Artist Feature: Camille Boggs!

Some time ago, while surfing through blogs and looking at links for artists, writers and other creatives, I came across a link to the website of artist Camille Boggs.  I’m so thankful I decided to check it out because it was definitely a treat!  Camille’s work is simply breathtaking and her ability to create such beauty in detail blows my mind.  I’m just tickled that she granted me an interview!  I do hope you’ll head over to her website after reading this feature so you can view her art in a larger scale.

Camille, will you please tell us a little about your work?

I work in hand cut paper.  I developed the technique I use to cut paper over many years as a vinyl sign manufacturer.  I became very adept with an x-acto knife.  I had seen cut paper art before, mainly from China and Mexico, and found that special tools and small scissors were used to create them.  More recently lasers are used, especially for mass production.  I loved the look of the cuts, but wanted more.  I first began layering the cut paper and noticed that if I use a certain thickness of paper, it could hold its own weight after being cut.  Then I added space between the layers and began folding to form 3D shapes (an example of this would be in the upper right corner of Winter Memories).  The drawings of dolls I added to my cut paper layers paved the way for my cut paper marionettes.  I now add fabric, wood, drawing, and origami to some of my pieces.

Who has more power, the marionette or the manipulator?

Throughout history, marionettes have been used to say and perform acts that humans could not due to laws, propriety, and fear.  My marionettes are stronger than I feel.   Each one, though captured by her strings, rules her domain.  Without fear of exposure, embarrassment, or condemnation she tells the story she has been given.  The literal translation of marionette is “little Mary” named for the Virgin Mary puppets used in churches during the Middle Ages.  Just as their namesake, my “little Marys” are chosen by me, their creator, to immaculately conceive an idea that has the potential to change perspectives.

What tools and materials do you use?

I use a #11 x-acto blade for all my cutting, and a large range of archival papers.  Depending on the piece, I will at times use graphite and pastel on wood and beautiful fabrics (ranging from upholstery to silk brocades).  I also use minimal pastel on my marionettes, mainly to give them just a little “life”.  I like playing with the line between over idealized puppet/doll and beautifully imperfect real.  All the details of the eyes, lips, hair…anything with a black outline…is cut paper.  The pastel is the blush, freckles, bruises, eye makeup, etc.  I use needle and thread for the joints.

Do you work (or have you worked) in any other medium?

I have worked in many medium; everything from carved wood to lithography, pulp casting to fresco, ceramics to book binding, digital photography to oil paint.  I have been very lucky to have had opportunities to try many different techniques and products.  I love learning because even if I don’t turn to that medium as a focus medium I may be able to incorporate it into a piece, or perhaps I will see my own medium in a new way.

Were you creative as a child?

Yes, I loved coloring, on everything, and making little models out of whatever I found in the yard.  I had a great many “imaginary” friends.  I really don’t believe in calling my friends “imaginary.” I use “imaginary” so that people understand what I’m speaking about…but to a child, friends are just that…friends. Back on subject…My favorite friend was Pablo.  He was a tiny fisherman about five inches tall and I would build him little boats for his adventures on our pond.  I would often talk to and for Pablo.  I would change my voice and speak as he would to me.  My Mom tells me the first time she heard this I was doing something in the kitchen and she kept hearing me talking to someone, so she peaked in to see that I was alone.  She listened for a while and realized it was Pablo, and she was perfectly supportive of our friendship.  I also had a clan of tiny lions I would play with in the yard…they didn’t like being inside and preferred the wild.

I always loved to look through art history books. I would pour through Janson’s Art History with the same amount of joy and excitement as I did Dr. Seuss.  College level Art History books were kept where my siblings and I could get to them.  We would play make believe together and form elaborate histories for the characters we were playing.

What type of schooling or training have you had?

I graduated top of my class, Summa Cum Laude, from Memphis College of Art May of 2004, I was the poster child for overachiever in school.  In four years I earned a double emphasis (Papermaking/Book Arts and Sculpture) Bachelor of Fine Arts and an Art History Minor with a focus on Renaissance and Baroque.  What I learned most in school was how to pull all nighters, have no life, and always stay focused on that “A+”.

This was my life until I was a junior (2003) studying in Italy.  I lived and studied predominately in Cortona.  I was with the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art study abroad program.  I fell in love with every part of Italian life and culture and truly found who I was.  In many ways, I both became an adult and rediscovered the power of my inner child. As a student in the program I studied painting, ceramics, printmaking, and art history.  The most important lesson Italy taught me was that the journey, experiences, people, and life were more meaningful than  a letter on a piece of paper. I went back to MCA, albeit reluctantly…it seems somehow, mysteriously, my return ticket from Rome disappeared. I thought I was going to stay in Italy forever.  The ticket reappeared and one year later I received my degree and began my journey to seriously find my place in the world.

Your art is so intricate, do you ever mess up and get completely frustrated?  If so, what do you do to turn things around?

