Jocelyn, first of all, we would like to take a moment to extend a heartfelt thank you for all the beautiful hand-painted watercolor icons you artfully designed for us for our website. They are absolutely gorgeous and we looovvvveee them!
WEDDINC: Jocelyn, you are a fine artist, it’s clear. Your abilities, from event renderings to fashion illustration to your ability to capture the ambience of an event style are simply gorgeous. Which would you say is your favorite of all to do?
JOCELYN: Thank you! I love it all, actually. Every project brings with it a different client with fresh ideas. It’s exciting to explore each client’s unique aesthetic. I like to approach a project as collaboration so that the final result is a piece that feels tailored their taste. I always want them to feel as though they played a part in the process and to be thrilled with the result.
WEDDINC: Can you tell us a bit about your influences? We’ve heard through the grapevine that you travel to Paris quite frequently. Would you say that perhaps Parisian classical painters and Parisian style in general have influenced you at all?
JOCELYN: I’m so inspired by Europe in general and yes, Paris is the city of romance! There is beauty everywhere! The museums and galleries are a constant source of ideas and influences. The French pay such close attention to the smallest detail as well as the grand scale of things. Take for instance the incredible over-the-top grandeur of Versailles and then focus on the exquisite design and embroidery of the fabrics in Marie Antoinette’s boudoir! This was the height of decorative design and craftsmanship. I try to bring all of that home with me to use in my work.
WEDDINC: Can you tell us a bit about your background? Where you’re from and what inspired you most to become an artist?
JOCELYN: I was born in South Africa and inherited my father’s love of painting. He was an avid fisherman and would always take an easel, brushes and paints along with his fishing gear. If the fish weren’t biting, he was thoroughly enjoying capturing the landscape on canvas or watercolor paper. My mother would have been a brilliant interior designer. She had impeccable taste and color sense. Wherever we lived, I remember her whipping up slip covers for the furniture on her sewing machine – hanging wallpaper, painting the rooms and making each house into a comfortable. attractive nest. I learned from her that your surroundings can really affect your mood and your life. Beautiful spaces can make you feel better, work better – even the food tastes better cooked in a pretty kitchen!
WEDDINC: Tell us a bit about your fashion illustration background and what gave you the idea to create lovely water colors of bridal dresses as a beautiful keepsake of a bride’s special day?
JOCELYN: My fascination with fashion started when I was in art school – I hung out with the kids from the fashion design department and became really interested in how trends develop and how clothes can also affect one’s emotions. While my friends were sewing I was sketching. I got this idea for doing watercolors of wedding dresses because I know that most brides will look at hundreds of dresses before they select ‘the one’ and in spite of the thousands of photographs and videos being taken on the big day, to have a hand painted work to commemorate this very special dress takes it that step further into an art piece and is something they would really cherish.
WEDDINC: Who would you say is your typical client for your lovely keepsakes? Is it a close family member such as a sister, mother or best friend, coming to you for a gift idea, or do you more often hear from a bride who is commissioning you directly?
JOCELYN: I get requests from the bride or her mother, or the groom’s mother, the bridesmaids, even a bride’s grandmother. They seem to love the idea of a framed watercolor to hang on the wall. One bride had her art scanned and had it printed on thank you note stationery. Another gave each bridesmaid a sketch of both her dress and the bride’s as a gift.
WEDDINC: Talk to us a bit about event renderings. Do you prefer to work live or off of a photograph?
JOCELYN: Because wedding décor has become such an important aspect of the reception, clients commission a painting of the room or outdoor space to highlight all of the detail and care that went into the flowers and table settings. Photographs rarely show the tiny details and somehow a painting can capture the festive mood of the event as well as focus in on the little things that the bride chose to personalize the decor. I like to work from photographs and then add my own “artistic license” to give the piece a special flair.
WEDDINC: If we were to come visit you in your studio, where would you take us first?
JOCELYN: Of course, first you would have to look at the garden and then at my ‘before’ pictures taken when it was a bare lot overgrown with weeds! My garden, modest though it may be, is the fulfillment of a lifelong passion – and the source of many references for my flower paintings and designs.
WEDDINC: We hear that you are quite the gardener and wonder how much this influences your daily ritual as an artist?
JOCELYN: It’s such a pleasure to step outside and see what’s growing. It is a daily ritual to spend some time taking in the scents, listening to the birds and as my Dad used to say “watching the grass grow!”
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ LINKS:
Please feel free to email any additional photos or videos of your work to weddincmedia@gmail.com so we can promote you on our website!
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