Linda is the artist behind the beautifully badass ceramic snakes that are so beloved in our Oakland shop, and she’s opening a solo show of her work in our Los Angeles location on February 4th. In preparation for her installation, I was able to chat with her about her influences and inspiration.
Alexis: Tell me a bit about how you got your start in ceramics. What drew you to the medium? How does it satisfy your creative impulses?
Linda: I have a graphic design/illustration background, but I used to install tile, kitchens, bathrooms, pools and began making my own tiles over 17 years ago which first ignited my interest in clay as a medium. I did spend some years throwing but found I preferred working in flat hand building and sculpting. Even after working with clay for so many years I still find the work challenging me and urging me to constantly improve the interplay I have with the material.
A: You live near the coast and are clearly inspired by the nature around you. What else informs your designs? Where do you find inspiration in your daily life?
L: Apart from the natural world, the animal world being my mainstay, and my environment, I'm mostly inspired by shape, form and colour relationships, compositional planes and simplicity of form. I am deeply interested in abstracted ideas and wish I could spend more time on sculpture and painting.
A: You have a beautiful shop in Pacifica, and a very active studio practice. How do you manage a work/life balance? What are some of your favorite things to do in your down time?
L: I wish I could say I have it all figured out, but I don't. The balance thing is a moving target and sometimes I've got it in hand, and other times, well, you know, I don't. The shop is an active ecosystem and takes up a lot of my time. My studio is in my shop and my overflow studio is at home, so I find myself having little time separated from my work. It's a busy lifestyle, but I like to work hard, and I get enormous reward for my efforts. I've always been a big reader and that's taken a back seat, so this year I've decided to take a day off to do no work and get out of town for the day with a book. My goal is to take day trips every week to somewhere new, whether visiting shops, artists, going on hikes in new places, museum visits, and read!
SNAKES BY LINDA FAHEY
works on view February 6th - March 30th
at ESQUELETO los angeles
1298 W. Sunset Blvd in Echo Park
