As not only a new year but a new decade fast approaches, and the festive season is in full swing, we want to remind everyone to be a #giverofgood, not only to others but also to themselves. This is why we’ve teamed up with a dear friend of kikki.K and an amazingly talented artist, Beci Orpin, to bring your favourite resolutions to life on canvas. Beci is such an inspiration to us at kikki.K and we were so excited when she agreed to share a little more about herself below…
How did you begin your career as an artist?
I always knew I wanted to draw for a living, but it was a bit of a journey to make that a reality.
After finishing high school, I dropped out of a few different courses before I found the right one for me, which was Textile Design at RMIT.
I loved that course because it involved a lot of drawing, but was also combined with practical skills like screen-printing and knitting. Once I graduated, I fell into freelance work, running on my own studio. It took me about five years to establish my studio as my main source of income.
What inspires your art?
I’m inspired by many different things, which change all the time, but I would say the mainstays are:
– family and friends are a great source of inspiration
– experiences like travel, eating nice food, seeing museums and galleries, seeing live music – these all provide great inspiration
– nature is also a great source of inspiration, in particular, the urban nature which surrounds me
– For these specific pieces for kikki.K, I drew inspiration from my own experiences and beliefs in each theme.
What is your process when you’re working on a project?
I always start in my sketchbook, and often with a lot of writing, dissecting the brief I’m working on or just writing about ideas. Once I have sorted out my ideas, I usually work out colours and motifs. I do this both by sketching in my sketchbook and also on my computer – I usually do my first drafts of work on the computer because it’s fast. Then, when I’m happy with the composition, I move onto final artwork – this can be made by hand (like the kikki.K pieces) or on the computer – or sometimes a mixture of both!
What mediums do you use?
When it comes to making artwork, I use a lot of different things: gouache, acrylic, paper, spray paint, vinyl – often all in the same artwork! The art pieces I made for kikki.K are collages using a lot of these above mediums. I also like to try different mediums like laser cut wood and textiles when time and opportunity permits, and commercially I draw digitally a lot.
What do you hope people think/feel when they see your artwork?
I hope people will feel optimistic, happy and interested when engaging with my work.
What do you like about the artwork you are creating with kikki.K?
I love that they were inspired by themes close to my heart. So, it was good to explore what these mean to me and put those ideas into an art piece. It was also fun to be able to create original artwork. I spend a lot of time on commercial projects these days, so it’s always a treat to make things by hand.
Do you have any stationery must-haves?
Anything organisation based – containers for pencils, boxes for various art supplies etc. I have a huge amount of materials in my studio so keeping them organised is vital, and anything which helps me do this is great!
What are some of your resolutions for the new year ahead?
– Careers – making more work by hand, assessing the next stage of my career and learning how to work smarter
– Relationships – both my sons are moving into transition times with school (one going into his VCE and one starting high school) so I want to make sure I have time to help them during these times
– Wellness – being less stressed! Because I love what I do, I have a bad habit of taking on too much work and getting overrun. I want to be conscious of this next year, and make sure I have time to be nice to myself also.
Don’t forget, Beci has created three bespoke artworks to reflect the top three areas of goals, resolutions, and aspirations for 2020; Health and Wellbeing, Family & Relationships and Career – and you have the chance to get your hands on one of these 150 limited edition works.
HOW TO ENTER
For your chance to win one of these incredible #beciorpinxkikkik prizes, and set yourself up for your dream 2020, simply sign up as a member by visiting www.kikki-k.com/christmas/resolution-canvas, fill in your details and tell us 50 words or less what one of your resolutions for a dream 2020 is and why? Enter now! And good luck!
Entries open globally at 10am AEST on Tuesday 3 December 2019 and close on Tuesday 17 December 2019 at 11.59pm AEST.
