ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE :
GENEVIEVE DEVROEY
AFTER SPENDING A SUCCESSFUL DECADE WORKING IN THE FAST-PACED FASHION INDUSTRY , GENEVIEVE DEVROEY DECIDED TO RISK IT ALL TO PURSUE HER DREAM OF INDEPENDENCE AND UNLEASHED CREATIVITY . insideKENT EXPLORES HER NEW LIFE AND HER MANY ARTISTIC PASSIONS .
You are an artist of many talents , being a photographer , painter , sculptor – among other things – tell us a little about what draws you to these artistic pursuits ?
I returned to Kent from London and started working part time for Macknade ( macknade . com ) in September 2020 , having decided to leave my fashion design role at ASOS to pursue a new direction . After 10 years working in fashion , I wanted to find a new career and lifestyle better suited to me and my interests . I wanted to return to being a creative artist , working with my hands , with a community and be able to make a more positive impact on people ’ s lives .
You recently finished a spectacular mural for local business Macknade , tell us how that opportunity came about .
The mural was a fantastic opportunity for me to come together with Macknade , inspired by their family feel and motivation around great food , community support and development . I have always loved print , large scale art , colour , and the impact an environment can have on people ' s moods . I love that street art is becoming more accepted and appreciated , this has now been brilliantly accelerated as a response to the pandemic and understanding the positive impact creativity has on mental health .
What was your process like when designing the Macknade mural ?
Macknade ' s brief was to create a piece that incorporated their love of community , quality foods and appreciation of the local area . I took elements from around Faversham , the oast house , hops and the beautiful creek , and added some of Macknade ' s Italian heritage into the design , including plinths , arches and olive trees . By painting dancing figures , positive messages , using a bold colour palette , and playfully working with scale , I wanted to give viewers an uplifting feeling of movement and energy . My favourite part had to be selecting the colour palette . This piece has such a lovely combination of happy colours and I love how they pop out against the black of the sheds .
As a photographer , do you have a specific narrative you wish to convey when taking images , or do you let your subjects / materials take you on an unplanned journey ?
Working with different brands , I love the opportunity to engage and delve into their story . I get the most inspiration when working with brands who have a positive message or product and my job is to turn that message into engaging images . I draw my inspiration from all the research I do and I love that I never know exactly where a project might lead to , I just let it develop naturally .
What has been the highlight of your career / your biggest accomplishment ?
Right now it has to be this mural . For me , it is the first big step in what felt like an overwhelming new start . It was intimidating agreeing to paint a 14m wall with my own artwork and something I had never done before , but I took the leap and learnt what I needed along the way . It was scary , but also really exciting at the same time and it felt amazing to work on , I ' m excited to see what ' s next .
Where can we find your work ?
At the moment you can find me on Instagram @ gd _ designstudio for images of all of my latest artworks . I am contactable via DM or email .
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