INTERVIEW: SIOUX BRADSHAW

I fell in love with illustrator Sioux Bradshaw's little books about art (a bargain at £3 each) and cartoon strips while browsing in the bookartbookshop in Hoxton, as they made me laugh out loud. Sioux started producing these tiny books on artists and life 5 years ago, while she was studying for her degree in Illustration and was so aggrieved that art students had to write a dissertation, she decided to illustrate it with cartoon strips about fine art appropriation. These were later published by Private Eye and she has since gone on to become Private Eye's literary psychologist (although I'm not quite sure what that is). She says about her work: 'I do whatever pops into my head – mostly it’s been art, sex and cats'... Sounds like a winning combination to me.


What are you working on? 
I’m getting work ready for an exhibition at the bookartbookshop, on February 18, it’s a series of monoprints called ‘Postcards from the M25’. It’s thoughts I’ve had on the motorway (I can’t actually drive).

What attracted you to self-publishing?
I’ve always wanted to write a novel but am by nature lazy, so was really happy when I was shown how to make a 8 page fold book, even I can do 8 pages.

What was your proudest moment? 
After I graduated I made a book called ‘Where’s My Dictator’ to send to art directors. I got a two page review in the New Statesman by the editor David Gibbons, and Noam Cholmsky said it was ‘sadly relevant’ – I was just trying to get illustration work.

What or who has been your biggest influence?
I think walking into the bookartbookshop; for me it was like walking into my ideal living room. Both Tanya and Kelly (who run the bookartbookshop) have been enormously supportive, have never found me strange and often give me cake.

What inspires you?
Fecundity, I like people who can’t help creating, I’m not actually very concerned about quality, I like the abundant overspill of creativity.

What was the last thing you saw that made you go wow?          
‘Fela’ at the National, was extraordinary, heart racing, provoking and distressing.

What makes you happy?  
People often don’t like squirrels or pigeons but I like seeing urban animals succeed –  I like to watch them act cocky and pull girls.

What’s the best advice someone’s ever given you?
The cartoonist Martin Rowson told me ‘It’s s’posed to be fun’ so if I’m ever complaining I remember that.

What advice would you give to someone who is starting out?
Begin!

What’s next?
I’ve written a teen novel and am illustrating it at the moment.