Daisy Draws
Highlighting topical issues, amplifying marginalised community voices, promoting inclusivity
Daisy Meredith, aged 28, is an emerging self-taught artist, originally from Manchester but now based on the Fylde Coast. Working predominantly in a digital medium, Meredith’s work developed from learning to draw as a child with her Grandad, into a stylised form of digital portraiture. Using her art to raise awareness on topical issues, amplify the voices of marginalised communities and to promote inclusivity, Meredith is passionate about harnessing the power of art to convey information about difficult or controversial topics in an accessible way, within a visual age.
During the Corona Virus Crisis, Meredith curated a digital collection of portraits and quotes called “19WOMXN” after she noticed a positive shift in the language used surrounding our sense of self during Lockdown. Whilst isolation and uncertainty remained barriers to normal life, the removal of pressure to look or dress a certain way created a new normal for the womxn involved and Meredith felt sharing the voices of these womxn, alongside authentic ‘3 day old messy bun and no pants on a Zoom call’ style portraits, would support other womxn in finding their new normal and coming to terms with an altered reality.
Described in her local paper, The Blackpool Gazette, as a “talented local artist”, Meredith worked hard to establish links with a local journalist dedicated to engaging younger audiences with news and current affairs. She also teamed with Meena Kumari, founder of H.O.P.E Training and Consultancy, who specialise in training programmes related to domestic abuse, sexual violence and safeguarding, to create ‘The H.O.P.E Digital Art Project’. This ongoing project currently involves 50 portraits with high impact quotes from each participant and was designed to provide women from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, working in the Domestic Abuse sector as survivors and field leaders, with a national platform to raise awareness for their services. Meena Kumari is based in Leicester and has many connections in her work there, this had led to Leicester City Council backing the project and allocating funding to the production of calendars, showcasing this collection.
Graduating from The University of Central Lancashire in 2020, with a First-Class Honours Degree in Psychology, Meredith hopes to use her knowledge of social psychology, human behaviour and contemporary issues in health care to inform her art work as she develops her style. Her work so far has led to newspaper articles, telephone and radio interviews and work as a digital portrait artist. She hopes to continue to develop and learn about her art and the history of her craft as she grows.