Isolation 2020 Project featuring Violet Astor

For as long as Violet Astor can remember, animals have been her passion and she has travelled all over the world in the pursuit of seeing them in their natural habitats. Though it was some time before she immersed herself in the world of art. Violet’s working life started in the role of a Social Worker for Westminster County Council, with some time spent in Australia on the job. Whilst on one of her travels she was bitten by a tick and, unfortunately, contracted Lyme Disease. This disease severely affected Violet with symptoms that can be compared with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and resulted in Violet being housebound for four years!  During this time people suggested that she tried drawing by way of therapy and possible healing.  Violet took this advice, purely for her own pleasure and to give herself peace of mind, on the occasions when she could muster the energy.  

With no pressure on what she was creating, Violet experimented with different mediums and ended up falling in love with the versatility of charcoal.  Unsurprisingly, wildlife conservation and endangered species were her choice of subject. Violet managed to get some great treatment in Belgium and whilst not cured she started to enjoy much improved health.

Violet experimented with different mediums and ended up falling in love with the versatility of charcoal…

In the meantime, her Mum and Sister sneaked some of her artwork off to “Animal Art Fair” @animal_art_fair wherein lies the beginning of her art career and, importantly, the sharing of her incredible gift and talent. The Animal Art Fair responded asking her to put together an exhibition. Violet tells me that fortunately, whilst house bound, she had completed enough pieces for an exhibition.

Violet creates the most beautiful large and detailed charcoal drawings of endangered species, sometimes combined with natural materials found in the environment of her animal subjects. She believes her art has a profound influence on people and can greatly contribute towards raising awareness for conservation projects all over the world.  Violet has already achieved remarkable things working closely with the Environment Society of Oman and also with Thailand’s largest non-profit organisation, the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, set up in the name of a much loved government official, conservationist and environmental activist who, sadly, committed suicide to signify the importance of the environment and the need to preserve it.

Violet creates the most beautiful large and detailed charcoal drawings of endangered species…

Violet’s aim is to raise money through her art and other’s art to fund a generation of Thai students through masters programmes to become specialists in endangered Thai species. Not only does Violet create much of the artwork herself to be auctioned, she does a lot of the event organisation work herself too.  Visitors to these events include Thai dignitaries and members of the country’s royal family as well.

“Slowing Down”

Taking stock of the things that are important to her, family, loved ones, nature and the environment…

“Slowing Down” is the way in which Violet has decided to sum up her time in isolation. Taking stock of the things that are important to her, her family and loved ones. Allowing herself to reconnect with nature and the environment and enjoying the break the environment is getting from human toxicity. Violet is also allowing herself to slow down and invite her creative juices to flow without the pressures of time constraints.

Soft texture, rich detail and dramatic monochrome give Violet’s pieces a timeless and sentimental feel.

I don’t think I quite have the words to express just how AMAZING Violet’s art really is. Her attention to detail makes you feel as if the subject could just walk right off the paper.  Soft texture, rich detail and dramatic monochrome give her pieces a timeless and sentimental feel. Her work really does speak to you and invoke the importance of our environment and the beautiful creatures it is home to. Violet also uses recycled paper, makes her own charcoal and uses old techniques with egg yolks and soil. Violet has also worked with tribes, learning their ways to make colours using their natural environment.

Violet is herself beautiful inside and out and tells me that she has a huge appreciation of our key workers and believes, like many of us, that their pay should reflect what they do. Violet told me how grateful she is to her Mum for keeping her company during lockdown. She has also enjoyed the opportunity to connect even more with her lovely neighbours and says “Zoom is great too!”

It took a little convincing to get Violet to be a part of my Isolation 2020 Project but I am really glad that she agreed.  Her work is so incredibly beautiful and is immensely important because it has achieved her aim of raising awareness along with vital funds. Quite frankly, had her Mum and Sister not submitted her art to the “Animal Art Fair”, her artistic gift may well have stayed hidden from the world, which would have been criminal!

I really enjoyed talking to Violet, she is a truly humble, inspirational and kind-hearted woman. I will certainly be supporting Violet and her work for ever more, she really is an incredible talent.

I caught up with Violet recently, during our third lockdown, and asked her a few more questions.

What have you been up to since we last talked?

I spent two months in France between the first and second lockdown. I gathered artistic inspiration to play with ideas, styles and materials. I tried to move as far outside of my comfort zone as possible and experimented with sculpting, forging and plastering.  This type of creative break feels like an essential part of the creative process where I learn to stretch myself and grow.  The highlight was visiting the palaeolithic cave paintings around the Dordogne and learning about their processes using natural materials to create their masterpieces. Having come back shortly before the second lockdown, I have since been working on an exciting collaboration with the African Wildlife Foundation, where we have already raised a significant amount of funds to support African elephants in the wild.

Now in our 3rd official lockdown, can you tell me how this one compares with the first for you?

This 3rd lockdown has, in some ways, been harder and, in other ways, much easier.  The routine has become familiar and slowing down much more a part of life.  However, I do feel that the lack of social interaction has affected my mental health, confidence and sense of joy.  I am looking forward to slowly unfurling from the hibernation and taking some of the positives of lockdown life with me.

What do you believe your experience of 2020 has taught you?

I have learnt that contact (in whatever form) with family and friends is so important for a sense of security and happiness.  As well as staying close, slowing down, nurturing myself and being mindful about not over exhausting the planet.  Mostly, being resourceful with what I have at my disposal.

Moving forward, is there anything you will approach differently, having experienced all that we have during this pandemic?

If I could do this last year differently, I would definitely have been easier on myself and others.  I feel that Covid has triggered many of our anxieties.  There has been so much pressure on some to just survive and others, who have been luckier, to have achieved something great.  We have been given the gift of having to slow down and, for many, jumping off the treadmill has been confronting and challenging.  So, I would definitely have taken into consideration the fact that everyone deals with things differently and allowed kindness to be the prevailing response. 

Many have found this time incredibly tough for so many reasons.  What would you say has been the hardest part of it for you to deal with?

The hardest part for me has been the isolation which has affected my confidence.  But I also see this as a positive as I have learnt to find adventure in the small things, possibly the more meaningful aspects of life.  I have really questioned what I do personally and professionally and why I do these things.  I have, at times, been forced to evolve, for the better (I hope!).

I hope that you and your loved ones have fared well during this difficult time.  Is there anything positive from this Covid experience that you will be able to reflect upon for the rest of your life?

Covid had been an horrific time for so may people around the world.  I also think it has shown us how global and connected we have become.  Humans are one species and though remarkably similar, each individual deserves the same respect as another.  I think we have learnt so much about our impact on the planet and learnt to take joy and comfort from what is most important.   On a personal level, I certainly won’t take family and friends for granted.  I will continue to take responsibility for what I use in my every day life, making sure that it does not have a negative impact on the natural world.

“being resourceful with what I have at my disposal”… Violet is most definitely resourceful, especially, when it comes to her art, often collecting pigments from the environment of her subjects, “there is always a thrill as well as a deep sense of connection to the natural world around me”. In this case of the soil collected for this Arabian Leopard artwork.

To appreciate more of Violet’s art you can visit her instagram page @violet.astor or her web site www.violetastor.com

Interview and FaceTime photography by Dawn Collins