Oooh, look at that tiny snippet of goodness! Layers of paper, images, and whatever else this curious artist can get her hands on. Today I’m talking to Canadian artist Aimée Henny Brown. And the reason for the title of this episode, “Foxes ‘n’ Hedgehogs” is truly a perfect description of how Aimée’s brain works … curious like a fox, but she digs deep like a hedgehog! We started this episode with a personal help session that I’d requested. Aimée knows EVERYTHING about paper and, luckily, is happy to share her knowledge. I want to go bigger with my collages, so she told me how. Listen right up there under that insanely gorgeous peek at a #WIP from her Instagram feed, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First, go big or go home.

Gah! Look at that amazing, gigantic collage! That’s the Tyvek she was talking about, and yes, I am so going to try that. Look out hardware store, here I come!

Next up, houses in the negative. This is what she’s experimenting with while in Montreal, and I absolutely love them:

There really is something so beautiful about the other side of the paper after you’ve made a few cuts – lots of happy surprises over there! So, as you can see, Aimée has a fascination with structures, architecture, shelters etc… case in point, a few pieces from a 2016 titled “Futur Infinitif” :

Oh my word. Stunning. Last year Aimée and I were in a group show together, along with Vancouver’s Janice Wu, at Back Gallery Project. These were some of Aimée’s pieces:

There they are on the right, and again, look how big they are! I included that close-up above as well so you could see that, yes, there are houses nestled into almost everything she does! LOVE.

Oooh, and these are the installation shots of the work Aimée did while on that YEAR LONG residency in Harrison:

Right? Seriously, she can make anything. Look at those cuts? I love that she isn’t afraid to experiment with materials… which of course is why I ask her for advice whenever I can!

Speaking of cuts, here are those perfectly perfect bangs we were talking about:

Gorgeous! The topmost shot is a recent photo, but given all of our talk about foxes, hedgehogs and possums, I thought it only fair to include this 2016 image of Aimée and her forest friend! Thanks to Aimée for taking a break in her precious studio time to hang out with me for an hour and a half; thanks to Saatchi Art and Thrive for supporting the episode, and thanks to you for listening! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

ps. I just found out tonight that Thrive is currently accepting new members for their May intake. Their groups fill up, so if you’re interested make sure to pop over there soon.

Other links:

1. Thrive Mastermind
2. Tyvek
3. Terraskin
4. NASCAD, Halifax
5. University of Alberta, Edmonton
6. Condordia University, Montreal
7. Banff Centre Programs, Banff 
8. Amy on Instagram
9. Maudie {movie that will make you cry}
10. SOMA Gallery, Vancouver {June show}
11. ACT Gallery, Maple Ridge
12. Pendulum Gallery, Vancouver {Fall show}