Aly of Willa Heart

A true maximalist, South Carolina based artist Alyssa Jill Harris of Willa Heart paints with bold colour, embraces animal print, and adds edge to classic preppy archetypes. We were so excited to have a Kiki with our first Girl Next Door (if you happened to live next to a wildly chic artist) Aly, and learn more about her creative process and style. Have a scroll, and don't forget to shop her edit, below!

How do you usually start your day?

Monday - Thursday I start my day by going to the gym at 8:30. I started going in November and it had been liberating. I am up and out of the house nice and early and I can come home start my day already feeling accomplished. When I get to work around 10, I have so much energy. It is amazing what a morning workout can do.

Tea or Coffee?

Tea or Ice water with lemon.

Most fashionable movie character?

This might be the hardest question ever asked. It really depends on my mood. Obviously Gwyneth in Talented Mr. Ripley, Nastassja Kinski’s look in Paris Texas is a dream. I would be happy to wear any of the outfits in The Royal Tenenbaums. Julianne Moore in A Single Man… Eddie in Ab Fab is my queen. Patsy looks great also but I cant pull off her look. I could keep going but that’s a start.

How would you describe your work ethic?

It depends on the day and the week. Some weeks I am go go go, other weeks it is really hard to get going. Once I start, I get zoned in on what I am doing and can work for hours and hours on a painting. I like to dedicate a week for being creative and then a week for busy work. Once I get in a mindset, its best to stick with it until I am all finished with that work.

How would you describe your style?

Eclectic. My personal style is all over the place. I was allowed to dress myself as a child and would always put together the most insane outfits and still do the same thing. My family is very preppy, golf shorts and polo shirts. You can definitely see spots of that in my outfits. I love classic with a bit of edge. Lately, I have only wanted to wear dresses so I have been buying them all up.

What is your cure for creative-block?

Watch a movie, look at coffee table books, peruse online. My art is influenced by the 1950’s - 1980’s so I love to look at interior design from that era. The most important thing I do is sketch. I need to sit down and draw and see what comes out. All of my paintings start as super messy color pencil sketches.

Anyone who is inspired by Ab Fab is welcome, at McPherson Ave! It's no surprise that Aly gravitates to the vintage-inspired mixed-print pieces by

RIXO London

, and we love her in the Chrissy Flared Cuff Midi Dress by the British design duo. Shop Willa Heart, and RIXO pieces today, and visit our Muskoka Pop-Up, this Summer, to shop an exclusive selection of

Willa Heart

art prints. Can't get enough? Visit

www.shopwillaheart.com/

and give her a follow

@willaheart

We hope you'll visit us again at Girls Next Door, as we continue to profile the ultra-talented women we work alongside, who inspire us!

Written by Team McPherson Ave.
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