Bluebeard

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Bluebeard

Bluebeard

This week's interview is with a talented pointillism Birmingham-based artist named Bluebeard. Bluebeard often works with the mystical and combines it with a level of texture and detail that must be seen to be believed!

In his work, he incorporates a lot of folk law, spirituality, and animals. He takes inspiration from his spiritual side, aspects of which you can see throughout his artwork.

This talent was not curated overnight, his skills were developed after spending hours every day developing and honing in his technique. Whether that's after work or on his days off, he always makes time to draw. To quote Bluebeard "there is a real voice in me that says when I'm not drawing, I'm wasting time."

Bluebeard told a wholesome story about where he started as an artist which makes it clear why just why he strives to be "a damn site better than he is.

"I'm sure it's not an invented memory but I remember my mum and dad talking about a drawing I did in my mid-teens. My dad said something along the lines of "actually that looks like somebody who can 'actually' draw"

"I continued to draw and doodle - all the time. In a way, I gave myself 20 - 30 years of apprenticeship. Within my late 30s and early 40s I started doing more than doodling, I started drawing in pencil."



Drawing in pencil wasn't something that came easy to the artist.

"The thing is I'm colour-blind. In the past when I've done work with pencils my partner has picked the colours for me. Once you understand what's light and what's dark then you can work through it on an intellectual level. But it's an insanely hard intellectual challenge and a chance to make lots of silly little mistakes."

Owl, ink, pointillism

Gilded Owl

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Stag

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"In my mind initially it was a part of a series of British wildlife. So, it was an owl, a stag, a fox and a toad. It was the moon that connected them. Bringing in the moon brought a connection to spirituality. I love owls they're amazing creatures and some of the creatures heighten their link to paganism and developed them into something that is quite beautiful."

Bluebeard

Gilded Badger

"In my mind initially it was a part of a series of British wildlife. So, it was an owl, a stag, a fox and a toad. It was the moon that connected them. Bringing in the moon brought a connection to spirituality. I love owls they're amazing creatures and some of the creatures heighten their link to paganism and developed them into something that is quite beautiful."

"The stag is really special to me and my artwork. It felt like he was appearing in my work so often, seeming to repeat in my images. I drew the portrait because he was popping up in some of my other pieces through the negative space. I wasn't drawing him and yet he was there, so I felt like I needed to create a portrait because I hadn't drawn him as himself. He just kept forcing himself into my head so I felt I needed to honour him."

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Stag

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Raven

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Plaven

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Plague Mask

The plague mask is the first picture I ever produced which I knew I could move me forward in my art career. Its special to me because it was the first piece, I created that I believed in myself.

The Raven is special because I love how Ravens and similar species of birds will give their life for their young. There's a magpie in my garden who almost gives her life every year to feed her young, her feathers fall out and she gets weak but she pushes for her family and I think that's really beautiful.
When I was first starting at a Christmas Fair it was suggested to me by a customer that I keep the two pieces together and that's when I had this moment where I just thought 'they belong together'. They had the same shape and all of a sudden, I had a vision to keep them together, and that's when I created the Plaven.

Bluebeard

"Female magical powers have been a presence in my life for a long time, plus I love coffee. If I had magical powers, I wouldn't be trying to grow my hair back, I wouldn't try and go back in time, I would probably magic up the best coffee. I tried to play with a sense of wispiness in the steam because she's conjuring up this coffee cup. It was a challenge with pen but came out well worth it."

"I was going to a fairy festival, one of the many places here I have found that people like my artwork. I wasn't going to do a piece of a garden fairy with butterflies. I heard a lot of stories of good fairy's and dark fairy's and all of a sudden, I was thinking about one turning to each other. There was a film I watched as a child where the main character fairy was making the choice to be good or bad. They made a choice and then changed their mind to go into the dark side, it was incredibly simple how it was done but it stayed with me forever.
Something else about that image is that its purposely androgynous, I didn't want the character to be male or female, I wanted it to be akin with humans, so it makes the viewer think when they look at it"

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Dark Fairy

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Fruit Bat

"Sometimes you interact so closely with something when you're drawing it that you develop a strong relationship with it. By the end of drawing, it I could feel the tension of its stretched over bones and it being folded."

"This one is different because it's a white toned piece on black paper. Matt black background is very difficult to work with and takes forever which is why there aren't many in this style, it was a commission in which I used white pen."

Bluebeard

Bluebeards art is perfect for those Autumn vibes, whether you're spiritual yourself or looking for a pretty Halloween present for a family member or friend his work could be the piece for you! Contact us at info@bhpcollectibles.com or check him out on our website!

True to his brand, Bluebeards' beard is in fact blue. He rocks his blue beard, tattoos, and piercings, incorporating them the brand he's built - Bluebeard Art. When starting out he pondered just how many people would take him seriously within the art industry.

A friend gave him some solid advice when they told him "Don't hide. Be yourself. Be your brand." This gem of a friend set him on a path of feeling confident in own his brand and a chance rock Bluebeard Art.

Transitioning from pencil and realism to ink and pointillism was a natural change for our artist. It wasn't a lack of talent that made him move on from realism, it was a frustration when the medium held him back. Pens and dots became an alternative in which he fell into naturally. To quote bluebeard - ""I use pointillism because of the perfectionist in me. It's all about the detail I can get. It felt like it was waiting for me."

Bluebeards got lots of projects on the go as of late. He's recently taking an interest in hand poke tattooing. There's a lot to know and learn when wanting to become a tattoo artist and bluebeard isn't skipping any corners when it comes to learning it all.

"The thing is with being a tattooist there's a whole extra layer of skill as well as the artwork itself. With a print when I work on a piece, I can change my mind or even stop for a couple of days if I like. There's none of that with tattooing, you've got to understand different people's skin, people twitch, sweat, bleed, you've got to work in 3D, it's a whole different talent as well as being an artist.

And yet something in me says that the traditional hand poke technique has got direct similarities to the skills that I've got. "

As for his other projects he's been up to some interesting things - "As for exhibitions - I was working with The Art Room in Kings Heath about 2 months ago which I was very pleased about. Within a year of going out and showing my work to others, I had a solo exhibition. It was very affirming, and they invited me to come back and be a part of their event at their open studios. That was amazing for several reasons.

Other than when with my dad, I'd been lacking a chance to stand in a room with likeminded people to talk about art. It was fascinating, exciting, and a beautiful experience all round."