How did I get into stamping?
After graduating from
college is when I seriously started stamping. In school I knew I wanted to be a
studio art major, but I was frustrated by figuring out what I wanted to do
after school. I gave up art for some time and I focused my energy on someone
else’s project. One day I went to a bookstore by myself and browsed the craft
section. A very beautiful book on handmade prints caught my attention. I bought
it, devoured it, and didn’t put it away for many days after. I soaked in the
images, instructions, and aesthetic. (I might or might not have gotten teary
eyed.) Most importantly, the book reinvigorated my long standing passion for
making things. Since I was a young child I always enjoyed using my hands to
create, and in the end I may never be a prolific, profound, Avant-garde artist,
but I will always be a hand crafter.
Where does my inspiration for new stamps come
from?
One very important
skill I worked hard on while being a studio artist is how to focus inspiration.
That doesn’t mean I always have ideas flowing out of me. I learned that it is
important to be patient during the times when it seems like inspiration, my
muse, is nowhere to be found. In contrast, I have come up with ways to extract
inspiration from many sources. For me, inspiration comes from people I know,
music, catalogues and magazines, other bloggers, being in nature, and my
dreams. For the most part, finding what inspires you can be easy. Transforming
those ideas into tangible works is where the true labor comes into play.
What is the appeal of
stamps?
Imperfection! Stamping
is one craft that embraces fades and broken edges. There is a natural look that
hand stamping can evoke. The artist’s hand is evident as opposed to the look of
industrial prints. What also attracted me to stamps is how quickly I can take
an idea out of my mind or sketch book and translate it to tangible objects. I
feel like I have only scraped the surface of what can be done using inks and
stamps.
Best advice for
dealing with imperfection?
When I am in my studio
I sincerely try not to get hung up on trying to create something that is
perfect. I embrace the tiny specks of ink that sometimes show up on a printed surface.
It may be that I missed fully cleaning a corner on a stamp before it is
pressed, or I may not have applied even amounts of pressure to a stamp and part
of the design is more faded than the rest. But sometimes that is exactly the
look I am going for. It is the same kind of beauty I see in a distressed coffee
table, a vintage leather bag, or the surface of pine tree bark.
In many ways I relate personally to the stamp
process. I am learning every day to embrace my imperfections. I have the daily decision
to be caught up on what makes me imperfect, or I can enjoy the uniqueness that comes
along with being an imperfect human. My challenge to you is to embrace your
imperfections too.
-Angel Graves
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