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 CURVY, in its 6th successful year will be stopping by Brisbane this week for its sixth issue book launch, featuring a local showcase of all-female artists. Guest curator MEL BAXTER catches up with Brisbane’s COURTNEY BRIMS to discuss her contribution to the show.
Created by YEN magazine and highly regarded as a showcase of the best female illustrators, designers and graphic artists currently working, Curvy #6 features over 120 artists from 39 countries. This year’s Curvy launch will be heralded by an exhibition highlighting Brisbane’s top female artists, including Mel Stringer, Elena Mullay, Ellen Stapleton, Millie Fairhall and many more. One of the contributors, Courtney Brims, took some time to discuss her artwork with us.
MEL BAXTER: How long have you been making art?
COURTNEY BRIMS: Forever. I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. I was a quiet kid so I would always express myself creatively by either drawing or sculpting or putting on plays and making dodgy costumes. There’s never been a point in my life when I haven’t been creative.
MB: How would you describe the images you make?
CB: I see my pictures as bittersweet, delicate and detailed. They are dreamy and a little dark at times. I like to hope that they fill people with a sense of curiosity and nostalgia.
MB: What are your three biggest influences?
CB: Victorian illustration, fairytales and childhood.
MB: How long does it take to create one of your pieces?
CB: Anywhere from two days to two weeks. It often depends on the amount of detail I put into each work. If I’m working on a really detailed drawing I often have a couple of other drawings to work on at the same time so I don’t go cuckoo focusing on the same area of detail for hours on end.
MB: Preferred medium and why?
CB: I enjoy working with pencils on paper. I can be a bit of a control freak and a perfectionist when it comes to my artwork so I like the reliability and accuracy of pencils. I also like the softness of pastels and charcoal.
MB: Who would you choose to work collaboratively with?
CB: It would either have to be Lewis Carroll, Hayao Miyazaki or Charles Darwin. It would be nice to go to the Galapagos Islands with Darwin and draw animals and plants and discover new species.
MB: What’s been the highlight of your experience in the art world?
CB: Getting my fist solo show would definitely be the highlight. There are no words to describe how amazing that feeling was. It’s something I never thought I’d get the opportunity to do.
MB: What’s your favourite time of day to work creatively and why?
CB: I like to draw in the morning when my eyes are fresh and my brain doesn’t feel like lead, but creatively I work best late at night just as I’m drifting off to sleep in my bed. That’s when most of my ideas come to me.
MB: How hard is it making it in the art and design industry and getting recognition?
CB: It’s quite difficult, especially when you are starting out cold and are new to the scene. Trying to get recognised is a challenge in an industry that is very competitive. It helps if you have a style that is unique and perhaps a little unusual that grabs people’s attention.
CURVY #6 launches at Nine Lives gallery (above Mellinos at 330 Brunswick St. in the Valley Mall) this Friday Jul 10 from 6pm and runs for one weekend only. Check out www.wehaveninelives.blogspot.com for more information on the exhibit and to see more of Courtney's work get to www.courtneybrims.com.
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