• IMPRESSION ORIGINALE

Eva Magill-Oliver

Workshop: Annyen Lam 1024 362 Mathilde Habert
IO_Itw_Annyen Lam

Workshop: Annyen Lam

<>Paper Lace
made in Canada
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Introducing

Nice to meet you Annyen. Who are you?

I’m an artist currently living and working in the west end of Toronto.

Working across several different media platforms, my practice includes lithography, screenprinting, book arts, installation, and paper-cutting.

For the last few years I have focused more on the latter, completing projects that range from extremely small pieces to large-scale, layered paper works.

Meet Annyen

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Hello!

“My ideal world: One with more compassion and justice. One where everyone has a voice. “

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TINY BLADE PROJECT

What are you exactly?

I am an artist.

My practice has a few branches: creating and exhibiting original, one-off pieces (Including Tiny Blades Project), making multiples (prints), and then partnering with other small businesses to offer in-person workshops.

I started Tiny Blades Project by cutting something out of paper every day for 365 days. Initially running as a year-long endeavour, I’ve since cut over 760 pieces to date.

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MY HOME IS TORONTO

``People build small towns wherever they go``

I was born and raised in Ottawa (roughly 550km away) and moved to Toronto at age 17 to attend OCAD University. For short periods of time I’ve also lived in New York and Hong Kong.

I heard a saying once: “people build small towns wherever they go”. I’m fortunate to have been able to travel, and have my own ways of making myself feel at home anywhere, but Toronto has a special place in my heart from the experiences that I’ve had here and the unique energy that the city embodies.

Home Portrait

I’ve recently had several clients approach me about making portraits of their homes. Each project was a lovely experience; for some clients I got to hear some history and personal stories with the house. I also got a sense of how much they loved their space. Now I pay even more attention to vernacular architecture when I’m out on my bike.

HOUSES – PAPER CUT [Originals], Annyen Lam.

A TYPICAL DAY

Tell us how is your typical day going by

I’m most productive in the morning or evening, so I wake up as early as I can, work with something in the background (Netflix, podcasts, or streamers on Twitch), and then take some time the afternoon, when productivity wanes, to do other things (bike errands, work out, read). In the evening I’ll either teach or work with dinner in between.

PAPER, MORE PAPER!

Paper is central to your work, explain what is so special about it.

I also work with printmaking (lithography and screenprinting), draw, and make installations.

If we were to trace it back to my early childhood, I was a huge bookworm; I loved interacting with different book forms, which probably informed an early love for paper. I’d also go through popup books and try to figure out how it was put together.

Paper is seen as a humble medium; it’s been around for centuries and is found virtually everywhere. So there’s something magical about putting it under a slightly different light – in my case, cutting away at it, or exploring its sculptural possibilities – that underscores the fundamental strangeness of our everyday objects and surroundings.

FROM YOUR WINDOW

What do you see, hear and smell?

A giant pine tree. A few springs ago, baby birds were hatched and raised right in front of me so I got to see them (and their mother) all the time.

I hear the neighbour’s dog barking and the bell from the school around the corner.

I smell the tea from across my desk.

IO_Studio Annyen Lam

Step #1

The tools of paper-cutting are relatively simple: a cutting mat, a variety of papers, a good source of light, and of course a sharp knife. Some people work with tiny scissors instead of a knife, so I’d suggest experimenting with different tools until you can find something that you’re actually comfortable with using.

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Step #2

My pieces almost always start with a drawing on a separate sketchbook. This process helps me visualize the end result and also troubleshoot areas that I might find tricky to cut.

Step #3

In terms transferring this drawing onto your “good” paper: if you’re just starting out, you can always draw on the back of your paper and follow the lines as you cut. You can also tape your drawing directly on top of your paper and cut through both sheets at once. What I do, however, is burnish my drawing onto the paper (I use a ballpoint pen with no ink). I’ll see indentations on the paper surface, which I use as a rough guide while cutting.

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Step #4

Generally speaking, you’ll want to cut out the smaller, more finicky details first, because the paper will get more and more vulnerable as you go. I cut out the perimeter of the piece last!

A CLOSER LOOK

If shapes and curves were emotions, which one would you be?

An equilateral triangle.

Share a little secret...

I enjoy the thrill of heights. My first bungee jump was 233 metres (765 feet). It definitely brings you into the present moment!

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Workshop: Eva Magill-Oliver 1024 355 Mathilde Habert
Eva Magill-Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE

Workshop: Eva Magill-Oliver

<>Arty Notebooks
made in the USA
Eva Magill_Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE
Introducing

Nice to meet you Eva. Who are you?

