Northern Ireland vs Switzerland (21/03/2025)

JULIE HAS A PASSION FOR CREATIVITY WORDS: NIGEL TILSON What inspired the concept behind this piece of artwork? I guess if I had to give my artwork a one word title it would be ‘determination’. I wanted the work to simply illustrate the principle of pursuing your dreams and talent. I truly believe that with a clear ‘goal’, dedicated training and a spirit of determination that anyone can achieve their greatest success in any ‘field’. How did you come up with the design and what was the creative process like? Quite simply, I love buildings and nostalgia, especially ‘old Northern Ireland’, so the concept was an easy one for me. A journey from old to new, showing the newness of the stadium alongside the aged, exposed Belfast brick and its striking contrast. In my first sketch I drew a young child playing in 1990s Belfast streets with the old Windsor Park stadium prominent in the background. The intention was to show a young child’s journey from kicking a ball against an old brick wall through to their debut match on the Windsor Park pitch. The draft depicted memorabilia like jumpers-for goalposts, a Raleigh Burner bike abandoned on a footpath, an ice cream van serving classic 99s and the ‘Sixth Tele’ boy on the corner by the George Best mural – all to take the GAWA (and myself) down memory lane. With the turn of the page we would then witness the young person walking out onto the pitch through the tunnel at the new-look stadium. Of course that’s a lot to pack into one page, so I channeled my overactive imagination to condense the essence down to the final version provided, and I added in some cues to make it relevant to tonight’s match. Following on from the series of programme covers created during Northern Ireland’s UEFA Nations League campaign back in the autumn, artist Julie Watson has illustrated the cover of this matchday programme. And here she explains the creative process.

Can you tell us a bit about your background as an artist and where people can find your work? I was always drawn to the creative sector. I studied art throughout school and was accepted into both art college and architecture degree courses. I chose architecture but soon realised my free spirit wasn’t suited to the seven-year course, so I started working part-time in Coca-Cola marketing, planning to return to art college the following year. However, 12 years and several promotions later I had obtained a degree in business and a new-found love of the creativity of marketing. After that I moved to Red Bull where I spent a further five years working on exciting projects, but my art was still firmly on the back burner. In 2000 I took the bold (and frightening) decision to set up my own marketing and creative agency and BTL Marketing Ltd was born. Over the past 15 years art has played a major role in my clients’ projects. I love creating 3D ‘brand installs’ that get people talking and generate new business. My best-known project would be the umbrella installation placed outside the Duke of York about eight years ago. I love being given a brief with a blank canvas and being told to come up with a concept from scratch - that is where I thrive and is my happy place. When Covid-19 hit I enrolled in an intensive online illustration course. Immediately my passion for illustration was reignited. Today I find that my illustrative work is merging with my marketing work. I’m grateful every day for this path I have inadvertently carved. Please check out my other illustrations on Instagram @J.W._ILLUSTRATIONS For anyone wanting to get in touch you can DM me on my JW Illustrations Instagram site or send me an email.

IRISHFA.COM

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