Top artist, Deborah Azzopardi talks blinds

In an exclusive partnership with Creatively Different Blinds, internationally acclaimed pop artist, Deborah Azzopardi has created a Limited Edition range of designer blinds, three of which are up for grabs in an exclusive giveaway on The Good Web Guide. We caught up with the artist to find out more.

I started painting… about 25 years ago. It's very rare in life that people actually find what they really like. I'm from a creative family background in terms of art and it was just something I wanted to do.

I'm self taught… Sometimes that's frowned upon, sometimes it's admired - sometimes it's a little bit of both. I've always loved Pop Art. I've always loved the work of Toulouse-Lautrec and some of the old great masters. There's a certain line that I like - one simple line can say many things in the way it moves.

I paint what makes me smile… and I just stick to that formula. If it's something that I like, then maybe other people will like it too. I've only ever really painted for myself. Everybody's taste is different.

I don't really look into it too deeply… Painting is just like when you're getting yourself dressed: you can see the end result before you've started. I just go for it!

It's one thing wanting to be an artist… it's another having the discipline to do it. I work very long hours. I do all of the daylight hours - in the summer maybe fifteen hours a day. It's very hard, because you're standing all the time, and I very rarely sit down. Your legs do ache from it, but every job has something. In the evening, I'm chasing up on all the things that I haven't been able to do in the day. I never watch television or anything. You can't. You become quite passionate.

What drives me is myself... I'm like any writer or musician - you become consumed, but that's because you want to make it work.

I'm just happy that my art is admired… I consider that to be successful. I don't consider success to be wealth. I think that you're successful if you're happy in life and if you can do what you like to do. To me that's my success.

I'm fuelled by life… by my hilarious family and the package that goes with it. It's fun watching a family grow. When you're an artist, you observe a lot. Like a writer, you see things and you take them in, and you can pull on them for inspiration later on.

I don't take inspiration from anything sad… Nothing serious. Nothing in the news. I'm not inspired by that at all. I'm inspired by laughter, flippancy, peculiar friends. I call all my friends ‘suspects' - they're all suspects. It's quite nice having suspect friends, because it's quite a variety and they make life models as well.

I don't really have any one favourite artist… but I admire many different types of art as artists have different skills and techniques. I go to all the exhibitions regularly. I love them. I went to the Van Gogh exhibition when it was packed. I hate it when it's packed. Oh it drives me insane.

As a rule of thumb, I really dislike paintings titles… I battle with it. I give paintings reference numbers. You could title a painting after a town or place- anything, and people will look into it, but it's far more interesting to let the viewer speculate and form their own opinions without the influence of a title.

I like painting people… when I've captured someone. Not necessarily their face, but part of their body and it's turned out exactly as I thought it would.

Pop Art has a long history… I'm not the first Pop Artist. People can identify with it - it's not a new thing. People identify my work with the name Pop Art, but it's just my style, my way. We say Pop Art, because people like to put it in that category.

Alistair, from Creatively Different Blinds has great vision…I don't think people have seen this before. The blinds are going to be signed. Several fashion designers sell limited edition clothing and those items will be collectible. So why not roller blinds?

I think it's clever… It's up to the individual where they use the blinds in their home, but it's unique and it makes such a change for an artist. People ask you to paint this or that and say "this matches the curtains - that will match the wall." This way, the interior decoration is enhanced by the feature roller blind. www.deborahazzopardi.com

Deborah Azzopardi's series of Limted Edition blinds is entitled ‘Flowers Quartet' and includes six different colour schemes, each of which will be produced only 55 times. Individually numbered and signed by Deborah, each edition will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authentication, just like a real painting or print by the artist. To buy a blind, visit www.creativelydifferentblinds.com or enter the drawer to win one of three here.

Emily Jenkinson

28 February 2010