Joining us this week is the incredibly talented Joanna Layla who we sat down with. Joanna Layla is a fashion figurative artist whose unique style inspired by the worlds of fashion, literature and art has won her widespread recognition in the creatives industries. Selected as Fida’s “2021 Ones to Watch”, she is regularly commissioned by well-known brands and institutions and has been mentioned in The Guardian for her ‘elegant graphics’. Read on to discover the stunning world of the artist behind the work.
What are the three things you take with you on a desert island?
Ofili, sunglasses, sketchbook
What is your favourite shape?
The body – it is made of lines and CURVES.
What are your favourite studio clothes?
Black vest and trousers, black overalls, black Birkenstocks, gold rings.
What is your one tip from artist to artist?
Believe in yourself and others will too.
When did you start creating?
My mother says that I held a pencil and was drawing before I did pretty much anything else.
What is your favourite period in fashion?
My favourite period in fashion is the future. I am always interested in what is coming next but not in the sense of how quickly we can produce yet another t-shirt. What I am interested in is how the future and especially young British designers are looking to finding new paradigms for creating with materials that are sustainable, reinventing works in sustainable way. And most importantly doing all of this without giving up on beauty, art, form and fashion.
The one tool you can’t live without?
I have love affairs with brushes I literally cannot create without them for a certain period of time and then another one comes along and I become obsessed with it. My current favourite is a builder’s brush. Past favourites include a beautiful square brush I picked up in Berlin and some that have seen better days but create beautiful textures.
What is the most challenging part of being an artist?
I love being an artist it is the only thing that feels right and I have been happy ever since I have been able to call myself an artist. But the financial instabilities that come with doing something you love and working alone can be challenging at times.
