I remember when i first started seeing her work pop up on numerous blogs I was completely smitten. I was delighted when she agreed to do the interview.
What is your background in art?
From about ten or eleven I decided that I wanted to be a painter. I totally couldn't see myself doing anything else. I obsessed over art at school and spent all of my free time painting in my bedroom and spilling acrylic all over the place. After school I moved to Edinburgh to start a fine art degree. Suddenly after a years of being convinced that painting was for me it just didn't seem to work. After a rather depressing year on the wrong course I switched over to illustration and all of a sudden everything fell into place! Thank goodness! I love illustration created narratives and how easy it is to digest and appreciate a good illustration . No one ever has to ask 'what is it?' or 'what's it about?' (which is a relief as that question usually leaves me stumped) illustration is so accessible and I think thats wonderful.
STUDIO
All of it. I like all of art.
New Work
As for things being complete? Often they never are. But most of the time if I'm sick of looking at it? Then its done.
New Work
New Work
What is your background in art?
From about ten or eleven I decided that I wanted to be a painter. I totally couldn't see myself doing anything else. I obsessed over art at school and spent all of my free time painting in my bedroom and spilling acrylic all over the place. After school I moved to Edinburgh to start a fine art degree. Suddenly after a years of being convinced that painting was for me it just didn't seem to work. After a rather depressing year on the wrong course I switched over to illustration and all of a sudden everything fell into place! Thank goodness! I love illustration created narratives and how easy it is to digest and appreciate a good illustration . No one ever has to ask 'what is it?' or 'what's it about?' (which is a relief as that question usually leaves me stumped) illustration is so accessible and I think thats wonderful.
STUDIO
Die? I have to die? Urgh ok. I would love to own an original piece by Carson Ellis (i have a print but its not quite the same) I love everything about her work, the line quality, the colours, the incredible stories she manages to tell in a single image, sigh. I never tire of looking at her stuff. But I think owning a piece by her is probably quite a realistic goal, not totally unfathomable I mean. I think if we're going for ultimate, desert island artwork then I would be pretty set for life if I had a piece by Stanley Donwood on my wall. I was (am) a massive radiohead fan in my teens and his artwork for the band really made me want to paint. I adore the linocut he did for Thom Yorke's 'The Eraser'. Can I have that please?
Are their any artists you would die to own their work?
Oh no. I don't know. I guess it changes depending on what I'm working on. Right now I like medieval illustrations a lot, they're so awkward and stiff and the colour are always insanely cool. Oh and I'm currently secretly enjoying pre-raphaelite paintings, they're kind of gross, a bit sacharine and flawless and dreamy but I like drawing the women in them, with all the hair and the roman noses. OH and dutch still life painting, their pretty cool too.
What is your favorite art period and why?
All of it. I like all of art.
New Work
Oh..anyone really. Anyone. I love collaborating. I've done a fair bit of work with writers which is always awesome. Responding to texts is fun and it saves me the trauma of having to decide what to draw Of all the writers in the world I'd love to do something with Jonathan Safran Foer, that would be a bit of a dream. But in terms of artists...uh... maybe Maxwell Loren Holyoke Hirsch would be pretty bloody amazing. His work seems so instant and unlaboured.Who is the number one person you would like to collaborate with?
Reading 'The Fortress of Solitude' by Jonathan Lethem (so addictive) and also 'Death at Intervals' by Joe Saramago (i'm terrible for starting more than one book at a time and mainly watching (and loving) 30Rock.
Currently Reading/ Watching anything?
I faff about a lot. I'll do a lot of internet 'research' (lies! it's all blog reading) and listen to lots of music. Eventually with any luck I'm in a place where I actually want to draw and I feel enthused by my subject matter (I rely on music to get me to this point....a good song is failsafe way of firing up the imagination). There's nothing worse than forcing yourself to draw when you're not in the mood. Then I start scribbling away for a few hours, scan it, neaten it up, play with colour and things until it looks like something I might consider to show another living being. Recently I've been feeling guilty about all my photoshopping so I've been trying to do drawings that don't need rescuing digitally every single time. Its good. I'm learning to love the smudges and coffee stains.
What is your artistic process and how do you know when a piece of work is completed?
As for things being complete? Often they never are. But most of the time if I'm sick of looking at it? Then its done.
New Work
Yeah I guess so. I have a lot of 'being chased' dreams which usually stick in my mind the next day. Last night there was definitely some kind of monster, and a big house with lots of corridors and secret stairs, there were loads of people in the house running up and down across three floors trying to hide. I think that's it. Its funny how bits and pieces come back to you.
Do you have dreams and if so do you have any recurring themes?
New Work
deja vu?
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(catherine campbell)
Posted by: dejavu | April 29, 2009 at 06:11 PM
ooh i hadn't seen that before (its lovely) but i drew from a photo that was all over fffound for a while so maybe that explains it. i'll try and track it down.
Posted by: Lizzy | April 29, 2009 at 06:24 PM
Such beautiful line work Lizzy! When's your degree show?
Posted by: Jacqueline Bos | April 29, 2009 at 07:05 PM
yay for lizzy! beautiful work as always :D
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Responding to texts is fun and it saves me the trauma of having to decide what to draw Of all the writers in the world I'd love to do something with Jonathan Safran Foer, that would be a bit of a dream. But in terms of artists...uh... maybe Maxwell Loren Holyoke Hirsch would be pretty bloody amazing. His work seems so instant and unlaboured.
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