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A Weft muse since pouring our morning coffee years ago, we sat down with artist Belle Orton as she shares with us what she's currently reading, what inspires her and her approach to dressing ~ wearing our Valentina Wool Mini Skirt.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I struggle to describe myself though I spend a lot of time by myself but I'm a painter that lives in Lismore, NSW and grew up in Albury. I'm fairly introverted and spend a lot of time with my two cats, I spend most of my free time during the day painting and free nights with close friends drinking wine and eating.
When is your favourite time of day and why?
First thing in the morning is my favourite and I find if I sleep past early morning I spend the day feeling as though I missed out a little, there's something so special about the potential and emptiness of the day ahead, especially one with no real plans. I find that it's a really special time for letting my mind wander.
What does a typical day look like for you?
The days I'm off from work I usually get up and make a coffee, feed my two cats, then I make a little mental plan for how I'd like the day to be spent, which is normally painting in my downstairs studio for hours and listening to a book. Usually I'll put off most of my adult responsibilities for as long as possible and enjoy the bubble of working on my paintings. In the evenings I'll often spend time with friends or my partner. I'm a fairly slow mover so when the day is mine you will rarely catch me with a full schedule of any kind.
What sparks inspiration for you?
A lot of different things can/do and I find it quite hard to pin down the exact sources though seeing new places along with books and the people I love are a common one for me. My aim with my painting is to represent and discuss some of the subtleties human interaction, so the way people make me feel and how I make them feel inspires my thoughts a lot more than I probably realise in the moment.
As an artist, can you describe your approach to dressing?
I really appreciate simplicity when dressing, I pretty much exclusively wear black and white which seems to have been my approach for the good part of a decade now. I like long lines and strong silhouettes. It's also very dependent on my mood, I dress in a lot of mens wear which can feel empowering one day and the next a micro skirt will. I love when I've managed to identify an outfit that represents the atmosphere of my head that day.
What are you currently watching, reading or listening to?
I'm not watching anything that I'm that interested in at the moment but I'm reading Strong in the Rain: Selected poems by Kenji Miyazawa and The Greek Myths. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and just finished The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai which was so good.
Favourite drink?
Probably coffee, water and wine are pretty up there too.
You can see Belle's beautiful work here - https://www.instagram.com/belleorton/
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