Kindred Tales | Siobahn & Ozzy |
Tell us about your work and Curse.
My artwork is mainly inspired by nature and places I have been lucky enough to travel to. I have a tendency to paint mainly in the Spring/ Summer Months where I can set up my ‘make shift’ studio outside on the patio; Our garden attracts all kinds of wildlife, mainly birds who are incredibly vocal… I love to switch off from the bustling every day realities, listen to the birds with the sun on my face and just feel free with my paints… now we have Ozzy, I am very excited to have him play a part in this ritual with me.
Since launching ‘Curse’ (@youresocursed) in Lockdown; a handmade creative/fashion project with my mum & sister, I have been enjoying developing my hand rendered paintings into surface pattern designs for clothing/ accessories. We design, develop and hand make all of our pieces using a mixture of dead-stock, vintage, recycled, Oeko-Tex and new fabrics. This is a great way for me to not only develop my painting skills, but to also develop my skills in clothing design, working closely with my Mum, who has been making her own clothes since she was a teenager.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I eluded to travel being a big inspiration in my process. Before lockdown, I was lucky enough to enjoy travelling to Italy every summer, where we explored a variety of different locations from the North, down to the Amalfi Coast. I’ve also enjoyed travelling Europe in a camper van, driving through an array of interesting landscapes and immersing ourselves in a wide range of cultures, meeting wonderful individuals, which I have found incredibly inspiring. I have a passion for Art, more specifically the movement of Impressionism- I love their use of colour and how they capture a real sense of movement and light in their masterpieces.
I also thoroughly enjoy visiting exhibitions & museums, be it Art, Fashion, History, Textiles or Music.
What’s your first memory of dogs being in your life?
My first memories are with my Grandparents. They have always had black Labradors and each one of them have played a huge part in my life growing up. Myself and my Brother would spend a lot of time with our grandparents in the school summer holidays and so my memories are filled with playful moments with their labs Satch & then Jazz. From crawling into their beds with them for cuddles to long walks down the beach, collecting stones & swimming In the sea. My first memories of having a family dog of my own was when my mum confirmed we could have a dog the summer holidays before I went into high school and we visited Dillon at a local re-homing centre, after a few visits, there he was, It was love at first sight for us all…
I can’t explain the love I felt (still feel) for Dillon, he was a part of my life for 18yrs, he was my partner in crime, my shadow and we shared some wonderful moments together and with my family. He was a true loyal companion, our sweet boy.
Tell us about Ozzy and how he came into your life?
Myself and my partner Tom have both admired dogs our entire lives. Tom also had a golden lab ‘Harry’ growing up and so we knew eventually we would add a pup to our little family. We had talked about it for the last 9 years, however due to work commitments we knew we had to hold out until the time was right. We had just got back from a wonderful trip exploring Devon & Cornwall last summer (2021) and on the morning of our last day Tom had an exciting phone call confirming he had been offered a new job! To which I responded immediately “WE CAN GET A DOG!!?” After an excitable 5 hour trip home, we laid on our bed and immediately enquired about Ozzy. The second we saw him, our hearts were bursting with love and a few weeks later he was in our arms (and tearing up the garden flower pots). He has brought so much joy to our daily life with his cheeky character and is loved so dearly by our family and friends.
Where is your favourite place to go for a walk?
I’ve always had a strong connection to the beach & the sea. I love watching the crashing waves and seeing the wind blow the sand into the air. Rain or shine we love to walk and now we have Ozzy it just makes our adventures so much more wholesome. Last week we ventured back to Norfolk (our old stomping ground) and took Ozzy to Holkham Beach and watching him jump and run wild and play with other dogs on that vast open beach made us so happy, it was one of those days that will stay with me for a long time. We also love to walk Ozzy through woodland areas, he loves to run! (Typical sighthound) and jump through the long grass. We also often meet up with our friends who have dogs (shout out to Claude, Hector, Edgar & Cedric) which is always such a pleasure. What beats seeing a group of pups, run free together and play? Not much!
