Meet The Artist: Charlotte Hardy
We wanted to get to know one of our most recent artists to join Whistlefish. Step into the captivating world of Charlotte Hardy, where urban energy meets a profound love for nature. Discover their journey from the countryside to the creative haven of Clockwork Studios, and explore how her passion for gardening, rural exploration, and textile design come together to create her vibrant and spontaneous artwork. In this journal article, we will delve into her process, influenced by folk art and childhood inspiration.
"I live in Southeast London and I work at Clockwork Studios near Camberwell. I grew up in the countryside in Berkshire, where my love of nature and flowers comes from.
My hobbies include gardening, walking in beautiful rural places and making quilts. I studied my art foundation in Winchester and went on to study Printed Textile Design at Manchester Metropolitan University."
"On my degree, I loved drawing and painting decorative objects in the embroidery department. This was the beginning of a fascination with interpreting patterns through mark-making and mixed media. I was very inspired by outsider and folk art, children’s drawings and naïve artists. I have always tried to work with directness and spontaneity to give the work energy, whilst flattening the perspective. The compositions have a strong sense of design and an illustrative feel."
"I have antique china jugs at home and in the studio which often appear in my work. Flowers from my garden and on walks also pop up in my paintings. I mainly work in acrylic on watercolour paper or on canvas. Sometimes I use collages and inks. Radio 4 is often on in the background and my desk is in a sea of coloured chaos."
"Drawing underpins all my work. I sketch when I can in sketchbooks, which I can’t live without, and always plan paintings beforehand. I try to work quickly to keep the work fresh and alive. Sometimes work lives in the plan chest and comes out weeks later to be resolved."
