This month’s cover artist, Beeston-based Marcus Gilmore talks about his mythic and fantastical inspirations as an illustrator and printmaker, staying creative, and capturing the spirit of Christmas in this edition’s magical cover art...
Tell us a bit about yourself…
Hi nice to meet you, my name is Marcus and I'm an illustrator, print-maker and designer operating out of Beeston in Nottingham. I'm a keen mediaeval enthusiast and horror film-fanatic. You may find me sleuthing around various historic points of interest in Nottinghamshire on the weekends with my trusty sketchbook in tow.
What is the story behind the cover?
The cover is a celebration and homage of all the fantastical, magical aspects I associate with Christmas at this time of year. I decided to portray my friend Melvyn Rawlinson as St Nic/Santa Claus because he encapsulates all the joy, magic and charm. The backdrop obviously had to depict a snowy Wollaton Hall, with reindeers dotted about, perhaps on break from delivering lots of presents? The woman in the pink dress represents the Spirit of Christmas, her dress emitting snowflakes and is infused with magic and nature. I referenced some of Wollaton's previous night lights to provide a good starting point for this design.
What inspires you as an artist?
To be able to share my vision and ideas with the world that promotes a strong positive message. I take inspiration from a lot of myths and legends, folk art, Greek myths and mediaeval tales of past heroic deeds. History, I find, is a constant well of ideas and past events to draw inspiration from, not to mention insane armour and fashion design. I grew up watching the LOTR movies, Monty Python films and loving the work of artists like John Howe (one of my favourite fantasy artists) and Alan Lee.
Tell us about some things you’ve worked on in the past…
I've worked on a lot of self-initiated projects mostly to improve the quality of my work, consistency and speed. From painting a large fearsome dragon in acrylics for a local neighbour on canvas, painting a spooky Wednesday Day of the Dead canvas (that glows in the dark), to hosting and organising various lino printing workshops in Beeston and Nottingham. I take on new challenges and see them as opportunities to develop. At the moment I'm aiming to expand my range of lino prints with more curated animal designs, getting involved with more print fairs and further improving the quality of my workshop classes.
Do you have any tricks for getting started and staying inspired as a creative?
Having variety in whatever you do can be a great help for your creative momentum/energy. Working alongside other creatively-minded individuals, and collaborating on a big project is also an excellent way to stay inspired, learning from them and improving your craft.
I also consider it rather important to maintain a healthy balance between work and physical and mental health overall, so I do encourage walks, staying active and giving yourself breaks between projects.
Staying inspired for me would be having new experiences, going to museums, going to gigs, meeting new people, and challenging yourself with your art-goals or anything for that matter. I am inspired and motivated when I see progress regardless how little that may be, it spurs me on to keep pushing myself. Understanding that your whole life will basically be a long continual work in progress puts it into perspective, and that it is finite.
If you could sit down and chat with any artist in your field, who would it be and what would you talk about?
Hmm excellent question! I probably would love to speak to a few artists but one that is no longer living would be one of the great Art Nouveau artists such as Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) the wildly renowned Czech painter and illustrator who is iconic for his beautifully illustrated hand-painted posters and decorative swirls and motifs. It would be quite a surreal experience, I'd probably ask him a lot of questions, examine his study and atelier and ask him about his life experiences, and his connections to other great artists.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell the Left Lion readers?
I'd say enjoy each day as it comes, as nothing is guaranteed in life, and remain curious as curiosity lends a way to learning and growth. Everyone has the capacity and ability to be creative, taking affirmative action gives you power, and confidence to excel in your pursuits. You can find my work for sale on my Etsy shop (Marcusgilmoreart) and also in The Planetree which is a gift shop on Beeston's highroad.
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