WESTBOURNE

TAMLYN BLASDALE-HOLMES

"I am a self taught artist, after not getting in to Art School and then eventually getting in and then deciding to get out and walk across Spain… I now draw for my own sanity and that of the people around me.

I first started doodling patterns when I was really small and after a brush with a long dead monk my work started to take on a very intricate style, sometimes likened to the Zoomorphic style. My main body of work is intricate design/knot work but I also like to draw people and my work is now blending both of these. I enjoy challenging people’s perceptions, both with my subject matter and my presentation. My work has a few possibilities when viewing, stand at a distance and it appears to be simply a serene pattern but get closer, very close and all is revealed and sometimes like life, it’s not all that pretty.

For a number of years I worked in conservation and this grew my interest in drawing pieces with strong animal and human rights subjects. Because of the gravity of some of the issues I tackle I often add a glint of wry humour in the hope that this will lighten but reinforce my message.

When it comes to choice of medium I like to keep things as simple as possible. My weapon of choice is a trusty retractable 0.5 pencil and a water resistant 0.5 ink pen, I also use simple washes of water colour and sometimes brush white ink onto areas."