5 Minutes With Alice Humphreys, The Visual Artist Behind Our Kids SS23 Window Displays
Imbuing the vibrant and energetic spirit of our Kids Spring Summer 2023 Collection, Brighton-based visual artist Alice Humphreys felt like the perfect fit for our latest window displays to celebrate the launch this season. “I enjoy working with lilac, orange, green, pink, and pops of blue. The connection to kidswear also meant there was freedom to have fun,” she explains. Following her installation, we took five minutes to catch up about her route into art, the nature of her work and her advice for creatives pursuing art as a career.
Alice, tell us about yourself and how you got into visual art.
I didn’t begin as an artist. I studied film production in London and started as a freelance filmmaker. I always painted and sold prints alongside working, and when I moved to Brighton a few years after graduating, which was my hometown, I started doing more graphic design, which slowly took over. It made a lot more sense to me and made me happiest. I had been saving up for an animation course but decided to teach myself from scratch during the pandemic. So all film work went out the window, and I started painting and animating and got into illustration, and then that just became everything for me.
How would you describe your art in a few words?
Playful, bold and abstract.
You also work with other mediums, such as animation and murals. Can you tell us about that too?
Animation murals and illustration are my three main mediums, and they all intertwine. I began as a filmmaker, and telling a story was always what I loved the most. Animation can act as a bridge between it all in that way. They all feed into each other, but variation is essential to me. My work is also quite seasonal, and I do a lot of digital work in the winter. When the summer comes outside, a lot of people do painting or installations.
How has your work changed over time? What have been the different challenges?
Like all artists, the more people you work with over time, the more your work naturally changes and progresses. With challenges, running your business and maintaining a presence on social media can be exhausting. There’s also sometimes a pressure to find your voice, and we can set realms for ourselves, but it’s important not to allow that to hold too much importance. We need not to feel restricted to be able to explore.
We’ve recently collaborated with you to create a window design in our stores. Can you talk us through the creative here?
It started with mainly looking at the colours of the kids’ range, which I loved. I enjoy working with lilac, orange, green, pink, and pops of blue. Also, the connection to kidswear meant freedom to have fun. I played with shapes and worked with separate shapes that didn’t overlay so that they could be used as a puzzle in the different stores. It was fun to think about size and scale and how they’d be perceived and interacted with.
Who do you admire in the art and creative space? Who is doing something different?
Anna Higgie, Kelly Anna and Sebastian Curi. Anna Higgie is fantastic and is a good friend of mine. I owe her a lot. I worked with her about six years ago on a 280 feet long mural and Green Man Festival. She taught me everything I know about designing big and just doing it. We had three days to paint this with another team, and we’ve done it every year since. This year is the first year we’ll be designing it. Kelly and Sebastian are illustrators and painters who work on murals and installations, but they’re unique. They work in huge spaces.
Advice for creatives trying to pursue art as a career?
Keep sharing your ideas, getting feedback, interacting with other artists and exploring different mediums. Sometimes you can get stuck in a way, and then as soon as you try something out, even if it’s tough or doesn’t work, it can shift the way you work or push you forward.
Join us in-store this weekend, 15th – 16th April, to preview and shop the kids’ collection whilst your little one can enjoy free balloons.
Islington, London
Northcote Road, London
Guildford
