Quentin Blake & Oliver Jeffers at the Southbank Centre
Friday 7th November 2014
'In Conversation' event wows a packed audience
On 1st November, the audience at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in the Southbank Centre was treated to a unique opportunity to hear Sir Quentin Blake and Oliver Jeffers discuss creativity and their own personal drawing styles. The discussion was chaired by Guardian journalist Nicolette Jones, who encouraged the artists to reveal the creative journey behind their well-known drawings as well as new work.
The conversation concluded with questions from the audience, such as 'What is the difference between illustration and fine art?' to which Quentin answered: 'Illustration is for story-telling, fine art is for question-asking'. Many audience members commented on Twitter that the event was an 'inspiration': following the quote that 'inspiration is the mind at play'.
The artists contributed to a large-scale alphabet mural which was on show in the foyer, with Quentin drawing inside the large letter 'Q'.
Oliver Jeffers posted on Instagram: 'Had the enormous honour of chatting with a hero of mine, Quentin Blake for an hour on stage at The Southbank centre yesterday afternoon, prefaced with a visit to his studio on Friday afternoon. What a gentleman and an inspiration!'
After the event, the artists spoke to BookD. Listen to this as a podcast on SoundCloud