I used to make blob paintings
Interview
"Advice. That’s a hard one.
Be obsessed about what you do and nerd out on all aspects of it. And you can’t please everyone, so don’t try to, even though I try to all the time - it’s a trap. And…work on growing a thick skin. It is not a gentle industry."
E.Trewartha
Emma Trewartha speaks with Patrick Morgan
Become a member today
www.fidaworldwide.com
When did you first get into drawing?
I first got in to drawing when I was about 4. I just always loved my crayons and paint so I never stopped. I used to make blob paintings which I rolled wet through an old typewriter Abstract typing. Fortunately in the UK you can take art classes throughout secondary school and college so I was never forced away from it, as I probably would have been in America or Denmark.
Why did you choose to make fashion part of your inspiration?
I am focused on fashion illustration because I was already a designer. And, I think I became a designer because I used to do a lot of fashion illustrations. It might have been the chicken or it might have been the egg.
What is your particular working day as a creative?
My working day as an illustrator is very different than it was a designer. I used to go to an office every day in New York and frenetically navigate hundreds of people and tasks. It was a mixture of being creative and corporate at the same time - so a bit of a balancing act.
Now I work in my home studio/office. I am much calmer and happier and I can steer my own day. I teach for a bit in the mornings. ( online fashion illustration @ Academy Of Art San Francisco) and then I do any consulting tasks I might have - in either design or illustration.(But it really dried up during covid). In the afternoons I do my own art experiments/projects.
What tools do you use when creating your images?
Tools. All of them. I always drew because I loved the art supplies. I love black India ink on paper. I love water soluble markers. I collect watercolours from both Europe and Japan. I love pastels in sticks and pans. I love pencil and water soluble graphite. And Ink and liquid watercolours and high flow acrylic. And all things digital too. I’m an art supply nerd and I spend far too much money on it. I also am constantly experimenting with paper surfaces. I tried making my own paintbrushes …but they were pretty goofy.
I also use a digital camera or my phone. I take a lot of snapshots for drawing inspiration. And I can’t live without my Ipad Pro and my iMac.
Who & what has influenced me
I have been in love with the drawings and paintings of Modigliani since my 20s. His drawings of faces, inspired by African carved masks and his portrait paintings.
I also love Kees Van Dongen’s portraits. They are very painterly but quite fashiony at the same time. And his colours really glow.
I also love a lot of Emil Nolde’s paintings . But I also look at a lot of more controlled , graphic stuff and patterns.
I have been obsessed with Polish movie posters, 1960s book covers, Jean Dubuffet black ink etchings and lithos. Also Medieval religious icons/panels, old Dutch portraits. And primitive portraits. The list is endless really.
I am also inspired by beautiful objects. Especially jewellery. And I love geology, and fungi and moths and beetles and junk & antiques.
"Advice. That’s a hard one.
Be obsessed about what you do and nerd out on all aspects of it. And you can’t please everyone, so don’t try to, even though I try to all the time - it’s a trap. And…work on growing a thick skin. It is not a gentle industry."
E.Trewartha
What advice do you have for younger artists looking to be part of this industry?
Today I am messing around with some brushes I got that have irregular shapes. And I am doing faces as usual. I tend to try to invent new techniques. I tried mixing gelatin in to my paint but it just started smelling bad. I mess up the kitchen quite often.My husband calls them my science experiments.
Music are you listening to?
I listen to my friend dj Jolene’s house music podcast, and also some trip- hoppy stuff on Spotify. My music mixes are very random and jumbled. They are like Sybil’s playlists. I also listen to The Guardian podcasts to keep in touch with the uk a bit. And DR podcasts to keep in touch with Denmark a bit.
Books that you are reading?
At the moment I am reading Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.
Favourite artist/designer at the moment?
My favourite designers are …..well……obviously, Mcqueen/ Sarah Burton, and Vivienne Westwood.
Daniel Roseberry is impressing me at the moment. That man has talent.
Thom Browne is fun. I know I can’t really drag my duvet in to Tesco's….but there is a side of me that would very much like to.
Artists. I was just enjoying looking at portraits by Marlene Dumas. I love her sort of ghost-like faces. They are really beautiful. She has some sort of exquisite, elusive touch.
A lot of my friends and former colleagues are engaged in various creative endeavours and I absolutely love that.
I get very inspired by my creative friends because I feel like we are all in it together. And they are so good at what they do, and they drive me to continue. We push each other along. And they get it .They get what I am doing. It can be hard to explain the industry to people who have not experienced it.
My friend Lucio Castro is a very talented filmmaker and he is always inspiring. He recommends unusual films to me that I have never heard of. I will be watching Terminator and he will text me with. …… “ you really must see this silent Japanese short-film. It’s filmed upside-down, in the rain, with 3 naked monks and a gekko…. So modern “
I have met some amazing people in the US.