INTRODUCING ‘SHADES OF FLAT AND LUSTRE FINISHES’

A HARPER’S BAZAAR X STUDIO SPELLING COLLABORATION

There are some things in the visual world I love so much that I feel a kind of ache when I look at them. The main one for me is the moment in the 1930s when European Surrealism crossed over to the mainstream, in particular into American graphic design, and the strange, dreamlike work of the Surrealists entered the world of lipstick adverts, magazine covers, page layout and typography.

The thing I love so much about this period in design is the atmosphere that springs up when shameless beauty meets unnerving strangeness meets functional design. It feels bold and new and disorientating, and it’s delivered in a way which is straight forward and uncomplicated, which makes it incredibly open-ended and playful. It doesn’t try to tell you what to think but instead it invites your own imagination to take flight, and it’s odd, sometimes very odd, and so exciting to look at. Most of all, I love that it’s knitted into everyday life, not the austere space of the gallery or museum. You see it when you least expect to and this is my favourite way of looking at things.

When I was painting The Cure for Dismal Surroundings back in 2024, my first 1930s paint chart, I started to research the work of Alexey Brodovitch, the legendary art director of Harper’s Bazaar between 1934 and 1958. Brodovitch was a creative genius who transformed 20th century traditions of visual storytelling. His influence on graphic design is to be found everywhere today, but in his time his dynamic use of diagonals, playful typography and abundant white space on the pages of Harper’s Bazaar were radically new ideas which defied all design conventions. His pages were full of movement; he was said to be ‘the man who made the pages dance’. He invited the Surrealists to contribute to the magazine and the issues of the 1930s, 40s and 50s are full of incredible work by artists such as Man Ray, Salvador Dali and Erwin Blumenfeld. I find this era incredibly inspiring.

I’m explaining all of this so that I can properly communicate the joy that I felt in 2025 when Hearst UK, the publisher of Harper’s Bazaar, got in touch to suggest a collaboration. I read the message, looked up at my studio wall full of Surrealist Harper’s Bazaar covers, and felt my heart skip a beat.

What followed was a series of exciting meetings, exchanges of ideas and a huge amount of openness, generosity and support from Harper’s Bazaar, including unlimited access to their extraordinary archive, all of which has resulted in the collaboration we’re announcing now. Here we go!

SHADES OF FLAT AND LUSTRE FINISHES

‘Shades of Flat and Lustre Finishes’ is a fictional vintage paint chart which I’ve made from scratch, with colours I’ve named myself. It has 72 colours and it’s a triptych; I’ve painted the chart in three stages, inspired by the Harper’s Bazaar archive, and each section of 24 paintings will be revealed over three issues of the magazine, starting with the September issue which is now on the UK newsstands.

The first painting is a pen because I’m telling a story. Starting with tiny details that I’ve found on the pages of the magazine from across the decades I’m building up a picture of the disjointed thoughts, dreams and memories of the beautifully dressed women. I’m painting their silent internal world. There’s beauty and glamour alongside sadness, longing and unease - why the sharp pin, why the box of matches? Gradually stories will unfold, clues will come and go. A small white bird, a lonely public sculpture in a park at dusk, a bright green button, a phone call. Who is the lady in the yellow hat looking at? Is the elegantly gloved hand reaching out to someone? Why the letter A on a folded piece of paper? Keep an eye on the book. Keep an eye on the ribbons. There’s lots more to come!

The second instalment will be in the October issue, on the UK newsstands on September 3rd, and the full reveal of the final piece will be in the iconic November Art issue. It’s so exciting!

There will be 300 beautiful limited edition prints of Shades of Flat and Lustre Finishes available for sale. This will be my first ever limited edition print and my first ever print collaboration. The prints will be £300, they will be signed and numbered and on general release from October 8th, and they will be available worldwide. There will be a presale window on October 7th and you can sign up to this via the QR code in the magazine or, if you join my mailing list, you will automatically receive the link to the presale the moment the prints go on sale.

I’ve been totally absorbed in this piece all year and I’m not sure I’ve ever worked so hard. I can feel that the work has taken a leap forward and my head is brimming with ideas and images which will fuel me for a long time to come. I’ve had Alexey Brodovitch at the back of my mind the whole time I’ve been painting; the diagonals, the sense of movement and the odd, surrealist juxtapositions are a tribute to him and his era. It’s been a wonderful experience from beginning to end.

This Christmas there will also be a Harper’s Bazaar X Studio Spelling Christmas card, with 24 brand new paint chip paintings inspired by the Harper’s Bazaar archives. The cards have just arrived back from the printers, they’re beautiful and glamorous and they will be going on sale on September 3rd. One box of cards will contain a shimmering golden ticket, and whoever finds that will win an original paint chip painting!

Here is the article by Charlotte Brook which is in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK, currently on the newsstands.