creative crush: leah duncan

today i am in love with

:: the perfectly sunny + breezy 76 degree weather

:: a william powell marathon on TCM

:: sending letters through the actual mail

:: being inspired by my latest creative crush, the spectacularly talented

leah duncan

who was lovely enough to answer a few questions about her beautiful work…

Alison ::

what’s your “dust jacket bio”— tell me about yourself!

Leah ::

I am a twenty-something illustrator, textile, and stationery designer. I’m a native of South Carolina, born in your typical small southern town. I got a bachelor of science in commercial printing in college simply because I love the way printing smells. : ) After college I worked as a graphic designer and then moved on to work for a screen-printing company. My husband and I packed up and moved to Austin two years ago which is when I ventured out on my own and into the art world. I draw, create textiles, and sew from my home studio. I love cilantro, vintage yellow, cowboy boots, and have a southern accent.

Alison ::

what’s your “creative biography”—what first drew you to illustration & textiles?

Leah ::

I was certainly born with a creative mind. I was always good with color and space. I’ve never been able to stop myself from daydreaming. However, prior to working in screen-printing I hated drawing. Since it’s such an illustration-based industry I had to teach myself. My art director told me to draw for 20 minutes a day and I did. It started out bad, it stayed bad for a while. Eventually it got better. As for textiles, working in screen-printing naturally peaked my interest in them as well.

Alison ::

how much of your artwork is planned vs. spontaneous?

Leah ::

It’s mostly spontaneous. It’s probably 99% spontaneous. I feel strongly that my creative process is best approached as a journey rather than a blueprint.

Alison ::

how do you infuse other mediums of art into your everyday life?

Leah ::

I love experimenting with different mediums. I love the idea of my work being on useable goods and have always felt that artwork can bring meaning to objects and visa versa. Now that I’ve continued my exploration of my work into textiles I’ve been dreaming of throwing pots. All forms of art and design are intertwined in some way or another and I feel like my work will always be better for it, and for exploring art in different forms, whether it be in my everyday life or in my own work.

Alison ::

what’s been inspiring you lately?

Leah ::

Lately I’ve been very inspired by animal relationships and humanizing them in my drawings. I’ve been exploring nature more often and the tension between the natural and the manmade. Other than these specific topics, I’m inspired by everything around me. Color, space, relationships, nature, trips to the grocery store, a walk in the park, dinner with friends – they all play a role in my inspiration.

this is where you can find leah duncan’s

website // shop // blog // twitter

thank you very much leah!

❤❤❤

hope you are all having a splendid thursday!

xo Alison

twitter | tumblr

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