Laurie Avon

The Stuff he loves

Photo by Will Richards

Laurie Avon, 25, is an illustrator, lino-cut print maker and part time lecturer.

We’ve worked with Laurie on projects for our sponsor The Hawarden Estate Experience and have plans to do more work with him at Glen Dye this summer.

Laurie lives in Brighton where, when not working, he cycles or watches Arsenal (the latter, he points out, always involves a beer).

What’s the best place that you’ve visited and what did you love about it?

I visited New York when I was a student, with the romantic notion of a city where dreams are made and that turned out pretty accurate. Within 15 minutes of stepping out of the hotel I found myself (and a few friends) with free tickets to see David Gilmour at Madison Square Garden. A total stranger whose family were stuck on a plane told us that we had friendly faces and so gave us his spare tickets. It was incredible and set the tone for a trip that saw me documenting the city and its people in my sketchbooks, eating lots of pizza slices and mistakenly ending up going to a masquerade night, thinking it was a circus.

If a push comes to a shove, what’s your favourite album of all time?

If it really was a big push and shove, I would say ‘Kid A’ by Radiohead. It was the soundtrack to all of my car journeys when I was a kid and it continues to put me in that same child-like trance. There is something that really resonates sonically and emotionally with me. It’s so atmospheric and helps me to be reflective.

And your favourite book?

I can’t choose a favourite, but a book I recently loved was ‘A Little Life’ by Hanya Yanagihara; it’s a heart-wrenching portrait of friendship and haunting heartbreak. It really got under my skin and I could not put it down. It is beautiful and so sad.

Oh, and what work of art do you love above all others?

I discovered Grayson Perry’s work really late on at university and have since been a bit obsessed. I love all his tapestries, but in particular The Walthamstow Tapestry. I find the way he frames so much narrative and so many ideas into one piece captivating and his work forces you to engage, explore and look deeper. You might notice something different every time you look at it. This is something I like to experiment with in my work; how you can build entire stories into single images.

Do you believe in a god?

I believe in being good, but not really in any God. I stick to my own moral and ethical ideas! I think you get out of life what you put into it.

Do you have a route that you walk or run that’s particularly special to you?

I love to both walk and run along the under-cliff path that runs between Brighton and Saltdean. Running beside something as uncontrollable as the ocean framed besides the jagged chalk cliff is grounding and calming. It’s really beautiful.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure (or at least the guiltiest pleasure that you’re prepared to tell us about)?

It has to be either getting into my tight/unforgiving Lycra and going out cycling with my friends or having a pint of cold (bad!) lager whilst watching Arsenal (probably lose) at the pub.

What possession, more than any other, means the most to you?

My white 80s JV Fender Squire Stratocaster guitar. It was passed down to me on my 18th birthday by my dad. Its neck is naturally worn down by both of our hands after years of us both playing shows and practicing, years apart from each other! It’s a really special object to me.

What’s your favourite word?

‘Pint?’ Said as a question.

Cheese or pudding?

This has me completely split. If it’s stinky and there is red wine, then it’s got to be cheese, but that being said…you could have both.

Wine or water?

Beer. Eek… Ha!

What’s the best thing about Sundays?

This is cringe, but it’s spending time with my partner Ellie. We both work different schedules, but for the most part we get Sundays off, together. We often spend it walking over the downs and getting a coffee in Brighton sitting at Bond Street with coffee from our friend Luciano (who is a coffee genius). Ellie, my partner is training to be a Midwife. She is so cool.

Who is your hero?

Although he can embarrass me with his pure silliness, my father brought me up to be emotionally open and expressive. He has always encouraged me to use my creativity to explore my emotions and feelings. His vulnerability and openness is unusual for a man of his generation. I’ve only realised over the past few years just how much he shaped me as a creative person and as a man. He is a personal hero of mine, a symbol of hope and a sci-fi artist who inspires fans around the world.