Author: Charlotte Bearn

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Celebrating Our Female Artists

Celebrating our female artists on International Women's Day!

As its International Women's Day, we thought we would show off some of the exceptional female talent that we work with here at artrepublic. We also asked them about how they got started as an artist and their journey through the art world.

In no particular order:

Maria Rivans

"Gender qualities seem to be blurring in my world and to define femininity is very much down to the individual. I tend to see people as humans, everyone with different qualities, strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, . So in answer to this question on a personal note femininity means freedom to be who I want to be. Womanhood equates to strength and nurture."

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Victoria Topping

Victoria Topping creates, in her own words, ‘music for the eyes’. Heavily influenced by all aspects of music - from the styling of 70s Jazz to the passion of Gospel and the groove of Disco - Topping synthesises the rhythmic and the melodic into her synaesthetic originals and limited edition prints, creating artworks with their own unique soul. Victoria's work is bold, bright and fabulous. She creates brilliant collages that not only look great but can be read like a story. It's better to derive your own stories from her work and let the piece move you in whatever way feels the most natural. Although she is a newer artist to artrepublic, she has certainly cemented herself as a force not to be reckoned with.

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Sara Pope

"I did quite a few different things before starting painting; a maths degree, I had a career in magazines as a designer, also a career in fashion as a shoe designer. I loved working as a designer, especially in fashion/shoes, but there came a point where it just wasn’t enough. That’s when I felt compelled to start painting. Design can be creative and beautiful, but I love that art can be so many more things besides.. philosophical, psychological, political, … When I started painting it felt completely engaging, and I found that it resonated with me more than anything else I’d done in my life. That feeling propelled me forward, and so now I get to spend every day making art, and for that I feel very lucky."

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Lene Bladbjerg

"It wasn’t actually my plan to become an artist and when I came to London in 1996, I studied graphic design at the London College of Printing. When I finished, I worked as a freelance graphic designer for a little while, but quite quickly realised it wasn’t for me. I started painting and taking close-up photos of flowers, which I sold at craft fairs -and then it has just moved on from there. I call myself a graphic artist as my work is still very influenced by my graphic design background. My work is often text based and I love mixing the words and pictures."

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Gill Bustamante

"Like most artists - especially female ones I suspect - I struggled to divide my time between art, raising a child, work commitments and other obligations. It was therefore not until I was almost 50, menopausal and a bit mad that I finally found myself enough time to experiment and find out what I really wanted to do as an artist." Gill's work is undeniably beautiful and would make a perfect addition to any home, or any room. Her paintings are deep and ethereal, you could easily get lost into the magical forests!

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Anne-Marie Ellis

"My background as a women's-wear designer has given me the appreciation of textiles such as lace and its craftsmanship, (which would have often been made by women - up to 20,000 women were employed in the making of Nottingham lace in the 1800s - obviously an unprecedented female workforce at the time) and the lingerie paintings that I make are very much with a female gaze - they aren’t intended to be seductive but sensual, a celebration of the beauty of lingerie. I think that the bras/lingerie are ‘worthy’ enough to be the subject of a painting, the work that goes into them does make them worth celebrating - the beauty of the everyday is something that inspires me. "

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Nolasean

Nolasean's current work centres around handmade abstract collage pieces created with a fusion of seemingly disparate and juxtaposed assemblages - combining different elements, styles and media against each other, Nikki is able to create entirely novel, bizarre, arresting or beautiful pieces. "I started to share these pieces in the hope that they bring some vibrant energy to whoever owns them." Nolasean's work is an exciting exploration into abstract artwork that makes a delightfully bold statement!

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Lucy Bryant

"My style is consistent but there is ALWAYS room for development. I find, whatever I do, whether it's my figurines, my 2D digital work or my originals, I have a definite modus operandi which is to place objects into places where they shouldn't be. There's a fascination I have with the ordinary, the 'banal' and the basic. I find beauty in the things which we all relate to, whether it's shopping in Ikea or wearing a tracksuit (even if you are an 18th century china figurine). I am constantly thinking about new directions in which to take my art!" Lucy Bryant's work re-imagines the ordinary and turns it into something fresh and exciting. Her work is fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. This is refreshing in a sometimes far too serious industry!

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Louise McNaught

"I have always been drawing and painting since I was little. There’s pictures of me drawing Age 1 so I've been an artist forever really! I announced I was going to be an Artist when I was 8 - much to my parents delight(!) I’ve always loved animals too so both passions combined very early on. I think my style is always evolving, I didn't think it can possibly stay the same as it changes with me. As a person I’m not interested in doing the same thing over and over. I want new and I want something that is exciting to me - and I think that comes across in my art. "

Check out all the work of these fabulous women have produced and show your support for them this International Women's Day!