Jo Strangford: rediscovering art through nature

Jo Pearson (otherwise known as Jo Strangford) is an artist who grew up in Croydon, South London. Her artwork focusses on humorous puns with animals (check out her "Flex A-Peel" piece). She works with lino and wood carvings, and she also turns her original relief prints into risograph prints. For this merch drop, she had not 1 but 2 collab partners, Alfa (8) and Yaoma (9) from Lombok. Together, they created a fun and playful illustration, which was all about the love of animals.

Cultivating a love of art

Jo shares that she has loved making art for as long as she can remember. “I didn’t really play with toys as a kid, but I was always busy making something.” With this confession, it might be hard to believe that she also claims she wasn’t very good at art in school. But her creativity was evident even then. 

Jo shares: “I liked plasticine and modelling clay best. I wanted to be a stop motion animator for a big chunk of my childhood but growing up in the 80s and 90s, the technology to experiment with it just wasn’t available.”

Nowadays, Jo lives in County Down in Northern Ireland, "specifically on the scenic Ards Peninsula next to Strangford Lough, which is a huge source of inspiration for my art. The big skies here are perfect for creativity and letting the mind wander.” Strangford Lough is no doubt the inspiration to her artist name as well.

Studying Ecology and engaging in environmental activism

Even though she’s loved art and creativity since she was a child, Jo went on to study ecology. She describes herself as a “huge nerd” when explaining why she chose this path.

“Ecology was great because so much time was spent studying outside. During one trip to Austria, we spent 2 weeks learning how to identify alpine plant and animal species and understanding how they interacted. I even discovered a new snail species in Malawi!”

While Jo never wanted to work an office job, she graduated during the economic crash in the late 2000s, when there were no ecology jobs available. “I ended up in an office job anyway, and then on to teaching science in high school after that.”

But she stayed true to her ecology background, even when working as a teacher. She explains: “I’ve always been very tuned into climate change and the potential effects it could have. In the mid 2010s the climate protest movement seemed to be gaining enough momentum that there was a chance to effect some actual change at the highest level."

Jo couldn’t risk getting arrested during a protest due to her teaching job, but she still found a way to help the cause. She helped local Extinction Rebellion groups by creating digital designs for their social media and in doing so, she ended up combining 2 core parts of herself: her creativity and her love of the environment.

Blossoming into an artist

Working with art groups on Extinction Rebellion designs opened Jo’s eyes to printmaking. She goes on: “Unlike most people, I had no memory of doing lino printing at school so the whole process instantly captivated me.” 

Jo further explains: “I love the tactile nature of carving lino and wood. It’s very hands-on and almost meditative. The texture and imperfections give the prints so much unpredictable character. I’ve become much more accepting of the unexpectedness of printing. I used to strive for the perfect, clean print. Now I’m almost the opposite! A lot of the original relief prints get turned into risograph prints once the edition has sold out. Riso seems to be the perfect medium for reproducing my work. The colours are amazing, and the prints still have this amazing character and texture.”

And so, this experience was the seed that she would eventually grow into a career as an artist. 

From activist work to punny animals

If you look at Jo’s current works, you’ll immediately recognise the funny animal puns all her pieces have. But her art didn’t start off like that. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that Jo’s art took on her now-signature humorous tone. 

“I felt the need to create work that was light-hearted and uplifting, something that could make people smile. I found myself drawn to playful ideas, particularly involving animals, and used humour as a way to counterbalance the heaviness of the world at the time. The first creature to emerge during this time was the “Long Otter” which seemed to strike a chord with people."

And strike a chord, it did! Her work took off and now she has dozens of punny artworks on her website and social media. Focusing on animals in her art was a no brainer, given her passion for the environment, and she adds: “I think animals naturally have such expressive personalities. I get inspiration from silly videos, pictures on the internet, or other people’s pets.”

After pondering on which her favourite artwork is so far, Jo fondly responds: “The print called “Pigeon Fancier”, because it reminds me of my sister. She used to do the most hilarious pigeon impression when we were younger.”

Collabing with nature lovers in Indonesia

Jo admits that, while she has worked with other printmakers before, this project was her first time collabing with children. And it’s clear that the excitement about this collab wasn’t just from our side. Jo exclaims: “I was thrilled! The idea of combining children’s drawings with my style felt like such a fun and unusual challenge.”

She admits that she didn't know what to expect of this experience, but whatever it was, she was sure it would be a fun and playful process. 

For this illustration, we gave Jo an extra bit of challenge: combining not 1 but 2 children’s drawings into a final piece. That’s right! For this merch drop, she worked with both Alfa and Yaoma. This is how she explains her creative process:

“I started by carefully studying their drawings to understand their own inspiration, personalities, and ideas. I then looked for ways to bring them together in a cohesive composition, while still keeping the charm of their original work.”

Jo further explains that she focused on maintaining the shapes of the drawings, while infusing the illustration with her signature textures and details. The most important thing for her was to balance their creativity with her own style. 

Feeling at home in nature

From their drawings, it seems that Alfa and Yaoma have something in common with Jo: they also have an affinity to animals. When given the theme of ‘Makes you feel like home’, Alfa drew himself on a walk on the beach with a horse and Yaoma drew her 3 cats. 

When discussing the inspiration for these drawings, Jo says: “Alfa’s drawing reflects the peace and freedom of being outdoors, which is something many people associate with home. I know I can relate to that strongly. Yaoma’s cats represent companionship and comfort, which are also essential aspects of feeling at home.”

One thing is for sure, we have connected 3 kindred spirits through their love of nature and art! 

And what makes Jo feel at home? “For me, it’s being with my family, my dogs, and my creative tools. My studio space, though it’s taken over my home, is definitely my happy place, even if it’s always in need of tidying.”

After such a fun experience, Jo can’t help but reflect on the things she has learned from this collab. “I learned how much joy and imagination children bring to art. Their ideas are so fresh and uninhibited. I’d absolutely love to work with children again in the future. It’s been an inspiring experience.”

And what better way to finish this illuminating interview than with a final message to our animal lovers in Indonesia? Alfa and Yaoma, this is for you:

“Thank you for sharing your creativity with me! It’s been an absolute pleasure to collab with you both. Keep creating, because your ideas are truly special!”