This is our first ever special edition.
Thanks to all the buzz surrounding COP26, Glasgow is at the forefront of the global stage like never before. We couldn’t have asked for a more opportune moment to pay homage to our home city.
That’s why we’ve created Purist Art Gin - Glasgow Special Edition.
This was such an important batch for us to get right. We’re extremely passionate about Glasgow. Purist Gin is Glaswegian born and bred and we wanted to do our fantastic home justice.
So, we had to seek out someone perfect to entrust the label design with, and it's high time we introduce that person! The artist responsible for our marvellous new label.
Say hello to Molly.
Molly Sellers describes herself as a multimedia artist, whilst technically true, this humble definition doesn’t really epitomise her style.
Her work manages to flawlessly combine a clear inspiration with the medium it would be most suited too.
Whether it be mesmerising ocean scenes of Oman’s coastline captured with acrylic paint, or historical British architecture expressed in ridiculous detail using just pen and paper, Molly’s capabilities are vast to say the least.
Molly has been painting and drawing since her youth, but it was an Architecture degree at the University of Edinburgh that introduced her to a whole new style of detailed digital drawing.
We wanted our label to showcase some of Glasgow’s most iconic architecture (luckily we’re spoiled for choice), which suited Molly to a tee as well.
Drawing on all of her ability and knowledge from studying technical drawing during her Architecture degree, Molly set to work.
We sat down with her to discuss her process, and what makes her style so unique.
You’ve described yourself as a multimedia artist but do you have a medium or style that resonates with you the most?
‘I think I will always be a painter at heart. I’ve been painting since I was a young child and developed my style throughout school. My paintings are usually extremely expressive and very massive, quite the opposite from my digital work. Whilst I feel most comfortable with a paintbrush in my hand, my enjoyment of other mediums comes from the fact that they force me out of my comfort zone. It’s more explorative and allows me to achieve really refined detail.’
Is this type of art-style (technical drawing) something that you’ve explored extensively?
‘It definitely started with my first degree. I had always loved drawing and painting but studying architecture introduced me to a new type of detailed digital drawing which I’ve discovered I really enjoy. As I had never worked digitally before, initially a lot of time was spent developing a brand-new digital style.’
How long does a drawing like this take to create? What does your method entail?
‘It sounds very boring but my method always starts with research. Looking at the buildings I want to draw, deciding how the final drawing will fit together - mapping out the measurements etc. Afterwards, I start with the basic shape of the building and build in the details gradually. Drawing the lions outside of Glasgow City Chambers was a level of detail that was new to me!’
Many people took up creative pastimes during the pandemic, did you find the time to paint during the pandemic or was your university workload too much?
‘My artwork definitely kept me sane during the pandemic. I was studying my masters but it was all home-based, so making time to switch off and do something creative was essential. My masters wasn’t a creative degree either (more finance-based) so taking time away from work to paint or draw was a much-needed break.’
You’ve obviously sold artworks/prints before but is this the first time that your work has been featured on a physical product?
‘It is definitely a first and I couldn't be happier that my drawings are going onto a bottle that holds such a fabulous product.’
Our Art initiative is our way of supporting artists and their work, we understand that you’d like this support to be directed towards your favourite Glasgow Charity. Which charity would you like to support and why?
‘I would like to support the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity. I completely understand the value of their work and the support that they provide the families. Moreover, I experienced the care of Children’s hospitals at a young age and will always be appreciative of the work they do.
Lastly, perhaps the most important question.
Do you love a G&T as much as we do at Purist Gin?
‘Is the grass green?’
Sounds like our kind of person!
Molly still regularly does freelance art, including project and commission work. We highly recommend checking her out as she is truly one of a kind. Links to her work, website, socials and her email for commissions are all detailed below.
It’s been almost a year since we introduced our Purist Art initiative and we’ve had four fantastic artist’s work on our bottles!
We’d like to extend a huge thanks to Molly for her work on our label, we're so chuffed with it!
Get in touch with Molly here:
Instagram: @mollymakesmarks
Cheers for reading,
Stu.
If you’re an independent artist who thinks their art would look class on a gin bottle, shoot us across an email at:
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