DROOL: When do you feel you first found success in the world of art, and how have you grown since then?
Kavel: I don’t think many artists feel like they are a success, do they? Most of us suffer from imposter syndrome! But I guess now that I’m earning my living from making work, I can call myself an artist. I alway feel like I’m only as good as my last project, so got to keep making new work, having new ideas… Getting on with it!

DROOL: How did you discover your voice in art?
Kavel: I was an illustrator for many years, and still do illustration jobs, magazines, books etc. I went to Mexico city in Jan 2020 for an artists residency for six weeks, I think that’s when I really started to experiment and find my style. Since then, due to the pandemic and multiple lockdowns, I’ve been able to spend time on developing ideas, really concentrating on my own work.

DROOL: What compels you to keep driving forward as an artist? How do you aspire to grow as an artist this year?
Kavel: I just really love making. The process is very therapeutic for me, to get lost in it, nothing else matters when I’m making work. This year, I am opening a small gallery and studio ´Hotel Michele’ with a curator friend in my hometown of Margate, on the Kent coast. I’ll be able to show here, and show work of other artists that I admire and respect. Our first exhibition will be about cats – I’m sorry dog fans!

DROOL: What about dogs attracts you to them as subjects for your artwork?
Kavel: I have a dog of my own, Bobby Dazzler, a dachshund. He’s my first dog as an adult, I never thought I really liked them before I got him. Now I’m one of those people that chat to everyone walking their dogs when I’m out with him on the beach. Wiener dogs are the best though! They all have such characters. I’m interested in the way we humanise them, how they mirror us or we mirror them.

DROOL: Which do you prefer: dogs or people, and why?
Kavel: I like both, just dogs are not judgmental at all, they just love you for you. Also Bobby, my dog is very affectionate, he’s always up for a cuddle!

DROOL: If you had to choose one dog breed to characterize who you are, what breed would it be and why?
Kavel: Ohhh, I’m not sure, probably a dog like the littlest hobbo, a bit scruffy, but cute.

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And visit Kavel’s website kavelrafferty.art