With a solo show coming up at Liberty and a range of rose-scented candles about to launch, Daisy de Villeneuve is pretty busy right now. But she still finds time for a nice cup of tea with Tom Jeffreys.
A pleasantly buzzing café on Marylebone High Street is the perfect spot to meet artist and illustrator Daisy de Villeneuve. Good old Marylebone – it always brings a little smile of joy, rather like Daisy's work in fact. Daisy paints nice things – shoes, clothes, accessories, friends – with a light touch and sense of quirky fun. March sees Daisy launch a range of scented candles at Liberty, and she's also putting on an exhibition, entitled In Her Shoes, on the 4th floor of London's most wonderful department store. So it seemed like a good time to meet up and have a wee natter.
“It's pretty full on,” Daisy admits. “I have to organise everything! The paintings are all at the framers at the moment and then I'm going to have to hang them all, so it's all pretty busy. The fourth floor at Liberty is massive – it's actually quite daunting.” Not only that, but there's the launch of the scented candles as well. “I've been working on that for months,” Daisy says. “I've done everything form the shape of the box, the design, the candle wax colour, everything!”
It's this kind of hands-on approach and attention to detail that has seen Daisy emerge as one of the country's finest and best-loved illustrators. She's produced work in collaboration with a whole host of cool brands – Moet & Chandon, Topshop, Browns Focus, Nike – and featured in exhibitions at galleries across the world, including Haunch of Venison, Eleven Fine Art and the Fashion and Textile Museum.
Daisy went to Parsons School for Design in New York and Paris, initially to study fashion, but things didn't quite work out as planned. “I studied fashion, but got my degree in fine art. I wasn't very good at pattern-making or sewing, so they 'advised' me to switch to fine art... But I'm really pleased that I studied both. It's always good to keep your options open, not to focus on just one thing. Of course, it's good to like something in particular, but you just never know, in life and work. It's good to be interested in a lot of things.”
A year after graduation, Daisy had an exhibition at a shop called Euphoria in Notting Hill. After Pocko Editions saw the work, they commissioned a 99-page book – He Said, She Said. Then Topshop came calling and Daisy designed their shoe boxes and a range of household products. Topshop then sponsored her next book, I Told You So.
“There weren't many illustrators back then – everyone was busy being photographers or stylists. And I remember someone interviewing me for a magazine and asking me what I was. I didn't think I was particularly an artist, so I just said 'illustrator' because I thought it sounded cool! I could have made up anything.”
Whether artist, designer or illustrator (or a bit of all three) Daisy has that ability to work across a broad range of different media, but always with her own distinctive style. “I'm so bad at describing it,” Daisy says. “Oh no!” I reply: “I was going to ask you how you'd describe your own work!” Daisy laughs, “well I normally say 'other people have described my work as childlike or naive and I don't mind that'”. “Kind of quirky?” I proffer. “Yeah,” Daisy agrees. “I don't like it when people use the word kooky, but quirky is OK.” Phew!
The forthcoming exhibition and product launch exemplifies Daisy's quirky style and her enthusiasm for all manner of different projects. There's four candles in the Daisy Rose, all with different rose scents – it's Daisy's favourite flower. The exhibition consists of 40 completely new paintings and, judging from the images I've seen, it's going to be a complete delight.
Daisy de Villeneuve - In Her Shoes is at Liberty from 29th March until 25th April 2010.
D de V London scented candles available at Liberty, £28
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