Meet the Artist- Fuchsia Macaree
We were delighted to have a chat with established Dublin-based illustrator and long-time friend of the Crosstown Crew, Fuchsia Macaree. We first got to know Fuchsia through selling her prints through our sister company and Irish design shop, Jam Art Factory. We knew when we started Crosstown Prints that we wanted Fuchsia on our roster of artists because she has such a unique and colour-filled approach to her work. We are thrilled with what she's designed for us so far and we can't wait to see what she does next!
How did you get into illustration and design?
I always loved art in school, and then I went NCAD (National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland) and studied Visual Communication. After that I did a masters in Illustration in Camberwell in London for a year, came back home to Dublin and have been drawing ever since.
What is your creative process?
Ideas usually live, half formed, in the notes app in my phone, then I draw out threads from that list and develop them. I then figure out things in my sketchbook, and draw them up on my iPad. The middle part of my work always involves drawing digitally, but I like realising things in different media. Lately I’ve been playing with photochromic ink, which only shows up in the sun. I also got into making things from lasercut wood last year, which is something I’d like to explore more.
From where do you draw inspiration?
I think my work is quite inspired by the everyday so a lot of my inspiration comes from little moments I observe. I use my work to try to slow myself down a bit, so it could be light hitting a building in an interesting way or a slightly strange interaction between people.
What impact do you hope your artwork has on people?
I’d like people to see something familiar in a different light. I enjoy picking out normal moments and trying to elevate them in some way. If people feel a new emotion from seeing something ordinary, that’s what I’m after.
If you weren’t an artist what would you like to do?
I used to work in a DVD rental shop in the summers and that was a pretty sweet gig, if DVD rental shops existed I’d do that again.
When you hear “New York City”, what’s the first word that comes to mind?
Bodega (an elaboration: getting an iced coffee from a bodega and trying to not melt into a puddle in the summertime heat)
What is your relationship with New York City?
I did a J1 in New York after college, living in Gowanus with some pals. A few years later my boyfriend went there for a year so I was over and back to Bushwick to visit him. I ended up doing a residency there so we lived in Greenpoint for a little bit in 2017.
My relationship with the city has grown since; each time I go back I feel more comfortable about my place in the world. Big cities have that knack of making me feel like I have to rise to their challenge. Now my memories are a mishmash of all the times there - throwing snowballs in Union Square park, feeling teary in a subway going over the East River, delighting in overhearing wildly self absorbed conversations, eating slices of pizza in parks, drinking on rooftops, working from the library at Bryant Park, spending all day in galleries. The classic New York bits!
What to know more about Fuchsia and her work? Check out her artist profile here
Still need more Fuchsia in your life? Be sure to browse her extensive collection of prints that she sells with Jam Art Factory here