JOSIE X vanderfordsbookshelf

Where visual nostalgia meets vibrant oil paintings comes our latest cool-girl capsule created in collaboration with Josephine Pereira for the latest edition of Create not Destroy.

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Feel the magic of nostalgia and take a trip down memory lane with the multifaceted artist Josephine Pereira as we chat about the creativity behind her latest collaboration with Afends. As Josie's oil paints flowed onto paper in vibrant candy-coloured hues, she combined inspiration from her favourite child films and her love for baby tees to create a fun and vibrant collection to transport us back to simpler times.

The capsule you designed has a very nostalgic feel - can you expand on the inspiration behind the artwork?

The inspiration of this capsule comes from the films and images I grew up obsessing over. Film has always been a enormous source of creative inspiration for me. My obsession with film started when I first watched The Little Mermaid at the age of 3 or 4 (c.2002). Like most kids with an obsession, there was plenty of paraphernalia that accompanied it, such as t-shirts, picture books, key rings etc. There is one t-shirt in particular that I still have with me, I can’t really explain why I love it so much. Its bright pink, has an image of Ariel swimming next to flounder surrounded by the most perfect composition of bright blue bubbles. The t-shirt may have faded and is 8 sizes too small for me now, but I am still just as obsessed with it today as I was 20 years ago. Thank god for the resurgence of baby tees.

The art of that film, and many other animations of that time were not only brilliant creatively, but continue to bring on a wave of emotion (excuse the pun), that is extremely nostalgic.  For this capsule, I wanted to create art that brought on that same feeling. Redrawing and studying vintage illustrations was how I taught myself to draw and paint. And so, this collection parallels the artworks I gravitated to as a young kid, only re-imagined 20 years later. 

Your work is predominantly with oil painting - can you tell us why you have gravitated towards this medium?

Firstly - oil painting is a game of patience and when it comes to my art I like to work slowly. Additionally, I came across the work of Lucien Freud. The visceral quality of Freud’s work struck me with the realisation that oil painting can be a really physical, almost sculptural, medium. Another underrated quality of oil is that it feels like you’re painting with buttercream…

What's your favourite piece in the capsule?

I love the Josie Slay T-Shirt - 50% because of the name & 50% because of the artwork. I think I have said ‘slay’ about 10000000 times since it launched. Make that 10000001.

If you could pick one colour to describe your personality, what would it be and why?

Probably Red. Its warm, vibrant and joyful. It is also associated with passion, I’d say I’m a very passionate person! 

When you're not making art, where can we find you?

Depends on the day - I am either cooking, collecting images to paint or re watching the O.C.  

Do you have anything exciting in the pipeline?

More painting and a few group shows in the works. Any opportunity to collaborate with other artists is very exciting! 

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CREDITS

ARTWORK: josephine.o.pereira 

PHOTOGRAPHY: @holly.blanshard