I am completely human and have learned to accept failure.  I don’t like it, but I accept it.  Oddly enough, most of my big frustrations come from the preliminary/drawing phase or after the paper is cut.  I really don’t screw up the cutting that often and when I do it is small slips of the blade that I have learned to fix with the right application of glue and mending paper.  When a drawing does not turn out the way I want it to look or after I’ve completed multiple layers of cut paper just to put them together and they don’t fit the way I wanted them to…that is when I get completely distraught.  I have a nice long, very adult, hissy fit leading into completely convincing myself that I’m a fool for trying to continue as an artist which leads to depression and by the time I’ve convinced myself I’m going to become a dermatologist, my husband has braved my space, looked at my piece, and gets me working through the problems verbally.  We critique and brainstorm all the time.  Usually after speaking with him and stepping away for a while I can find a way to start over or fix what I thought was complete rubbish.  I really have to remind myself that when I wasn’t doing art, I was miserable, and that I am doing what I am meant to do.  Also, I am ultimately in control of my mood, so I can become happy and confident again as soon as I’m ready to be.

Spending time with friends over a glass of wine and laughter is also a great way to relax.

Which piece was the most challenging for you?  Easiest?

By far the most physically demanding piece I’ve done to date was Phoenix.  She is a 5ft marionette with an 8ft wingspan.  Her base is book board that I hand cut with a blade and everything else is hand cut paper with pastel and some watercolor for her tattoo.  I plan to do more of these large scale installation pieces, but I will be using different tools to cut the dense base in hopes to save my hands and body from the torture of cutting 1/8” book board into shapes by hand.

The easiest, surprisingly, was probably Seraphim or If I could.  Those two both came to me quickly and the images flowed from my hands without a hitch.  They were both very time consuming and I had to work out many problems dealing with multiple appendages, but they were ready to be made the moment they entered my mind.

Where do you get your ideas and inspiration?

Everywhere, Fairy tales, Catholicism, pop up books, other artists, music, friends, and family all inspire my creations.  The most direct influence in every piece is my own life and emotions.  Each creation has come from a story in me, a moment, a time, a feeling I had for something, someone, or some place.  When I was little I always wore my heart on my sleeve.  I was in touch with everyone’s feelings.  If someone was sad, I was sad.  When I got older others started noticing and using this to their advantage, they saw me as gullible and easily manipulated.  Perhaps I was a little gullible but did not like people being unhappy, sad, or hurt.  I thought everyone’s happiness was my personal responsibility.  That’s a lot of responsibility.  I tried to build a wall around my heart and all that did was make me forget who I was.  I have taken my heart back out and placed where it is meant to be…on my sleeve.  That is what has allowed most of my art to be made.  I am older now, and not as gullible.  I no longer believe that everyone’s happiness is my responsibility…but I will still be the one to listen and always have a shoulder if you need it and I will do what I can to let you know someone cares.  That is my inspiration.

On average, how long does it take you to complete a project?

From first thoughts, research, drawings, cutting, to completion…it can take months.  Sometimes, however, a piece is just dying to come out and in a matter of 3 or 4 very long, tiresome days I can have a finished product.

What is your favorite part of the entire process?

It has to be when the marionette is complete.  At that moment she comes to life and the entire story is behind her eyes, in her pose, and on her body.  I create the marionette before any of her environment, often before the environment is even drawn.  I let her tell me the rest of the story.

What is a typical day like for you?

Many of my days have the same elements; they just may not all happen in the same order.  I spend time with my husband, work on any graphic design projects my clients need, work out, and then head to my studio to work on any one of my many projects I have going on at the moment.

Which work of art do you feel the strongest connection to?

I feel an enormous connection to all my pieces, but I do have one that I will never sell.  It was the first piece I finished 18 months after hurricane Katrina.  We lost all our art and art supplies along with everything else and I had no interest in looking at, much less doing art for a little over a year.  One day a clay character came to me, Twitchy.  She reminded me that I still wanted to be an artist. It was what I was born to do.  Months later I finished a mixed media painting titled I was Wearing a Pink Dress.  This piece helped pave the way for my Devotional Series which ultimately led to the marionettes and shadowboxes I am doing today. The piece is about Katrina and the loss of my memories and items but being reminded that I am still here and so is my family.  I was born in New Orleans and my family was blown all over after the storm, but we did not loose anybody.  The figure is obviously not wearing a pink dress, but she is also not me.  The title refers to a photograph that was destroyed of my mother and I in the French Quarter.  I was about three and standing next to one of my “orses,” as I pronounced it (the old horse head shaped horse ties found all over the Quarter) and I was wearing a pink sailor dress.  I titled it that because I wanted to remember, my memory became very bad and this piece was to give me something solid to look at and remember, like a photograph.  There are many small things throughout the painting, each a memory that I don’t want washed away.

Will you tell us about your first sale and what that was like?

