Derbyshire artist riffs on Jimi Hendrix for dazzling London museum mural

A Duffield artist has unveiled an enormous street mural at the former London home of rock icon Jimi Hendrix.
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Iona Rowland was commissioned to produce the artwork by the Handel & Hendrix Museum, which maintains the property in Mayfair along with the house next door once occupied by composer George Handel.

In preparation for the piece, Iona spoke to Hendrix’s former partner, the writer Kathy Etchingham, who coincidentally was also born and brought up in Derbyshire.

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Iona said: “Speaking to Kathy Etchingham gave me an incredible insight into Jimi’s life on Brook Street - she told me he would listen to Bob Dylan records incessantly and immerse himself in the poetics of Dylan’s songwriting.

Artist Iona Rowland with her mural at the Handel & Hendrix Museum.Artist Iona Rowland with her mural at the Handel & Hendrix Museum.
Artist Iona Rowland with her mural at the Handel & Hendrix Museum.

"Also how he often shopped at Dandie Fashions on the Kings Road for velvet jackets and garments rich in heavy floral prints, and she also spoke about Jimi’s passion for drawing and painting.”

The resulting mural references all the diverse musical influences of Hendrix’s extensive record collection, and those radical fashion choices.

Iona said: “Kathy described him as a ‘sponge’ soaking up inspiration from a myriad of creative disciplines and aspects of popular culture.

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“The installation is a metaphor for Jimi’s mind – a labyrinth of creative references and paradoxical emotions underpinned by a life-long devotion to the guitar.”

Iona’s unique artistic process involves layering oil paint, spray paint, and silk screen prints, and has produced large scale public artworks for retail districts, skateparks, fitness studios, residential developments and sports stadiums, including Pride Park in Derby.

She said: “As the layers build up, they begin to tell stories about people, places and communities. I want to make art accessible for everyone, and I want to inspire people outside of the gallery space.”

Her work is held in private collections around the world, but her inspiration can be traced close to home and her late grandad, Ilkeston artist Brian Fairholme.

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She said: “He was pioneering in his use of colour and mark-making techniques. I was really influenced by his friend Roy Daykin too, and his incredibly loose, energetic drawings. I’ve dedicated the Hendrix mural to them both.”

For more information, go to https://bit.ly/3aMGJfX.

Find more of Iona’s work at ionarowlandart.com.

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