Norfolk artist 'takes the leap' to launch career during pandemic

An artist said she decided to "take the leap" to become a full-time painter because the Covid-19 pandemic meant she was unable to apply for jobs.

Eden Mullane, 24, from Wymondham, Norfolk, appeared on Sky Arts' Landscape Artist of the Year competition last month.

Much of her work features landscapes of Jamaica, where her maternal grandparents were from originally.

She said a trip to the Caribbean in 2006 "really did change my life".

Miss Mullane said it allowed her to "experience the traditional Jamaican culture" and visit to her grandmother's ancestral home in Port Antonio.

"It changed my whole outlook on my life and being able to see where she had grown up and how different it was to our lives were in the UK," she said.

"It was a humbling experience."

Miss Mullane said she was "overwhelmed and consumed" by the colours and the culture of Jamaica, which then influenced her artwork.

But it wasn't until last year she started working as an artist full-time.

She said that after graduating from university with a degree in textiles design and innovation, her "dream" had been to work in a studio in London.

But the Covid-19 pandemic meant those roles were unavailable and she had to remain at her family home in Norfolk - so she began painting and posting the work on social media.

"Within four weeks I sold quite a few paintings and I realised deep down in my heart all I really wanted to do was paint full-time professionally and that was what I loved," she said.

"I decided to take the leap in the first lockdown and set up the business."

This led to her appearance on Sky's Landscape Artist of the Year where she was able to show the painting of her grandmother's family home.

She said: "I felt like I was really able to pay homage to my roots and to my grandparents' journey, so it was really, really special to me."

The artist described the competition as an "amazing experience".

As she set up her business during a pandemic, Miss Mullane said social media had been "invaluable".

She said it was her "main avenue of getting new clients and customers and... a nice way of communicating with people and showing the process behind the work".

The fact that, almost a year on, she is a full-time artist "blows my mind", she added.

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