Ruby Jack Meets: Emma Larsson (aka Zebrakadebra) & Georgia Beaumont

Emma Larsson AKA Zebrakadebra

Painting by Emma Larsson 

Painting by Emma Larsson 

Do you have a daily routine when working and if so, can you give us a run down? 

  I often work when my kids are at school. I both work at home with my watercolours and at my studio a few blocks away with my canvases. My studio is in an old 18th century building. I rent a room there at an artists collective. I try to paint every day. 

    Obviously we’ve all been starved of physical exhibitions and live performance art/music for almost a year now… how have you been keeping your soul fed over the past year?

  I’ve been to a few shows here in Stockholm. We never had any lockdowns here but still life has changed. I try to escape now and then to the virgin forests surrounding Stockholm at least once a week to refill myself.  

  What does the adornment of jewellery mean to you and how does it make you feel?   

  Personally I love jewellery and I’m also a collector of old ethnic jewellery. I love to travel and my favourite place to find original pieces is at the old flea markets in Jaffa in Israel. I’m fully sure that if you go through all piles of old Bedouin carpets you will end up with a flying one... Jewellery the perfect thing to make an outfit pop! Personally I love earrings and bangles...

To learn more about Emma's work: @zebrakadebra

Georgia Beaumont

Georgia Beaumont - Photo by Daniel Delikatnyi @dandeliphoto

Do you have a daily routine when working and if so, can you give us a
run down?

I love to start my day with a walk, there’s a hill nearby that I especially love, every morning I experience it in a slightly different way, and I love feeling it change with the seasons. It’s something that has become so crucial to my work making as it really inspires and uplifts! I try to go very early - but also don't reprimand myself if I don’t - then it’s coffee, and to my paints I go. I mostly dip in and out of painting throughout the day, it’s first thing in the morning and then in the evenings I find I am able to work most solidly.

When you feel stuck with a painting, what do you do to get un-stuck?

I’ll have a few paintings on the go at once for this very reason, so I tend to leave the one I’m working on and go to another, or do some repetitive work which involves very little decision making such as prepping my next boards or cleaning my brushes. If I’m having a real block I will leave the studio and simply go back later after a bit of pottering or a cup of tea.

Who are your favourite artists, curators, or other thinkers to follow on
social media right now and why?

@thecreativeindependent is a page that I return to time and again. It's such an amazing resource for articles and interviews with people working across the arts globally. I find it hugely comforting and it offers so many pearls of wisdom. I’m obsessed with Leeds based artist @zoespowage’s paintings, her pin-up-like female figures have such a strong and irresistible energy about them. @jamesowens also creates these magnificent organic scenes in earthen tones, and @tuesdayriddel creates mind blowingly detailed panels with gold inlay using an ancient process called Japanning. I just saw her show at Messums
London last week!

Painting by Georgia Beaumont 

What inspired you to wear Ruby Jack, and which designs did you
choose?

The jewels feel like they once belonged to Greek goddesses and sit in that space between contemporary and antique with a kind of mystical and timeless narrative surrounding them so I was instantly drawn to them. The Hydra Choker is my most adored piece of jewellery, its feminine, curved and curly links just feel so gorgeous, as if it came from the natural world.

Why painting? And who or what turned you on to paint?

I think it’s the freedom of it and how instantaneous it is. The intuitive use of colour and my tendencies in mark making seem to tell me so much about myself, so I'd say it’s an expansive and meditative practice for me and addictive for that reason.

Painting by Georgia Beaumont

What is the most important piece of creative advice you have ever
received?

It’s the long game. Keep on at it, ignore all the bad advice and societal pressures telling us not to forge a career in the arts. (way easier said than done!!)

Who or what are you creating for, other than for yourself?

I’d hope that through my works the joy I feel as I create them is transmitted to others, after all, only once viewed is when any artwork takes on it’s full meaning. I think art helps us to escape the mundanity and darkness of the world and makes us feel that bit more alive, if I can contribute to this in some way, it makes it all worthwhile.

What does the adornment of jewellery mean to you and how does it
make you feel?

It’s such a beautiful form of instant self-expression, and something so personal and enduring to you. It means self-love and glamour and sexiness.

To learn more about Georgia's work: @georgiabeaumont__