Emma's work is definitely influenced by the ephemeral treasures she finds at flea markets, which I'm sure most of us are not strangers to. Her work is quite varied and she is communicating messages in each piece, which seem to be molded by the vintage pieces she uses (as well as the inspirations she follows)!

Emma Clayton
www.vitrinedesign.co.uk, http://www.manicule.posterous.com
I'm from London, and I live in Brighton.

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Precise, communicative, layered, humourous, dark, vintage.

What do you like to work with (magazines, photographs, vintage)? Be specific!

I occasionally have ebay sprees where I pick up different kinds of vintage magazine, nothing later than 1970s. Women's magazines have some hysterical adverts in them, like one that often appears in 50s issues of 'Woman' for a deodorant called Odor-O-No. :P Now and then I find ephemera in flea markets, like these amazing music scores.

How long have you been creating collages and what made you start?

I've actually only been making collages since the third year of my degree about 3 years ago (I was a mature student). My self directed study was about the decay of memory, and one avenue of exploration was confabulation. This is a memory disorder in which a person fabricates imaginary and sometimes fantastical experiences to fill the gaps in their memory. They have no idea they are being untruthful and it is sometimes known as 'honest lying'. In my experiment at confabulating, 250 adjectives, 125 verbs, 125 nouns and 125 adverbs were generated and placed in individual bowls. Words were then selected at random and brand new sentences, and by consequence, mental imagery, were created. The Confabulation Series is a set of six 420mm square posters which explores these fantastical phrases in the most appropriate medium for them - typographical collage.

I found it to be a successful and enjoyable medium so I have carried on with it ever since.

Are you solely an artist, or do you work in another profession?

I am a graphic designer. I work full time as the sole in house designer for an architectural practice. I try to keep creative and stimulated in my private life, but it's hard sometimes.

Do you have any formal art training?

Yes, a foundation in design (from the Kent Institute of Art and Design) and a BA (Hons) in graphic design (from the University of West England in Bristol).

Explain your favourite techniques.

Sometimes I make poetry from cut up words found in old books. I also like to pick a sentence at random from a book and respond to it visually. I like to collect beautiful things - I'm getting quite a good photographic collection of manicules now. I have a black velvet covered notebook in which I write down sentences and words that I love. A while back I created a collage that was in response to the topic of a randomly generated Wikipedia entry. I take a lot of photographs and try to always have a camera and a notebook with me. Oh and I recently learnt how to make an origami crane so I've been making those for everybody.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

Tricky question. I don't think I have a favourite. I like different pieces of work for different reasons. I get particular satisfaction from work that can be interpreted in multiple ways.

What other artists do you admire?

Collage artists - Graham Rawle (he has a novel written entirely from vintage collaged text, 'Woman's World' and it is a complete work of genius), Martin O'Neill. Book cover designers - Jon Gray, John Gall. I'm currently in awe of Hannah Bertram, who creates ornate patterns out of dust. I also love most kinds of paper art, like Su Blackwell's books or Sam Winston's intricate letter arranging. And Ed Fella's polaroids of American typography. And Masao Yamamoto's delicate photo collages. And artists' books. I find lots of things beautiful and I'm simultaneously envious and humble about other people's talent.

Thanks Emma!