artist cv

I am an independent artist based in the English Midlands and London.

I started making collages as a way of decorating my walls while I was studying Politics at university in London. Soon I began to add extracts of my writing to these pieces of mini-art. Since then almost all of my artwork has had some link to writing, either of my own or of other writers. My writing has also been influenced by the artwork in turn.

With no formal artistic training outside of high school my knowledge of and enthusiasm for art comes mainly from experiencing it. I read books on art and art history as well as going to as many exhibitions as I can. Every time I visit a new city the art gallery is top of my to-do list!

I sell in shops and markets but I recently opened up a shop on Etsy because there I am able to share my passion for creativity with all of you wonderful people from around the globe who I can connect with via the internet.

I love finding interesting and beautiful materials to work with from all over the world.

I spend most of my time making striking collages which can be purchased as bespoke pieces or personalized to suit each individual customer. These are created with a combination of photographs, printed text, images and clippings.

I also design and produce a selection of handmade cards which can be made to measure for each customer, bought individually or sold in sets. I am very open to custom designs and love new ways of using collage.

I am inspired by literature, nature, music and my friends. My designs follow the seasons but not the trends. I take pride in finding new and interesting materials to create innovative pieces to suit each person. I'm sure that there will be something in my collection perfect for each person.

My knowledge of business came from a very young age, while I was still in high-school. We had to decide whether to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh award (hiking and camping) or Young Enterprise (meetings and business) and I jumped at the chance to learn how to run a business and avoid actually running all at the same time.

Whilst travelling around Europe after leaving school I discovered a love for beautiful materials to expand my designs. I still source materials from shops in Prague, Munich and Budapest which I found that first summer. Initially I was making jewellery pieces and art collages to give to friends and family as gifts or thank you presents and only recently have I expanded into selling items to the public.

I decided to register as self-employed and take some time out of regular work to try and make doing the things which I love into a career. I love setting my own deadlines and being able to source all of my own materials. I am a very disciplined worker and I really like finding new people to work with.

The internet is my audience, my sounding-board, my inspiration, and a huge distraction! Etsy is a wonderful forum for a young designer because there is a great balance of competition and inspiration, the community is fantastic at encouraging you do keep producing your best work. I have met a lot of other artists and found great new sources for my materials. The internet is a very useful resource which I take full advantage of including Twitter, Facebook, my own website, Behance, Flickr, Etsy as well as many and various crafts forums. I encourage feedback from as many sources as possible.

My future plans are broad at the moment, I want to get my art and cards into shops all over the country as well as finding new avenues of selling online and hopefully an even wider variety of markets and craft fairs. I hope to continue finding new sources of materials because I believe that the better your materials the higher the quality of your work.

Vick.