Here's a slightly special post, a little email interview with
Sophia Al Maria, who I stumbled across on Etsy.
Named after different London locations, her work looks at the human monsters in us all.
They are part repulsive, and for me at least, part endearing.
She kindly agreed to talk to me about her work, and here's what she said:
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Hi Sophia, thanks for letting me chat to you about your work.
First off, you have a great array of characters in your store. Do you do a lot of people watching to get inspiration?Accidental people watching. The fact of the matter is I do alot of waiting here in London. Mainly for the bus or in a que. It's in those weird limbo times that I usually glance around and 99% of the time there is something crazy going on or someone interesting milling about.
You mention in your description that your images reflect the villainous perception of the 'other' in London. Are your drawings about poking fun at stereotypes?Definitely. Although over time it seems like the drawings are less and less like stereotypes and more and more like reality...which is scarier than any imagined lycanthrope could ever be.
I love the ghoulish, zombie-like look of your characters. Particularly 'New Cross'. Do you have any favourites from your collection?Funny you should mention zombies...They are sort of an obsession of mine. I am truly, deeply terrified of masses of shambling, moaning dead people. Worst of all I believe in them. I live in fear like the rest of the world...only I'm not scared of Muslims or Werewolves, it's really zombies who do me in.
As for favourites, I think probably Waterloo who was the first werewolf I sold.
Finally, what illustrators / artists do you look to for inspiration? James Jean,
Aubrey Beardsley,
Marjane Satrapi... Every night I wish on one of the werewolves red stars that I could draw like any one of them.
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All images, curtosy of Sophia.
