Derbyshire-based vegan artist Amber Locke uses organic fruit and vegetables to create highly coveted edible geometric designs for the home.
Also known by her alias Raw Vegan Blonde, her work has been exhibited in the Anthropologie London gallery on the King’s Road.
It happened purely by chance
I started composing fruit and vegetable based designs about 16 months ago. I’m not trained in art or photography (other than taking A level art in Sixth Form many years ago) but I’ve always enjoyed creating things and one day I just decided to compose a design with some fruit I had in the kitchen and selection of brightly-coloured Autumn leaves that were blowing about outside. I posted the picture on my Instagram and was amazed at the response it got so I created a few more designs and things just grew from there!
I love the beauty of natural elements
Fruit and vegetables have great aesthetic appeal to me. I’m constantly amazed and delighted by their different shapes, colours, textures and characters etc.
It is the celebration of living a healthy lifestyle
My designs aim to showcase the unique qualities of different fresh ingredients, reflect the changing seasons of the year and are also a celebration of living a healthy lifestyle. I hope my passion for this shines through in my work and also maybe encourages people to eat a few more fruit and veg!
I try to do some form of exercise 6 days a week, drink at least 2 litres of water a day and eat as much raw fruit and veg as possible and these simple things are what keeps me feeling light, bright and energized.
There’s a natural crossover between art and fashion
Especially with pattern designs. My Hermes-esque scarf designs came about as I’m a big fan of the brand and cherish my collection of beautiful silk scarves which I think of as timeless heirlooms.
Keep your vegetables in view
Inspiration to eat more fruit and vegetables can be as simple as keeping them in view, so a beautiful display of fruit on your kitchen table not only looks and smells great it also reminds you to eat more of it!
In a home my prints are ideally suited to the kitchen but also look great in a dining room or living area and some such as the ‘Hermes-esque’ range work well in a bedroom or dressing room too.
We’re all encouraged to eat more fruit and veg and any way we can remind ourselves of this daily can only be a good thing.
Think outside the box
My designs have been utilised as wallpaper, wall prints, book illustrations and fashion accessories as well watch face designs (for Androidwear), product packaging and also an upcoming ‘living’ art installation. You can do the same in your house, the possibilities are endless!
To purchase Amber Locke’s prints (£180) or for more information on commissions visit ambaliving.com
