Lottie May’s Work
The Artistic Discovery of Lino Printing
Lottie May, the talented artist with her distinctive pink hair, takes us on a journey into the world of Lino printing, a medium that has captured her heart. Despite experimenting with various art forms, Lottie found herself irresistibly drawn back to Lino printing, and she shares the story behind her artistic fascination:
“The first time I did Lino was because my mum was doing it, she did a course in Bristol at The Folk House. She encouraged me to give it a try. The first Lino cut I did was the Roaring Bear. That was the first one I ever did, the first time I ever put a tool to Lino. I just really took to it after I did that. It’s still a successful piece years later.”
“I like Lino also because you don’t have to be drawing like Da Vinci to get a good image out of it. You just draw the rough shape and then the image becomes designed as you carve it. The carving is a part of the drawing process. As you’re carving it and defining the lines, it becomes a different image from the sketch that you start with.”
Yellow Hues and Personal Connections
Intriguingly, yellow plays a significant role in Lottie May’s artistic repertoire, and she reveals the personal significance behind this bright and vibrant hue:
“Yellow means a lot to me. It’s related to my seasonal depression, the sun is so important to me and really dictates my mood. Yellow represents sunshine and happiness. I just like to be surrounded by it. It brings me joy.”
“It also goes with so many things, my primary colour palette is yellow and pink, and then blue and green are the secondary. I like how bright they are and how much they complement each other. All my outfits are yellow as well! It makes me feel better wearing a happy colour!”
Drawing Inspiration: From Instagram to Greek Mythology
Discovering the driving forces behind an artist’s creativity is always fascinating, and Lottie May shares her diverse sources of inspiration:
“Inspiration can come from taking photos when I’m out. The house print I made was inspired by a photo I took in the centre of town, and I was like ‘That’s a Lino cut right there.’ I have dosens of photos on my phone, some of them will never go anywhere, and sometimes I see them and I have to make it.”
“It sounds stereotypical, but I also get a lot of inspiration from the artists I follow on Instagram. I have borrowed a lot from other print-making artists.”
“I do have to cite my mum as a big inspiration too, as her Lino cuts are incredible, she’s always been super creative, and she went to a lot of art courses while she was pregnant with us.”
Lottie also draws inspiration from the work of fellow artists, and she mentions a few who have had a significant impact on her:
- “Jacqueline Colley (@jacquelinecolley) is probably one of my biggest inspirations, in terms of I wish my work looked like this!!”
- “Morgan Grice (@morgangrice97) is responsible for a lot of my colour choices! She also went to BCU, and was the year above me in illustration.”
- “Katie Jones (@ktj.illustration) has incredible work too, she’s the year below me but her stuff is so inspiring!”
- “Ruth Speer (@septemberwildflowers) is a massive inspiration for how I use the imagery in my work.”
- “Meg Justice (@Meg_t_justice_art) has amazing Linos, they’re incredible.”
Moreover, her profound love for Greek Mythology has seeped into her art, particularly evident in her piece titled ‘The Sun and The Moon’:
“‘The Sun and The Moon’ was made in response to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission at the Midlands art centre. They asked my course to produce a project in response to that. Since Apollo is also a Greek God, I used a lot of imagery from Greek Mythology.”
“The bird in the piece is a Raven, which I believe is one of Apollo’s sacred animals. He’s holding a laurel branch in his beak because it was customary for Apollo to give out laurel branches to the winners of the Olympic games.”
Lottie’s Artistic Ascent: Exhibitions, Workshops, and Beyond
Lottie May’s art has taken her to new heights, marked by her recent participation in exhibitions and collaborations with galleries and fellow artists. Reflecting on her experiences and the rewards of her artistic endeavours, Lottie unveils her ongoing projects and her passion for imparting knowledge through upcoming workshops:
“So currently, my main platform is Instagram. I’m currently putting together a workshop on colour and shape for Warwick Art Centre in collaboration with BCU. It’s quite a lot of work, but it’s a good opportunity.”
“I think in-person would be a lot easier, this one going to be an online workshop, for members of the public. But being in a room with people and helping them to create is something I would be up for! There’s a lot of stuff where I realise, I have specialist knowledge.”
“When we were kids, it was always collage, painting, or clay. We did loads of stuff as kids and was the precursor to everything. When I was younger, I did a lot of painting, acrylics mainly, just on anything. People always asked me as a kid ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ and my answer was always ‘An artist.’”
