52 mini interviews: Yumi Okuda

Name: Yumi Okuda

Location: Brighton

Website(s):
http://www.yumiokuda.com/
http://yumiokuda.blogspot.com/

How would you describe your work?
wonky organic veg box

What are you currently working on?
joke book with debbie hill

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
walking somewhere quiet when you can hear the wind.

3 artists/designers you love and why! :
• andy goldsworthy: beautiful
• kaye blegvad: mysterious
• laura carlin: fun

3 things that make you smile:
• homemade food
• notes and letters
• breeze

Remember we asked for your photos? now we want your votes!

So around a week ago we called out for your pictures of the number 52 to use for the postcard for the show. Now we're calling for your vote! Pick out your favourite from the pictures below and drop a comment with the number of your favourite picture! voting will close this Sunday! Thanks!

(1) photo by Tinee Häcker

(2) photo by Tinee Häcker

(3) photo by debbie hill

(4) Photo by debbie hill

(5) photo by mag3737

(6) Photo by bluedeepblue

vote away!

p.s check out the new calm air all ice flickr

52 mini interviews: astulabee/Nicole Licht

Name: Nicole Licht

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Age: I'm counting on my fingers to make sure ...37 I thought maybe I was still 36 but no dice.

Website(s):
www.astulabee.com,
blog,
Flickr

How would you describe your work?

nature inspired, imaginary, secretly angsty

What are you currently working on?

experiments with wall pieces

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
costume design, movies, music, random photographs, my materials.

3 artists/designers you love and why! :

I like too many artists and designers ... so many, so just off the cuff, specifically and sentimentally:

Jason Rhoades when I saw his Cherry Makita show at David Zwirner in 1993 I was so blown away with the rubble, huge active motor, duct tape handmade tools and fictional storytelling I kept saying to myself, "So excellent, art can be this!" I can still remember how excited I felt.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder made life changing, ever stylized, entertaining and brilliant films, where things do not end up all well: Chinese Roulette, The Marriage of Maria Braun, In a Year of 13 Moons. So good.

Gillian Wearing her photographs give opportunity to the sitter (or stander). I love this.

3 things that make you smile:

Have you seen my puppy? Ridiculous.
My boyfriend and child are both pretty funny.
Finding that someone else has just up and washed the dishes.

Do you have any other upcoming exhibitions/shows etc:

I have a plush exclusive coming up with Schmancy, I'll be participating in a group show called "Lost at Sea" curated by Kristen Rask at Gallery Hanahou in May

Don't forget to keep checking back for news about the show, interviews and more!

52 mini interviews: Mithila 'Mithi' Shafiq

"foxtrot"

Name: Mithila 'Mithi' Shafiq

Location: Bristol UK

Age: 36 on St Patricks Day

Website(s): http://planetmithi.com ; http://cargocollective.com/planetmithi, http://planetmithi.blogspot.com, http://planetmithi.etsy.com/

How would you describe your work?

'Happy' ;)

What are you currently working on?

Tons of competition briefs and some personal work building up towards my final degree show in June.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Everywhere! A lot in nature; in science (I'm an ex scientist); in big band jazz/swing music and dance (that's my other passion); Asian culture/stories/mythologies (I'm Bangladeshi, brought up in Malaysia); anything mid-century modernist.

3 artists/designers you love and why! :

Theres SO many people ... but at the moment, being very inspired by vintage children's book illustrators ...

Alice and Martin Provensen

Alain Gree

Miroslav Sasek

The simplicity of the illustrations, and the happiness and positivity they evoke really appeal to me ...

3 things that make you smile:

My husband

Lindy hop

Charity shop/flea market/ebay vintage lucky finds

Do you have any other upcoming exhibitions/shows etc:

Degree Show, Bower Ashton Campus, University of the West of England, Bristol, 18th till 24th June, which then moves to:

D&AD New Blood in the Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London from 24th June to 29th June, then to

Conningsby Gallery, off Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4RJ July 5th to 9th

Don't forget to keep checking back for news about the show, interviews and more!

52 mini interviews: Susan Schwake

"Downstream"

Name:  Susan Schwake
Location: New Hampshire, USA
Age:  really? 52 :) That works out well for this exhibition!

Website(s):
http://www.susanschwake.com
http://www.artstreamstudios.com/
Blog
Flickr

How would you describe your work? 
eccletic and nature based.

What are you currently working on? 
i am working on some interpretations of Birch trees for an exhibition in Romania. Also, a
public art project.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Nature, my family and lots of interaction with young budding artists.

3 artists/designers you love and why! :

Megan Bogonovich - a wonderful friend and total inspiration as an artist as she fearlessly forges through porcelain and clay making mind bending objects.

Stacey Esslinger - native of NH, she makes porcelain handbuilt functional ware which is so unique and
detailed it blows me away!

Penelope Dullaghan - I love her playful illustrative way that she handles artwork. Each of her pieces
bring me back to Ezra Jack Keats, whom I have always adored.

3 things that make you smile:
my daughters, my husband and The IT Crowd!

Do you have any other upcoming exhibitions/shows etc:
Currently I have a series of 50 prints at The Working Proof to
benefit Medicin sans Frontiers - They are all original monotypes with
hand painted elements. Link


This year I have been invited to exhibit in MESTECHENI - BIRKEN _
BIRCHES in Romania 

I am also working on another public art sculpture this year for the
City of Rochester. It will be unveiled in May and on my blog at that
time.

Don't forget to keep checking back for news about the show, interviews and more!

52 mini interviews: Leah Duncan

Rainy Day Limited Edition Giclee Print available here

Name: Leah Duncan
Location: Austin, TX
Age: 27
Website(s):
www.leahduncan.com
Etsy
Blog

How would you describe your work?
Slightly ambiguous, probably flowery drawings with an influence from folk art and children's illustrations with a western flair.

What are you currently working on?
I'm working on expanding my product line.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Nature, animals, the quiet moments in my life.

3 artists/designers you love and why! :

Camilla Engman: Clearly one of the best of our time.

Betsy Walton: Oh, I just love her style! There's something so unique about her work.

Orla Kiely:I'm my happiest when I can see my work on something useable. It's inspirational to see someone like Orla be so successful at creating her own distinctive line of products.

3 things that make you smile:
My husband, my cats, cowboy boots.

Do you have any other upcoming exhibitions/shows etc:
I'll be a vendor at the very first Renegade Craft Fair in Austin in May.

Don't forget to keep checking back for news about the show, interviews and more!

52 mini interviews: Helen Entwisle

Name: Helen Entwisle / memo

Location: Leeds, UK

Age: 25

Website(s):

www.hellomemo.com

blog

etsy

How would you describe your work?

most of what i do is based on things that i collect or things i observe

What are you currently working on?

a new zine, a secret website and a series of new screen prints

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

objects that i've collected and filled my house with provide lots of inspiration, being quiet and looking at things is good too. as is an interesting conversation with as friend. i suppose you could say i can find inspiration in everything around me

3 artists/designers you love and why! :

my all time favourite artists are jim houser, margaret kilgallen and yoshitomo nara. they know a good colour combination when they see one and create really simple and thought-provoking work

3 things that make you smile:

good coffee, dogs, finding amazing things in charity shops/at carboot sales

Do you have any other upcoming exhibitions/shows etc:

i have a zine in an exhibition in san francisco at the moment at anno domini gallery

i'm hoping to organise a group show with friends later in the year too but thats still just an idea in my brain