Rise Art Head Curator Rebecca Gordon describe the work of hugley popular Bridget Davies as filled with "spontaneity, elegance, sensuality, beauty, and texture - I love the element of freedom and chance within her works, where she lets the mediums take control. Her work is full of personality and would make the perfect gift for fashionistas." Read on for our Q&A with the artist herself!
Who are you and what do you do? My name is Bridget and I like painting! Why art? It was the obvious thing to do, not only did I enjoy it but I also seemed to be fairly creative. I had to… it’s me.
They were more curious than ever and Pearl by Bridget Davies
What is an interesting fact about you? I like diving shipwrecks. I may do a series of fashion paintings with shipwreck dresses called ‘She’s Wrecked’, dark, edgy and brittle, based on solitude, loneliness and despair caused by having had one’s heart broken. How did you get into art? Is it necessary to go to art school? I just followed a natural progression, one thing lead to another and I was very happy with what I was doing so saw no need to change this. Art school does teach you a lot and gives you the time to study and develop without distractions or other commitments so can be very beneficial, but I think it is possible to become an artist without going to art school.
How would you describe your pieces in 3 words?
Refined, elegant and flirtatious.
What are your favourite materials to use - or what materials produced results that surprised you?
I use mainly inks but am happy to experiment with anything. At the moment I am trying to work out resin, and this hopfully will lead a whole new world of ideas for me, but it takes time to experiment, and to fit this into my timetable means that it can be a very slow process.
Moon Lady and All She Wanted Was a Kiss Goodnight by Bridget Davies
On average, how long does it take to complete a piece? This is a complicated question to answer as the actual execution can be quite a quick process. A lot of the work happens before I put the ink onto the paper, working out colour (if any) and composition, dress, etc. The quicker I work the more satisfied I tend to be with the piece. I also have to be the right frame of mind to paint in this way and the more spontaneously I paint the more successful the painting usually is. Of course when one works quickly there are always a percentage of pieces that don’t work…. quite often I will do three of four pieces and will only show one of these. I also work in layers and each one has to dry flat so I am limited with space to dry these and work in a rotation with maybe three going at the same time. Who are your 3 favourite artists or influencers? I love the fashion illustrators from the first half of the 20th Century…Vertes, Christian Berard, Eric, and more contemporary illustrators like David Downton, Francois Berthoud and Aurore de la Morinerie… the list goes on. Artists?... Egon Schiele is my very favourite. Great draftsmanship I love. Toulouse Lautrec… I’m sorry I just can’t pin it down to just three!
What type of setting do you visualise your work in?
I like to think it would fit into many different settings. Also my work is quite varied both in subject matter and size so different pieces will work well in different environments. The heavy Metal pieces are very popular for kitchens and eating environments and I can see some of the larger gold pieces in large elegant rooms with high ceilings or plush hotel foyers.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
I’ve had a few, just happy customers really. Some customers send me a photo of the painting/paintings on the wall which I very much appreciate. I recently discovered an artist whose work I think is lovely and found out that she had written a piece on her blog about me a few years ago!
Who would be your ideal client to commission a piece?
A fashion illustrator/artist or maybe Coco Chanel or Christian Dior? Something wild and wacky for Elsa Schiaparelli would be fun.
What is your dream project?
A cover illustration for a fashion magazine and/or to work towards a themed solo show in London would be fun to work towards.`
Walking the Dogs - Red Boots and Walking the Dogs - Purple Dress by Bridget Davies
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? Convenience ruins creativity. Blow your mine… if it’s too much you can always tone it down… it’s more difficult to do it the other way around, I think anyway. If you could own one work of art from Rise Art what would it be? Delphine Lebourgeois - Deésse IX, Sweet thing.
Deésse IX, Sweet thing by Delphine Lebourgeois
Watch one of Bridget ink paintings come to life, below!