ART ART ART                               It's all about the Art

Hazel Evans as been working as the inaugural visual artist at Lighthouse Poole and also closely studying the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) since the end of 2010. She has been furthering her art practice through research and development work based in a performance art venue on the South West coast of England. Hazel Evans' work has been evolving around the themes of surrealism, stories, the monochrome and music.

The energetic illustrations explore the movement of sound and dance and capture the essence of performance in beautifully stylised and almost surreal illustrative landscapes. Hazel's work has been said to have a 'Tim Burton' feel about it and fans of the BSO have enjoyed watching Hazel work live during the orchestra performances. Hazel is the creator of The Monochronium and The Bookshelf live art works and her art practice embraces play by exploreing words, music, fantasy and the performing arts through illustration, visual art and characterisation.

"I sometimes get asked “How long have you been doing art?”, Well, I remember the first time I completed a whole colouring in of a butterfly without going over the lines and being congratulated at play school, aged three, for being the only one able to use scissors unassisted!… I guess art has been a part of my life right from the start.

Once upon a time, when living in France, I sat blankly blanked out in front of a blank canvas poised ready to make the first brush stroke, but I couldn't do it. There was nothing left inside me, I realised that I had sold my soul to a lifestyle that didn't suit me. Art feeds my soul, it is my air, my energy and simply part of who I am.

The journey so far has led me to living in different countries and right now it has led me back to England. Back to my roots and indeed back to some of my very first inspirations, playing and exploring fantasy, words, There is no denying that my art transports me into a fantasy world, my very first idol was Mary Poppins and I think this is something I have carried with me in my journeys so far. My work has often been described as having 'Tim Burton Style', and for that I am flattered because it means people are engaging with the passion in my work.

Over the last the last ten years I have found a lot of colour in monochrome and my current practice is embracing a monochromatic world, bringing to life my love of characterisation, and exploring theatricality in visual art.

Words, musical scores and ink on paper fusing the past and present, inspire my illustrative and written work. I enjoy blending antiquity with contemporary, reality and fantasy, black and white. I respond to music in real time documenting the feelings and sounds by the visual landscaping of my illustrations, poems and live art. "                                      Hazel Evans

 

     

Hazel Evans was awarded three lion commissions by Pride in Bournemouth, in association with The Born Free Foundation for the public art event in Bournemouth June - September 2011.  The illustrative style of Hazel's work is captured in her eyecatching lions. Click on the pictures to see the work in progress photo album.

'Britannia' - Britannia LeatherBarrows - Inspired by travel and the unity of countries, this design sees the blending of flags and abstracted forms of the shapes of different countries flowing around the contours of the lion.

'Gem Deco' - The Cumberland Hotel Bournemouth - Inspired by the magnificent Art Deco building and luxurious interior decoration of The Cumberland, this lion features the icon designs of sunbeams and palm trees of the Art Deco and Retro eras. This lion was chosen to feature in the Bournemouth Pride awards ceremony in the BIC, Bournemoouth's Internationl Centre, in spring 2011.

'Born to be Free' - Landrover - This design incorporates the strong brand colours of Landrover into a beautiful illustrative butterfly design with the words 'Born to be Free' flowing through the design. This prize-winning design symbolises freedom to live and is in line with ethics of Landrover and the Born Free foundation. This Lion was also chosen to attend Virginia McKenna's celebrity 80th Birthday held at the Savoy London in spring 2011.

Pride in Bournemouth     Born Free Foundation