Artist of the Month: Shama Johns

We’re so excited to feature Shama Johns as our Artist of the Month! Shama’s work is full of colour, character and joyful little moments, often inspired by food, travel, people and the stories that happen around a table.

From childhood memories of creating miniature worlds to seeing her artwork displayed across London for British Airways, Shama’s journey as an artist has been full of exciting moments. We caught up with her to find out more about her inspirations, creative process and what she’s working on next...

Where have you found inspiration lately?

My inspiration has always come from real life. A lot of my work centres around food, dining and the moments that happen around a table, so I’m constantly picking things up from places I visit. It could be the colours I notice during a meal, the food itself, the people around the table, or simply the atmosphere of a restaurant.

A lot of my paintings are also inspired by memories - holidays in Cyprus with friends, trips to Paris with my parents, or watching waiters and restaurant staff going about their day in Italy. I love taking those little everyday moments and turning them into something worth remembering.

Lately, I’ve been making a conscious effort to get outside and find inspiration in what’s actually around me. I might notice the way colours sit together at a market, or even something as simple as the green of the trees against a blue sky. I’m trying to look more closely at real life and let those colours, places and moments naturally find their way into my work.

Is there a piece of art or a project that you are particularly excited about right now?

At the moment, I’m working on a series that focuses more on the characters around the table. Rather than the food being the main subject, I’m having fun telling little stories through the people and animals gathered around it and imagining the relationships and personalities within each scene.

I’d love to keep developing that idea and eventually explore different countries and cultures through these table scenes too - looking at how people gather, eat and spend time together in different parts of the world.

I also have a much smaller and more personal project that I’m really enjoying. My sister is having a baby, so I’m going to be an auntie soon! I’ve become slightly obsessed with drawing sweet little animals and illustrations that I can turn into prints for the baby’s nursery. It’s quite different from my usual work, but I’m having so much fun with it.

What kinds of tools or references do you like to use when creating artwork?

I definitely use photography as a reference. I’m always taking photos and capturing little moments wherever I go, and I’ve actually been like that since I was young. I’ll often use those photographs as a starting point for a still life or a scene, but I never want to simply copy an image. It’s always my own interpretation - changing colours, details or elements to create the feeling I want the painting to have.

In terms of materials, I work across oil paint, acrylic and watercolour. I love being able to move between them depending on the piece and the feeling I’m trying to create.

What artists or artworks (from your life or art history) do you admire or consider influential to your work & why?

Quentin Blake is definitely an influence, particularly on my illustration style. People have compared my work to his before, and I think that connection probably started without me even realising it. I grew up reading Roald Dahl and was constantly doodling as a child, so that loose, playful and slightly imperfect way of drawing was something I was surrounded by from a young age. Now that I’m older, I can really see the influence, and I love the childlike sense of play and personality in his work.

I also really love Matisse, particularly his use of colour. Colour is such an important part of my own work, and I’m naturally drawn to bold, bright and sometimes unexpected combinations. I love the way his work shows that colour doesn’t necessarily have to be completely realistic - it can be used to create a feeling or atmosphere instead.

What advice do you have for other new or aspiring artists?

I think my biggest piece of advice would be to just be yourself and stay authentic to what you actually want to create. So much of being an artist now involves social media, and I think it can be really easy to fall into comparing yourself to other artists, following trends or feeling like you need to create what everyone else is creating.

But I think there’s a real art in being authentic. Over time, people start to recognise your work as yours, and I think that’s so much more valuable than constantly trying to follow what’s popular.

I’d also say go at your own pace. Going viral doesn’t necessarily equate to lots of sales or a successful career, and you don’t have to have everything figured out straight away. So much of being an artist is learning through experience, experimenting and working out what feels right for you as you go.

I think that’s part of the joy of it! You don’t always need to know the answers - let the experience be exciting, find the meaning behind what you create and make work that genuinely feels like you.

Professionally, what has been your biggest achievement so far?

Definitely being commissioned by British Airways last summer!!!! It was one of those opportunities I could never ever have dreamed of when I first started painting.

I created artwork for their British Airways Holidays campaign and ended up seeing my work on around 40 billboards across London, on the Tube and at Gatwick Airport. I actually cried when I found out!

The whole experience was amazing, from creating the artwork to working with such a brilliant team and then actually seeing something I had painted displayed at that scale. It was a real pinch-me moment and definitely one of the biggest highlights of my career so far.

7. What is your first memory of creating art?

This is actually such a random little memory, but one that I always come back to. I think I was in Year One and we had a lesson where we were given a shoebox and had to turn it into a little miniature home.

I remember getting completely carried away with it and being so excited by all the tiny details I could create. I got really lovely feedback on it, but what I remember much more than that is how creating it made me feel.

There was something about starting with this ordinary shoebox and turning it into this little world I’d imagined that just felt amazing. I still feel nostalgic when I think about it because, looking back, I think it was one of the first times I realised how at home I feel when I’m making something.

Even now, that feeling hasn’t really changed. Creating things makes my brain and soul so happy!

How do you spend your time when you’re not creating artwork?

When I’m not creating, I’m a very social person. I love being around people - going out for dinner or drinks, spending time with friends and family, cooking, hosting and playing card games or board games. I think that naturally feeds into my work too. So much of what I paint is about people coming together, sharing food and that feeling of community.

I think the bright colours and energy in my work probably reflect my personality as well. I love being outdoors - camping, road trips and spending more time in nature and that hugely gives me a break from the city, lets me recharge and think of new ideas. 

Ultimately, whether I’m painting or not, I think I’m happiest when I’m around people I love, sharing food and doing things together.

What work do you most enjoy doing?

Painting will probably always be my favourite. I love working with paint and creating an entire scene from nothing. There’s something really satisfying about starting with a completely blank canvas and gradually watching this whole world, with its colours, characters and atmosphere, appear in front of you.

I really enjoy working on commissions too. There’s something so rewarding about creating a piece that has a personal meaning for somebody and knowing that it’s going to live in their home.

More recently, I’ve also started live illustrating, which I absolutely love. It’s quite different from spending hours painting alone in the studio because I get to be around people, chat to them and create something for them there and then. I’m naturally very social, so I love that interaction and seeing someone’s reaction to their illustration in real time.

So I’d say painting will always be number one, but live illustration is very quickly becoming another favourite because it’s just so much fun.

What is your dream project?

I think my dream project would have to bring together everything I love about food, people and painting - but on a huge scale.

I’d love to create a massive painting or mural for a restaurant, maybe an enormous table scene filled with people, food, colour and all those little interactions happening around the table. I’d want it to feel really full of life - almost like you could keep looking at it and constantly notice another character or tiny moment happening somewhere in the scene.

Food and restaurants have inspired so much of my work, so the idea of creating something specifically for a restaurant wall, where people are actually sitting, eating, talking and making their own memories around it, would feel really special.

And it would have to be absolutely massive!!!

We have loved getting to know more about Shama, and we hope you have too. Her work is such a brilliant reminder that inspiration can be found everywhere, whether that’s around a dinner table, on a trip somewhere new or simply in the colours and moments of everyday life.

Thank you Shama for letting us into your creative world and sharing your story with us!

Find more of Shama’s work:

Website: www.shamajohnsart.com
Instagram: @shamajohnsart