Interview with Anne Yvonne Gilbert

q) Introduce yourself first please?

a)My name is Anne Yvonne Gilbert.

q) Where do you live and work?

a)I live in the North of England and work in my studio at home.

q) How did you started? How have you realized you wanted to become an artist?

a)Because I was good at drawing I went to Art College after school. I have drawn since I was 2 years old.

q) What materials do you use and why?

a)Mostly coloured pencils but some pieces are in watercolour or acrylics.

q) Who is your biggest influence, both art and non-art related

a)My influences came from books. As a small child I was given old copies of Fairy Tales/ Myths and Legends. Next is my love of fashion and costume and great interest in history.

q) How do you dream up with your wacky ideas? What is your creation process?

a)I only like to draw people, preferably in costume, after that the manuscript or job description informs my decisions. I only use friends and family as models whom I dress up then photograph for reference.

q) What haven’t you done yet that you definitely want to try someday?

a)I want to do an erotic picture-book for adults.

q) Are there any contemporary artists that you love?

a)Too many to list----I love art, illustration, graphic design. Everything from early Gothic art, Japanese prints, Victorian Illustration, Pop Art, Punk music, Fashion Design, Films, etc.

q) How long does it take for you to finish a piece?

a)From model to finish approximately one week.

q) What music, if any, do you like to have on while you're working?

a)I don’t. I only listen to talk-radio----Radio 4.

q) Do you do many art shows?

a)Yes, both here and abroad.

q) Tell us about a recent dream you had.

a)I inherited a tendency to nightmares. My dreams are usually disturbing but I can’t remember any of them.

q) What are you doing when you are not creating?

a)Mostly reading or watching films.

q) Do you get emotionally attached to your work and do you miss your work when it is sold?

a)There are one or two pieces that I like but I often have to sell for financial reasons.

q) What new projects or exhibits are in your future?
a)I am working on a Children’s Bible, a new version of “The Mitten” for an American publisher, a silhouette version of “Beauty and the Beast” for a British Publisher and a sequel to Swedish Folk Tale that I did some years ago. I have recently had an exhibition of my erotic paintings, and a retrospective of my illustration work.

q) What is your favourite art related web site?

a)My friend Ronnie Heeps------

www.ronnieheeps.net

q) What is the strangest thing you have ever seen?

a)Egypt.

q) What is the strangest thing you have ever done?

a)Formed a society of people who watch films in cinema’s dressed to match the film.

q) any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a)Develop a “business head”. Too may talented artists get nowhere because they take rejection too personally and are unable to develop a business-strategy. Have a web-site, learn to use the media and promote your own work. Develop your own creative ideas rather than wait for them to be offered to you.

q)your contacts….e-mail…links

a)yvonne.gilbert@dsl.pipex.com
www.yvonnegilbert.com