Talking to: Ivy Louise
Ivy-Louise taking part in Art Battle 2020 (www.artbattle.com)
Ivy-Louise is a mixed media artist working from Bristol. She is also a 26 year old mum with ADHD and partial hearing loss. We recently spoke to her about what drives and inspires her, and the importance of art and creativity as an outlet during challenging times.
How did you get into the visual arts?
I've always been passionate about art. My Mum tells me stories about my art from a very young age, and how impressed the health visitor was at the level of detail I was including in my work from an apparently very early age. Mum often reminds me how I'd use toothpaste to stick my drawings onto the wall when I was a toddler, and she'd come down one morning to an overwhelming smell of mint only to see me gleefully presenting my art gallery to her; I think I was 3 or 4 at the time. My art has just always been important, I don't think it started, it just always was.
Which artists inspire you, past and present?
Tracey Emin was one that struck me back in school, I admired her bluntness and how straight to the point she is. It wasn't really her physical work, but the thought process behind it and how she was unapologetically honest.
I also admire M.C Escher for his perception and how attentive to details and dimensions he was. Zdzislaw Beksinski is another, he has a very dark aesthetic. He claimed his work wasn't a representation of his mental well-being but if you look into his story and the trauma he went through I really think this was projected subconsciously.
I don't have a specific style preference, I think there's beauty in everything. To be honest I'm inspired by everything I see. I follow a lot of accounts on Instagram and I am part of groups on other social media platforms and the work I see is phenomenal. I think there's a lot of artists out there who aren't given enough credit.
You work in a wide range of media; tell me about what media you most enjoy working with and why?
I enjoy using everything! I really thrive on learning and exploring different techniques. I've been focusing on acrylic paints recently but I would like to buy some oils and give them a go. I had some gouache paint gifted to me on my birthday which I'm looking forward to exploring. I've been wanting to give watercolours a bit more focus but I've read that gouache gives a similar consistency. I really enjoy charcoal but I hate the feel of it on my fingertips and I've had the urge to do some more pencil drawings recently. I love experimenting; finding the time to explore them all is the real challenge. I would love to explore digital formats but the cost makes them less accessible; that will have to wait for now.
What life experiences have directed your art practice?
Like many people I experienced some traumatic experiences in my past which have left me feeling powerless and I guess my art just helped me through that. It's the one time I can be, I'm not overthinking and letting those thoughts consume me. I just get lost in my work; it's just a really freeing experience for me.
How important do you feel it is to have a creative outlet / means of escape? How does this help you?
I've always had hearing issues, I also have ADHD so the two combined can be a struggle. Because of my partial hearing I struggle with verbal communication which has compounded this period of isolation (lock down) because video calls are a real challenge - pretty impossible in fact - so I've always found my work a great avenue to express my feelings.
Creating keeps my head level, it gives me a break from what can feel like constant noise. It makes me feel like I can still communicate with the world, I think it's such a powerful thing to make people feel something through your work. Art can raise awareness, it can educate, or it can just be easy on the eye; it doesn't necessarily need a story behind it.
Where is home for you at the moment and how are you coping with lock down?
I started isolating on the 17th March after being in contact with someone whose relative had tested positive for Covid-19. I live in a small flat with no outside space, and poor light. We managed quite well at first, but after three weeks I started to get quite low. We had passed the isolation period so my parents invited us to see the rest of the lock down out at theirs. My partner had been isolating with us, but since moving into my parent’s we're now apart. Now it's me, my son, parents and brother.
I've been keeping busy, focusing on artwork, already completing a few pieces, and getting to spend time outdoors at my parents has kept me sane; they have a garden. It's surprising how much of a difference that makes. I'm also in more of a routine here.
The work I've created recently has all related to the coronavirus. I made a darker piece when my isolation first started, I wanted to highlight how we had this really insane thing going on in the world at that moment, people literally dying but it didn't feel like it was being taken seriously at that time. It's almost as though people refuse to acknowledge something unless it's on their doorstep, and even then they disregard it, maybe it’s too hard to look it directly in the face?
Virus by Ivy Louise
My work has become lighter since moving into my parents, I recently completed a canvas with a rainbow and NHS staff working. I wanted to show my appreciation for them putting their lives on the line to save ours. I've been in touch with Southmead hospital here in Bristol and will be donating the piece to them as a thank you.
Key-worker Tribute by Ivy Louise.
What is coming up for you next creatively?
I've seen a few open calls for work created in isolation so I've submitted a few things to these. I have also been auctioning off some of my work via my Facebook and Instagram pages to raise money for my local food bank, and have raised £160 so far.
I was in the middle of planning an exhibition to raise money for St Peters Hospice (who provide end of life care to cancer patients in Bristol) as we have lost a few family members to cancer; unfortunately something a lot of people have experienced. This has been put on hold due to the current situation but I'll be getting straight back into the organisation of this when I can. In the meantime I'll just carry on creating!