Today we’d like to introduce you to Axelle Rose Zwartjes.
Axelle Rose, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Three years ago I moved from Belgium to LA for my job as a graphic designer at production company Caviar.
I really loved my job, and I met a lot of interesting people, but the creative part of me always felt like something was missing.
I would work on illustrations after work, but never really thought I could actually do it for a living.
But moving to LA opened my eyes and triggered me into creating more.
The constant hustle in the city, the beautiful light, the colours, and the palm trees, meeting people who are following their dreams no matter what, creativity everywhere… all those things made me realize sometimes you just have to go for it.
It took me 5630 miles of traveling to realize taking a leap of faith isn’t that crazy.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I would describe my illustrations as feminine and playful.
My work portrays quirky, fashionable and sassy women.
Growing up with two sisters, I feel like I’ve always been surrounded by a lot of women.
And it felt good, and I never felt less than a man. And it makes me sad knowing that’s not always the case.
Women are cool and beautiful creatures, and I want to celebrate that. And they tend to inspire me more than men — sorry guys 🙂
The most important thing for me is to have fun, and I want people to smile and feel happy when they see my illustrations.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
I do think so. Everything that happens in the world reaches you in no time, and you can express how you feel about it in no time too.
But I try not to let it affect my art too much, and if I do the focus is merely on the mental state of things, like dealing with anxiety and stress through funny yoga poses or taking a bath in a big ramen bowl.
In a way drawing for me is also a way to escape from it all.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can follow me on Instagram and buy my work in my webshop.
I love to do collabs with cute brands like Youths, if you by my designs on their webshop, your kids will not only look rad, but you will also support Akasa, which is a female-run organization that provides a community for low-income youth in LA.
You can also find and buy one of my designs on the webshop of Lou & Grey!
Instagram: axellerosezwartjes
Website: www.axellerosezwartjes.com
Youths: https://youth-s.com/collections/frontpage/products/grlpwr-by-axelle-rose
Contact Info:
- Address: Amsterdam
- Website: www.axellerosezwartjes.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: axellerosezwartjes
Image Credit:
Axelle Rose
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
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