This month’s cover artist Paula Reid tells us about her inspirations, projects and love of Brutalism…
Tell us a bit about yourself...
I am a 2D visual artist who loves colour, pattern and buildings! Originally from Leicester, I studied 3D Design Ceramics at Bristol Polytechnic before eventually moving to Nottingham in 2000. My work mostly relies on a combination of digital and traditional techniques which I use to create quirky imaginary landscapes. When I’m not busy making art or working as a college technician, I enjoy swimming at my local pool and going for long walks with my gorgeous cocker spaniel George.
What is the story behind the cover?
This is a design I completed in 2023 called The Garden of Brutalist Delights. The title is based on Hieronymus Bosch’s painting The Garden of Earthly Delights and depicts a utopian landscape of brutalist structures nestled within a twilight garden. It’s one of my favourite pieces of work and was a real labour of love due to the lengthy time it took to draw. It was partly inspired by my mum, who sadly passed away in 2022. She was a keen gardener, passionate about plants, and her favourite colour was green! I think she would have absolutely loved it, so this is a tribute to her.
What Inspires you as an Artist?
My inspiration comes from many places, but mainly from architectural forms and the urban landscape. I love the compositional quality of cityscapes, the bold graphic lines of industrial buildings, tower blocks and skyscrapers, and the elegant curves of art deco. More recently I’ve become captivated by Brutalist architecture with its expressive and unusual shapes. This has led to many an hour wandering around various cities with my camera! Brutalism might not be conventionally beautiful, but I love it, partly because some of it is pretty wild! It sits perfectly with some of the quirky shapes and ideas swirling around in my head, and I enjoy the playfulness of chucking in a bit of colour and pattern.
Tell us about some things you’ve worked on in the past…
Last year I was lucky enough to be part of an exciting three-week exhibition at Surface Gallery called ‘Circus of Life’. Organized by fellow artist @maximillionsurrealist, the show brought together the diverse creativity of six local artists exploring through their work, the collective experience of being human. To attract visitors into the gallery we ran a series of weekend events which included a coffee & cake stall (courtesy of Nuno Coffee and Tough Mary’s Bakehouse!), an artist’s Q&A, and a closing charity auction. Our aim was to create a vibrant and accessible show of work and more importantly to have fun, which we certainly did!
Do you have any tricks for getting started and staying inspired as a creative?
During my time in Nottingham, I’ve met lots of other creative people and feel that being part of a community of other like-minded individuals is one of the key things in being able to flourish as an artist. Feeling supported and getting feedback on your work from others can be incredibly powerful in your creative journey. That’s why it’s so good to exhibit your work, as well as going to see the work of other artists. I would also say that it’s important to just keep on working, as this is where most inspiration comes from. Finally… take your art seriously, but not too seriously. You need to enjoy it, otherwise what’s the point?
If you could sit down and chat with any artist in your field, who would it be and what would you talk about?
There are numerous creatives across many disciplines whose work I admire, many of them painters, as painting has always been my first love. The artists, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Georgia O’Keefe are enduring favourites. However, none of them are still alive, so I’m tempted to go a bit left field with this question and say that rather than chat with a person, I’d like to go and chat with a Brutalist building instead... I have a fairly long list of contenders, but one that has been a bit of a mild obsession is the iconic Geisel Library at the University of California. Completed in 1970 and named in honour of Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka children’s author Dr Seuss, I think it’s strikingly beautiful. It would be fascinating to go look around and have a chat!
Is there anything else you’d like to tell the LeftLion readers?
The front cover image is available to purchase from my Etsy shop @paulareidart, along with all my other designs, so please feel free to check them out! Other than that, I would just like to wish everyone a very happy and very peaceful 2025.
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