Amber Flockhart

I am a lover of all things Tudor history and fairy tale, and I craft my illustrations through a range of mediums. Digital, ceramics, watercolour, gouache, and colour pencil mediums have all been included in my recent projects. While being a huge admirer of old masters, I like to give my illustrations a contemporary flare and I enjoy experimenting with symbolism.

My most recent project, ‘The Virgin Queen’, is an exploration of the life of Elizabeth I through the lens of societal perceptions of women’s virginities. While reading about my favourite queen, Katheryn Howard, I realised I didn’t feel like I was reading outdated perceptions of women from the 16th century, I felt like I was back in the girl’s changing rooms in secondary school or overhearing a conversation between a group of boys on the bus.

Therefore, through my work, I aim to make connections between these similar perceptions of both Tudor and modern women alike. With Elizabeth specifically, a lot of her identity revolved around her virginity, and through this illustrated fairy-tale-esque publication I explored what societal perceptions of women and what certain events may have led Elizabeth to the self-proclaimed Virgin Queen.