Interview with illustrator Caroline Mudge
These BEAUTIFUL ladies are the creation of Cairns-based artist and illustrator Caroline Mudge. Starting on the commercial route of studying illustration at the university in Adelaide, Caroline soon discovered that she preferred the freedom of painting.
Caroline’s creative role now is primarily painting. With her first group exhibition in 2006, she’s been regularly participating in group shows since. Then in May last year, Caroline’s first solo show was almost a complete sell-out!
Rewinding just a few years, Caroline left Australia to travel through South East Asia. She landed in London and scored a job at an advertising agency based on her illustration skills. Having completed a stint there, she returned home and started work as a designer for a Cairns newspaper.
Having explored several creative roles in her jobs and travels, Caroline now has a mix of skills to pick from. She’s currently juggling a few freelance graphic design and illustration projects, amongst painting for her upcoming shows, AND somehow manages this with two little bubs at home.
I love that Caroline mixes up her applications too. Her collection of paintings includes pieces on wooden boards, graffiti walls, murals, and Japanese-inspired pieces further down the article.
Watch the video below to see a snippet of Caroline painting on a graffiti wall near a Cairns cafe. And pop over to her website for more paintings and illustrations – if you’re a traveller, you’ll enjoy her travel sketchbooks.
How have you got to where you are today?
I was always drawing as a kid, with the support from family and teachers I decided that I would pursue it. The sensible Caroline decided that I should go down the commercial route so I studied Visual communication majoring in Illustration at Uni.
After I finished my studies I set off on travels and sketched my way through South East Asia ending up in London where I luckily landed a job in an advertising agency based on my drawing skills and sketches of my travels. I didn’t know how to use any of the software back then and the director said, “right, you have a month to learn otherwise your out!” – so I learned fast.
I gained a great deal of experience on the job and that enabled me to get a job at Newscorp back in Australia working on the daily paper in Cairns doing graphics and illustration. Four years later I finished up at the paper feeling disillusioned with pumping out work in a factory-style environment. That’s when I started painting and luckily they’re selling, so I have stuck with it.
In a few words, describe yourself…
Ouch, that’s a hard one. I’m a bit of a split personality these days but aren’t we all? The nice Caroline is calm and funny, kind and giving, the beauty in my work comes from this side.
The other Caroline is restless and impatient and wants everything to happen now(!) but that’s where the drive and motivation come from. I guess they kind of complement each other. I keep them both in check though. A lot of my inspiration comes from the constant dilemmas we all face in keeping our demons in line.
What are you spending your time on at the moment?
I am working on my upcoming shows for 2012. I have a small show in Cairns in March then a bigger one in Adelaide in June/July with a friend as part of SALA. I’ve got another one lined up later on in the year also.
Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process?
Not these days, I am so strapped for time with two little kids nipping at my heals.
When I do have a day or night to work I just sit down and go for it. Inspiration is plentiful right now and time is nil. It’s always the way. When you have the time you just sit there scratching your head staring at the wall.
What or who inspires you?
Other artists, I love reading these kinds of blogs about artists to see how they tick and how they work.
Inspiration is everywhere but you have to pause and take a breath to see it otherwise it just eludes you.
What are you most proud of?
Apart from creating two human beings from my own body!! I would have to say my sketches of all my travels, my involvement with Curvy magazine for 4 years running, my first solo show last year in May and generally having the perseverance to stick with a career in the creative industry.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Well, I flirted with the idea of owning a sweet shop, playing in a rock band, being a sprinter in the Olympics, and being an archeologist… But lucky for all those fields I finally settled on being an illustrator/artist.
