Andrea Zimmer

Presenting:

Andrea Zimmer

Here’s a little bit about her:

Through painting, giant puppetry, costume and sculpture, Andrea Zimmer brings beautiful, quirky characters to life.

Committed to her craft Andrea has travelled globally for professional development, visiting cultural meccas such as Bread & Puppet Theatre in Vermont and Burning Man Festival in the Nevada desert.

In 2005 Andrea was invited to the Dream Community, an arts centre in Taiwan to teach puppet making from recycled materials.

Graduating from Emily Carr College of Art & Design in 1991, a recipient of a Canada Council Explorations grant, her clients include  Vancouver Public Aquarium,  Fraser River Discovery Centre, Mortal Coil Society and Public Dreams Society.

Andrea was Co-Artistic Director of the 2008 Surrey Lantern Festival. Her fun paintings are in collections in Canada, US, and Europe.

Now settled, with Bill and Bob the dog, and showing in regional galleries around Kincardine, Ontario. Check out her website!

And here’s how she answered my 6 questions about creativity:

What inspires your creativity?
I have an intriguing collection of found rusted objects, vintage books and bagfuls of colourful fabric. These bits and pieces are often what gets me started creating collage paintings, puppets and masks until the characters evolve. I have a penchant for ugly fish and geeky birds. Finding beauty in the not typically beautiful.

When I am not in production mode I try to “stock the creative pond” by absorbing lushly illustrated books, vintage photographs, DIY do-it-yourself shows, shaking things up with new hobbies like belly dancing and hooping, visiting art exhibits and festivals to enjoy what others are creating.  Ideas are stimulated when I make time to play in and out of the studio, take long dog walks, record images and thoughts in my art journal. My natural environment and the return to lake front winters helped inspire the snow shovelling puppet vignette Snow Blanket.

How have you reinvented yourself through your creativity?
Early on my interactive installation art (often a quiet intimate experience) found new homes in public festivals. Soon I began to to build elaborate costumes and perform at these celebrations on stilts or with giant puppets. A few years ago working with two other creative forces, Tamara Unroe and Chris Hind, we initiated bi-weekly goal accomplishing meetings. ACT! meetings were originally meant to focus on our creative lives, but we soon found we could not separate what we saw for ourselves artistically and the “big picture”.

Motivated by my comrades and with a new style of expressing my creativity through cheerful simple paintings packed with positive emotions of love, compassion and togetherness, some big changes took place: I moved across country, exhibited at the Toronto One of A Kind Show, bought a house and landed in the balance I’d been seeking.

Based on response to your creativity, how do you involve others?
I love the creative process and enjoy sharing this with others through hands on workshops or interactive installations often involving mask, shadow and puppetry. Performing as Dragon Tamer Stiltwalker with giant dragon puppets on each arm, I interact spontaneously with curious festival goers. With my original paintings it is very satisfying when someone connects with an image and wants to invest and take it home.

What is the wildest journey your creativity has taken you on?
In 2005 I was given the opportunity (via Dolly Hopkins!) to travel to Taiwan’s Dream Community to teach creative exploration through puppet making.

For four months I experienced a foreign culture and immersed myself in teaching workshops for young and old. While there I was commissioned to make 60 arts and crafts projects for Kaiser Kastle Publishing. Exotic food, generous hearts, evening adventure to mountain hot springs, supply gathering stop at an immense foam factory (cotton candy wonderland to me!), breathtaking religious lantern festival, and the question “What is YOUR dream?” always in the air.

What is your most memorable moment in the act of being creative?
One of my long standing dreams has been to illustrate children’s picture books. I know publishers require three illustrations with unity, so that was my challenge. I struggled for months, I was blocked, standing in front of a blank canvas many times (lots of unfinished sketches), trying to come up with THE perfect idea. Finally I gave myself permission: it could be simple – just finish one illustration…

I did it!

followed by another, then more!

With this breakthrough I stopped judging my art before I’d even started. I now enjoy the first strokes on a blank canvas and seeing where it takes me.

What’s next for you?

This year I would love to create some giant puppets to use in parades and festivals. Having made larger than life eagles and exotic birds, I am now inspired by the local turkey buzzards soaring overhead. Continue exploring and growing artistically in my new community, maybe a community art studio or hands on art at the weekly public market? Learning more about the complexities, simplicity and relationships involved in the business of art and creating a niche for Scowling Owl Studio. Expanding my painted series of Old Happy Couples, Joyful Siblings, and Snarling Hockey Players…

And here’s something that inspires her creativity:

Whenever I want to see some inspiring art/design/illustration I click around on blog inspiration. Love the embroidered floors!

Thank you Andrea! Being inspired by soaring turkey buzzards…now that’s inspiring!

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“These gals are shaking the Tree, gathering up around them the fruits of creativity.”