modulem

I’m honored to present today’s interview with Canadian artist and maker Marisa S. of modulem, a shop where she sells some of the most whimsical paper creations I’ve laid eyes on. Many of Marisa’s creations have a Dr. Seuss-like quality about them that tickle my fancy.

Have a peek at a few of my favorites from Marisa’s shop and then read on to find out more about the talented gal:

• Figure 1: Caramel sculpture
• Figure 2: Home Libraries (fine art print)
• Figure 3: Green Assembly no. 2 (fine art print)

- – -

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I was born in Quebec City and spent most of my adult life in Montreal (a jewel!). Add a few years in London (wow!), a few in NYC (hell!) and now in Ottawa (sleepy!).

I’m a self-taught artist and grew up in an environment where opinions about artists are not fit to be expressed in polite society. Still, I’ll credit my nerdy childhood where I spent hours playing Meccano and Lego as my art education. I also grew up an avid reader and a faithful keeper of lists; hence – a love of paper and the printed word.

I fell into the Art Paper World in 2002 by accident. I had been painting for more than 10 years – a friend was taking a bookbinding class with her boyfriend, they broke up, the class was already paid for – I went to keep her company. And that was that.

I started including miniature books into my paintings; I took a few more lessons with professional bookbinder Margaret Kasper – and eventually the books left the canvas, the paper left the binding and I started mounting the whole lot on wire.

Tell us a little bit about your shop.
I had been selling my art mostly through art galleries but I had been more and more attracted to the idea of small affordable art objects. I wanted to use upcycled and recycled materials.Modulem technically opened it in April 2011, but it was fully operational by November.

I chose “Modulem” as in “module” because I’m attracted to items with assembled components / modules – and the additional “M” at the end for my name (Marisa).

It sounds vaguely architectural and adds a Latin verb-ending to the shop (yes, geeky).

What’s one of your favorite paper creations of yours and why?
 

I’m quite found of “Bound“. The leather is upcycled from a old favourite school bag and the paper from an old copy of an Emile Zola novel that I must have read 100 times. The wire is tiny (28 GA) and its colours are both warm and austere. It also happens to be the title of one of my favourite films as well. I recycle everything, apparently.

Who are some artists you admire?
Canadian sculptor, textile and installation artist, and printmaker Betty Goodwin (Louise Nevelson and Louise Bourgeois wrapped into one person) has my heart. Anselm Kiefer has my soul and Martin Puryear, my undying devotion.

My favourite contemporaries are Cybèle Young, Suh Do-oh, Leonardo Drew, Fumi Yoshinaga, Regine Ramseier, Cai Guo-Qiang, Noriko Ambe (mega-art crush), RAQS Media Collective, and Susan Stockwell. I urge you to google them – life-altering stuff.

Where do you drawn inspiration from?
Nothing gets my knees weak like architecture: give me spheres and angles, minimalism and sharp edges or whimsical folly like Gaudi.

Never underestimate a curious mind: I love research and will spend an inordinate amount of time reading on obscure subjects.

My blog: modulem.tumblr.com pretty much encapsulates what inspires me: art, design, architecture, books, and librarian chic.

While I work I listen to BBC docs, ITV soaps, Korean, British, Canadian and Scandinavian pop/indie bands.

Tell us one fun factoid about yourself.
I hesitate between saying French is my first language or that I’m allergic to Brussels sprouts and religion.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully living full-time from Paper Art; living in London with my wife; watching the first ever female Doctor Who episodes.

A girl can dream, can’t she?

- – -

A million and a half thanks to Marisa. Be sure to check out the rest of her shop to enjoy more amazing and fun paper creations.

All photos via modulem

Michael Lomax

I’m pleased to present another interview today with Michael Lomax, paper cutter extraordinaire. I first came across his work via twitter, when he introduced me to his paper cut dinosaur tags. My kids would go WILD over these!

I have the utmost respect for anyone who can cut even a straight line with an exacto blade. I have tried and it isn’t easy — though Michael begs to differ! Based in the UK, Michael shares with us how he got interested in paper cutting, sheds a little light on his process, and his goals for the future.

Take a gander at some of his other outstanding work:

• Figure 1: Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Most Incredible Thing”
• Figure 2: Little Red Riding Hood
• Figure 3: Jazz Cats

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hello! I am Michael and I like to cut paper. I am from sunny South Wales, UK and after completing my degree in Graphic Design at the University of Wales, Newport I moved myself up to Nottingham, which is where I am currently based. I started making paper cuts whilst I was at University as a response to a paper orientated brief and I haven’t stopped since.

How did you get interested in paper cutting?
Experimenting with different mediums and methods of creating imagery led me to paper cutting.

I like to experiment with different mediums and methods of creating imagery but it was the above mentioned project, which was to ‘create an alphabet using paper’ which led me directly to paper cutting.

Tell us about your process.
It’s very simple. And that’s why I love it!

Some rough sketches are usually required first but essentially I get the sheet of paper that I will eventually cut. I then draw out the design figuring out how it will all fix together as I go along and then go at it with a scalpel. Once cut it will either be flipped over to reveal the clean side of the paper or it will be spray painted to the colour of choice. The second method is what I tend to do most.

I never digitally recreate, though that’s not to say I am against it. I have just never needed to.

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

It’s so difficult to choose. I am tempted to say my Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Most Incredible Thing’ since that is the one which was featured in the Creative Review Illustration Annual last summer but I think I’m going to go for one of my more recent ones and pick ‘Blodeuwedd‘.

It’s A1 but has some cuts which are smaller than 1mm in diameter. I think it showcases the level of detail I can achieve on a large and small scale in a single piece. I also just love the story (if you haven’t read it you should definitely check it out!) and I think that might be the reason it’s one of my favourites (and definitely the reason I chose to do it).

Where do you hope to see yourself in five years?
I have several goals to be focusing on for the next few years. Some of the obvious include achieving more commissions and being featured in more galleries, shows, magazines, books and blogs. At some point during my career I would love to run a solo show.

I also hope to use the time to develop my style and practice so who knows what may be ahead!

- – -

Many thanks to Michael for sharing a bit about himself and his work and wishing him all the best of luck in his future endeavors. Get a load of more of his work on his fantastic portfolio.

all photos via Michael Lomax

Brittany Bass

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!

- – -

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