Artist Spotlight: isobelh_art

We have an excellent artist spotlight today, welcoming Isobel (@isobelh_art). Isobel has a unique painting style and has created the first version of Esther as a physical piece. My excitement is beaming.

Isobel is a multi-disciplinary artist with a focus on realist acrylic painting. Her inspiration comes from the silence of the forest she lives in, and she loves to add single light sources in the dark.

Let's spend a little bit of time getting to know Isobel.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I'm originally from Scotland but now live in Nova Scotia, Canada. I've been online since the days of web 1.0 but only got into nfts earlier in 2022. I've dipped in and out of selling artwork since the late 90s and decided to make it my career in 2018. I currently sell my physical paintings through a couple of local galleries and online through my website.

I've had quite a varied 'career' so far; I have a film degree, ran a website in the late 90s, worked as a fingerprint expert, got a Master’s degree, and ran a subscription box business for a bit. Underneath all that, I've always been an artist, and I love that I've decided to embrace that now!

2. How do you get into your creative zone?

Well, because I'm trying to make it my job, I generally just sit at my art desk, where I usually have a painting on the go. If I really need to push, I'll squeeze out some acrylic paint - it dries quickly, and I hate wasting paint, so that will usually get me started. Once I get going and have a podcast to listen to, that's usually me.

If I've been doing a lot of realist work, it can be good to take a break and do something abstract. It's such a different process, far more 'free' than my usual detailed work, that it can be an excellent way to reset.

3. When in the flow, what does your process look like?

I work in acrylics mainly, so I sit at my art desk with a little table next to me with my palette and water. And many brushes. I tend to work in sections - for example, with one of my light in the dark pieces, I'll rough in all the dark blue and then the black. Then I'll rough in the light cast on any trees, and the general colours of the lantern, before going back to the blue and adding more detail.

The dark areas might get 3-4 layers, while the lantern light tends to get many more, sometimes more than 10. I've been told it's quite an oil painter's technique to build up using glazes, but it's just the way I've developed myself to get the look I want. Sometimes I can paint for 2-3hrs without noticing the time passing; other times, I get up for a wander around every 30mins or so. Depends on my mood :o)

4. Tell us about your Esther piece?

I love Esther and always thought she was cute (even though many might think she was a bit creepy?). My light-in-the-dark paintings are very realistic, but they are also very magical. I had been wondering about a potential new series of work that was more obviously magical in its subject matter.

Being in nfts now, I wondered how to blend all the digital art out there with my physical painting. As Esther is often in dark, potentially scary places, I thought she might like my subject matter and a candle in a jar in the forest. So why not have Esther find one of my candle jars, but she's small, so she can't quite reach it?

5. What are you most excited about in web3?

The potential to play in different areas. By that, I mean that I have a style I stick to when I sell IRL. But in web3, there's much more room to experiment with new things, which has such creative potential! I will keep doing my realist paintings because I love them, but I can try different things and reach people who might like them. When I was young, there was no internet at all, so now, to be able to connect with so many interested and supportive people is amazing.

6. What's your most significant learning experience in web3?

I don't need to do one thing; I can play and experiment. My brand is me, not any one particular style. Being immersed in all the different types of art in web3 has plugged in my creative juices in a way I don't think they have been since I was a film student. Sometimes this does mean there are too many ideas and too many things I want to try out, but I love that I can play with wherever my creativity goes :o)

Thank you so much Isobel for collaborating with Esther and I; she is soo cute in your depiction of her. If you want to reach out and say hello to Isobel, you can find her on Twitter.