In our ongoing Meet the Maker we get to know artist and illustrator Jennifer Hawkyard and learn what inspires her work.
How did you first get into art?
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember and started as a child obsessively drawing horses. I soon learnt to expand my horizons and started to work on portraiture - both people and pets. I had artists on both sides of the family so there was always encouragement to learn new skills and keep up the practice. From there I just explored whatever took my fancy.
Were you self taught or did you study? If so how did you go about learning your craft?
I took art in secondary school and then studied Graphic Design in College. Most of my artistic skills I feel I taught myself on the side based on seeing other artists and trying to understand how I could achieve the effect that I was striving for. Being an active member of the various artistic communities online has also been a huge part of my learning, following artists whose work really inspires me and learning new skills as I go.
What inspires your work?
I’m very much inspired by nature, environmental concerns and mystical or magical subjects. I love working with texture, pattern and colour to create interesting and unique pieces.
Have you got a favourite piece you have created, if so why?
It’s very difficult to choose for sure as my opinion of my pieces change over time. I’ve currently been challenging myself by working on digitally painted portraits so I’ve been very happy with how my piece ‘Uriel’ came together as it was both challenging and also great fun to work on as well. I discovered some new techniques whilst working on it and that always makes me happy!
Are there new genre’s / mediums / techniques you would like to explore that you’re looking to getting into?
I’d like to explore more mixed media options, combining different mediums to create interesting textures and colours, I’d also like to work on some acrylic on canvas as I really haven’t had the opportunity to slap paint around on a canvas for a long time! My work tends towards being highly detailed and meticulous in nature so it would be good to explore something that is a bit more free and loose.
How can people keep up to date with what you are creating?
I’m very active on most popular social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram and my website is always updated with my latest finished pieces.
