San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Five Questions
Artist Jayde Fish on her fantastical inspirations.
Tarot inspires San Francisco artist Jayde Fish, who has built her wheel of fortune on the fashion and design industries. In 2015, she created four handpainted train-case purses for “Bad Dads,” an art exhibition focused on the film director Wes Anderson at the Joseph Gross Gallery in New York. Her inspiration included Anderson films “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Darjeeling Limited.”
Mysticism and religious cultures spark her creativity. Her fairy designs were featured on Scrimshaw, a limited edition of local Pax vape, and her artwork has been published by Elle, Vanity Fair and Vogue. Facebook Messenger users might remember Banana the monkey, the digital stickers she created for Facebook, among other animated animal characters.
A Gucci enthusiast, she had her dream come true when Alessandro Michele, the Florentine maison’s creative director, contacted her in 2016 to contribute to Gucci’s spring 2017 collection and to design two large-scale murals for the recently opened Gucci Garden in Florence, Italy. Fish will take part in a group show at Antonio Colombo Gallery in Milan, this month, and show at the Moniker Art Fair in London. The Chronicle talked with Fish, who’s married to fellow artist Jeremy Fish, about her relationship with Gucci, her inspirations and creative process.
Q: How did the relationship between you and Alessandro Michele start?
A: I had been posting my illustrations to Instagram that were inspired by Alessandro’s runway looks. I hashtagged his name both to respect the source of inspiration as well as a way to communicate with him. After a while, I was contacted by Gucci telling me that they were interested in using the drawings. I wasn’t sure that they would be used until the runway show took place. It was a wonderful surprise.
Q: First your drawings were featured on clothing for Gucci’s spring 2017 runaway show, then you designed two largescale murals for the new Gucci Garden. Did Michele give you directions or were you able to create freely?
A: The drawings were based on the major arcana of the tarot. For this project, I developed the work and creative direction on my own, prior to Gucci acquiring it. The Gucci Garden murals were inspired by the story of creation, told through a Gucci lens and running continuously throughout two floors of the museum. For this project I developed the artwork specifically for the walls of the museum and had the opportunity to create freely.
Q: Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?
A: I feel a close connection with animals and nature, which is why I often include them in my work. I keep a lot of plants in my studio because I love the way they grow in unexpected colors and directions. I’m also inspired by the fashion world, the patterns and textures of fabric, architecture and travel. I’m always looking for new ways to get inspiration, and exploration — be it a new city or a fabric store — always seems to provide that for me. I also have a fascination with the mystical world, astronomy, astrology and religious culture. I feel that the tarot is a beautiful way to think inwards about who you are and where you want to be. Each character has a deep connection with nature, the universe and the spiritual world, and I feel there’s something very romantic about that.
Q: What is your artwork routine?
A: I begin my creative process with words. I write down three to five keywords that I feel best fit the message I am trying to convey. I then think of imagery that represents those words: animals, flowers, insects, structures, shapes, people, etc. It’s like a puzzle that needs to be solved. I then begin sketching ideas that incorporate all of these things. Sometimes it takes a dozen sketches or more until I finally solve the puzzle. My hands are covered in pencil lead and my studio floor is cluttered with paper when it’s all over. The sketch is really where most effort is applied. It can be incredibly rewarding to finally get a good one.
Q: Do you share ideas or do you feel, sometimes, in competition with your husband, Jeremy?
A: We do talk a lot about our projects, bounce ideas off each other, critique each other’s work, inspire one another, share tools and tricks, etc. I think we naturally do feel a bit competitive from time to time, but it’s in a healthy way. It’s a push to continue setting higher goals. I’ve always loved working in the same room or class with talented people — it sets the bar higher and everyone tries harder as a result. It’s really wonderful working together. He has taught me a lot in the process and, hopefully, I have reciprocated this as well.