Erin Petson
British artist and illustrator Erin Petson has achieved international acclaim with her immediately recognisable artworks. Having been described as ‘bondage leaning glam fashion-vintage’ her illustration’s are powerful and edgy yet simultaneously ethereal. Her genuine love of drawing, montage and mark-making comes through all her pieces which are both delicate and provocative, with an almost paper-doll like effect. Seeing her work for real is highly recommend, as its power comes from the textures and the immediacy of her images
Her first commissions included Stella McCartney and Tank Magazine. Recent clients include Dior, where she was invited to take part in their Rene Gruau Beauty exhibition at Somerset House and the V&A, whom have recently collected 50 pieces of her original drawings for their archive. Her Fashion Face Off Top Trumps have been featured weekly in the Sunday Times Style. Her most recent collaborations have been an exhibition with Biondi Couture in Chelsea and her illustrations were animated for an online advertisement with Victoria Beckham for Mother and their ‘Great’ Britain campaign.
Erin’s individual handmade textural style draws inspiration from the landscapes of her youth, and the contradictions therein. Her childhood in Middlesborough was framed by the clash between the industrialisation of British Steel and the bleak beauty of the North Yorkshire Moors and the harsh possibilities of the North East coastline. Her work was further shaped through time spent in London and exploring Istanbul and her love of Turkey; the people, the landscape and the colour palette bleed indelibly on her mind’s eye.
Erin loves to design bespoke pieces for the modern women, her work captures the essence of fashion and femininity bringing an interior to life.
Exhibitions
The V&A, archives collection 2012// Paper Runway, Byron Bay, Aus, 2012// ISM, LA, 2012// Biondi Couture, Chelsea, London, 2012// Seen&Unseen, Liverpool 2011// Ghosts of Birds Gone, Rochelle School, London 2011// Moncler Illustrated, Moncler Milan, 2011// Dior Illustrated, The Line of Beauty, Somerset House 2010// Pick Me Up, Somerset House, London 2010// Line of Style, Nuclues Gallery, LA 2010// Dirty Laundry, Dalston Super Store, London 2009 // The Big Ink, Amersham Arms, London 2009 // Oxford Fashion Week, The Jam Factory, Oxford 2009 // Moncler, Moncler Store, Italy 2009 // We’ve been expecting you, Concrete Hermit, London 2008 // YCN Stockholm, Urban Outfitters, Sweden 2008 // Adieu & Sayonara, Japan 2008 // FOUR, Connigsby Gallery, London 2008 // Show Off, The Royal College of Art, London 2007 // Designers Block, London 2007 // Bracewell, Bracewell Boutique, Sydney 2007 // Selfridges Windows, Trafford Center, Manchester 2006 // French Trotters Boutique, Paris 2006 // Production Lines, Fashion&Textiles Museum, London 2006 // Bermondsey Square Hoarding, London 2006 // Lab Cafe, Selfridges, London 2005 // Psyche Boutique, Middlesbrough 2005 // Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool 2004
