The young Omagh woman showing off her talents in Cornwall

Cornwall in the south of England has recently had a fresh flavour of Irish folklore, thanks to a local illustrator. Hailing from Omagh town, 20-year-old art student Jessica Underwood brought her native knowledge to the white beaches of Falmouth, where she now studies at the local university.

Born into an artistic family, creative culture always flowed through the veins of the former Omagh Academy student.

“Art has been a constant presence in my life for really as long as I can remember,” said Jessica, “I was fortunate to grow up in an incredibly creative environment with my mother being a ceramicist and having studied art and ceramics when she was younger.

“For pretty much most of my lived experience, I’ve constantly been surrounded by art and making and had the encouragement to pursue creativity from when I was really young, which I’m incredibly grateful for. It’s something which has driven me a lot and has created a real foundation for my confidence as an artist.”

Apologetically, young Underwood, pictured below, admits that academia was not her initial focus, adding that doodling often took precedence to paying attention in class.

“So long as I was making some form of art I was satisfied. I remember being consistently told off by teachers for drawing during class and their irritation was pretty evident when I would devote all my time to my art and design classes and treat everything else as less important.

“I have so much interest and love for so many artistic mediums that I found it hard to narrow down whether I wanted to be a ceramicist or a fine artist or a costume designer or an illustrator, and still, I’d quite like to be able to be all of those things!”

Whilst mediums come in multiple platforms for Jessica, she finds herself drawn towards one process in particular.

Jessica explains, “Linocut printmaking is a process that involves using a shaped scalpel to cut an image into a linoleum block, with the removed areas becoming negative space when you roll ink over it and take your print.

“The flowing, smooth linework and use of spirals in my linocut work is something which has become a big part of my work and comes up repeatedly as a pillar of my illustration.

“Somehow, I seem to consistently go back to that defined style, often without consciously thinking about it.”

Jessica continues, “The use of really smooth, flowing linework is something I see in quite a few different Irish illustrators’ work, and I reckon it could tie back to different cultural references, landmarks and artwork which have formed a part of our visual cultural identity – but that’s a whole different tangent I could go on about.

“It’s something I’ve also definitely picked up from observing my mum’s work so much from when I was younger, and so I think that major use of these flowing lines, knot-work and spirals seeped into my work pretty subconsciously.”

Although now living and studying in the rich south of England, home influences flow heavily in Jessica’s work.

She says, “I’ve always been really inspired by storytelling and integrated that into my work, and I’m mostly inspired by people, landscapes, and stories and how each of these things are so intertwined.

“I adore Irish folklore and mythology which I’ve explored a massive amount in my art, and which ties those three things together.”

The culture shock of a metropolitan university has been a positive influence on not only Jessica’s personal life, but also in her works.

“I’ve adored it. It’s been such a new experience to grow and develop in a different country and see how people perceive you here in contrast to home; you think about your homeplace and your heritage a lot more when people quite repeatedly make conversation with you about it!”

“I had the opportunity to study in Croatia as part of a cultural immersion course and that’s been a massive influence on me. As it was an international study course I met other students from Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, France, and Florida, some of whom I’m still in contact with today.

But what’s the long term goal for Jessica?

“To be a successful illustrator!” she remarks, “I’d love to have illustrated a few children’s books within the next few years and have my work used in community spaces with a highlight on people and the local landscape.

“Something I’ve found when I’m out sketching in public spaces is that it really opens up people’s curiosity and brings down their barriers in a way I’ve never really witnessed before.

“I always have so many children and adults alike coming up to me and being in so much awe of what I’m drawing and telling me all about themselves afterwards.”

She adds, “I want my work to bring that curiosity and openness to as many people as I can. I genuinely think it’s one of my absolute favourite feelings. You get all these little insights into these people’s lives which feels so rare.”

As the young Omagh woman continues her studies and art, she encourages people at home to follow her Instagram @jesslilawood.