rehearsals and Haute Couture performative drawing classes . I love the theatre — it ’ s so full of dance and movement .
What ’ s your favourite medium to work with and why ?
My absolute favourite is watercolour and ink . It captures movement brilliantly with its fluid , splashy nature . It has an unpredictability that surprises with happy accidents and is so gestural and expressive .
In March 2020 , TJ Milne , a professionally trained Canadian ballerina , reached out to Kerry on Instagram after being drawn to the ballerina pictures she posted .
W |
h |
i |
l |
s |
t |
performing |
in the House |
of |
Dancing |
Water |
show |
in Macau that |
has |
audiences |
of |
2000 |
per |
show , |
Milne |
embarked |
on |
her |
dream |
of |
writing |
Oracle |
cards |
and |
enlisted |
Kerry ’ s |
help . |
What was it like working with TJ to capture her movements in art form ?
She wanted a whimsical watercolour illustrator for her dream project of making her own Oracle empowerment cards . It was a commission come true for me as I love painting dance and just as well as she needed 50 different illustrations .
She had hundreds of photos from her dance shoots over her career . She had matched them with the
Oracle card words she had written , and I took inspiration from both to create the card illustrations . TJ was a dream to work with and I ’ m so glad our artistic worlds collided .
As well as capturing the movement of dancers , Kerry has recently ventured into product illustrations for The Sicilian Deli and enjoys painting seascapes of the Wild Atlantic coastline in Ireland .
What has it been like working with The Sicilian ?
The Sicilian Deli stuff has been great , it ’ s the first time I ’ ve had my artwork on a product and now it ’ s on so many .
It ’ s been a bit of a learning curve as I ’ m not just supplying the artwork but the completed label , so I had to improve my Photoshop and InDesign skills and understand how the printers needed things from me .
It ’ s also been a mindset shift to fit my artwork around the company ’ s brand . The brand and product name take priority , so I ’ ve had to rethink how I approach the work .
How does the process of painting seascapes differ from painting dancers ?
My seascape paintings are an indulgence really . They ’ re full of childhood memories . Holidays spent where my dad grew up on the coast of County Mayo , Ireland .
The whole Wild Atlantic coastline is outstanding and seems a million miles away from here in London .
I paint them in acrylic from my own photos , usually with pallet knives to better capture the texture and movement of the waves , rocks and sandy shoreline .
After |
lacking |
self-confidence |
pursuing |
her |
passion in art , |
Kerry |
was |
beginning |
a |
collaboration |
with a photographer friend , offering |
gymnastic |
portraits |
locally , |
when |
the |
coronavirus |
pandemic |
hit . |
How has the pandemic impacted your work ?
Covid arrived and the gymnastics clubs shut . Like many people , my plans , hopes and dreams were replaced with the unexpected and with challenges with no
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