Headlines
The Roaring Success of Violet Astor
04 June 2020
An inspiring recovery story like none other, 4walls was stunned by endangered wildlife artist Violet Astor’s work, and her unusual beginnings in the industry.
Violet has always had an affinity for wildlife and travel. After finishing her university degree, she moved to India for a couple of years and began work for a tiger reserve located in the middle of the jungle. In true Violet style, she then moved to Australia and changed careers completely, working as a social worker for eight years before coming back to London.
On her return, she was employed by Westminster City Council, which was a true shock to the system after having been exposed to such varied job roles prior. Although she enjoyed her time there, she described her transition and new job as “gruelling and intense”.
Eventually, it all became too much for Violet and she noticed that she was no longer feeling like herself, whilst struggling to recover from surgery on her broken ankle. She was forced to leave her job as her symptoms worsened, and three and a half years later she was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease, contracted from a tick bite she received in Bali.
She was left in constant pain and fatigued, forced to take refuge in her attic in North London for over two years, unable to cope with human contact outside of her own family. Within the first six months of her self-isolation, she took the advice of her family and started drawing to fill her time. Soon after this, her artistic talents became apparent, and she used them as a form of escapism during her recovery.
“Hindsight is a wonderful thing and it really did turn out to be a blessing in disguise. It was something I had no idea I was capable of, drawing was never a part of my life until I was stuck at home for so many years”, Violet tells us. Being drawn to charcoal due to it being a non-toxic material, Violet has always ensured her materials are as safe and sustainable as possible, including using paper made from recycled coffee cups.
Violet tells us: “When you are in pain and distressed, it is completely all-consuming. This was one of the only things that really took me away from how I felt - it was like magic”. Originally very secretive about her work, as she began to improve she allowed her mother and sister to see some of her pieces, but she was still reluctant to show the outside world. Unbeknown to her at the time, they were so impressed by her work that they took a few of her drawings to a local gallery, and the owner agreed to exhibit some of her work.
She has since gone on to achieve international success, working in a conservation project for tigers and leopards in Rajasthan, India. She produced, exhibited and sold a body of work, all containing tigers, and donated the proceeds of her work back into the conservation project - whilst also helping to educate the community on how to protect their local wildlife.
More recently, Violet organised an exhibition in Oman celebrating some of the unique wildlife they have there, which was opened by a member of the Omani royal family! The exhibition was a collaboration with the Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the Environment Society of Oman, and 4walls was very proud to hear that all of the artwork was framed using Larson-Juhl products.
She tells us that every piece is a new journey, as she uses different techniques each time for each subject, from depicting rhino skin to the fur of a tiger. Although she mainly focuses on wildlife, believing it speaks to people the most, she has also been known to use human subjects in her work. She looks for faces that hold a story, told in the creases and lines of her subjects. It’s the minute details that mean the most to her - which is clearly depicted within her highly detailed work.
To see more of Violet’s work visit her website, or follow her on Facebook @violet.astor.art
violetastor.com
Violet has always had an affinity for wildlife and travel. After finishing her university degree, she moved to India for a couple of years and began work for a tiger reserve located in the middle of the jungle. In true Violet style, she then moved to Australia and changed careers completely, working as a social worker for eight years before coming back to London.
On her return, she was employed by Westminster City Council, which was a true shock to the system after having been exposed to such varied job roles prior. Although she enjoyed her time there, she described her transition and new job as “gruelling and intense”.
Eventually, it all became too much for Violet and she noticed that she was no longer feeling like herself, whilst struggling to recover from surgery on her broken ankle. She was forced to leave her job as her symptoms worsened, and three and a half years later she was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease, contracted from a tick bite she received in Bali.
She was left in constant pain and fatigued, forced to take refuge in her attic in North London for over two years, unable to cope with human contact outside of her own family. Within the first six months of her self-isolation, she took the advice of her family and started drawing to fill her time. Soon after this, her artistic talents became apparent, and she used them as a form of escapism during her recovery.
“Hindsight is a wonderful thing and it really did turn out to be a blessing in disguise. It was something I had no idea I was capable of, drawing was never a part of my life until I was stuck at home for so many years”, Violet tells us. Being drawn to charcoal due to it being a non-toxic material, Violet has always ensured her materials are as safe and sustainable as possible, including using paper made from recycled coffee cups.
Violet tells us: “When you are in pain and distressed, it is completely all-consuming. This was one of the only things that really took me away from how I felt - it was like magic”. Originally very secretive about her work, as she began to improve she allowed her mother and sister to see some of her pieces, but she was still reluctant to show the outside world. Unbeknown to her at the time, they were so impressed by her work that they took a few of her drawings to a local gallery, and the owner agreed to exhibit some of her work.
She has since gone on to achieve international success, working in a conservation project for tigers and leopards in Rajasthan, India. She produced, exhibited and sold a body of work, all containing tigers, and donated the proceeds of her work back into the conservation project - whilst also helping to educate the community on how to protect their local wildlife.
More recently, Violet organised an exhibition in Oman celebrating some of the unique wildlife they have there, which was opened by a member of the Omani royal family! The exhibition was a collaboration with the Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the Environment Society of Oman, and 4walls was very proud to hear that all of the artwork was framed using Larson-Juhl products.
She tells us that every piece is a new journey, as she uses different techniques each time for each subject, from depicting rhino skin to the fur of a tiger. Although she mainly focuses on wildlife, believing it speaks to people the most, she has also been known to use human subjects in her work. She looks for faces that hold a story, told in the creases and lines of her subjects. It’s the minute details that mean the most to her - which is clearly depicted within her highly detailed work.
To see more of Violet’s work visit her website, or follow her on Facebook @violet.astor.art
violetastor.com
