Lisa Read

http://www.inkyflamingo.co.uk

My family home is in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. I moved to Southampton to complete an Art Foundation course followed by a three-year Textile Degree at Farnham Art College, after which I worked as a print designer in London for 2 years, giving me a more rounded understanding of the textile industry.

Wanting an adventure, I spent the summer of 92 working with young children in the Catskill Mountains in New York, as part of the Camp America summer camp program, before travelling the East coast of America. Several years working in retail funded a year-long backpacking trip through Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Returning to London, I started working for Marks and Spencer, where I’d stay for the next 22 years in a variety of roles. I started as a merchandiser but soon returned to my passion as a textile designer progressing to senior textile designer within a few years.

Working for M&S as a textile designer was my dream job. I worked creatively every day with textiles, following the latest lifestyle, product, and colour trends. I travelled the world as part of a team visiting textile fairs, shopping for inspiration, and working closely with factories to deliver beautiful product for the seasonal ranges.

In 2020, the impact of COVID meant I was furloughed for seven weeks and by the end of the year, the M&S design team was reduced by half resulting in my redundancy.

In that time, my younger sister asked if I’d like to illustrate a story that she was writing for her two young sons. Redundancy allowed me to focus on illustrating the book while also giving me the time to learn about the book publishing industry. From hand-painting the watercolour illustrations, to book layout design, to learning about print and production techniques.

I sourced a UK print house as sustainability is very important to us both, and we printed the books in the UK to keep their carbon footprint low, using FCS certified paper and vegetable inks.

In 2021 Frederick the Fox was rolling off the presses! Having learned a lot about production, marketing and distribution, we published our second book, Maximus the Mouse in 2023.

Both books are beautiful rhyming stories of friendship, brought to life with colourful hand painted watercolour illustrations perfect for children up to six years old.

I work at my small kitchen table in Chiswick and enjoy painting and experimenting with my trusty set of watercolours. If I’m not painting, I’m using my MacBook Pro to digitize artwork or to stay in touch with current retail partners and to contact new potential partners, set up book readings, craft sessions, or market stalls.

Illustrating Maximus the Mouse planted the seed for me to explore other products using both my existing and new artwork. This summer I produced a range of animal alphabet prints that I’m selling through select retail partners. Each design is beautifully hand painted with watercolours then Giclee printed onto a high quality art paper using fade resist inks. Perfect for adding a personal touch to any nursery, child's bedroom or playroom . Or if you're looking for something smaller each print has been developed as a greetings card.

Future plans include product personalisation within the Inky Flamingo range.

Eva Joy Lawrence

Website

I am a multidisciplinary artivist whose ideas circulate around protest, apocalyptic possibilities, climate change and utopia. I often take an anarchic view to traditional spaces for art and prefer using public interventions and community collaborations to spark energy for change. I grew up in Brentford and I have a degree in Fine Art and Art History from Manchester School of Art and The University of Barcelona. I am currently based in London and I have always lived in cities; the grit and absurdity of which are often captured in my works. My practice sits on a line between humour and horror, humour being a useful tool with which to approach hyperobjects such as the climate crisis and neoliberal global capitalism. I regularly use recycled materials and objects collected from the streets to make work as an act of non-monetary exchange, community cleaning and through which I enjoy subverting the elitism which surrounds the art world.

Raquel Macartney

Instagram @raquelmacartney

UK based, Christian, British, Filipina Artist working and living in Birmingham and London. Single mother to 2 pre/teenagers.

rabia shahzadi

https://www.instagram.com/raaabees/

My name is Rabia shahzadi I am a visual artist lives and works in London. Text is the main object of my visuals because the text is considered the most personal language of any human being, through this unreadable text, I usually describe my personal biography and the truths which one cannot express in a loud voice or which are not acceptable for the society. My work is an amalgamation of text typography and historical figures of the traditional miniature painting of the sub-continent.
The combination of text, pop colours and historical figures is a visual appearance of my thoughts about the significance of the history of sub-continent miniature art in past and today, besides this, I want to leave the representation of colouration and compositions of the visuals open for viewers that one may symbolize its many perspectives.

Avishkar Chhetri

Website

Avishkar Chhetri was born in Porkhara Nepal and grew up in West London. He graduated with highest honours from Kingston College School Of Art & Design in Digital Arts specialising in Animation, Digital Illustration and Concept Design. Now he is undertaking a MA in Animation from the Royal College of Art

Yousif Naser

Yousif Naser biography & work

One constant theme evident in Yousif's numerous, paintings and drawings is the suffering of Iraq and the pain of exile. His largest project Black Rain is an ongoing undertaking, which began as a painting project during the build up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It quickly acquired momentum and generated much local media coverage. Gradually it evolved into a a series of paintings comprising of multi-and-single media works, ranging from gigantic canvases to small drawings, collages and paintings, all inspired by the horrors of war.

Jacqui Sinnatt

https://www.stagneseve.com/art-prints/

Francesca Busca

https://www.francescabusca.art

As an Eco-artivist, ‘Rubbish artist’ and mosaicist, I pioneer sustainable art and create my artworks entirely out of waste.
Torn between optimism and surrender, haunted by the idea of mankind’s imminent self-destruction, I believe in a future through systemic re-thinking. Every tessera I create is in itself a protest against our disposable lifestyle. I thoroughly enjoy working within the ethical and material limitations involved, working with materials which often take years to gather, and whose legacy I like to extend beyond their mere creation, as the starting point for a continued, multi-faceted narrative through layers of staged photography.
Gesamtkunstwerk, my commitment to sustainability encompasses every aspect of my life, from veganism to renewables, second-hand clothes (…) to not flying.

Ex-City solicitor, I then graduated with distinction at LSoM in 2019, where I also lectured Fabrication. Internationally, I exhibited in 100+ venues, was published in 90+ articles and textbooks, and won 20+ awards.

Founder of Payment in Kind(ness)© and ArtforTrash©, I also run pro-bono art projects on eco-awareness and sustainability.

I am now on a retainer with the Institute of Marine Sciences in Venice, collaborating with the institute and with some prestigious art institutes over the next few years.

Marina Renee Cemmick

http://www.marinareneecemmick.com

I am a London Based multidisciplinary artist, whose work stems from a strong figurative drawing practice. I work in the studio on oil paintings and charcoal drawings, interested in capturing movement and often working from dance and theatre performances. I also paint bright vibrant murals using spray paint on exterior walls under the name Mimi Murals. I am part of WOM Collective and have been commissioned by The Lyric Theatre, Rights Respecting, Longs and collaborated with projects supported by MyMurals.

Nigel Ryan

Nigel Ryan - Photography Website

Photographic artist based in W3.