Christie Goule - #badgirlcrush
Q: Christie, thank you for
being our #badgirlcrush of the week, we featured you as our #wcw a little while
ago so it’s great for our followers to find out some more about you!
From one troublemaker to another - Hey and thanks for taking the time to chat to me!
IMAGES VIA: @christiemay
Q: Can you tell us a little
bit about yourself and your job as a print and textiles designer?
I’m a print and textiles-designer specialising in hand-drawn and repeat pattern, print-making and screen-printing. My work is aimed mostly at interior products, wall and floor coverings but I have also produced print for apparel.
I’m
an admirer and collector of all things mid-century modern - with a severe sweet
tooth for the decretive arts, textiles, jewellery and fashions of the era. I
currently work and live in East London.
IMAGES VIA: Facebook / Christie Goule for S.C.F
Q: Where did you study art
& design? Did you find more inspiration moving to London?
When I was 17 I studied at Leeds College of Art where I began specialising in Textiles Design, before moving to London in 2009 where I studied a degree in Printmaking and Textiles Design at London College of Communication.
Moving to London just
seemed like the natural next step for me. London seems to draw in creative
sorts wanting to experience much-more more-often, as much as it ever did! I
love it here; everyone seems to eventually carve out their own path but I
certainly want to make some big move again soon. So I would not say I am
precious about London but I am precious about when I have to call ‘mine’ here.
IMAGES VIA: @christiemay
Q: How has your passion for
the mid century era influenced your artwork?
Passion is key in all forms of designing, without it who else is going to fall for what you do? The origins of my inspiration do lie within mid-century art and design, but not as a form of copycat work, but as a way of adding something extra to the era that still manages to inspire me to no end! I’m not looking to reproduce a pastiche but to simply carry on the mid-century modern ethics in of form, function and decorative arts. My style is colourful and illustrative. Always managing to slip some form of either spots of stripes into my work – I’m a great appreciator of the basics of print design.
I will go to see an exhibition of work that I will
have seen almost half of what is been exhibited, previously. One artist in
particular is Barbara Hepworth. Originally been from Yorkshire myself, I know
her work well and I will never tire of it. Going to see her work as often as I
can, is just second best to owning a piece I’d say!
Q: Where do you feel most
inspired to create your beautiful patterns and designs?
Simply settled in my home, surrounded with all the things I love. I can be myself, dig out all of my materials, put on my favourite tunes and drawn or paint to my hearts content. This can usually happen after a trip out somewhere, be it to Yorkshire, in London or returning home from a holiday. I recently returned from a long trip around California, which just has my head stuffed!
Q: As a mid century
enthusiast, do you have any favourite artists / designers from that era?
Such artists and illustrators as Stig Lindberg, Saul Steinberg, Lucienne Day and Matisse, who all use mind blowing colour and shape which give me endless joy and inspiration.
The pairing of Ray and Charles Eames truly was
powerful and still intrigues me. The way their folk influences and traditional
appreciation manifested itself into refined desirable design classics. Another special design coupling, (who are a real favourite
of mine) are duo Josef and Anni Albers, they were among the leading pioneers of
early twentieth-century modernism. Between them their work just sings – there
is actually one Anni Albers rug in particular I have wanted for years! I just
need to save up my lunch money!
A
lot of original works remain just as snappy to me as the day they were designed,
which I believe to have so much life left in them.
IMAGES VIA: @christiemay for @theoriginalbadgirl wearing The Original Bad Girl JD Top
Q: We can see you
collaborated with the Scott Fraser Collection to create limited edition printed
handkerchiefs and pocket squares, is fashion design an area you’d like to
explore artistically?
The collaboration came out of a
friendship and a mutual respect for unique vintage pieces that incorporate textiles.
Textiles design that just grabs your attention! Any piece of vintage that uses
eye catching and unique print will just linger in my thoughts for weeks…that is
if I managed not to purchase it!
I think my creative ambition lies in interior
textiles and products, but that is not to say that I would not like to create
for fashion again. Allot of the fashion textiles I like have a whimsy primitive
feel about them which I feel does not limit them to fashion and can influence
any aspect of print design.
IMAGES VIA: @christiemay
Q: You have such an authentic vintage style, are there any particular shops in London you can’t resist browsing?
A lot of my clothes are bought online, but here’s just a few I cannot resist! – Dreamtime in Camden Passage. Scarlet Rage in Crouch End. When I’m in the area, Radio Days on Lower Marsh behind Waterloo Station. Then, Hunky Dory Vintage on Brick Lane and House of Vintage just off Brick Lane.
Q: If you could describe your
style in three words, what would they be?
Oh goodness, I think I would say – bright, surprising and bold
Q: You always have a perfect
brush out and make up, do you have any favourite beauty products? Can you share
any tips or tricks with our readers?
I use coconut oil on a dry set which works a treat! As for make-up I do use Mac Prep and Prime lip primer which I now would not wear lipstick without. Especially if like me you mostly wear matt texture lipsticks. They’re a pain to first apply, but with this I find you can smooth it on easily without affecting the finish of the lipstick.
Q: Who are your favourite
icons from the 50’s , do you have an ultimate bad girl?
To name a few and without hesitation Diana Dors, Peruvian goddess Yma Sumac, Eartha Kitt and Ann Margret all blow my mind! Not forgetting all the nifty things daring to dance the twist until their feet got raw!
Q: You have an amazing
jewellery collection, what catches your eye when shopping for new pieces?
Shape, metal, faces and of course
the age! I always have my eyes peeled for copper, enamel, ceramic and wood. There
are some real unique wood and silver Danish pieces to be found. If any of what
I come across is Elzac, Selro or Renoir it gets a ‘tick’ and comes home with
me! I’m trying to streamline my collection so now it is all I am trying to
collect. So now any jewellery really needs to tick boxes for me!
IMAGES VIA: @christiemay for @theoriginalbadgirl wearing The Original Bad Girl Vixen Top
Q: You have the Sweater Girl
look perfected, do you prefer vintage undergarments or modern reproductions to
help create the silhouette?
I was hoping for some boob talk!
Most of my undergarments are modern and most are actually from Marks and
Spencer’s. But there is one Bra I swear by and actually have three of, that is
the What Katy Did Cone bra. It completes most silhouettes perfectly without
fail!
Q: Do you have any favourite musicians? What’s one of your favourite records?
I listen to allot of R’n’B, Exotica and Pop Corn. So I enjoy allot of strange sounds, instrumental or nonsense songs. A good musician for that sort of thing is Chance Halladay. But because this is all about bad girls playing bad, one very favourite has to be Betty O’Brien, She’ll Be Gone!
Q: What would be your perfect
Saturday night and Sunday morning?
Saturday night would consist of a dressed up meal with my other half somewhere Michelin stared with gin cocktails followed by champagne. After we would go twisting and jiving until we were blue in the face. Then Sunday morning would be spent hangover free and fresh faced on our terrace drinking coffee and chatting the scandals from the night before - is that too much to ask?
Q: What does 2016 have in
store for you?
I already have my ‘goal’s written up for 2016 which I’ve never actually done before. I plan to bring together all the work I’ve done since graduating into a new portfolio and push myself as a designer. I want to get one foot on the professional path and become a full time employed designer.
You can find Christie on the following social media platforms
Instagram: @christiemay
Facebook: Click here
Patsy - Jungle Pat
(Columnist for The Original Bad Girl Blog)
