2020-08-01 Artists & Illustrators

INTERVIEW

A

skinganartisthowthey

brewtheirteamayseem

likeanoddquestionwhen

discussingtheirmaterials,butfor

CarneGriffiths’sillustrationsthe

Britishstapleis asvitalastheink

itself.Lookatanypaintingfromhis

latestexhibition,Nature’sRiches, and

you’llbegintonoticethetea’s

presence,fromthesoftvanillahues

ofa freshly-madejasmineteatothe

earthybrownsofa morerobustblend.

Alongsidetheeye-catchingcolours

createdbythisuniquecombinationof

inkandtea,thedrawingsthemselves

alsobringtogetherpristine

portraiture,intricatefloralmotives

andfree-flowing,abstractmarks.

Themoreyoulookata piece,the

moreit fascinatesaslayerafterlayer

ofincredibledetailrevealsitself.

InNature’sRiches, theLondon-

basedartistwantedtoexplorehow

advertisingusesimagerytoentice

usandtoshowwhatwouldhappen

if opulentproductslikehigh-end

fashion,perfumeandjewellerywere

replacedbynature.“Theideais that

weshouldhavethisprideinnature,

thisappreciationofthenaturalworld,”

Carneexplains.“So,I supposethe

exhibitionasksthequestion,whatif

weweretoselloradvertisethese

items?Andif weweretofindthemin a

magazine,whatwouldtheylooklike?”

Themesofnatureandconsumerism

areparticularlypowerfulinlightofthe

globalpandemic.Manyofushave

H den

LEFTThe Crown, ink

and tea on paper,

50x70cm

ABOVESolace, ink

and tea on paper,

50x70cm

De ths

CARNE GRIFFITHS tells

REBECCA BRADBURY

why he swapped

blockbuster movies for

ornate illustrations –

and why a good cup

of tea is so important

taken solace in the natural world

and found ourselves in a position

to question the necessity of our

spending habits. But although the

illustrator completed the exhibition

during lockdown, he came up with the

concept before it began. Likewise, his

style and choice of subjects can be

traced back to his time at art college

and his background as a gold wire

embroidery designer.

Born in Liverpool in 1973, Carne

studied illustration at the Kent

Institute of Art and Design, where a

life drawing teacher made a lasting

impression on him. “He changed the

way I understood drawing,” the

illustrator explains. “He took it from

something that was very clinical and

small, and trying to record something

in detail, to bold, expressive marks.

It connected me to drawing in a

Artists & Illustrators 21