What’s your business name and what do you do?
My business, Tempered East, is a marbling studio where I create marbled wares, I teach educational workshops and classes on the art of marbling, and I offer custom marbled design services for businesses and individuals. Marbling is the art process of floating paints on a liquid surface, creating a design as they float, and transferring the design onto another surface like a sheet of paper or a piece of fabric.
How did you learn your craft?
I studied abroad in Italy during my junior year of college and took a papermaking and book arts class. I really fell in love with papermaking and still create art with paper but we had one or two days of marbling. It stuck with me until a few years later and asked my art mentor to teach me how to prepare the materials so that I could practice the technique. Since then I’ve learned so much just by doing it over and over so I would say I’m mostly taught by the craft itself!
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
My biggest joy is sharing this art form with others. I love being at an art market, doing a live marbling demonstration, and pulling the hat or piece of paper out of the vat - it’s the moment when the design has transferred from the liquid surface to the solid surface. People watching are always in shock and at least one person will exclaim “Oh it’s magic!” That is my favorite. I really love teaching workshops and guiding people through the marbling process so that they too can create their own magic.
What do you enjoy least?
There are so many supplies involved! I don’t love lugging all the materials and products around to markets. I love being at markets but the packing and setting up and breaking down is pretty tiring. I wish I could snap my fingers and have my stuff show up anywhere I wanted all ready to go.
What’s one thing you wish people knew about your work?
I do a lot of different things and it’s hard to know what to share and how to share it all. Marbling is a huge part of my work but there are so many other parts that I love too. I make handmade paper and paper artwork and I’m working to incorporate that more into my work and offerings this year.
What’s one artist you look up to?
I’m going to cheat and name 2 artists. Gustav Klimt will always be one of my favorites but I think specifically because of his use of pattern and repetition. I can see how that influence comes up in my work, especially marbling because it is a lot of pattern and repetition. A contemporary artist that I look up to is Alexis Nunnelly. She makes paintings centering around the female form and there is such a vibrancy and energy to her work. It is infused with mythology, which I think is an overlap between her and Klimt that I’m obsessed with. Above all else though, her use of color is incredibly inspirational to me. Making colors is my favorite part of the marbling process.
What do you do when you’re not making art?
I am a nanny a couple of days a week so I’m spending lots of time with a toddler, which is so fun and I think keeps me grounded. I firmly believe that all humans need to play on a daily basis and so being a nanny holds me to that I think. So I’m playing a lot and my favorite way to do that is in nature - going for walks through the forest and picking up cool leaves or pointing at mushrooms or going to the beach at low tide to hunt for starfish. Even when I’m not on nanny duty I’m trying to explore the natural world - going hiking or kayaking. And when I’m at home I love to cook and just rest from all the creating and playing :)
Night owl or early bird?
Neither? Haha I sleep way too much! I’m working on being an early bird though.
What's your favorite place in Maine?
Vinalhaven. I haven’t been back since before I moved to Maine but I think because I didn’t live here yet it was my first introduction to the mystique of this place. Taking a longer ferry ride and then walking around the island - there was this heavy fog and everything was so beautifully eerie and quiet. I climbed around the rocks and looked into all the tide pools and was just in awe of every little gem and jewel. I think any of the islands would get the same reaction from me. I love an island :)