I first met Midge when she was working in a local cafe. Producing a little notebook, Lou said she liked to draw and showed me her black and white sketches. Absorbing the images, I felt they had a story, a way of looking at these pages and creating your interpretation of what they mean. Fast forward nearly 5 years and I still feel the same about Midge's work. After the huge success of her piece down at the Lido in Hilsea, I thought it would be nice to talk about the art and how so many people have loved this yin and yang image and what it means to them!
When you look at the latest work which has been named through a competition (which I have to say was won by Rad Creative, the designer of the SF magazine!), You feel comfort but also warmth. I keep looking at the trees that run along the bottom of the image and feel it has a scandi look, Lou said she has been told this by a few people but it isn't meant to be Scandinavian. Speaking about the piece Midge said, “This is the first piece of art I have done where I have felt I have come back as Midge, you see I have been through a tough year of depression and unfortunately this has had an impact on my art. I have been in a dark place for a long time and I feel so happy to be back. I was so nervous about painting at the paint jam in Hilsea but I did push myself to do it. Having people around me like the other 9 artists that were there, really spurred me on to create something.”
Talking of the huge mural, Midge said, “I painted the characters and as I was finishing the colours, I felt the two creatures reminded me of me and my husband and how he has looked after me in my dark times. There was a lot of thought and love that went into the piece and when it was shared on social media I was pleasantly surprised by the responses from the public. I had children say it reminded them of two forests. Lots of people said it reminded them of someone they loved; mum and daughter, father and child, husband and wife, but each time they said such lovely words and said that the image brought comfort to them.” This then encouraged me in my creativity and brought a huge wave of enthusiasm for my art again. I looked at what I could do and with so many positive comments around the piece, I took to social media to start a competition to pick a title out that could be used. I then got to work creating prints of the mural that could be sold and developed a plan to sell them in A3 and A4 format.”
The winning title is 'My Safe Place Is You' and I feel it is very fitting for such a distinctive piece. Offering positive messages of hope, comfort and uplifting thoughts, these characters draw you into their world. Talking of the creatures that are not human but not animal either, Lou said, ” I feel that people see slightly otherworldly and not quite of this world, almost like a blend of the two and the viewer can see their own reflection thrown back at them. Sometimes this is a reflection of what is going on in their own lives.”
You can purchase your own print of this new work in either A3 which is a limited edition and signed or A4 which is an unlimited run by visiting Midge's website. There is a selection of A4 now on sale at The Corner Collective but hurry as the last drop sold out in a few hours!
Speaking of the inspiration from the Lido paint jam, Midge said she can't wait to sketch and keep creating more art for us to see. It must be so hard when a creative loses their spark of what they have always been passionate about and I am so grateful that Midge has found a way to come back as an artist as she is very talented and reaches into your soul and heart in ways that make her individual and special.
Look below at socials for more info and ways to buy Midge's work.
