Have you seen our Sunflower and Dingo Raglan tees from Capsule Collection 01? If so, I’m sure you’ve noticed the artwork smack bam on the middle of the chest! We are absolutely obsessed with the artwork on these tees so we wanted to tell you a little more about the wonderful person behind the artwork!
The artwork was created by artist, Emily Crockford. We fell in love with Emily’s work on the Studio A website so got in touch to see if she would be interested in working with us at JAM. She was keen and the rest is history!
Bold', 'assured' and 'sensual' are all words that describe the work of Emily Crockford. No matter what she turns her eye to – whether it be the natural environment, Australiana or people within her orbit – she transforms it all into a lyrical universe of bold colour and intricate pattern. Emily explains; “Making art makes me feel like rainbow colours, like I am an adventurer.” Emily is a three time Archibald Prize finalist, has a long exhibition history and is well known for her major public art commissions. Emily works out of Studio A, a Sydney based arts company that makes great art and is a leading supported studio for professional artists with intellectual disability.
We asked Emily a few questions so that you could get to know her a little better.
Here's what she said:
JAM: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Emily: I’m Emily Crockford, Superstar! I’m a rainbow queen. I love painting and poscas. My favourite things are colour, rainbows and patterns. I love the animals and I like clothing. I’m a good artist and I’m doing so well!
JAM: How long have you worked with Studio A? How long have you been working on your art?
Emily: I’ve been at Studio A a long time. How many years now? I can’t remember! Since the beginning which I think was about seven years ago.
I started working on my art when I was young, about ten.
JAM: What inspires your artwork?
Emily: Lots of things, colour, patterns and designs. I like flowers, I love my garden. I love pink daisies and white daisies and trees. Animals amongst the leaves and trees. Koalas and birds, I call them spunky birds. I love them. I visit the animals at the zoo.
JAM: You seem like a bit of a fashionista to us! Do you love fashion? If so, have you always loved fashion?
Emily: I love fashion. My favourite show is Bold and the Beautiful and I love their fashions. They wear bright colourful dresses with different types of fabrics. I want to meet the stars one day. I actually have done some artwork with fashion designs, with bright botanical patterns on dresses.
JAM: How does it make you feel to have your artwork on our tees?
Emily: I love it very much. It’s awesome! I feel happy, enjoy it. I’d like to do it again. Maybe some dresses next time?
JAM: The two tees with your artwork were featured in our runway for Melbourne Fashion Festival! Have you ever had your artwork worn on a runway before? How did that make you feel?
Emily: This would be my first time. I love it. It’s so cool!
JAM: Where can people find out more about you?
Emily: Check out the Studio A website - https://www.studioa.org.au/emily-crockford. And our Instagram and Facebook pages, #EmilyCrockford.
Huge thanks to Emily and the team at Studio A for bringing us these amazing pieces and for taking the time to chat to us!
At JAM, one of our core values is “Collaboration is Cool”. We collaborate with the disability community in all aspects of our business, from design to behind-the-scenes roles. By sharing experiences and opportunities, we learn from each other and can all rise together.
One way we ensure we are doing this whilst our team is still small and growing is by commissioning artists with disability to create artwork for particular pieces. So far we worked with Digby Webster who created the artwork for our Digby Jacket. Collaborating with those with disability is always a real highlight for us and something we hope to continue to incorporate within our capsule collections. We know there are so many talented people out there and love discovering new artists with disability.
Do you know any artists with disability we should know about? Let us know!
