A treasure trove of eccentricity, with an abundance of high drama, Artwork by Blondie (aka Charlotte Smith) is a London-based Multimedia Artist specialising in album cover art, event flyer design and branding.
Charlotte’s art is heavily influenced by her travels to her intensely surreal dreams and a deep interest in science fiction, cosmology and fantasy. Her love for nature also has a very prominent presence in her work, which she continues to explore and grasp inspiration from on a daily basis. Over the years, Charlotte has also formed a deep connection to music over the years, from her days living in Brighton and London to working in the music industry, which has allowed her to explore when producing her surreal worlds.
Creating these worlds has allowed Charlotte to transport into new dimensions, relieving her from the negative side effects of reality. “I like to create places I can escape in. I want to tell stories and allow my viewers to question the scene, getting slightly lost at the same time. A lot of time, thought and soul goes into my creations.”
After building connections within the fashion and music industry, some of Charlotte’s well-know works are her collaborations with influential musical artists such as Don Broco, Gabrielle Aplin, and Gentleman’s Dub Club (just to name a few), creating album artwork. Additional projects include re-brand ing The Blues Kitchen, producing all creative marketing material for LGBTQ+ event company, Little Gay Brother (whom she has collaborated with since 2017). Charlotte also was the Head Designer for London nightclubs XOYO and Phonox for two years, where she worked closely with prestigious names such as Calibre, Lenzman, Fabio & Grooverider and many more. One of her proudest projects to date has been creating Pleasurehood (XOYO’s weekly Saturday night) which plays on the themes of hedonism and escapism.
In the summer of 2020 (during the heat of the global pandemic), Charlotte launched her first saleable print collection under the name Artwork by Blondie. The ethos of Artwork by Blondie is and always has been quality over quantity. Everything is created with an air of mindfulness and is carefully considered through trial and error. This is the aim of working parallel to trends in order to maintain a timelessness that results in longevity and therefore a reduction on waste.
Charlotte’s first collection ‘A Holiday in Paradise’ was ignited by the initial idea of juxtaposing holiday scenes. She wanted to replace plush pools for oil spill, have sunbathers basking in lightning flashes with monsters overlooking from the distance, ready to attack. However, the collection took a turn when Charlotte chose to turn her prints into places of sanctuary and peace. She started to want to create dreamy, protected words she could escape in. “I felt as thought the monstrous creatures had invaded the real world and I needed to find other places to hide in until it was all over.”
