Kirsty Greenwood is a freelance illustrator from North Yorkshire who is captivated by pareidolia (the ability to see faces and objects in patterns or random marks). Her work is featured in many publications of short story literature, poetry and literary reviews and has been exhibited in galleries internationally, with ger illustrations earning her two Best Of The Net nominations for 2024 and 2025.

'Metamorphosis', the fabric pattern Kirsty designed for and in collaboration with The Monkey Puzzle Tree - art fabrics and wallcoverings, won 'Best in British Product Design' at the Hotel Designs Brit List Awards 2021.

We had the chance to chat to Kirsty about the catalyst for her creativity, how traditional artistic methods help her to reconnect with herself and which folktales are her favourite and inspire her the most.

Northern Folklore Archive:Have you always been creatively inclined, or was there a certain catalyst in your life for this creativity?

Kirsty:I have always been creatively inclined. As a child I was obsessed with drawing, and remember being taught to draw by my dad, who is an amazing artist.

I always knew I would study art and went to art college in 1995 to1999 where I gained a GNVQ in art and design and an HNC in fine art. There I experimented with techniques that led me to a style of my own, mixing images together (photography and drawing) to create new work which I further drew or painted over. That now heavily influences my work, but I don’t tend to use photography as part of the process anymore.

Do you find that using traditional analogue techniques such as drawing, inking, and painting helps you to reconnect with yourself, especially in such a hectic digital world?

Yes, I believe so.

The act of using my hands to create art, unlocks parts of my subconscious in a way the use of digital mediums doesn’t, or can’t. I create marbled papers to work onto, and these inspire my unconscious mind using the phenomenon of pareidolia.

I have an idea of what I want the work to contain and a basic feel for the final image, but let my subconscious find motifs, themes, characters and shapes within the marbling. These I then pick out using pencil, inks and paints, making the image more solid and obvious rather than the swirling patterns within the marbling.

Your work is absolutely beautiful; do you find inspiration from within (your own experiences) or are you more inspired by other people's stories and experiences?

Thank you! That’s a wonderful compliment coming from someone like you. I am more inspired by other people’s stories.

Most of my work is made for or created as commissions for clients (mostly publishers) for use as cover artwork or alongside short stories and poetry. My work fits best with literature featuring elements of the fantastic or eerie. My work is quite detailed as I like my illustrations to encompass aspects of imagery that people might otherwise miss in the narratives they accompany.

Which folklore tales, myths or legends that have inspired your works are your favourites?

The world of myth, legend and folklore is so vast I find inspiration in many. My favourite ones contain metamorphoses, such as that of Sedna, the Innuit Goddess of the sea.

I particularly love those of otherworldly spirits, faeries and monsters - with an element of danger. Those like Changelings or the Kelpie from Celtic folklore; Kitsune from Japan; Minotaur, the birth of Dionysus, and Persephonie’s adventures underground from Greek myths; the magical elements and witchery of the legends of King Arthur, Merlin and Morgana le Fay.

I also love the customs, rituals and practices associated with folklore - like being sure not to eat or drink fairy foods, asking permission from the witch spirit of elder trees before cutting branches, iron to ward off evil, nazar amulets, talismans superstitions and herblore all hold a fascination for me.

Lastly (and I'm asking this to everyone) one of the Northern Folklore Duo is a huge film fan, so this question is purely for him... what is your favourite film?!

Brilliant! Well, sticking to the folklore/fairytale theme, I have to say I have watched The Labyrinth more times than any other film. It’s full of references to fairy tales, folklore, magic and literature, - as a kid it was my absolute favourite - with The Lost Boys a very close second.

I’m really into Jim Jarmusch films, his Only Lovers Left alive is a favourite of mine. Yorgos Lanthimos films are fantastic too - I particularly enjoyed Poor Things - I like my films weird!

Kirsty’s work is beautiful, and we loved chatting to her. If you’d like to keep up to date with Kirsty, her links are here:

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www.kirstygreenwoodillustration.com

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Kirstyillustration

www.redbubble.com/people/KGillustration/shop

www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-greenwood-illustration

www.instagram.com/kirsty_greenwoodillustration

www.facebook.com/KirstyGreenwoodIllustration

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