‘Imaginary room’ is a personal piece that embodies a lot of what influences my creative practice. For me, it was really a way to lose myself in the production of an image at a time when inspiration was somewhat lacking.
I’m very driven by a nostalgia for times that happened before my lifetime; initially through looking at the worlds that exist within the strangely familiar, deep-coloured photographs my parents took in the 80s and early 90s. I feel like I’ve extracted an aesthetic element of this that I can now use to make my illustrations feel the way those photographs make me feel.
For this piece I had the idea to build a small world much like those in the old photographs I love so much – something that makes you wonder about what’s either side of the frame, and encourages you to look deeper into the image. I first mapped out where a few things should go in order to get a literal perspective in place, which allowed the space a sense of realism that I could then get lost in. Then I just started putting in things that I wanted to see in the space. All of my past inspirations and ideas came into play; I knew there had to be an old wooden-sided television, a bota bag and a model ship for instance, so I made the room a shelf and started putting things on it. This image for me was all about re-kindling my love of taking the time to make warm, nostalgic, personal images that reflect my interests. Something that can occasionally become a little lost when working to fast deadlines and for very specific projects. It’s nice to refresh yourself occasionally by making something for yourself.
