Georgie Stewart

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Photorealistic painting of Christmas Robin

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Breakfast on the balcony as a picture of food

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Architectural drawing of the Brighton building

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Places & Locations of breakfast in Italy

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Her inspiration is right outside the door

Joy, optimism, curiosity, a zest for life – these are the themes Georgie aims for in her work.

Her work is ideal across lifestyle and publishing briefs and is perfect for campaigns that want to say things slightly differently to the norm. Clients are drawn to her imaginative approach and the excitement and whimsy she puts into every image. Georgie’s creative inspiration comes from all around her, as well as great painters like Matisse, Bonnard and Hockney. Georgie spent the most part of 2022 travelling through Europe in her bright orange camper van Jaffa, visiting new places and discovering new colour combinations in her travelling studio. She has an MA in Illustration from Camberwell School of Arts and an MA in Contemporary Art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

Approach

Location drawing is an important part of Georgie’s process – getting out and sensing the true atmosphere of what she’s creating. She chooses vibrant and unusual colour palettes. Typically, she draws, paints, adds digital elements then prints out and finishes by hand.

Style

Joy, optimism, curiosity, a zest for life – these are the themes Georgie aims for in her work and they’re reflected through the energetic colour fusions she concocts.

Impressions

Interview

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Interview

What led you to become an illustrator?I’ve been drawing since I was small, and I always knew I would end up doing something creative. I chose Illustration as my field of practice because I love the accessibility it offers - it encourages people to engage with art and opens up the exclusivity and stuffiness that’s often rife in the art world. I love how direct it is as a form of communication - anyone can enjoy and understand an illustration. It transcends time, place and language. My choice to become a freelance illustrator was also bound up with the kind of life I imagine for myself. It’s a gift that I get to do what I love everyday, and the idea of a continual path of growth and discovery is really exciting to me. I absolutely love Maggi Hambling’s analogy of treating your work as your best friend - it’s a relationship that has to be nurtured and celebrated. There are days when I grapple with my work, and it’s often a challenge - but it’s never a chore.Where do you live now and what drew you there?I live in London with my three housemates. Recently though I’ve been feeling that a retreat from city life might be calling - over lockdown my boyfriend and I got the most fantastic bright orange camper van. I’m so excited to do a big trip away next year once everywhere has opened up again - it’s the perfect little studio on wheels!Describe your studio for usThere are a few different spots that I tend to work in - but my favourite place to set up my studio is probably the van. It’s so cosy working in the back, and I love having the freedom to roam outside with my sketchbook wherever we’ve parked up.Who or What is your biggest inspiration?Among the artists that inspire me the most, the first names I’m thinking of are Bonnard, Hockney, Matisse (any of the Fauvists!), and Rose Wylie. I love Martin Parr’s photographs. And Quentin Blake of course! I’m interested in people who make work for the pure joy of making alone. For me it’s this core value of creativity that can shine through an artist’s practice.How do you get your ideas?I take inspiration from everywhere: my daily life, my friends, London, travels, old films...increasingly I’m finding that reading is informing my work more and more. I spend a lot of time in art galleries. I love the Pre Raphaelites, and I’m a self confessed Hockney fanatic - his use of colour really informs my own drawings. My favourite gallery is probably the National Portrait Gallery - all those faces... I like to go to exhibitions by myself and take all the time I need to get everything down in my sketchbook. I get a lot of inspiration online too - Instagram is great for old nostalgia accounts, and I love following interiors ones too for colour palette ideas.Do you collect anything?Records! I probably have too many pairs of dungarees and converse too. And I have a very precious box of the fairy letters I used to collect when I was little - I can remember the thrill I’d get when they arrived in the morning under my pillow.What do you listen to when you work? Listening to podcasts and audiobooks is very important as the amount of detail in my paintings can be painstaking; it’s crucial for me to relax my mind and become lost rather than bogged down in the process. At the moment I’m listening to Heartburn by Nora Ephron. I also love relistening to the Harry Potter audiobooks and am a huge Desert island Discs fan. I love switching it up and listening to music too!Who is your design hero?Gaudi. I love how playful and explosive his work is, and the fantastical element to it.Who is your music hero?Anyone who’s not afraid to be themselves. Probably Elton or Bowie. His interview with Jeremy Paxman in the 90s predicting the effects of the internet on mankind blows my mind.If you were not an illustrator, what would you be?I’ve always thought curating and researching all the props, clothes or sets for films set in different eras would be such a cool job. Or maybe I’d set up a soul music radio station from my van!What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?Pretty much every line of the song Sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann. Every time I listen to it I get emotional as its advice resonates so powerfully with me, but it also makes me glad to be alive.If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?Japan or Mexico! I’ll be doing an artist residency on a beautiful Greek island next year which I’m so excited for. I’d also love to go back to Bali.How would someone who knows you well describe you?Fun loving, creative, gentle, always up for an adventure or challenge!If you could live anywhere, where would it be?New Zealand or Amsterdam! Or maybe a little cottage inside Hampstead Heath, so I can swim in the Ladies’ Pond everyday.What themes or content in the world inspires you?I’m super inspired by nature at the moment, and I’d say that joy, optimism, curiosity and a zest for life are the driving forces behind my illustrations. Last year I did a book on simple pleasures, which is still one of my favourite subject matters today.What is your go-to comfort food?My mum’s cheesy ham pasta.What movie can you watch over and over?Wild Rose. I went to see it three times in the cinema (twice by myself) and am obsessed with the soundtrack - this film made me realise that I actually DO like country music. I also love Jojo Rabbit and anything Wes Anderson! What was the last concert you went to?The last live music I saw before lockdown would have been at Lost Village Festival. Dancing’s been something we’ve all missed over the last year - that public togetherness and magic alchemy of people and music can make us feel so connected, even if it’s just for a brief moment in time. Over lockdown though I did dance around my bedroom watching Birdy’s livestream - I adore her!What do you do when you have creative block?It can be so tricky but I think for me I try to have low expectations, choose a fun process and not focus too much on what the outcomes are. Also little breaks from social media really help! So does reading, walking, phoning a friend, going out and doing/being.What is your favourite way to fill free time? Any hobbies?Trips to new places in the van. Dancing. Eating and drinking in the sunshine with friends. Reading under my favourite tree. City breaks. Listening to whole albums cover to cover. I’m also learning to skateboard right now!What is your go-to karaoke song?Backstreet Boys - ‘I Want it That Way’