Today is all about graphite drawings and animals… and ceramics, jewelry, stone masonry, teaching, free art, TV shows, celebrity chefs, leprechauns, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I’m talking to Northern Ireland based artist Lee Boyd. You can listen right under those elegant rabbits, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

Let’s start with the piece Lee made based on my photo taken in Venice this summer, because, well, I could look at images of Venice all day loooooong:

Isn’t that great!? Even better and more blush-inducing is his reason for choosing the panther:

“Curiosity satisfied” : Awhile back I spent some time searching out sources of inspiration and found the interviews of artists by The Jealous Curator. She gathered together an array of artists from around the world and asked the questions, and the answers were my company as I created my own work in the studio. Not long ago she posted a picture on Instagram of herself in Venice and I took the opportunity to create this artwork after contacting her for her permission to use it. The phrase “curiosity killed the the cat and satisfaction brought it back” was the perfect anecdote for the composition but rather than any cat, I chose a stronger feline – a black panther – hunting out her passion for art.

So, amazing! I will treasure this forever.

Next up, these images are from the first post I wrote about Lee, Easter 2015:

I may or may not be obsessed with his rabbit drawings.

Oh, and this! These are the shipment container studios he was talking about, aka Project 24. How amazing is this:

I would happily have people wander by and stare in at me … like the panther that I am!

Speaking of cats, this is the drawing that greatly disturbed a woman who had been peeking into Lee’s studio:

… and of course, Sophie herself. Look at that ninja attitude… yep, she could easily take out an aye-aye.

Ok, so from cats to a male chauvinist pig hitting on a swan at the pub:

Leave her alone… she’s clearly not interested.

So, it turns out that Lee did have another {non-nude} aye-aye in his portfolio! And, in case you aren’t familiar with the weird cuteness living in the trees of Madagascar, a real photo of an aye-aye too:

Gah! I need one!

Next, Saatchi Art invites various people to curate collections from time to time. Singer Carly Rae Jepson put a grouping together and chose one of Lee’s works. Rabbits. See I’m not the only one obsessed with them:

Excellent choice, Carly.

Ok, I love this … “SHOW ME THE MONET!”. This is the BBC show that Lee was on. The stories about this were so funny, from falling through the set door to likening the female judge to a duck. Oh, Lee…

The black rabbit, aka his self portrait, was the piece featured on the show and, no surprise, it made it into the final exhibition. I love the meaning behind those empty Ikea shelves. So smart. ps. that final photograph above is from the home of celebrity chef Peter Gordon who ended up buying that drawing! 

And finally, Lee’s new portrait series that he has just embarked on. Portraits of people, with just a hint of animal. Here he is in action:

Beautiful. That’s Lee’s partner, Andrea, and her reflection as a rabbit. Sigh. Gorgeous. Thank you so much to Lee for telling us his hilarious stories, and for giving such insightful advice; thanks to Saatchi Art for not only supporting the episode but also supporting artists far and wide; and of course, thanks to you for listening! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Saatchi Art (yay!)
2. Project 24, Ireland
3. David Kassan’s Art Crit Academy
4. Carly Rae Jepson’s picks on Saatchi Art
5. “Lee Boyd : One to Watch” on Saatchi Art
6. Peter Gordon, Chef
7. Lee on Instagram