I had sold a few pieces in college and such, but I don’t really count any of my sales until after Hurricane Katrina (when my art became what it is now.)  My first sale was actually quite big.  I sold all seven of my Devotional Series to a collector in Birmingham, AL.  She had wanted them for a while but her husband kept telling her they could not afford them, and then one day I received a phone call from him.  He wanted to buy the entire series as a surprise Christmas present for her.  She was completely shocked and so excited…she was crying she was so happy, and that made me happy.  It was an odd mix of happiness and sadness.  I guess it could be like when your child goes off to college… you are proud of them, but will miss having them where you can keep them safe.  It is hard to say goodbye to my pieces, but I know I’m hear to create a work of art to be sold…bottom-line, it is a business.

Since then, they have purchased one of my self portraits and continually stay supportive of my art.  I thank them for that.

Do you have any hobbies?

Thank you for asking this question.  I feel too many people believe that art is a hobby and that is all it can ever be.  Art is my career and passion, and yes I do have a hobby.

I love to bake.  I have always loved sweets, but about 3 years ago I started baking and I’m hooked.  Everything from scratch and many are old recipes I grew up on.  I change some around and try new things, but my favorite is chocolate.  I bake lots of brownies and chocolate chip cookies.  My most recent creation was the birthday cake for a dear friend of mine’s 30th.  He loves chocolate, so I was challenged to make a chocolate cake that we would serve with chocolate ice cream.  I made a devil’s food crust with a layer of cream cheese fudge, then a layer of chocolate custard followed by a layer of flourless chocolate cake, then another layer of chocolate custard with a layer of old fashion buttermilk chocolate cake topped with Kaluha and dark chocolate glaze.  It was a hit.  I love sharing my baked goods with people around me including my husband’s coworkers, friends, our hairdresser, and all the people at our favorite coffee house.  It always brings a smile to their face.

Who are some of your favorite artists?

So many, it really depends on the day.  A few examples are; Jean-Jacques Gaudel (painter, sculpture, everthing), Megan Kimber (painter), Marina Bychkova (doll artist), Lesley Reppeteaux (painter), Matthew Reinhart & Robert Sabuda (pop-up book artists), James Christensen (drawer/painter), Charles De Lint (writer), Melissa Etheridge (singer/songwriter), and many from history such as Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, Sofonisba Anguissola, Carravagio, Luca Signorelli, and Artemisia Gentileschi…to name a few.  There are just so many talented artists in the world (past and present); it feels wrong to only name 16!  And my husband knows I love his art!

Since your husband is also an artist, do you ever collaborate on projects?

We have collaborated in the past for portraits, children’s book illustration, and charity works, but nothing recently.  Our work is very different as is the way we work, so at times it is difficult to work together.  We are always there for each other with advice, support, and constructive criticism.

Do you have any advice for artists just starting out?

If you are serious about art as your career…then be serious.  Be professional with collectors, galleries, and the public.  I’m not saying not to be you, by all means that is what people will love, but be prepared for the business end of the art world.  Research galleries before you allow your work to be seen in them and do not get sucked into “vanity galleries.”  A vanity gallery will try to charge you to be in their gallery…don’t do it.  Galleries take a commission off of the sale of the piece, which is how it should be done.  Be sure you pick galleries that are worth that often 50% commission.  Do they have a nice overhead/storefront?  Do they advertise?  Is the gallery Director personable and an aggressive seller?

Do not give up.  I had scholarships to college for math and science.  Many were pushing me to get a real career as a chemist or mathematician and quit looking at art schools…art was to be my hobby according to them.  I do not regret my decision.  A wonderful artist friend of mine, Michi Meko, is having a show in Atlanta, GA called “Fear kills Pursuit.”  He is right.  If you are truly going to have a career in art, be prepared not to listen to all the negatives you will hear.  So many people will be lining up to find out what your “real” job is, to let you know that making it as an artist means starving, to tell you it can’t be done.  I’m not saying it’s easy, and it has gotten tougher during these economic times, but if it is your passion and you are prepared to treat it with the same respect and dignity that every doctor, lawyer, teacher, or CEO treats their career…do it and never look back.

Where can we find your work?

I currently have pieces available through Matt Jones Gallery in Birmingham, AL (www.mattjonesgallery.com) and Distinction in Escondido, CA (www.distinctionart.com).

What project will you be working on next?

I always have multiple projects going on at once.  Right now I have three marionettes complete, two of them have their environments drawn, and one set of conjoined twins cut and ready for their joints to be sewn.  My newest form of displaying my marionettes is in found containers.  I think of these as specimens and am very excited of adding these to my family of art as I find more containers.  The first of this type is silens totus illa annus, the translation is “Silent all These Years” from a Tori Amos song.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

If anyone would like to see more of my work, please visit my site www.camillemboggs.com and feel free to contact me on facebook.  I’m always interested in meeting new people.

Camille!  Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful art with us, and your thoughts, ideas and passion behind it!  I’m so happy to have learned more about you and would love to see your work in person some day!  Please keep us posted on any upcoming shows!

~ Pamela

Tags: Art, artist, Camille Boggs, feature, hand cut paper, Interview, marionette