The simplicity, the apparent spontaneity, and the softness of Jack Taylor Lovatt @jacktaylorlovatt ‘s lines bring us closer to that world he fantasizes about, which attracted him from a young age as a means to escape reality and which he translates to us today. We had the pleasure of chatting with Lovatt about his personal story with art, how he began to approach a more sexual side of his drawings, the importance of the LGBTQ+ community, and his future projects.
Adrian Gomis: Your work really fascinates me, with the simple aesthetics of your lines. I would like to start by knowing you better. Could you tell me your personal story and how did your relationship with art, specifically with drawing, begin?
Jack Taylor Lovatt: I remember drawing from a very young age. As a kid, I would draw. I used to draw to escape reality and create a world I fantasized about. It was cheap and it didn’t cost anything really. I became who I am today when I moved to London when I was twenty years old and people I met connected with what it is I had to say, a response I never really had before, so I pursued it further to where I am now.
AG: What surprises me the most is that your drawings feel sometimes abstract due to their simplicity and the continuity of the lines. You have to pay attention to what you are seeing in order to identify the shapes. How did you find your personal style? What do people think about it?
JTL: I really like that you see that within the drawings. For me, I tend to overthink so I like to create work quite spontaneously. Drawing is a way of communication for me, so it really has to be honest. There are certain projects and pieces that of course take longer and I have to devote more time to them, but with the illustrations I always wanted them to be natural as if it was spoken word.
AG: Which steps do you follow to create a new drawing? Which is your creative process and how long does it take you more or less?
JTL: I draw what I’m trying to communicate at that moment and sometimes simply to create a world that doesn’t really exist for myself.
AG: Your drawings usually talk about the queer community with a sensual approach. What inspires you and your art? How relevant is the LGBTQ+ community in your art?
JTL: Being gay myself in the LGBTQ+ community is the art. The work I create is just an extension of myself.
AG: When and how did you start approaching the sexual side of your drawing? How did it make you feel?
JTL: I remember making sex books with crazy illustrations at primary school with a girlfriend but that was just a bit of fun, that’s my first memory. However, I started drawing with a sexual approach when I began to come to terms with my own sexuality, it was a way of communication for me.
AG: Which is the message you want to transmit through your art?
JTL: Everything is going to be ok.
AG: Could you tell us a little bit more about what the LGBTQ+ community means for you, how do you fight for the rights of this community, and any further detail?
JTL: It means everything and I try and help out as much as I can whenever possible. Young people still face crazy amounts of homophobia, lesbophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. We’ve still got a long way to go even though at times it seems we haven’t. When I collaborated with Ludovic de Saint Sernin for pride it was amazing as the profits from that collaboration went to certain small LGTBQ+ charities in the North of England, which is where I’m from.
AG: As you mentioned, you collaborated with the French fashion designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin to create the worldwide famous Don’t Ruin My Fantasy t-shirt and some pants as well. How did this collaboration come up? What was it like for you?
JTL: It was great. They really gave me full creative freedom and trusted what I wanted to say with the collaboration. I think he’s a great designer who uses his platform to push the conversation on sexuality and the LGTBQ+ community, which is so important. The collaboration came around very naturally. We had many friends in common and his boyfriend commissioned a piece from me for his birthday.
AG: Talking about fashion designers, you already have experience with textiles. Would you like to explore other mediums to express your art? If so, which ones are your favorites and what would you create?
JTL: Yes yes! I’m working with so many different mediums at the moment for a new project, watch this space.
AG: To conclude, what do 2022 and the near future hold for you? What will we see from you?
JTL: I’m working on something really different at the moment referring to your previous question. I’ve been working on it for over a year. I’m super excited to put it out into the world. I don’t want to give much away but it’s an extension of the drawings. I’m just taking it to another level!
Exclusive interview for Vanity Teen online in conversation with Adrian Gomis @adriange_