t'ART online: April Edition
We accept submissions to t'ART online on a rolling basis and would love to see your work! Find out how to submit and what we are looking for here.
Rachel Harvey
"I’m a young artist in a mission to make representation of black culture and heritage mainstream and positive in art. I believe that, although spaces for black work are important, black art should not need to exist as a small, niche category - there should simply be art that features black people. A lot of black art is also dehumanising as it used people as objects to tell stories about oppression and slavery, as if to say that this is all we are good for.
I paint portraits of black faces with no use of symbolism or background to change this image of our community and make the viewer focus on the person to see them as what they are - people.
I sell my artwork in my shop and print my work on ethically made posters, gender neutral and size inclusive clothes, notebooks and more. I believe that it is up to small businesses to set the standard for larger corporations to make sustainability, size inclusivity and diversity the new norm.
Insta: @artist_named_nobody
Cat Oakes
Hello! I’m Cat (she/her) and I’m a 22 year old illustrator from the West Midlands. I’ve always drawn, however I only decided to start sharing them with the world at the beginning of the pandemic as it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay happy and motivated. Being neurodivergent and having struggled with anxiety and depression for most of my life, I find that words often fail me, so my art has really helped me express sides of myself that I don’t find the easiest to put out there. I sell my art as prints and tote bags on my Etsy store, and also curated some of my favourite drawings into an accessible colouring book to try and help other people who might be in the same boat as me.
Insta: @artyoakes
Alice Borges
London-born Brazilian-Portuguese illustrator Alice Borges (also known as Studio Alísi) is an emerging artist with a rich cultural background, having grown up between London, Portugal and the East-coast of Brazil. Her eclectic style is formed upon a range of lifelong influences from Tim Burton, to Japanese anime, everyday objects and household pets. Her formative works include oil paintings and sketchbooks full of fineliner and pencil drawings, however she is currently focused on digital illustration and printed media. Alongside an upcoming series of commissioned portraits, Alice is working on ongoing releases of prints, stickers and daily illustrations published to her instagram.
Website: www.studioalisi.com
Etsy: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/studioalisi
Instagram: @studioalisi
The Art of Mark
After over 15 years away from all things creative, I put a toe back into the water again last April. In an attempt to keep things as simple as possible, I went for quick line art sketches using a variety of markers.
I mostly do quick sketches of dancers or curvy nudes, with occasional pieces of pregnancy art. And over the course of the last year I've gone from using brush markers to paint markers to ink and have recently started using acrylic paint.
My approach is simple: I'm not trying to copy an image, I'm trying to create one. There are no rules. The poses I choose are only ever starting points and I never know what direction a session is going to take when I start. It's like jumping out of an aeroplane and having to work out how to open your parachute on the way down.
I make no secret that a year back into it, I find creating to be difficult. And I still have many sessions when I don't get any results and when it's just not there. But I persevere.
In February 2021 I started selling prints of four of my dance sketches, all of which can be found on my Instagram.
Insta: @_theartofmark_
Bloo Steel
Bloo Steel is an illustrator and environmental science student at The University of Edinburgh. She combines her love for art and the natural world in her illustrations. Her creativity grew significantly over lockdown, much of her work often being a celebration of solitude, typically featuring people thriving in their own space. Find her work at bloosteel.co.uk.
Insta: @bloosteelillustration
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Gemma Ageraniotis
I’m Gemma and I’m 22 years old, living in Kent in the UK. I have recently graduated university with a 2:1 in illustration and visual communication and I am now growing my own little business where I sell prints and take commissions. I love anything colourful, with most of my inspiration coming from colour palettes and textures.
Insta: @gemmaageraniotis
Mahdis Nikou
Mahdis is an Iranian born female who immigrated to the UK at the age of 18. She learned English in college and entered university to study graphic design. She is now living in London and working as a senior design consultant for a presentation agency.
Mahdis spends most of her free time, before and after her 9-5 job, creating illustration. Her work covers a wide range of topics but one of the main topics that she often tends to go for is based around mental health. She tries to bring to life her thoughts and feelings by using characters in different scenarios and colourful scenes. Her work is influenced and inspired by both European and Iranian contrasting cultures.
Insta: @mahdisnikou
Rory McDade
I'm Rory McDade 28 from the middle of nowhere, I've always written songs from a young age and recently have been stockpiling poetry and spoken word to stop myself from going mental in this time. I write about the most mundane to the most important things in life.
Insta: @armitageshankpoetry
