passion is – swallowfield

I’m moving this week…. so I thought I would take a few days and revisit some of Jan’s “passion is” interviews -updated with current photos of the artists’ work. Enjoy!

since starting this blog, i discovered that i have a knee-jerk, wallpaper litmus test for artwork – as in, "yowza, i'd like to cover an entire wall with this art!" the detailed collages and drawings of Jennifer Judd-McGee pass my test with flying colors - and oh how those colors fly! don't you want to live in one of the 2 drawings above, with gargantuan flowerbeds and crops of daisies the size of hula-hoops. dreamy…

Jennifer is a self-described obsessive doodler with a serious love of pattern, design and paper. many of the patterns she iterates in her drawings come from her coastal surroundings, where she'll often sit with a sketchbook and doodle leaves, moss, rock striae, bark, pebbles and flowers…inspiration for new artwork as well as a study in nature's patterns and ryhthms. her ability to develop & meticulously repeat a gorgeous, flowing arrangement by hand as she covers the span of an entire page shows what tremendous skill & passion she brings to her work each time she puts pen to paper. i am in complete awe.

Jennifer was kind enough to share her thoughts on passion:

How do you define passion in the handmade genre? How do you recognize it & know it?

there is so much handmade stuff out in the world now that i sometimes get overwhelmed by it all, honestly. when a handmade item catches my eye these days it is because it was made with passion. i can tell the person who made it delighted in its every detail, from materials to execution to packaging and photography. passion is the whole package for me, if that makes sense.

What drives your own passion and makes it irresistible?

being the shy gal that i am, it would be hard for me to say anything about myself is irresistible. but i can tell you that i genuinely enjoy making art more than anything, and when i give myself over to it i can become pretty consumed…like wild eyed, sleep deprived and ink stained consumed.  oh, and i just quit my job to make art full time, so if that isn't passion (or blind faith,) i'm not sure what is.

Please share 3 other artists who embody passion as you define it.

julia rothman: i am totally in love with her illustration and pattern work. i think her work is sort of geeky smart, and it seems like she is really happy doing what she does.
bird and bear: i think these embroidered pieces with heartfelt bursts or earnestness are just the bees knees.
amanda blake: her paintings really draw me in and make me imagine all kinds of stories about her subjects. i like to imagine what she is thinking about when she paints.

where to find swallowfield:
etsy shop  |  supermarket shop  |  blog  |  flickr