At Studio Seventeen, we love working with inspired and creative individuals throughout Nottingham to help them gain a unique perspective of life in a busy design studio. This month, we’ve had the privilege of working with artist and intern Cate Grundy as she helps us create some beautiful new pieces for our studio. Utilising her skills in animation, illustration, and painting, we’ve set her some exciting creative tasks to complete in our space and we’re thrilled to have her working with us this year. Join us in getting to know Cate:
What inspires you to create?
Receiving commissions is when I have found myself to be the most inspired. I absolutely love exploring somebody else’s vision and trying to create something that they will love. When I am given the time to be creative for myself, I like to be silly & create artwork that looks as though it has been made by a child. During these moments, I am inspired at the most unpredictable times by a weird vision that I just scribble down into a very messy sketchbook before the next one comes along!
What’s your artistic history?
I have always created art (though most of it wasn’t good). In school, I would paint every single night without fail. My teacher would call my work ‘fast & messy’ as I would get through 4 sketchbooks a year (I’m not sure that’s a good thing, but I still passed!)
When I was a child, I was obsessed with drawing vases & women in flamboyant ball gowns. My grandad would always call me his little artist & I would only ever ask for notepads and sketchbooks at Christmas and on my birthday. I guess it all stemmed from here!
What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on?
Honestly, I have loved every commission I have received, so this is really difficult! I absolutely loved creating the cover art for my friend Khaya’s final edition of Femme Fatale Gals. I messaged on an absolute whim when I saw she was looking for somebody to do this, and was so so happy she responded to me! She put so much work into this & I loved every second of the commission!
What made you want to work with Studio Seventeen?
I am quite selective when it comes to deciding who I want to work with/for & love everything Studio Seventeen offers. Again, I reached out on a whim for an internship and was so happy to receive a reply! I tend to work on creative projects in my own space, but needed to push myself into an environment where I could bounce off a friendly team and receive critical feedback to help me improve. Studio Seventeen just felt like a very open, welcoming space with a very gifted, small team.
What’s been your favourite design trend of 2024?
I really love the doodle trend at the moment. I find incorporating weird little shapes/characters into a design or animation so fun. You can just be silly & create whatever you want without having to think too much.
Want to find out more about Cate’s artwork? Check out her portfolio for more inspiration! Alternatively, take a look at her Instagram and LinkedIn profile.
