5 mins with... Muralist & Ocean advocate, Jasmine Hortop

Hi Jasmine, talk us through the mural for the Cornish Seal Sanctuary? How did the project come together?

As an Illustrator who works mainly within the conservation space, mainly with bigger NGOs, I am also really energised by local charity projects, and try to donate one project each year pro-bono. This year I had received a huge donation of emulsion paint which meant I had enough to create a decent sized mural for a local charity working within marine conservation. I live on the north coast near Godrevy, and am lucky enough to swim and surf with seals regularly and hence feel particularly connected to the conservation and education work that the Seal Sanctuary does. I came down for a site visit, met all the seals, and Jess showed me the space they had in mind. It was huge!

There was so many possibilities with this space, it was both wide and tall, and could wrap around the corner further if I wished. The sanctuary were really open to the design, and suggested a few quotes which were included in the final mural which really tied it all together.

I had planned everything out beforehand on my iPad, which meant that when it came to installation everything went really smoothly and thanks to my incredible team of painting assistants who also volunteered their time, we were finished in under four days! We had the best week, spending our lunchtimes with the seals up by the café, and coming back with them fresh in mind to paint our underwater ocean scene, where seals are hunting, playing, and relaxing (!) in the wild.

 

Watch a clip of Jasmine's process on her Instagram here

How long have you been an illustrator and how did you become one?

I’ve been a professional illustrator since I graduated my BA in Illustration in 2012. I was lucky to land an in-house job in a publishing studio where I learnt a lot about the industry before going freelance 5 years later.

Quite shortly after I had started working on environmental campaigns, and started really expanding my projects in this area with a range of clients such as WWF, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, the IUCN, Wetlands International, and World Ocean Day for Schools. In 2022 I went back into education to study my Masters in Illustration at Falmouth.

What do you love most about your job?

I’ve now been working in this sector for so long, I feel so grateful that nearly every project I work on is with an organisation and people who are doing something good for the planet in some way. I love science, and there is a lot of research involved in my projects, for example it’s important to make sure you’re depicting the right species or community that is in a region.

Sometimes my work includes reading through long texts, listening to science podcasts, or reading new policy, and I love educating myself in these areas.

I believe everyone has unique skills they can contribute to helping the planet, and I'm grateful to use mine in the fight for our climate and biodiversity.

How does your passion for conservation and sustainability influence your art?

I’m really inspired by many aspects of nature - it can be trying to capture an essence of the flow and beauty of it, or how it makes me feel. I love to be by the coast, and am particularly mesmerised by the ocean and marine life, it just feels like this magic world that we are still a only a guest in, and that is something that needs to be preserved. I’m also really driven by the threat of cli-mate change on our future - I had some years of this really making me very down, and then as I started to work more in the area, and getting to work on these big campaigns that were fighting to influence policy, I became part of a huge network of people working to protect our future, and I started to lose that feeling of hopelessness. Taking action for the planet really helps me man-age my anxiety, and focusing on the skills I’m strongest in drives my work.

Who do you hope to reach with your illustrations?

Everyone! I work on many different levels and I’m honestly just as inspired by local grassroots initiatives as large global campaigns. I absolutely bounce off community and think it holds so much power. I’m currently developing my own CIC which will use art to amplify the soul and cause of a grassroots environmental organisation. There are so many micro organisations doing work on really important issues that just don’t have the resources to work with artists, and I’d love to help engage more people with what they do.

 

What advice would you give to aspiring artists who want to use their work for environmental advocacy?

Start creating the work you want to be doing for the causes you are passionate about. It seems simple but people find it difficult to commission what they don’t know you can do. If you haven’t been commissioned for anything you could add some mock projects for your portfolio - or make your own live project for a cause locally you want to get involved in.

I started in this sector about 7 years ago by contacting a small wildlife organisation and offering a pro-bono illustration to help with a campaign they were running. It was a design about the importance of plankton and was printed on a mug, from there with other personal illustrations in my portfolio, I managed to get work illustrating my first environmental campaign which was for plastic free sanitary brand Natracare, on how sanitary products were affecting marine life. As I expanded my portfolio in the area, the more projects and credibility I gained. I think my biggest advice would be to keep hold of that balance and self care. A rested advocate is a lot more effective than a burnt out one!

Read more about Jasmine - Jasmine Hortop illustrator and mural artist: Using art to advocate for sustainability, conservation, and a connection to nature

 

Thanks Jasmine! We absolutely love our mural and have had so many lovely comments from our guests already!

We'd love for everyone to come and see our beautiful mural in the admissions area of the Seal Sanctuary and spend some time meeting the real-life seals too!