Behind every Fishe pattern, from Troutrageous Rainbow to Dolly Vee, is an artist whose work becomes the basis for our signature designs. We are honored to have such talented individuals as part of our team, and we think it is high time to share their stories. Today we want to introduce you to Irene Meniconi, the artistic mastermind behind Dolly Vee, Kaleido King, and Beauty and the Bonefish. Irene took the time to correspond with us about her life, her work, and the process that she uses to collaborate with Fishe on our signature patterns:
Irene was born in Florence, Italy and grew up in the Chianti region of Italy. She was raised in a family that encouraged her creativity and encouraged her to spend time in and appreciate nature. She attended an artistic high school, where she learned technique: drawing, painting, and sculpture. She went on to attend the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, where she started to develop her own personal artistic style. Irene says that it was not easy to get to the point where she could employ herself as an artist full time: “I started working a few hours every day trying to share what I was doing on various social networks in order to have a little visibility that could interest people.… Slowly the first small sales and the first contacts with some galleries and the consequent exhibitions arrived. Over time everything has continued to grow up to give me the opportunity to be a full time artist.” Irene now does commissioned works for private individuals and companies all over the world, though she notes that her work continues to remain very personal, and is “always guided by my deep love for the natural world.”
For Irene, nature is “the main element of inspiration,” and this inspiration began in her childhood, surrounded by the landscape of Chianti. Her paintings and drawings cover subject matter from horses to octopi to wild boars. She found that collaborating with Fishe came very naturally, as she has also always been attracted to fish. “Working on fish is very stimulating and fun,” Irene says, “because they have many different colors, and also different surfaces (for example the scales, the round eyes, the fins and the tail). All these different elements can be translated with many types of ink lines and their fluid movements in the water can be translated with very free and colorful watercolor strokes. I am not a person who fishes, but I love to snorkel in the sea and I am always amazed by the marine world that you can see while diving, while when you are out of the water it seems that none of this exists.”
Below, Irene walks us through the steps that bring her and the Fishe team from an initial idea to the final Fishe design. The accompanying photos show the process of creating the pattern for Kaleido King:
1. “We always start with an anatomically correct drawing of the fish, because it must have the characteristics of its species and has to be recognizable.”
2. “Linda and Kacie tell me their idea about this fish: what are the characteristics they would like to highlight and what they would like to see in its decorative body pattern. So they give me one or two elements to work on and I imagine how to elaborate these elements in my personal watercolor and ink style inside the fish.”
3. “I usually do some sketches which are reviewed by Linda and Kacie. This is the most creative part of the whole process! (It’s like if you were given 3 ingredients and you could use them to make many different recipes!)”
4. “After we have approved all the elements: anatomical drawing, color, decorative pattern, I proceed with creating the final design! All my Fishe designs are made with watercolor and ink on paper and every fish has its own distinctive element of recognition.”
To see more of Irene’s work and learn more about her studio process and artistic style, follow her on Instagram, @irenemeniconi_fineart. And stay tuned for more amazing Fishe designs from Irene in the future!
Check out the entire Kaleido King Collection HERE