MADE IN ENGLAND, Creative Series: LIAM ALVY
Defining your craft and following your creative instincts takes determination, grit and an overarching sense of resilience. But creativity flows via many streams, each needing its own careful navigation on route to a desired destination. In partnership with Dr.Marten’s the "MADE IN ENGLAND: Creative Series" is a sequence of studio visits with British creatives, all of which embody an enduring commitment to building something visceral, tactile and made to last.
For the third in the series we visit the studio & gallery of Leeds based tattooist and artist Liam Alvy /
TNO: Liam thanks for taking the time out for us to come visit your studio, for those readers who are not familiar with you and your work can you give them a bit of an introduction?
LA: When I first started painting I was taking influence from old Americana paintings, circus posters etc. It was the simple yet striking colour palette mixed with certain subjects like tigers which made me want to try paint in a similar way. I’ve been tattooing for ten years now, and it’s the same things which attract me to traditional tattooing.
As my works evolved over the years I’ve started to take inspiration from many different sources, paintings and ornaments in antique markets, such as those little porcelain dogs you always find, vases, etc. Old pub signs are also a huge inspiration to my work at the minute.
So have you always had an affinity with drawing by hand… going back to school etc?
Yeah I was always that kid not paying attention to the class, just spent the days drawing allover my notebooks.
So what were you drawing in those early days?
When I first started drawing I was obsessed with lizards and frogs, I had family in Australia which we went to visit when I was probably around 9 or 10, I remember the day we arrived my cousins had caught a blue tongue lizard to show me, that was what started it. Also, like most kids, I watched a lot of cartoons, so they definitely had a major influence in my drawing.
Can you tell us about the transition from Tattoos to larger scale works and how that happened? Was it always something you had in mind?
I’ve always painted tattoo flash for the shop walls, that aesthetic of having hundreds of designs on the walls to choose from I love. The first larger scale painting I did was of classic tattoo imagery, tiger fighting a snake, to go in the reception of a shop I used to work in. I didn’t really have a plan in mind, just went for it. I was really happy with how it turned out so I just carried on painting whenever I had spare time. When you draw and tattoo daily for a living its hard to think on your day off you’re going to sit painting all day, but I love it.
Your practice is based in Leeds, have you always been based there and what do you think the north west of England brings to you and your work?
I was born around here, came to university here, and started tattooing here. When I was 27 my wife and I decided to go on a travelling tattoo trip, we went around Europe mainly, tattooing as we went.
We decided to settle in Amsterdam after doing that for a year or so, it was a great place to live, but I did really miss England. So we decided to try out London, where we stayed for 7 years.
We have only recently since the pandemic relocated back up North. We’d been talking about it for years, it was only when I couldn’t tattoo, and had all this time to really paint all day every day that I realised this is something I really want to be doing. Leeds gives me the opportunity to do that, its a very chilled city. Theres great art and music scenes up here too, so it's great to be home.
Your work has a slight Dali'esk surrealism vibe to it in places, was the Surrealist movement something you studied or consciously channeled?
Not consciously, but I definitely know what you mean and get told that a lot. I think it just comes down to repetitive imagery in my work, there’s only so many ways to draw a tiger, yet you never want to draw the same one twice. So it's a constant evolution to try make it new every time. That was just the direction my work went.
How do you plan to balance the larger scale work with the tattoo side of your practice in the future now lock down isn’t allowing that extra head space?
Now I’m back up north I tattoo lot less, and have allowed myself to be more of a painter. I don’t live in the city centre either so far less distractions. I live by a forest now, walk my dog there every day, and then just paint. It's great.
“as an artist, I try to work from my surroundings.
to take inspiration from a diverse selection of imagery and experiences, That’s how you create something which is your own”
How does being a British Artist sit with you? Would you say you draw a lot from that identity?
Initially I didn’t, it was always American tattoos and folk art which was inspiring my work. However as my journey as an artist has progressed I try to work from my surroundings. It’s really important for me to take inspiration from a diverse selection of imagery and experiences, that’s how you create something which is your own.
What does "Made in England” mean to you…
A sign of quality, handmade with care and attention to detail.
Self reliance and resilience are key to pushing your self in the creative fields, what do you draw on most to keep pushing yourself in your work.
I take on a lot of projects, probably too many sometimes. But I feed on the energy of being busy and having a lot on. I think it’s also those projects which sometimes push my work out of my comfort zone, and point me in a new direction I wouldn’t have necessarily gone on my own.
Creating something that is made to last or endure is something many strive for in their work. How do you view that or approach it in your own practice?
I stick to painting what I like, if I finish a piece and i'm not sure about it, even if it took a month or something, I’ll white wash it at start again. I don’t like to put work out there I’m not sure or proud of.
Finally… what can we expect from you in the near future?
I’ve got another show lined up towards the end of the year. So I’ll be starting on that soon. Plus I have a few clothing collaboration projects I’m working on at the minute which should be very interesting.
Liam wears the “MADE IN ENGLAND” Vintage 1460 Ancle Boots available to purchase online at drmartens.com