Personal best – Quentin Jones
Welcome to another showcase of the new series where we ask Breed artists to select a piece or project of their own that holds a special meaning for them. It may not necessarily be the most successful or even their favourite, simply one that stands out for them as important in some way. We’re intrigued to see the choices made and the stories they may lead to.
This time we’re asking artist, photographer, illustrator and director Quentin Jones. Born in Toronto and raised in New York, Quentin studied Philosophy at Cambridge and Illustration at Central St Martins. She started modelling, appearing in Vogue and i-D among others, before switching sides of the lens as well as using her illustrative and art skills. She’s worked with Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Jimmy Choo to name a very few, and has directed Rita Ora in a video for adidas. Let’s see what she decides is a key piece for her.
What piece have you chosen?
I have chosen Languid Parts, which is one of the tapestries I have made for the launch of my brand House of Quentin Jones.
Why is it special to you?
Because it’s part of this thing that feels like a huge new chapter for me. Something that I care a lot about, and hope will shift how I work in years to come, and open up many new creative avenues for me. This specific piece was the first piece I designed for the collection and the hardest piece to get right. I came to realise how specific and fragile the palette for this piece was. If the blue went a fraction in the wrong direction, or the ochre wasn’t perfect it looked terrible. And because the piece has this very montaged collaged feel, with many of the symbols from my previous work in it, it felt like one that would be important to get right. And I think just having that feeling made it feel difficult. But then it is the piece that in the end I have chosen to hang on my living room wall. It is so calming, and just the right amount of strangeness in its surreal nature.
What’s the story behind it?
I wanted to create a piece that was felt like a person lying down, but also like a collection of abstract shapes. I started by cutting out pieces of painted paper, and painting with thin lines to connect them. It went through so many iterations, but the round empty head and the organ-like boob were there from the start.
How did you come to create this piece?
Once the designs were ready, I went to Jaipur to collaborate with an incredible team of embroiderers, choosing colours from an archive of antique saris to bring the work to life.
