Christopher Lovell

Pop culture This artist surrounds himself with inspirational nostalgia while balancing work and parenthood

About five years ago my partner and I moved into our home in Somerset, in south-west England. I saw the potential for studio space with its large, bright rooms and high ceilings. Wherever I’ve lived, I’ve always tried to have some kind of studio environment – even if it’s just a table in the corner of the room.

I’ve always been a collector of objects that relate to my interests: action figures, statues, posters, prints and musical equipment. The studio soon became a hive of madness that always took visitors by surprise. However, my working environment is important for me and so I can’t help but surround myself with my various collections. The energy this gives me can then be channelled into my artwork.

Because I had this space, filling it became a bit of an addiction and I was hunting for stuff on eBay to the point of boxes arriving weekly. I was having to intercept the postman and smuggle stuff in so my partner didn’t notice!

FAMILY CONSIDERATIONS

This all changed with the arrival of my daughter. Baby-proofing my workspace became essential and this soon made me realise that my studio had become a museum of nostalgia rather than a productive art environment. Nowadays it’s far more minimalist and (thankfully) action figure avalanches are a thing of the past. I have a few choice items on display now, which typically have a design aspect that I enjoy looking at.

My daughter spends a lot of time in this room when I’m working, so my eyes have to be in two places at once. She’s very creative and will often be scribbling on pieces of paper and demanding my attention, which I love.