Retail Focus News

This week I've finished new work for Countryfile Magazine and BBC Antiques Roadshow and I'm getting close to completing the Phaidon baking book. Over the next few days I'm going to see the new Hannah Höch exhibition at The Whitechapel, Sensing Spaces at The RA and Artists Textiles at The Fashion and Textile Museum.

Above is the new article about me in the Jan edition of Retail Focus News, you can read the full text here:

Surrey based artist and illustrator Kerry Lemon is making a name for herself with her growing portfolio of large-scale retail installations.

Kerry always wanted to be an artist but never imagined it would be something that she would get into, Worried that it was too risky to ‘just study art‘. she initially signed up to become a primary school teacher before summoning up the courage at the last minute to swap courses. lt's a choice that judging by her work and accomplishments to date was certainly a good one

On finishing her first degree. Lemon secured freelance work with a range of galleries. schools and museums before going on to do a masters degree in museum studies at Leicester University and later a post-graduate certificate in illustration at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.

As an illustrator and artist Lemon has been commissioned for a wide range of editorial. publishing and advertising projects for clients including Fortnum & Mason, The Shop at Bluebird, Smythson and Waitrose. She had a solo exhibition at Galerie Doux Dimanche in Tokyo in March 20l3 entitled 'In on English Country Garden‘. and has created stunning hand-painted murals and window installations for the likes of Harvey Nichols, Liberty London and Le Bon Marche in Paris‘

'The thing with drawing is that it's the process I love.‘ says Lemon. ‘The physicality of moving my pen across the page and creating my own version of the world.“ She describes her style as delicate and feminine: "I draw quite slowly and I love how each drawing serves as a record of the time it took to create" I use a very fine pen and work under a huge illuminated magnifying glass as my work can be very intricate and detailed.‘

Her very first window installation was for the Electrum Gallery on London's South Molton Street. which she describes as a terrifying experience: "I was really worried about so many things" she recalls, ‘The need to paint mirror, the daunting scale, and the fact that it was such a public situation in which to paint. But. once I got started I loved it. I really enjoyed interacting with the public and working so large and publicly."

Since then. she has completed a number of large-scale retail projects. including an installation for Harvey Nichols which won Best Window Graphic at the VM & Display Awards. "The idea was to create a dark and slightly sinister woodland" she explains, "I'd been experimenting with poured points and inks in my sketchbook and so I developed this idea to create the backdrops. I poured dark coloured inks over huge sheets of paper in my kitchen which were later scanned and printed onto canvas." The work was originally created for the Knightsbridge store and later redeveloped for Edinburgh.

One of Lemon's favourite projects however. is the permanent wall mural she created in the beauty hall at Liberty London as part or the redesign in 2011, "its such a beautiful and historic building and I still can't believe they let me draw on their walls." she says. The hand-drawn and painted mural features a peacock sitting in a magnolia tree and decorates one well of the room as well as the door of the Queen Mary treatment room

As for current work. Lemon is illustrating a new cookery book. creating wildlife illustrations for an editorial commission and getting ready to launch a new book called Fearless Drawing. That's on top of a project for a large retail and residential development in East London, "I'm creating bespoke door panels, a lift frieze and an enormous 6m x 18m wall piece for the site so I‘m keeping out of mischief!"