Charlotte Jeacock, Artist, Lilshlurp
London-based artist LilShlurp specialises in painting at the intersection of portraiture, abstraction and photorealism in order to capture the character and music of celebrated musicians.
Self-taught - Charlotte Jeacock (LilShlurp) started to pursue painting during the 2020 lockdown in an attempt to express their unrestrained creativity by integrating their adoration for music and artwork.
Upon viewing Charlotte's artwork, many have struggled to find the words to effectively describe such an amalgamation of colours, markings and images. But, rest assured, this is exactly as they intended.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Instagram. Reels have proven to be extremely effective in reaching an audience who enjoys my artwork, and I thoroughly enjoy interacting with those who engage with such. Although the metric of likes was daunting at first, I have become more comfortable with my audience's quality than quantity, and I am very grateful for those who continue to support my artwork as my journey progresses.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I am an artist who specialises in painting across a blend of genres and am very much focused on my own personal, self-curated aesthetic. Along with this, I am finalising my advertising studies at the University of the Arts London and working at the O2 Academy music venue in Brixton. All my free time goes to progressing my art career, and my future is heavily focused on that.
I would consider my role as an artist very flexible, as I enjoy experimenting with the art style and altering my works as I progress technically. Despite this, all artwork is notably my own and is often recognisable by the vibrant use of colour and fearless composition. I am currently using digital technology to build my designs before transferring this to the canvas by drawing and painting. My mediums consist of acrylic and oil paint, but I am open to this change in the future.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
I love being an artist as it is the best way for me to express myself. My being is comprised of so many different components, whether that's life experiences, things I love, or things I've lost whether it's things that make me truly happy, like my friends and family, the moon, takeaways... and dinosaurs. Whether it's things that make me sad.
When I'm creating my artwork, I have no boundaries or predetermined ideas in my headspace. Instead, I allow it to be completely free-flowing, and my art is just a journey of reflections, thoughts and ideas I am having at that moment. Perhaps it's something I watched that day or a song I listened to, or I like the colours of the sky outside my window.
Ultimately the reason why my artwork looks like a lifetime of weird and wonderful happenings exploding onto a canvas is that it is precisely that. I love that no one can see all of the details in one sitting. I love that no matter how long you look, there's still much more hidden to be explored. Because that's me, unapologetically, a lot of colour and life and music presented the best I could through art.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
I have come to terms with the fact that this answer may deem me insane, but the most memorable and meaningful advice I have ever received is from Jean-Michel Basquiat in a dream I had last summer. He told me to be freer. Since then, I have been having more fun with my artwork, and I truly believe this has altered my mindset to create artwork for the better.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
I find it particularly motivating when musicians that I have painted interact with my work. Currently, I choose the subject of my painting from who I listen to personally, so it is always a pleasure when someone who I celebrate for their art form then reciprocates this by celebrating mine.
It also must be known that every single share and comment I receive on my artwork motivates me to move forward and helps to ground my confidence in expressing my creations. The patience of my audience is also appreciated beyond words.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
I am proud of my bravery. It is easy to note the unapologetic and conspicuous nature of my artwork, as I practice my aesthetic across a spectrum of genres, and I feel no fear in creating contemporary and new work.
I am very accepting of the fact that, as such, my work is not for everybody, but I would much prefer my artwork to draw strong varying opinions than be conventional and appealing to all.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
Once again, Instagram has provided me with great opportunities to connect with people who have a common interest in artwork and appreciate my artwork, and therefore me, for what it is. Furthermore, the intrinsic link between music and artwork throughout my work often draws more connections through the admiration of different music artists.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Patience has definitely been the key skill that has driven my progress as an artist. My paintings are very detailed and, as such, take an extremely long time, with my larger paintings taking up to 150 working hours to complete. This time scale provides for a lot of changes in life, emotion, and even skill, so perseverance is necessary to stay focussed on the final product.
Also, bravery has proven critical for my success as an artist. I love including elements in my designs that I know will be hell to paint and that many other artists wouldn't dare to put themselves through (have you ever tried to paint a disco ball?!). Purely for the satisfaction of achieving something difficult and unconventional.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
I wish I had known that instant success doesn't happen overnight. Unfortunately, social media has given the impression that popularity is easily attainable, making slower, less successful posts quite disheartening.
But now, I am very comfortable with the progress I am making and completely trusting of God's timing, as I know that when I am ready for an opportunity or achievement, and only when I am ready, will it happen.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
I admire all artists of my generation who are relentlessly and bravely posting their work and creative ideas. Seeing others try amongst myself often inspires me, and I find comfort in knowing I'm not alone in my journey to pursue the arts.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
Music is one of my main driving passions in life, and I am very grateful that my work allows me to be surrounded by an environment where music is performed and celebrated. I also find a lot of peace of mind in reading and exercise. Running the London Marathon in 2021 is my greatest achievement outside of any artwork I have created.
Family and friends also play a beautiful role in my life, and their encouragement and support are very important to me. But, most profoundly, as a Christian, I also value my Church and relationship with God and feel very relaxed in my art career, knowing I have someone whom I can trust and believe in wholeheartedly.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
The pandemic, although obviously a very difficult and heartbreaking time, was ultimately the 'Big Bang' of my art career. The lockdown allowed me the creative freedom to pursue something that I wouldn't usually have the time to invest in and taught me to prioritise my creative passion as much as I do other things in everyday life. I am very grateful that I have been able to draw a positive experience from the pandemic, as I know much only experienced loss.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
Despite studying art and design in high school and college, I consider myself self-taught and self-driven in terms of my own personal aesthetic. However, I am very grateful for how encouraging my teachers were - especially in high school - to experiment and be brave, and I do feel as though I have carried this through to my artwork today. I hope to one day encourage other aspiring artists to take more technical risks and push their personal boundaries, as this personally brings me so much joy.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Be brave. In my opinion, unconventional means better. I would encourage someone to be more inclined to receive strongly opinionated feedback, whether that be positive or negative than the standard 'that looks nice'. If I think something is going to be challenging or even too difficult to paint, that usually means it becomes my greatest piece yet. Bravery is essential.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
As I mentioned earlier, social media has given the false illusion of immediate success, which is rarely the case. Perseverance of a passion often takes a lot more energy and time than one would expect and requires you to be vulnerable and put your entire being into creating something that others will ultimately judge.
This means that a lack of engagement can often be disheartening as the energy put into a piece isn't always reciprocated. I can see why this would make some people wish to give up, but from experience, I can vouch that God's timing is the best timing, and things will happen as and when they are supposed to.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"Rosemary, your day will come."
"Hold on to the beat in your heart."
These are lyrics from a Lenny Kravitz song called Rosemary, about a young girl who faces sadness and difficulties growing up, perhaps more so than others, but decides to trust God, who tells her that her day will come as long as she listens to her heart. My middle name is Rosemary, and I even have a Rosemary tattoo to honour these lyrics, which sometimes have been the only thing to keep me going.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
W1 Curates is a brand that encourages Art, not Ads. They take artists' work and place them where adverts are normally presented for the world to see. I love this and hope one day that my work could even be featured by them.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Success lies in personal fulfilment, in my opinion. People have different opinions, preferences and ideas of what makes 'good art', and that's the beauty of it. It is subjective. Ultimately, I believe my success comes from being happy with the art that I am putting out in the world, as it only makes compliments and audience responses more meaningful to me.
I would encourage any artist to trust their gut and follow what makes THEIR heart happy. This is the only way to gain a genuine audience and ensure you're building a career that is truly meant for you and your vision.