Faery Dreaming
Chloe Tabone (she/her)
Based out of Naarm, working with an everchanging art practice, Chloe Tabone – otherwise known as @faeryhexes – speaks to Demure about turning surrealist ideas into symbolic imagery. Inspired by early 20th century psychology, Chloe uses her art as a process to explore the intricate nuances of unconscious dream state. With work featured across magazines, albums and books, as well as art currently being shown at Northcote’s Black Spark Cultural Centre, Chloe’s mark in the Naarm art scene is only getting bigger. And more ethereal.
Interviewed by Juliette Salom
Hi Chloe! Can you tell us a little bit about where you’re speaking to me from?
Hi! I’m in my bedroom at the moment, it’s my “studio”. It’s super small and always cluttered but I love it – I have lots of books, painting materials and art on all the walls.
And tell us a bit about the art you make under Faery Hexes – where did it all start from?
I think it started with my Year 12 art final which was a large-scale sculpture exploring the experience of dreaming. My work as Faery Hexes is driven by surrealism; as my art practise changes and develops, my surrealist style is the common thread underpinning my paintings. I use art as a way to release my emotions and experiences that build up as I go about my life, and I do this by creating fantastical, conceptual landscapes.
Your work plays with surrealist ideas and images, experimenting with mystical creatures and witchy motifs. Where do you get your inspiration from? Who are your favourite artists?
My paintings are informed by my interests – psychology, politics, metaphysics, mythology and art therapy.
I find that my practise is mainly centred around finding ways to translate emotional or psychological experiences into imagery and symbolism. In particular, the school of thought that emerged in the early 20thcentury that the emotions/ideas of the subconscious mind are expressed in dreams (Jung, Freud, Dali etc). I find this idea fascinating, and I love artwork that draws on strong symbolism in order to communicate meaning. I also like to read about feminine archetypes and mythology across different cultures; I’m especially interested in fairies of course! I love creating worlds for little creatures, animals and plants to live in!
I take reference photos all the time of things I think could be an interesting element in a painting, and when I’m developing an idea I go back through and see what could be of use. Naarm is a wonderful place to live because there are always different sites and events that are interesting and inspiring. My absolute favourite artist is Shaun Tan. His technical skill and imagination is so impressive and I am always floored by his illustrations, particularly the attention to detail he applies to his drawings.
The poster you made for Foley Magazine’s 10th edition is a textured dreamscape that converges all the themes of their previous editions over the years. How do you start with a project like that, and how many iterations does it go through before you reach the version that we see in Foley?
For a big piece like this I always start with a brainstorm, and honestly Pinterest is a great tool for finding inspiration and an atmosphere that I’m wanting to create. A lot of the past themes of Foley Magazine relate to one another so an idea formed quickly. I start with a few small sketches where I plot where I think each element will sit and interact with the other parts well. It really feels like putting together pieces of a puzzle. I want the work to be balanced overall and with lots to look at, but it needs to feel coherent enough that the viewer’s eye can travel across the page in a way that flows easily, if that makes any sense! I tend to pack lots of imagery into every space of the painting, and recently have been trying to make a stronger use of negative space to allow the other parts of the work to shine through. I then complete a sketch and start painting! It takes a long time though, especially because I tend to be very unorganised and do a lot of things last minute lol. Sometimes the best stuff can come out at 2am though !
You have an exhibition happening in May called Dream Funnel at the Black Spark Cultural Centre in Northcote. What was the process like of putting together a collection work to be on display?
With Black Spark it was a fairly simple process as they’re really easy to work with and willing to go with whatever the artist is hoping to put together. They’re a community centre rather than an art gallery and so the space automatically feels cosy and welcoming when you walk in, whilst still having a professional and well-established gallery space attached. I formed the idea Dream Funnel to describe the idea that my life since entering adulthood has been quite turbulent, and my art is a reflection of that. I chose works that I felt conveyed a strong message and were also visually compelling. Apart from preparing the paintings to hang, the process was pretty straightforward!
Is exhibiting your work to the public something you find daunting, or do you see it more as an opportunity to converse with the community all the things that you’re working on? How does it compare to seeing your work used or shown in other formats?
A lot of the paintings included had already been shared to Instagram but seeing art in person is always a completely different experience. Social media can be a good tool but is of course very limiting. It was so wonderful to hear people’s feedback first-hand and in person, and to see them engage with works I’ve poured so many hours into. It was definitely daunting at first especially because some of the works are quite personal, but I’m so flattered to have people genuinely support me and my art.
What’s been your favourite project or piece you’ve worked on?
I absolutely love doing album art and hope to do more of that in the future. I find the experience of translating music into something visual so satisfying, and I love working with musicians to hear their ideas and bring them to life. Most recently though my favourite project has been contributing the “Portal” book curated by artist Luna Tunes @loonatoons. He has included around 50 artists who have contributed a work each with the idea that little square holes in each page show the next artwork and leads the viewer from one artwork (a world that the artist has created) to the next through a “portal”. I was so happy to be involved, it's such a sick idea!
Thanks so much for chatting with me! Are there any notes or events or links to things you want to share with Demure readers? And where can we see more of your work!
Thanks for having me! Everything at the moment can be found on my Instagram @faeryhexes, and soon you’ll be able to buy prints through my website. You can always contact me through my DMs or email Chloet724@gmail.com