Camilla Engström

Two words sum up the work of Camilla Engström – sumptuous and surreal. Breasts drip milk from the sky and curvaceous women bask in the sun or enjoy lush bowls of fruit. Without any formal art training, Engström has developed her painting from intuition. She meditates every day and doodles all the time in her sketchbook. These drawings are then transferred onto canvas using light brushwork in oil paint. This soft-contoured style is influenced by a range of artists. In particular, Finnish illustrator Tove Jansson and American painter Georgia O’Keefe. The graphic natural landscapes also nod to Henri Rousseau, a post-impressionist painter from the 1800s.

For many years, Engström worked in the fashion industry. This made her all too aware of the beauty standards placed on women in society. In response, she created an alter ego, Husa. The happy goddess earth-mother appears in a number of paintings. But as Engström warns, "we need to respect Husa or she will erupt like a volcano". Clit Queen is another character Engström has created. She features in comic drawings which encourage women to speak up about desire. Whether body shaming or sexuality, Engström confronts issues which affect many of us. As an antidote, she uses humour and positivity to empower people through art.