Interview: Shira Bentley

(February 2022)

In my personal practice I always seem to draw the most inspiration from the oddities of human social behaviour. Why we do what we do, where and how we connect and what separates us fascinates me. I began my career as a print artist, and while I still make time for personal projects, most of my practice these days is collaborative and illustrative. Visual storytelling has always excited me, and illustration projects create a beautiful space to transform ideas into engaging visual stories where I can inject colour, humour and snippets of daily life.

I recently worked on a tarot card project which was really fun. My client wanted to create something that retained the framework of traditional tarot through symbolism, but with a modern interpretation that allowed for a more inclusive illustrative style. There were 78 cards in total, and seeing it all come together as a whole, and how happy my client was with the result made this project one of my favourites so far.

I work predominantly in Adobe Illustrator with a Wacom drawing tablet. This combination is my favourite way to work. Coming from a traditional printmaking and painting background, it was a big adjustment at first, but the flexibility and versatility of the set up makes it such a joy to create with.
This year I’d love to learn to play the piano. I feel like it’s time for a new creative outlet. At times the visual arts can feel a little too close to work for me, so I find it hard to make room for playful creating that’s free of judgement. It’s also nice to feel like a beginner again.

If you could have a magical power, what would it be?
Time travel. I’m far too curious to choose anything else.