Ruby Jack Meets: Liv & Dom
In our Ruby Jack Meets series, we share the stories of the incredible creatives that inspire us here at Ruby Jack. Here, we're lucky enough to be joined by Liv and Dom—a dynamic creative duo who also happen to be twins. Their shared journey began while studying illustration together in Bournemouth, where their creativity fused into a unique artistic vision. Today, Liv and Dom spend their days creating from their studio in Lewes, East Sussex. The sisters specialise in art and ceramics that often showcase the female form in what they describe as a "fun and celebratory way." We couldn't agree more.
Here, Liv and Dom explain what led them to explore nudity in their art and what it means to them today, the "joint ego" they share, and which Ruby Jack pieces resonate most with their style.
Hi Liv & Dom! Did either of you ever dream of a career in anything else? I'm wondering if there was ever a sliding doors moment that could have led either or both of you in another direction and if so, what direction might that have been?
I don't think either of us had particularly big dreams for adult life, but the idea of more 'conventional' career paths terrified us both. We were both going down an artistic path as we left school, we looked into studying fashion at University, but kept our options open by studying illustration so maybe that's the sliding doors moment! Or if we had studied at separate universities, our lives would have diverged and I doubt we would have worked together. We don't really like to think about what ifs too much, we're lucky enough to love our careers!
Your work often features playful and celebratory depictions of the nude form in various shapes and sizes. How do you approach the theme of nudity in your art, and what messages do you hope to convey through these pieces?
To be completely transparent, the origin story of the nudes in our work is not particularly inspiring... 10 years ago we were working together on a tacky British seaside themed project at uni, partly because we were living in Bournemouth, partly as a way of avoiding drawing clothes. People had strong responses to this body of work, and it evolved from there. Fast forward to now, and always working with the female form has changed our relationship with nudity in general, nudity is universal, it's our natural state, it's not a big deal! By putting these nude ladies everywhere, we hope it normalises nudity for some people at least.
Living in semi-rural Sussex, how does your environment impact your creative process and your quality of life as hard working artists?
Living in Lewes has had a profound effect on us and our work. We grew up in Sussex and have been interested in its history and nature since childhood. Now we have both in abundance on our doorstep and our work is often inspired by it; even the antique shops in the town have been a wealth of inspiration for us. We're lucky to be able to use the South Downs as an escape from work as well as a source of inspiration. Having a small, close community of makers and local businesses is also a really valuable asset as a creative.
Your pieces are influenced by antiques, traditional craft, and folk art. Can you share some specific influences or inspirations that have shaped your current body of work?
Some things we're particularly into at the moment...
- Fraktur art, which is Dutch Pennsylvanian illustrated family records.
- Hungarian peasant art. Dom found an exquisite book which is a treasure trove of textiles, ceramics, furniture etc.
- Polychrome ancient greek pottery - all ancient greek pottery really!
- Walter Crane's flower lady drawings.
Being identical twins and creative collaborators is of course a fairly unique experience. Clearly your individual artistic styles and visions complement each other in your collaborative work, but are there any challenges? Do you ever feel the need to create from an independent perspective? I wonder about the notion of 'the artist's ego' and how this plays out between two sisters.
When we started working together, we set out to have this single artistic style. This was easy as I would say we both hadn't found our artistic voices at this stage. It has changed over the nearly 10 years we've been doing this, but it's grown together, with both of our ideas moving it forward. We don't make art outside of our 'business', only a casual sketch on holiday or something like that.
Being a very close pair of identical twins is weird in that as well as your own ego, this joint ego exists. Neither of us really have the deep need to satisfy our individual artist's egos that some artists have…
Being a very close pair of identical twins is weird in that as well as your own ego, this joint ego exists. Neither of us really have the deep need to satisfy our individual artist's egos that some artists have…
What are some of the challenges and rewards of working entirely by hand on each piece, from design to packaging? Do you ever envisage employing anyone else to expand the work you do? Or do you prefer to keep the business to just you two? Either way, please tell us why.
The main challenge is time. The way we run things, how long we spend making directly corresponds to how much money we make. Delegating is not our strong suit, we are slight control freaks... We do have a lovely assistant who is a close friend, but beyond this we keep it in the family. Not being very savvy business women, the logistics of employing other people and outsourcing boggles our minds, but this may have to change if we want more free time, or enough money to buy a house ever!
Are there any new directions or experiments you are tinkering with or excited about exploring in the future?
We would actually love to experiment with jewellery, but know that it is quite an undertaking. It's been something we've been meaning to do but the process is overwhelming! We have vague plans to do an embroidery collaboration. I think most of our ambitions lie in just pushing our ceramics to new places. At the moment it feels like the possibilities are endless!
Which Ruby Jack pieces are you wearing and what made you choose them?
We sat down together to choose, because we share jewellery, and because it was extremely difficult to decide as everything is so stunning and unique! We decided that we wanted pieces that would be versatile, to maximise wearing opportunities, so the plain gold and pearl pieces particularly appealed to us. We're floral girls, so the Acrobats' Tears Pendant called to us! We chose The Big Top and Twist of Fate Hoops because we felt they had a classic, antique feel to them that would be timeless.
What is the most important piece of creative advice you have ever received?
We've been lucky enough to work with Nick Cave on his ceramics recently, who has many insights into being an artist as a career and a way of life. He told us to 'be bold' once when we were decorating some new work at a time where we felt like we'd been resting on our laurels a lot, and we've not looked back since.
Who or what are you creating for, other than for yourself?So cliche, but to make the world more beautiful! We often despair about the declining quality of mass produced, function over form, polluting objects being pumped out into the world, so it's an antidote to that. But that is also partially self serving, so maybe it's all for us!?
