Lindsay Cheesewright
You have two sides to your art, a light fairy side and a darker side. How did the two come about? Do you prefer one over the other?
Fantasy in general came about from a poster my older brother gave me from one of his Children’s National Geographic magazines – it was all about mythology and the poster had a beautiful unicorn in a stream with a castle in the background. I was infatuated with unicorns from that moment on and collected them eagerly. It wasn’t until I left school that I discovered that I loved faeries, simply because although I loved unicorns I enjoyed figurative art. I guess combining fantasy elements and figures just turned out as faeries. I have always loved the darker side of fantasy. I do not believe that Fantasy is always sweet and pretty, there needs to be a darker, nasty side to it (like the biting faeries in The Labyrinth)
I don’t really think I have a preference for dark or light, for me personally creating dark fantasy is very new so I do tend to gravitate more towards the lighter and more whimsical, simply because its within my comfort zone.
What inspires you?
Inspiration comes from anywhere at any given moment. I would have to say that the most predominant inspiration comes from my children, I love the way they view the world – that anything is possible, they do not seem to view the boundaries that reality limits us to. I would love to think like that on a daily basis.
Who are your favorite artists?
There are so many Artists that I adore, Julie Bell, Brian and Wendy Froud, Dorian Cleavenger and I am in complete awe of Arantza Sestayo. I would have to say that I am always adding to my list of favorite Artists constantly.
You have 5 children. How do you balance being a busy mother with art?
My eldest turns 11 this year and I am still trying to find the perfect balance between Mum and Artist. Luckily my 3 eldest boys are in school and my youngest son is still of the age where he requires a sleep during the day. My one and only daughter is 10 months old so she sleeps quite a bit still. The majority of my art is done of a night when everyone is in bed. I don’t usually go to bed before midnight.
Taking it all in on a daily basis is usually what I do, planning to get something done is futile as something will come up. I generally make small daily lists of things I want to get done for the day during sleep time. Weekends and after school is when I will spend with my children and husband.
What do you like to do when you’re not creating art?
I don’t have much time for anything else between family and art. I am a bit of a Hermit to be honest and like to be at home mostly.
I do love to sew. Over the past few months I have made dresses, pants and shoes for Quinn (my daughter). I would love to start my own line of clothing one day, something that’s very faery but still everyday wear.
Do you have a favorite piece of art that you have created? Why?
My favorite piece (of the moment) would have to be Moon Maiden 1 – She turned out the way she looked in my head which is really amazing for me as I always have this vision in my head and the result does not usually match it. Moon Maiden 1 and the other 2 in the collection were experiments, using standard coloured pencil on canvas. This is another reason why she is a favorite of mine, to be able to create something with a pleasing result using a technique that I had never tried.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
I am currently working on a new venture: http://cre8ivepursuits.tk . It is very new and has not fully launched yet. It is a site dedicated to custom made, for buyers to request items to be custom made for them, whether it be Handmade or beautiful Artworks. At the moment I am hoping to get some form of an idea as to how many artists/crafters and buyers would be interested.
Want to see more of Lindsay’s art?
Follow Lindsay on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Visit Lindsay’s Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/
Follow Lindsay’s Blog: http://
Thank you Lindsay for taking the time to do this interview. I’ve enjoyed seeing your art and getting to know you.
Drop by every Friday to meet more fabulous artists. Next week, I’ll be featuring artist Coriander Shea Detwiler.
