Then & Now – Brittni Wood

- by Judit Wild -

You may know her lovely and exciting blog, Papernstitch, but I guess much less people know, that Brittni Wood is a painter. Even though she was born – well, almost – with pencil in her mouth, she would advise her younger self to slow down, to explore, to give time for things to happen.

You have a BFA in painting. You always wanted to learn drawing or painting, or as a kid you had other plans as well?
Even from an early age, I had an interest in sketching and making little drawings. I would see my mom doodling all the time when she talked on the phone, and I think that’s what initially started things for me. But I didn’t necessarily think I would peruse it later in life when I was a child. I was actually more passionate about singing and acting than working as an artist up until about sixteen or seventeen years old. I had an art teacher in high school that really motivated me to go in the direction I did. And I am thankful I had that.

How do you evaluate the change between your “then” piece – from your graduation year – and the works you do now? In what way did your style and/or technique change, and why?
I think its been a fairly natural progression. After graduating, a lot of opportunities came my way that I didn’t expect to happen so quickly. So I was kind of forced to “figure things out” faster than perhaps I expected. The piece from 2006 versus the one from 2009 may seem drastically different, but I am still working with the same themes and concepts as I was before. My approach is just different. Right now, I am exploring implied textures and layering as opposed to the more physical textures of my past works. But I think there are ebbs and flows with any artist. I could very easily go back to working in a more physical way, and I suspect that I will be soon.

Which area do you think you evolved a lot? What would be your advice to yourself in 2006?
I am not sure I can pinpoint an area that there has been a lot of evolution. I think that generally speaking my work has eveolved. But I just work on things and if this is better than that, great. That is the goal…to become more comfortable and confident over time. But if I could go back in time and give my 2006 self advice it would be to take your time. Slow down. That probably doesn’t seem like the most logical advice to give, but I think it would have helped me. I think, like many young artists, when I graduated I felt like everything needed to happen right away. Quickly or never. But now I know, at least for me, that is the time where you really get to experiment. Explore. Have fun and figure out your true direction, without your professors in your ear guiding you. The opportunities will eventually come.

You also have a popular blog: Papernstitch. How does it fit into your artistic career?
It’s been interesting to say the least. The blog and site have definitely pulled me away from making my own work, in some ways. But I have really enjoyed the connections I have made and being able to help other people promote their work has been rewarding. Unfortunately, as of late, my career as an artist has not fit in to the work I do for papernstitch. But now that both the site and blog are where I feel they need to be, I will be able to concentrate more on building up a body of work again.

What kind of evolution do you see for yourself necessary in the future? How do you envision yourself in 10 years?
Ten years from now, I hope to be happy, healthy, and doing what I love. Just as I am now.

Brittni Wood – brittniwood.etsy.com
More evolutions: craftsthenandow.blogspot.com
Judit Wild: vadjutka.etsy.com