I’m a mixed visual artist.

I have always worked in and around the art field since I graduated from college, but have put all of my energy over the past 4-5 years into developing and growing my business as an independent artist, focusing my attention on large scale abstracts and graphic nature-inspired paper drawings and collages.

Meet Eva

Hello!

“My strongest wish is for the health and happiness of my family and friends. I always wish much success to all artists that are out there trying to inspire, create, and make their voice heard.”

Eva Magill-Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE
Eva Magill-Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE
UNE AMERICAINE A PARIS

Tell us about your expatriation in France. What do you miss most of all?

In 2007, I moved to Paris to join my fiancé who was pursuing his MBA at HEC Paris. I left quite happily to live with him in anticipation of a new life and new adventures. Hardly knowing the French language at all, things in the beginning were quite challenging to say the least.

In time though, things fell into place. I studied the language, made new friends, and soaked in as much of the French culture as I could. I miss everything from those times, but certain things I miss the most are – first and foremost, les brocantes. I adored how every weekend in a new “quartier”, I could peruse all of the beautiful objects from linens to antiques to artwork. A close second are the museums. Being able to take the metro to view beautiful, historic works of art and then be back at my apartment in the space of a few hours was like being in a dream. People in large cities should never take this opportunity for granted.

Being a vegan in Paris, I also miss one of my favourite “restos” in the 4eme, Le Potager Du Marais near Le Centre Pompidou.

ARTY NOTEBOOKS

The “notebooks” are key to your work, can you explain why you

choose this medium. Is it an artwork in itself / or a means to an end?

Keeping sketchbooks and journals has always been a regular practice of mine. I love the tangible aspect of sketchbooks and books in general. I think it is important for an artist to keep one in an effort to record ideas and inspirational imagery that can often be fleeting. The art and usage of the sketchbook has evolved a bit for me over the past year or so, but quite naturally. Doing these sketchbook “assemblages” incorporates my love of design, art, and photography, while at the same time highlighting texture, pattern, shape, and line.

I also have been interested and encouraged to continue to do the sketchbooks because I believe they represent the true soul of an artist. They are not polished or framed or residing in an elegant home – they are simple, humble, and sincere. All qualities I hope to express and emulate myself.

Eva Magill_Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE
Eva Magill-Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE

PAPER & PAINT MIXED COLLAGE [Originals], Using IMPRESSION ORIGINALE wraps.

A PLACE CALLED HOME

You are currently living in Alpharetta,

what is happening there?

My family and I moved to Atlanta last Summer from Asheville, NC. The move was bittersweet for me. I knew I would miss the beautiful mountains, landscapes, and certainly the great friends I had made there. But I also knew moving to a larger city would bring new opportunities for both me and my family.

SKIN GEMS

We can’t help but notice your incredible tattoos. Can you tell us a story about one of them?

Ha! It’s funny actually, they have become so much a part of me and who I am that I forgot about them until someone brings them up.

Eva Magill_Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE

They all are very personal to me, and fairly private, but the last one I got is a simple mountain landscape. It represents Asheville, NC where I recently moved from. It was bittersweet as I truly loved the town and friends I made there in the three years that we lived there.

Now with the tattoo, I can always be reminded of the people, experiences, and memories of that special place.

BEHIND THE SCENES

An afternoon with Eva in her studio

Eva has agreed to work her magic on one of her notebook with IMPRESSION ORIGINALE design paper wrap. She has come up with an incredible and very personnal interpretation of the “A thousand and one Roses Wrap” from Monika Forsberg and “Optical Wave Wrap” from Matt Chase.

She lives in a fairly quiet and small neighbourhood, so from her studio you mainly hear birds and neighbourhood kids playing. Even though Eva loves music, she can’t seem to play it while painting. She prefers to be in her own mind and thoughts, which helps her to focus on the task at hand.

As far as smells, Eva loves coffee, so it smells that in addition to paints and other materials that surround her in the studio.

Step #1

Eva Magill-Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE
Eva Magill-Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE

Step #2

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Eva Magill-Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE
Eva Magill-Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE

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Eva Magill-Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE
Eva Magill-Oliver Interview IMPRESSION ORIGINALE

Step #6

IF EVA WAS A COLOR

If colours were emotions, which one would you be?

Probably a deep blue – generally, blues remind me of the ocean that I grew up very close to on the coast of South Carolina. It brings a sense of calm, reflection, peacefulness, and quiet. All things that I strive to find in myself and in my daily life. I also love how dark colors stand strong on their own, yet highlight and enhance surrounding colors – the kind of relationship I would like to find with myself and those around me.

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