We met with printmaker Linda Suffidy at her shared studio space at Malaspina Printmakers on Granville Island. After graduating from Emily Carr, where she focused on painting, Linda moved into graphic design working in both the private and public sectors. She found that working in digital media felt cold to her and decided to take a screen printing course, something she had tried briefly during school but never pursued. She discovered a passion for print making and has been working more seriously with the medium since joining Malaspina in 2011. Initially she planned to continue with screen printing but upon seeing what the other members were working on she became interested in other techniques, primarily embossing and working in relief. Linda is currently experimenting with a variety of mixed media applications and is putting together a body of work with the intent to exhibit.
You can see more of Linda’s work on her website here.
Our Q&A with Linda:
I drew an awful lot of horses growing up! I remember that I had a set of oil pastels and those books where you filled in different areas of a drawing with a different color to bring out the final image.
What are you working on right now?
I am working a series of abstracted landscapes – I was inspired by zooming out on Google Maps. I’m playing with the idea of relief and the surface being quite sculptural, so I am building up layers of very viscous paint using an intaglio technique and layering it with abstracted imagery.
What do you like the most about working in print media? And what are some of the challenges of working in printmaking?
I enjoy the fact that it is so immediate and it's also very exciting to me because I am able to combine so many techniques from painting and printmaking together. It is like a new frontier for me! I also like the democratic nature of printmaking – it can be more accessible for the viewer, in terms of a price point, because you can make multiples so easily.
A challenge is definitely time! Printmaking can be fast once you have gone through the initial preparation but at the moment I am not quite sure where I want my artwork to go so I am doing a lot of open experimentation. The pieces I am working on have a lot of detail in them so it just takes a lot of time to create each one. It is still faster than painting for me though! It’s funny - I went to visit my mom recently and went through all my old work I had stashed away from art school. I realized that printmaking was always where I excelled and made my best work!
What moves you as an artist?
I really respond to the decorative – light, color, texture, pattern. I’m hesitant to use the term decorative because it can be interpreted as something trite, but I mean it in the best way.
Do you think about the relationship between artist and viewer when creating?
I do, yes. I want people to really enjoy looking at my work and have an aesthetic experience.
What are your thoughts on exhibiting art in non-traditional platforms, outside the formal spaces of art museums and galleries?
I find that the gallery experience can be intimidating to people who don't normally go to them. It's not a space where people feel they can easily step into and just look around. I think that museums help people to feel more at ease, but commercial galleries can be seen as elitist in a way. I really love the idea of getting art into people’s lives, and I enjoy finding art in unexpected places, such as street art and exhibiting in different ways. For example, the Lululemon store at Broadway and Cambie always has creative displays in their window and it's a great way to bring art to people walking by or standing at the bus stop.
In your view, what are some ways that artists can impact their communities?
By participating - Papergirl is a great example of how you can do participate in something unexpected through sharing your art and enter into a dialogue with other people. The first year I donated work I heard back from a few people who received my pieces and it was so good to hear that people appreciated it and had it in their living space.
How do you participate as an artist in your community?
At the moment, I participate in the community primarily through Malaspina. It is really great, everyone is so curious and eager to expand their knowledge. I really enjoy being surrounded by likeminded people who are very supportive, and having the possibility to discuss my ideas and concerns with people who are having, or who had, similar experiences.
At Papergirl, we are all about the art of giving art. What is the greatest gift you have ever received?
I would say opportunities, and in particular the opportunity to pursue art and do what I've always wanted to do.
Tell us about the piece you have donated to Papergirl Vancouver.
I donated a variety of pieces, including several embossed prints that I created manually. I wet the paper a little bit and then put a template under it, so there is a hard edge, and then trace around it with my embossing tool to build up the patterns. I can then flip it over and de-boss parts to add or subtract depth and create this 3D quality. The fact that I can build a surface up and bring it down again is interesting to me because you are allowing natural light and shadow to become part of the design.
To wrap up the interview, if you could be a bike what kind of bike would you be?
I would definitely be a completely chrome plated cruiser!