Connect with art heroes
Ten years ago, my husband and I had an offer accepted on our first house. Within minutes, we had celebrated this potential investment (of a frankly ludicrous and unimaginable amount of money) by purchasing a limited-edition art print that I had looked at longingly for months. I had never owned any art before, but this spoke to me and would be a feature in our new house (indeed, at 50 by 37 inches it would take up an entire wall, be a subtle star in countless family photos and be an envy-inducing conference call backdrop through lock-down). The print was ‘Peak District’ by Ed Fairburn.
I had studied environmental science and cartography at university, and I loved all things maps. I’d stumbled across Ed Fairburn’s work (perhaps through some intelligent behind-the-scenes algorithms knowing more about me than I did) and bookmarked his page on my computer to show my husband and colleagues. Fast-forward a decade as I start my own artistic journey, and I’m still in awe when I see that print from my easel every day.
Indigo lays leisurely in front of “Peak District” by Ed Fairburn.
Location: my kitchen aka “my studio”
I’m excited to showcase Ed Fairburn here, along with other artists that I’ve discovered more recently. In each case, their practice is very different to mine, but their work really speaks to me. You know, the artwork that stops you in your tracks if you find yourself mindlessly scrolling Instagram? The work that simply makes your heart sing or is so ridiculously clever that you simultaneously want to know how they do it and yet also desperately want to keep it a mystery? Art can have huge benefits to our mental health, so I hope you have favourite artists too.
Each artist here has consented to have their imagery included in this post and some have spoken to me about their practice or inspiration (I’m still doing a little happy dance that I am able to connect with my art heroes!). Enjoy!
Ed Fairburn
Using ink, paint and pencil, Ed Fairburn layers human portraits onto old maps. A portrait emerges from meticulous manipulation of natural and physical features, such as roads and contours. Watch some of his Instagram reels and you’ll see how Ed develops tone with a simple lines and cross-hatching. Delve a little deeper and you’ll uncover how the structure of the map informs his composition. The result is beautiful artwork that works in harmony with the original map creator’s rendition of the landscape.
I asked Ed about his inspiration:
“It's difficult to say what inspires me, but I'd definitely say the nature of maps themselves - I see them as works of art already, and the marks I make are an intervention, a collaboration even - not just with the original cartographers whose works I collect, but also with the landscape itself. I'm also heavily inspired by the human form, and the way in which light falls on and interacts with us - how dramatic lighting can change the look and feel of a portrait. My work with maps is a very direct combination of those interests.”
Katie Eliza Art
“Out from Trebarwith” by Katie Eliza. Oil on paper.
Katie Eliza is a contemporary seascape artist, inspired by the Cornwall and Devon coastline (UK). I love the gorgeous calming colour palette she uses, and the reach-out-and-touch-it texture created with the thick oil paint (impasto painting).
As a realism artist myself, her semi-abstract paintings are almost unfathomable. It’s almost like she’s captured the beating heart of the landscape. In this recent piece, I can feel myself on the South West Coast Path, UK (a location I’ve never been).
If you find this artwork striking, take a look at Katie’s Instagram and website. They are stunning. So beautifully curated, with her branding clean, fresh and welcoming.
Branding is something I’ve been considering a lot as I build my business. One of the most important things seems to be staying true to yourself and from the communication I’ve had with Katie, her demeanor is just as lovely as her socials :)
Sarah Lake Paper Art
“Sahee” by Sarah Lake Paper Art. Paper art
I found Sarah Lake after joining the Association of Animal Artists where we had both produced postcards for a charity auction. She had created a monochrome study of a tiger’s eye from 8 layers of hand cut paper. I’d never seen anything like it.
Sarah overlays layers of paper (hand-cut with a scapel) to create a representation of a photograph. Sarah has won several awards recently for her work and you’ll often find her pieces raising money for charity at exhibition.
The depth Sarah creates in her pieces is remarkable. As an artist, it’s a fantastic example of realism achieved through shifts in value (areas of lightness and darkness).
The Gentleman Felter
‘Brushing over the wildflowers’ by The Gentleman Felter. Needlefelt sculpture.
Simon Brown, known as The Gentleman Felter, from the Northumberland coast, UK, creates miniature animals perched on the bristles of antique wooden scrub brushes.
The characters that skip through The Gentleman Felter’s world are created using a needle to mesh wisps of wool together. The result is pure magic.
I spoke to The Gentleman Felter about his inspirational early morning walks in Northumberland (sometimes with a cat):
“I especially love it in winter when there is a ground frost and a tiny bit of mist, it’s just so calming, I think everyone should get out in nature”
Sadly, Simon lost his cat Bree earlier this year but she still inspires his work.
“…because of Bree I want all of my future pieces to evoke emotions in people and make them feel all warm and fuzzy and just to forget their troubles for a second or two ☺️”
You’ll be lucky to find The Gentleman Felter’s work for sale, but give him a follow on Instagram to put a bit of joy in your feed (scroll through for photos of Bree, his stunning Devon Rex)!
Richie Carter
“La Nuit est Finie” by Richie Carter. Oil on linen
Richie Carter is based in rural Montana, USA. He creates large scale still life and landscape pieces. I particularly love his European portfolio, an example is shown here.
Scrolling through Instagram, I came across this cityscape. Bam. Wow. Breathtaking. It feels like a creation from one of the Old Masters and reminds me of a wonderful (cold and wet) trip to Paris when I was pregnant with my first child.
The scene is full of drama and a thousand questions. What’s going on in the lit room? Perhaps a parent reading a bedtime story? … Or… something darker? There’s inspiration for a novel here. Maybe I’ll ask the kids what they think.
The blues and oranges in the artwork work so well with each other - this vibrancy I’ve been trying to push more recently in my own art (see ‘Pims’, 2023).
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this brief showcase of my current art heroes.
Why write this post? Like those early days of showing Ed Fairburn’s work with maps at coffee break in the office, I wanted to say ‘Hey, you HAVE to see this?!!’. Moreover, given the opportunity, creations by all of these artists would adorn my house and therefore they probably say a lot about me: I love maps, walks in the countryside and snuggling up on a cold night reading books with the kids, for example.
As an emerging artist, it’s also important to be surrounded by inspiring people. Next up, some coloured pencil heroes… I’ll save that for a new post.
You can find examples of my pet portraits in my Gallery and some other personal projects on my About page.
Contacts
If you want to connect to any of the artists here, take a look at their Instagram pages or websites.
Ed Fairburn @edfairburn
Katie Eliza @katieelizaart
Sarah Lake @sarah_lake_paperart
The Gentleman Felter @thegentlemanfelter
Richie Carter @richiecarterfinearts
Not all artists offer commissions but may be represented by galleries.