After three years of sharing dark art from around the world, I decided that it was time to take a step up, and start collaborating with artists at a new and exciting level. Sharing art through Redbubble seemed the perfect way to go. It’s an affordable, quick and extremely easy way for dark art admirers to bring original artworks into their lives.
The first Wyrd Words & Effigies dark art collaboration opens with four original designs by Norwegian artist Frida Engeset Løfoll. All of the art pieces in this post are available to buy here. Keep reading to see the designs and for a short interview with Frida about her work and motivation.
Meet The Artist
Can you introduce yourself in as few or as many words are you like?
I think others see me as provocative and ambitious. I won’t say that this impression is wrong in any way.
Would you please say a few words about the four designs that you have created for the Wyrd Words & Effigies collaboration?
They are all images retrieved from the shadow side of my consciousness. There’s a comfort in this place. I have to only use it in small dosages to that I don’t empty it. Katie’s poetry gives me inspiration to make such motives, and the stake-illustration is directly inspired by a poem in Dying is Forbidden in Longyearbyen.
What is your background in art? Are you self-taught?
I went to art classes when I was a child. There I learned to paint abstract motives with aquarelle (which I hated). I also remember drawing the same house four times. My time there made me realise that a teacher that does not accept the students to portray their own impression of things, is in fact a bad teacher. From there I taught myself everything I know today.
What materials are you using to create your art?
These days I mostly use thin markers and Japanese calligraphy brushes with black ink. I prefer to do the majority of the process analogue; it challenges me to always thrive for a more controlled line.
Where do you look for inspiration, and what is currently inspiring you to create?
I’ve previously used magazines, artbooks and blogs as a primary source. Right now I’m inspired by fiction and the fact that it gets greener outside every day.
Can you recall when you first started to develop an interest in art? Was there a particular artwork or body of work that moved you as a child? What made you decide that art was a route you wanted to take?
I’ve always been drawing. I remember finding a print of the Norman Rockwell-painting “Girl at Mirror” in the attic of the house that my family just moved in to – I guess I was about eight years then. That was the moment I understood that images speak a language that neither speech or writing can never reach.
How do you ensure that you’re moving forward with your art? Do you challenge yourself on a daily basis?
If I hadn’t challenged myself both I and the products of my actions would die of boredom. This goes for my art as well.
How valuable is it to have a room of your own to work in?
The room in my head is most important, but the access to a big desk and a soundproof door is heavenly welcomed.
Would you care to talk about some of the books and music releases which you find yourself returning to, and which will always continue to move you?
I always jump between genres both in music and books, and I rarely stay in one place over a longer period of time. Still, I should mention that Pink Floyd will be my favourite band for as long as I live.
In what direction would you like your art to take you?
Forward.
Would you like to be involved with the Wyrd Words & Effigies Dark Art Collaboration? Simply email me at katiemariemetcalfe@hotmail.co.uk to find out more.
Don’t forget to check out the Wyrd Words & Effigies shop and to find out more about Frida and her work, just click here.
Celebrating the strange and the shadowy, the damned and unseen 