Here at Slowdown Studio we love collaborating with emerging and established artists from across the globe. We recently had the opportunity to chat with Luiza Holub, the artist behind the new Domino Throw Blanket. Luiza is a UK-based printmaker and illustrator who carves lino by hand, finding charm in ordinary household objects and the quiet scenes we usually overlook.
1. Who do you think is the most exciting emerging creative in your city?
Sheffield has a great food scene and when we go out for special occasions we love small plates and fine dining - the food is utterly delicious and looks like a piece of art on a plate. Bench and Jöro are chef’s kiss incredible!
2. Where are your favourite places to go in your city?
We are lucky to live very close to the beautiful Peak District, a national park where we love to clamber up a hill with our three kids. I can’t walk past a charity shop and not go in - I love a good rummage and have found some real treasures over the years. This year was also the year I got my allotment (after waiting 2 years for one!) and I love spending time there. Digging up soil, planting seeds and getting your hands dirty is really quite theraputic. And watching seeds turn into food you can eat is magic.
3. What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself when you were starting out in art?
Believe in your vision and keep showing up. Social media is a great way to showcase your work but showing up for yourself daily will do wonders for your practice. Creativity breeds creativity.
4. What are you listening to in your studio at the moment?
Lately it’s been Bright Eyes, Fred again..or a constant shuffle of folk, electronica, grunge and 00s British indie. An eclectic mix! And if I’m not listenting to music I’ll put on a film or a series that I’ve already seen. I love them as background noise.
Domino Throw by Luiza Holub
5. What inspired your design for this latest blanket design?
This design is part of a self initiated series called studio still life. I use props from the house, studio or garden and set up a very simple still life to create an original lino print. The project started as a bit of play in the studio, an exercise to not overthink and to work from real life but I’ve carried on working this way as it’s fast and spontaneous and I love the unexpected results. For this design I used a stripy cloth, my favourite droopy tulips and a small stripy vessel. I often use colour in my work but for this particular lino print I ended up working in monochrome, and I really love how it turned out.
6. What's your favorite way to slow down?
In no particular order and not all done at once here are a few things that help me slow down and recalibrate. A cup of tea. A good book. A hot bath. Time with my young family. Gardening. Napping. Binging a tv series. Cooking. Eating healthy, nutrious and delicious food. Sun on my face. Printmaking (time really feels like it slows down when I’m carving lino). Studio time. Fresh air. Music. The quiet. Bed.
7. What's the most memorable book you've read in the last few years?
I’m going to have to say Open Wide by Jessica Gross. Utterly weird, bizarre, funny, gross and amazing! And I designed the cover art for the UK version!
8. What has been the happiest/most rewarding moment of your art career?
I’ve had a few pinch me moments over the years and I’ve worked with amazing people on incredible projects but anytime someone admires or purchases my work is really at the top there. Any comment said in real life, via email or on social media is joyous and rewarding and it means a lot to know my work means something to someone.
9. How does living in your city influence your work? Is there anything about your city that has defined how or what you create?
My influence really comes from my everyday life. I work with linocut and monoprint processes which allow for expressive interpretations of the familiar and mundane. I find charm and beauty in the ordinary and you’ll find a lot of still life within my work. These perfectly ordinary scenes that encompass us are often overlooked but I like to show them with a bit of gentle storytelling, a limited colour palette, simple shapes and if I’m drawing human figures they will probably be bold, long limbed and melancholy. Household objects and everyday moments are what have defined my practice. My style has graphic qualities but the textures within my prints can only come from the unpredictable and wonderful nature of printmaking.
10. What are you most excited/looking forward to this year?
This blanket!
Instagram: @luizaholub
Website: https://www.luizaholub.co.uk
