Author: Rebecca Cox
Introducing Charlotte Farmer
AR: What was the driving force behind your choice to become an artist?
I’ve dabbled with bookselling, cheese mongering and gift shop shuffling but all I really wanted to do was to draw and print and not to have to answer to anyone else...when I was younger I told one of my friends mums about my artistic plans and she said I’d never be able to afford toothpaste or toilet rolls - so far my teeth are clean and the bathroom is well stocked!
AR: Do you keep tabs on art trends or are you all about doing your own thing?
I do my own thing on the whole - if I can make myself smile while I’m developing a print I know I’m on the right track.
AR: How have you developed your style?
As I’ve grown in confidence with my work I think my colour palette had got brighter and brighter. I’ve always loved detailed work which makes you really look, so I try and make sure my work has some quite intricate details which go towards telling a story.
AR: What’s your favourite piece in your portfolio and why?
Skipping
Buffalo Safety Matches - I love it because of how the buffalo is daintily skipping along in a way you might not expect a buffalo to skip but my main reason is that he is based on a matchbox I saw in a museum in London and it got me started on my exploration into vintage matchboxes.
AR: Describe your art style in three words.
Colourful, fun, screenprint
AR: What is your workspace set up like? Are you in a studio/do you work alongside others/are you at a laptop or freehand?
I make the drawings for my prints at my small desk tucked away in a corner at home, and turn them into stencils on my laptop. I print at a small screenprint studio not far from home, it’s not as big as the studio I used to use so there are less people around, so I’ve started having regular art chats with a couple of people I did my MA with.
