Featured Artist: Polkip

The DBH artist Polkip shares, “you have to be honest about what and why you're doing what you're doing. It's gotta come from the heart, and you'll know the difference when you create work that hasn't come from the heart.” Polkip’s designs are a perfect representation of something from the “heart”; every intricate layer and lovingly executed detail is an expression of love. Whether it’s a watercolor snake or an elaborate ram’s skull, each piece is a symbol of care and devotion. She reveals that her audience shouldn’t expect a message in her work; her hope is that people simply enjoy the art.

Polkip currently lives in Norway but she admits that Bristol, England will always be home for her. However, she teases that she wouldn’t say no to a secluded little house on the island of Svalbard, off the coast of Norway, where “polar bears outnumber the residents.”

She is fascinated by the French artist, Gustav Doré, and jokes, “I’m pretty sure he sold his soul to the devil” in order to create such beautiful pieces. However, it is small joys like her husband’s giraffe drawings that really inspire and encourage her. She shares that her husband draws her giraffes in ordinary situations — like flying a plane or sitting in a courtroom — and “these sketches get me through a lot of stuff and just warm my heart.”

Polkip admits that when she starts drawing, she never knows where she will end up. In fact, she finds strict guidelines “suffocating” and she prefers to improvise instead. She must always use her much-loved broken paint palette and her favorite pens when she starts a project. She even teases, “don’t touch my pens” because she has a very specific ritual when it comes to her art.

She admires any creative person who has “their shit together” and does it “with minimal emotional breakdowns.” She understands how difficult pursuing creative work can be and she recognizes the skill and dedication that is necessary to pursue art as a career.