Art Crafted In Denim | Charlotte Robinson
Meet Charlotte: an artist and model. During lockdown, Charlotte discovered oil paints and experimented with ceramics, finding a love for texture and collage. By sharing her creations on social media, she grew a loyal audience for her work. Charlotte loves her art to be an imperfect mess.
What prompted your interest in art?
I’ve always been pretty creative and loved lots of different aspects of creativity. During lockdown was when I discovered that I really loved oil painting and ceramics. When I first started, some aspects of modelling didn't gel with me: like how the routine can be quite sporadic and how you’re not in control of the creativity. I really wanted a creative outlet. To some, that was Instagram but I took it a step further.
I went to a ceramics course, and it was really wholesome! There were ladies drinking tea and listening to classical music whilst making ceramics, which was amazing. I did that every week to implement some creative structure into my life. I realised I really loved ceramics and over lockdown I just picked up a paint brush and a canvas and started painting. I didn’t think about it at all, just did what came natural to me. Then I thought ‘I’m actually quite good at this’ and I started sharing my stuff online.
Can you talk us through your creative process?
My creative process differs from painting to painting. Sometimes I’ll buy a bunch of flowers I love, sit them on my table and paint a still life. I think that’s quite a nice way of expressing gratitude for what I enjoy around me. Sometimes I like to pick something that's sentimental to me, then other times, it’s just having the canvas there, having no plans whatsoever and just seeing what colours I like. Those times create something more abstract. Sometimes it turns out really well, and sometimes not so much, but I think that’s part of it.
What advice would you give to your 15-year-old self?
Try not to be so perfect all the time, because that is unattainable. If that’s your standard, then you'll never be happy with what you make. Embrace the imperfect in your life, because that’s normal.
A lot of my favourite paintings have been created by starting again: wiping the paint off the canvas, looking at it and thinking about it. I’ll paint over it and create something I love. It doesn’t always have to go right, and it doesn’t have to be perfect, just like life.
How does being an artist compare with being a model?
Modelling has gotten to the point where it’s not out of my comfort zone anymore. It was so scary at the beginning, now it’s easy for me to snap into character. When I started sharing my paintings, I was terrified. I hadn’t felt that feeling of vulnerability for ages. It’s good to put yourself in the position when you are scared and vulnerable, you can’t just stay in your comfort zone.
What does rewriting the rule book mean to you?
I think at any point in your life you can pick up any sort of material and start being creative, it doesn’t matter when. I didn’t study art, I just decided to pick up a paint brush and go for it. There aren’t any rules with creativity, it’s all about expressing yourself. That’s rewriting the rule book for me.
You could be 70 and become an artist. In the creative industry, you feel the pressure to reach certain goals at certain ages, and it can feel that you will only be successful if you peak at a young age. That isn’t true.