By Tali Jaffe-Minor
2024 Bal Harbour Shops Creative Challenge winning illustration by Cornelia Li.
A study for Li’s Creative Challenge entry.
Artist Cornelia Li is this Year’s Bal Harbour Shops Creative Challenge winner. Here, she shares the inspiration behind her illustration, the process that goes into making each of her magical mixed-media works, and what else she has in store for the fall and holiday seasons.
What drew you toward the BHS Creative Challenge?
I discovered the BHS Creative Challenge from an artist I admire, Victoria Krylov. As someone who predominantly works in publishing and editorial, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to explore fashion and lifestyle in my work.
Which elements of the Shops first captivated your attention?
I was fascinated by the lush tropical greenery working in harmony with the architectural glamours of the high fashion shops. I imagine the unique combination would make the exploration of the shops an immersive experience of beauty in various forms, coming from nature, architecture, and fashion itself. I aimed to capture this experience in my illustration.
What are some of the other projects on the horizon for you?
I’m currently working on two more children’s books that are coming out early next year! They are both scientific themes, one a hilarious story of a disappointing birthday, another a poetic prose tale of the magic of scientific discovery.
Li’s process includes layers of sketching to arrive at the final illustration.
How do you create a work such as this one? Do you follow the same process in all of your drawings?
This piece was mixed media. I drew each of the elements in black and white, using ink, pencil, charcoal, and any other materials to create the desired textures. The black and white draws are then scanned and brought into Photoshop, where I color them digitally, layering additional textures in the process to create the vibrant colors. I predominantly use this technique for my publishing works, and it’s really fun to explore it in other types of illustration!
To me, your style has a bit of magical realism to it. What or who have been some of the greatest influences as an artist?
There are so many amazing artists who are inspirations to me! In addition to Victoria, I also drew inspiration from the works of Daniel Egneus, Matthew Forsythe, and Karlotta Freier, as well as traditional Chinese ink paintings and mineral pigment murals from Tang Dynasty. In their artwork, the rigid realism of light and shadow are secondary to the expressive use of bold colors and dynamic brushstrokes, evoking an otherworldly magic that continues to inspire me.
An illustration from “Chang’e on the Moon” by Li.
When did you first recognize yourself as an artist?
I have been drawing since I was three, so from a creative perspective, I’ve been an artist since then! Professionally, I started working as a freelance illustrator in 2015.
Tell us a bit about the recent book you’ve illustrated, “Chang’e,” which comes out in September.
Chang’E is a picture book that’s part of the Everlasting Tales published by HarperCollins, a series that tells traditional folklore and mythology from different cultures. The story of Chang’E is a traditional Chinese folklore associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival, of how an ordinary girl became the goddess of the moon. To celebrate the cultural heritage of this tale, I used sumi ink and a calligraphy brush on rice paper to create the drawings for this book. This was the first time I explored this medium, and it was quite a challenge! That said, I was very happy with how the final artwork turned out.
“Chang’e on the Moon,” will be available next month at Books & Books, Bal Harbour Shops.
What are some of the other projects on the horizon for you?
I’m currently working on two more children’s books that are coming out early next year! They are both scientific themes, one a hilarious story of a disappointing birthday, another a poetic prose tale of the magic of scientific discovery.
2024 Creative Challenge Finalists
Thank you to all of those who entered this year’s Creative Challenge—and especially our four finalists whose works can be found below.
