Feathering the nest with Este Lewis

Auteur : Esther | 05-22-2010

Most females in the animal kingdom experience the primal instinct of “nesting” when expecting babies. My nesting phase started in my fifth month of pregnancy, kicking my maternal instinct into high gear. Suddenly I found myself cleaning out the cupboards, baking cookies, and folding baby clothes as my husband stared at me in bewilderment. My evenings were spent surfing the web for ideas to decorate the nursery but also ways to make the apartment cozier. This is when I stumbled upon the website www.apartmenttherapy.com and the young, dynamic Brooklyn artist, Este Lewis.

If you are looking to liven up any room, her digitally printed wallpaper designs can transform any wall into a creative repetitious work of art. I myself thought I could use her wallpaper on a kitchen panel to add a splash of color, and humor, to an otherwise white and grey reality. What’s more, her wallpapers make me think of childhood favorites, such as button candy!

What is the source of your inspiration?
I take my inspiration from everyday objects that I find at the grocery store or in the dollar store as well as human moments. I’m really interested in colors in a monochromatic way. You will find that I also used this approach in my photo series, “Color me, Thelma”.
My stay in Thailand also inspired me; their use of color in their day-to-day lives made quite an impact on me. I was blown away by the Hill Tribe textiles and Thai women and their food carts as mobile homes and how they decorated them. These images remain in my mind as I continue to create imagery.

Can you tell us a little about how you came up with these designs?
I am a photographer, yet printmaking led me to wallpaper. I have always been interested in design, within the realm of photography. At university, I started to make prints of food in relation to the human form. At about the same time, I took a photography course in which the teacher required us to keep a daily photo journal. I started scanning carrots and beets, which led to tea bags, which led to placing these tea bags in a grid. I liked the results so I continued. Suddenly I found other everyday items that would grid.
Soon after, I wondered how these patterns could make a bigger impact on people visually. This led me to the wallpaper idea. In the future, these designs will be printed onto fabrics and made into bags, or even shoes. It would also be wild to see an exterior of a building turn into wafers or sponges.

What female creators are you inspired by? Or which ones do you find exceptional?
I adore Louise Bourgeois. I recently even had the chance to meet her in person, which is now one of my life’s most memorable moments. I also enjoy the works of Agnes Martin and French artist Sophie Calle. I especially like her body of work called “Take Care of Yourself”.

What in your opinion are the current trends in decoration, colors or materials, ...?
I have to admit I do not follow the trends so much. But I can say that wallpaper seems to be a hot item.

How would you describe your work in one word?
Unexpected. (This is a hard one, I dream to be able to give one-word responses!)

What lies ahead?
I continue to make new patterns today but they tend to be more varied. I have a newfound interest in patchwork!

Thank you Este for your time and candidness. We look forward to seeing what you’ll do next. You can find more information about Este at www.soyeste.com