I very quickly fell in love with The Paper Apartment's simple and witty style. It reminds me of a project I'm working on, which uses images from a 1901 Eaton's catalogue. I wanted to use the images in some way, but it took me a while to figure out what for. When I saw Angela's work, I was thrilled by her intelligent use of vintage images that make up her personal style.
Name (Real or Screename): The Paper Apartment, Angela
URL (Blog, Website): thepaperapartment.blogspot.com
Location (Where are you from?): Boston, Massachusetts
Q: Describe your work in 10 words or less.
A: Ooh, that's a tough one.
Q: What do you like to work with (magazines, photographs, vintage)? Be specific!
A: If I'm pulling actual images, I usually go for vintage early 20th century stuff from old books. I'm very lucky to have a great collection from my grandfather's library. Most of the time, though, I work from a huge variety of textured and/or patterned papers that I collect which I cut out to create images or flat shapes.
Q: How long have you been creating collages and what made you start?
A: I've been using collage for about ten years now in a variety of ways. I started collaging with text as a way to add texture and a graphic element to paintings, but over time as I've found myself get more addicted to the process my work has become almost entirely collage with just some painting and drawing. Even when I use my own drawn figures or images I always cut them out and then collage them into the piece.
Q: Are you solely an artist, or do you work in another profession?
A: I hope to someday be able to work on my art and nothing else, but for the time being I also work a couple of days a week at a lovely little stationery store. Its actually a great balance because my part-time job is very art-related and definitely helps to inspire my own work and keep me in a creative state of mind. I don't think working in an office, for example, would give me the same benefits. Its also nice sometimes after a couple of frustrating days in my studio to get out of there and clear my head a little.
Q: Do you have any formal art training?
A: I studied Communication Design with a concentration in Illustration at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. I was the only paper artist in my class and I was lucky to have instructors that really pushed me to explore it.
Q: Explain your favourite techniques.
A: My favorite, favorite thing to do is to juxtapose my hand-drawn figures with flat objects that are cut out of paper. That look just really appeals to me. I also like parts of my pieces to pop out a bit from the page, because it adds just a hint of dimension and can also create subtle shadows depending on how you view the piece.
Q: Describe your favourite piece ever created.
A: I think my favorite piece is a Red Riding Hood mixed-media illustration I did a few years ago while I was still in school. I used acrylic paint, colored pencil and a lot of different papers and the outcome was just so lush and dramatic, but not overdone. I think when you're using a variety of materials you have to be careful to strike the right balance. I feel like that piece really represents my aesthetic and technique perfectly.
Q: What other artists do you admire?
A: I've always admired illustrators and my first love was definitely Maxfield Parrish. My grandfather had a very old, most likely first-edition of Eugene Field's "Poems of Childhood" which Parrish illustrated, and I was just obsessed with it as a little kid. I just think everything about his work was perfect and beautiful. A huge favorite from the present would have to be Camille Rose Garcia. Her paintings are so incredibly detailed and rich and also tell amazing stories. I love anything that is inspired by, or reminiscent of fairy tales and her work draws from those themes in a really dark and beautiful way. I think she strikes the perfect balance between beauty and content and has an aesthetic that is completely her own. Its pretty humbling, actually.
Thanks Angela!
