Kirbee Lawler's Alice @ The Galeries

16.12.10

Kirbee Lawler spends her days falling down the rabbit holes of her imagination and ingraining them on paper to share with the rest of us. Her wonderlands are frequented by sweet girls, owls and kitsch everyday objects, no one would ever guess that before these characters came to being though, Kirbee’s artworks were darker, bolder tattoo style pieces.

When you ask her what changed, she says she just grew up. Somehow replacing densely outlined skulls with friendly furry woodland creatures seems like exactly the opposite, but we’re glad she has decided to explore the lighter parts of her mind and share them with us in Via Alley for Curvy @ The Galeries.

In fact we liked one of her darling characters Miss Florence so much that we decided we wanted to make our own Galeries girl Kirbee style. After chatting with Kirbee for a little while and finding out more about what makes her tick these days, it seemed like an obvious choice, Alice In The Galeries.

We dressed her in a sweet tee-dress from Graniph with delicious desserts around the neck and decked her out in glasses from Alphaville.

She ended up looking something like this.

And we all agreed that if Alice came to The Galeries she would most certainly be sporting these bite size delights and oversized delicacies and headbands from Via Alley.

 

Mercibeaucoup Flower Headband tartan RRP $125, Q-Pot round biscuit pierce earrings RRP $125, Q-Pot bisconti ring RRP $110 Find them @ Via Alley @ The Galeries

We talked to Kirbee about Curvy @ The Galeries, illustration and inspiration.

How did your art career start?

I guess as a child you would always find me with a pencil in my hand, drawing was my creative outlet growing up. I liked creating my own characters in their own little world, imagining what they would do in their everyday lives. Drawing was something that I would always do to relax and wind down. Being chosen to be in last years Curvy was the kickstart that I needed to start turning my hobby into a career, up until then I did my drawings for me, but seeing that people were starting to take an interest in my work inspired me to create more.

What is your fondest childhood memory?

My fondest childhood memories are the times spent with my family exploring places. We lived fifteen minutes from the Royal National Park on the South Coast. These were the places that inspired me in my illustrations. Spending time with my family and listening to stories was an important part of my childhood and still is important to me today.

What does your workspace look like?

I wish I could say I had my own studio space, but it is currently the dining room table! I would love to have my own space one day soon where I can set up all of my art stuff. I would love a terrace house with lots of beautiful light.

Your preferred medium is pencil, why do you like pencils so much?

Pencil is the medium that I feel I have most control over. I like the way that you can build up colours and textures while not having to wait for paint to dry. I love that pencil can be used to get tiny amounts of detail into a drawing and find that pencils just suit the way I work. I have dabbled with paints and gouache previously, but I love the raw and textured feel that pencils can give and the varied way that pencils can be used.

Where do you go to get inspired?

I get my inspiration from lots of different places, and sometimes it hits me without warning! I love old photos and antique shops and markets and finding objects that hold stories from times past. I love the feeling of nostalgia that these items hold and try to get that feeling in my illustrations. I also love browsing blogs and reading magazines for inspiration.

What is the best antique find you have had so far?

I once got a bunch of vintage cameras for free, that was pretty good.

What blogs and magazines are your favourite to read?

Daydream Lily is a favourite of mine but mainly I just trawl through the Internet as for magazines I read Frankie a lot.

What motifs continuously occur in your artwork?

I do have a lot of symbols and objects that seem to pop up. Most of these are just things that I love, like keys and locks and hearts. I love the symbology behind them, the idea of secrets and secrets being exposed and treasures.

There are also certain animals that I love to draw too. Owls are by far my favourite, to me they are mysterious and cute birds that seem to hold a special charm about them. I also love deer and squirrels and all of those woodland animals. I used to love fairytales as a kid, and most of them featured animals from the woodlands.

What fairytales did you love as a kid?

Little Red Ridinghood and Alice in Wonderland and my favourite Disney movie as a kid was Enchanted

You site natural textures as one of your biggest inspirations, what do you mean by this?

I really love the textures of wood and hair, but I also love the way that these two things grow over time and tell a story. These two natural things bring life into a picture and help me create a realistic feeling to a picture that can otherwise be a bit surreal. Plus, I find drawing these textures is quite relaxing!

From left to right; Q-Pot chou a la creme fresh cream necklace RRP $140, Q-Pot ribbon sugar cookie RRP $69, Q-Pot strawberry cream cord reel RRP $130, Q-Pot banana macaroon necklace RRP $130 Find them @ Via Alley @ The Galeries

Can you tell us about the artwork you submitted to Curvy in the Galeries?

The pieces that will be on display at Curvy at the Galeries are my most popular selling pieces and include my Matryoskha illustration, a solitary Matryoskha doll who stares back at you. I love kitsch things like that and would love to do a series on kitsch household items with a twist.

Mister Hoot is one of my newer illustrations and is the start of a series of owl-based portraits through time. If She Finds It, She Keeps It, is an illustration I completed at the start of the year, and is an important piece to me. This illustration is the one featured in this years Curvy.

Miss Florence is also one of my newer pieces, I have always wanted to create a paper doll so I decided to make one! Miss Florence has just been chosen to be printed on an Avant Card artist series postcard, which is very exciting. And the final piece up on display is my Owl from the Forest Friends series, one of three illustrations of animals sitting on tree stumps. This was my first illustration featuring my owl character and one that will always mean a lot to me.

What has been your favourite part of the Curvy @ The Galeries Exhibition?

Meeting all of the people involved

Who’s work do you admire the most from the exhibition?

Courtney Brims is my favourite artist.

What other artists do you look to for inspiration?

Bec Winnel, Kareena Zerefos, Amy Soul, Mark Ryde

What other exhibitions and projects have you worked on in your art career so far?

Other than taking part in last years Curvy exhibition and this years Curvy events, I have also exhibited in a few group shows as well as having my first solo show in September this year. I have also been published in the Design Federation Annual that has just been released and the Semi Permanent Book Two released in conjunction with the Melbourne Semi Permanent Event. I have also completed some commissioned illustrations.

What is your ultimate goal with your art?

I would love to be able to become a full time illustrator. I have lots of places I would love to take my illustrations, from children’s books to clothes I think it would be great to be able to do that all the time. I just really love what illustration allows me to do, and if I can make a few people’s days a bit brighter by seeing my work then that is what makes me the happiest. It is really inspiring to me to see amazing art and hope that my drawings can inspire that feeling in someone else.

What children’s book would you love to illustrate the most?

Alice in Wonderland

We think Kirbee's version of Alice in Wonderland would be pretty kitsch cool.

Illustration by Kirbee Lawler

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