MOST Magazine Fashion MAY-JUNE'15 ISSUE NO.9 | Page 84

MM: I love how the emphasis of your work is influenced by fairytales, pop culture and cinematic icons. What are some of your own favorites? MM: Who are some painters who have inspired you? BM: My inspiration always stems from both photography and painting. Caravaggio taught me about light and dark ‘chiaro scuro’, Gregory Crewdson showed me the wonderful fantasy world of narrative through photographs dark and apocalyptic imagery. Helmut Newton forever intrigued me with his love hate relationship that shines through his pictures of strong women. The Pre Raphaelites taught me about romanticism through brush work and Lichtenstein inspired me though his ability to regurgitate, re- contextualise the existing low art and transform it into high art through Pop Art. BM: This stems from my fascination with popular culture and the notion of what is ‘popular’ and therefore regurgiated in an endl ess cycle of human appetite for the familiar. By using the Pop idiom I can play around and recontextualise these repeated stereotyped icons and interfere with notions of what belongs where, and mix high art with low art, forcing the viewer to think outside the box. In terms of my favourite, I always go back to the 40’s and 50’s era, where male and female actors, Characters and cartoons were dramatically stereotyped. I loved the extreme vulnerability of the 40’s film noir diva, always strong and seemingly in control of her sexuality, but helpless when it comes to her leading alpha male love interest, whilst remaining glamourous from tip to toe. These type casts are a wonder for me to play around with. “I loved the extreme vulnerability of the 40’s film noir diva, always strong and seemingly in control of her sexuality, but helpless when it comes to her leading alpha male love interest...” MM: What if anything do you hope admirers and collectors feel when they see your work and what do you hope they understand about you as an artist? MM: How did you begin painting on handbags? BM: The process was partially organic and part planned as to how I started painting on designer bags. I love painting on unusual canvasses and learnt to paint on leather just under 2 years ago, painting initially on vintage bags, and it was my friend and owner of Joubi Jewellery who asked me to paint on her Hermes Birkin of which I was initially terrified, but she said “I trust you Boyarde’ and that’s how it started. After that i became natural to paint on the more valuable fashion accesories, I think my clients respect that there is value in my artwork as well as enjoying it’s aesthetics, and that a valuable canvas goes hand in hand with that. MM: Who are some of your favourite style icons? BM: I tend to look to the classic icons from the past, again the 40’s and 50’s era, I love the glamour from Joan Crawford and her suits to Lauren Bacall’s effortless cool. 84 || FAS HI O N M A G A Z I N E || MAY / JUNE 2015 [email protected] @Boyarde BM: It’s important that they enjoy the art. I am a visual artist and on the surface my art is bright and aesthetically pleasing. And if you want, you can go past the colour to find an interesting narrative that gets you thinking beyond the superficial. At university I was always told my art was heavily aesthetic and perhaps too literal. Over the years I found a way to embrace these ‘weaknesses’ and turn them into my strengths, where the visual art becomes so literal, like a slap in the face; but the meaning is there, under the layers of literal! MM: Do you have any Boyarde handbags for sale, or only by commision? BM: Currently there are no ready-made bags available as I have so many comissions! My waiting list for bags keeps me busy. I am starting to work with new company’s that will ready-made Boyarde Art Bags and I will have to keep you posted on that!