Artist: Amy Charlton
Location: Brigton UK
Website: amycharlton.co.uk
Who are you?
Amy Charlton. I’m 22 years old and I live by the sea in Brighton, England.
What do you do?
Right now I’m doing an MA in Art History. I also work in a café a bit and draw a lot.
Why do you do it?
Why do I draw? It’s my favourite thing to do. It’s like break time for my brain.
How do you create these images?
I draw after I’ve had a bubble bath. I quite like the idea of drawing while I’m actually in the bath, and I might try it once I’ve figured out the logistics. I fell in love with my bathroom last year. You can be completely alone with your thoughts in the bathroom, and it smells nice. I think that makes for the perfect creative environment. When I’m drawing, I generally don’t deliberate over what I’m going to do and let my imagination take the pen wherever it likes. I use a fineliner and a tiny little watercolour set my dad gave me, then touch up my pictures on the computer. I recently acquired a drawing tablet and I’m trying to learn to use that too. It’s tricky, but I like the scope for experimentation that comes with digital art-making.
Who are your influences?
Grayson Perry is great. I like Hogarth too because he’s sassy. And Edward Burra. I like reading the letters he sent to his friends because he was really, really funny. He made up his own phonetic, childlike way of writing, and my Twitter persona is definitely inspired by this. I’m influenced a lot by the naivety of youth because I think it’s something that everyone can tap into in some way or another.
What inspires your work?
Mostly dogs. The cheeky things my Labrador does are endlessly inspiring. She did a running jump up onto the Christmas dinner table last year. For me, It’s things like this which expose innocence in its rawest form, and I love that. The bonds we develop with our pets mystifies me. The potential for animals to compel us to feel and act in certain ways is something that I think translates directly to art.
What do you like?
Animals! Dogs, bats and monkeys are my favourite. I like tarantulas, birds of prey, and sharks too because they have that great scary/beautiful thing going on. I’m also into calligraphy, macaroons, and Jim Carrey in The Mask.
What don’t you like?
Being pranked.
Find Amy Charlton here:
amycharlton.co.uk
@voiceofanation
Originally posted 2012-03-06 13:00:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter