Discover Paper

Happy Thursday, folks! It’s been a whirlwind of a week (in the best possible way) so you might’ve noticed a few tumbleweeds flying around on the blog.

I’m breaking the silence today with an interview with the very talented Alpharetta, Georgia-raised and now Oxford, Mississippi-based Britt Bass, whose work I happened upon over at Etsy while I was searching for arrows and feathers. I was immediately drawn to Britt’s delightful use of colors in her work — and her work — oh are you in for a treat! It’s astounding to say the least and will likely take your breath away. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Read on about Britt, who influenced her work, learn about her shop, and find out what she does in her spare time. But first, let’s have a look at some of my favorites from her shop:

• Figure 1: Hand painted lover pair arrows
• Figure 2: Daily Collection 3
• Figure 3: Moss Growth III

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up in Alpharetta, a suburb outside Atlanta where I fell in love with color and design at a young age. My mom has always worked in the industry from running her own sewing workroom, to faux painting and interior design. I was so fortunate to have such a creative influence growing up and spent my time learning how to sew pillows and sift through paint swatches while most of my friends were playing with barbies (don’t worry I had my fair share of barbie too).

I have long been exposed to the textile warehouses, showrooms, and markets in Atlanta and learned early on that I had a desire to create beautiful things. So when I went to college, a BFA was an easy choice. I graduated from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia this past May with a goal to have a career in art and design. I moved to Oxford, Mississippi in the fall, a small yet culturally vibrant college town, to start my life as a full time artist. I am looking forward to an internship with Amy Osaba in the Fall back in Atlanta and whatever opportunities lay ahead!

Tell us a little bit about your shop.
I currently have an Etsy shop I use to sell my work. I offer a variety of work including prints, original paintings, and little fun pieces like my arrows. I update my shop almost every day! There is a section of mini paintings hosting a slew of daily collections of three mini paintings on paper. These are from a series of a 333 mini painting installation I did back in the fall at the One Night Stand Motel Show in Oxford.

I try to keep prices down on the shop; it is important to me that my artwork is affordable. Personally, I want a spankin’ collection of incredible quality work at my low income price. If that means purchasing prints for the next decade before I can afford an original that is ok. I think my buyers feel the same, the point is the work is out there and being appreciated!

What’s one of your favorite pieces you’ve created?

My favorite piece as of yet is my exit piece. This installation is a complete labor of love and formed so organically and perfectly as it was made, as if it was just waiting for me make it. I printed on dozens (and dozens) of papers and fabrics using relief and mono-print techniques. I then hand-cut hundreds of shapes (tear drop, loop, feathered, triangle) and assembled them onto a lightweight fabric that allowed the paper and fabric pieces to fold and have their own movement once hung. The entire piece is made of seven different fabric pieces and hundreds of mounted triangle pieces; in it’s initial hanging it spanned 15 feet. I am excited to be installing it again in a whole new way at Amelia in Oxford, a store devoted to curating great design, at the Oxford Art Crawl in April.

What are some hobbies you enjoy outside of creating art?
This is a difficult question as it seems all I do is make things! How lame am I? However, I really enjoy riding my bike in nice weather, thrifting/hunting for new inspiration, baking anything with chocolate, flipping through Anthology magazine amongst others at local book store Off Square Books, discovering new artists from the library, catching up on my favorite design blogs, and a good yoga class. I’m not sure if any of these qualify as hobbies..

Who are some artists that inspire you?
Oh so many! Thanks to divinely curated blogs like Jealous Curator and Curate1k I am constantly finding new and inspiring artists. Currently I am inspired by Michelle Armas, Kate Roebuck, Alyson Fox, and Confetti System. A few of my long time influences include Tara Donova, Erin Mcintosh, Amy Sillman, Eva Hesse, and Gary Komari.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I am just looking forward to seeing what opportunities are out there for young artists wanting to work in the art and design field. I do have a few loose goals in mind; I hope within the next five years I have completed a couple internships/experience under other artists, experienced a short or long term stay at an artist residency, and applying/in a MFA program. Above all I hope to see more exploration of a variety of mediums to express my work, more installations, and more playing with color and materials!

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Thanks a million to Britt for participating in this interview! More power to her and other folks who are constantly putting their creativity to use! To admire more of Britt’s work, be sure to visit her shop and check out her portfolio.

Also noteworthy is Britt’s collaboration with photographer Morgan Blake called golden, where the two offer custom installations.

all photos by Morgan Blake