LUXE Pacific Northwest Issuu 12

Page 153

Avery Thatcher considers herself at the forefront of a style movement in Portland that combines a clean, modern look with folk-art overtones. “As an artist, I appreciate restraint in pattern and design but I also aim

Thatcher’s works are sometimes compared to Scandinavian design, perhaps, she says, because of her use of white space; an example of her wallpapers is shown below.

to capture a folky, wabi-sabi spirit,” says the founder of Juju Papers, a wallpaper business that balances those ideals. Initial inspiration for her whimsical papers struck while Thatcher was touring shacks in a South African township, where paper-machéd food labels in repeating patterns adorned the interior walls of the homes. She then began researching and found early European and American wallpapers that inspired a similar fascination. “They were imperfect, with hand-painted portions that led to bizarre and interesting focal points,” she recalls. “I was hooked.” Thatcher now translates that artistry into her own work as she paints her bespoke designs before sending specs to California to be printed by hand, yielding wallpapers with strong illustrations and colors that form a dichotomy between the polished and the natural. jujupapers.com; 503.764.7610

PAPER MATE

AVERY THATCHER Dream collaboration: The sketches and letters of Hungarian type designer Imre Reiner are very inspirational to me. I’d love to arrange some of his work into a pattern appropriate for a modular wallpaper print.

Favorite shops: Woonwinkel, Beam & Anchor, Stand Up Comedy and Una here in Portland; California’s Magnolia Editions and Heath Ceramics; and Maryam Nassir Zadeh in New York.

Most engaging art period: When I was in art school, I really loved sculpture from the late 1960s and early ’70s: Eva Hesse, Bruce Nauman and Richard Serra were big influences on my aesthetic. They stressed the sensuousness of the materials that they used, and made work that managed to be edgy and very moving. This would prove to be a much admired quality as I matured.

Go-to host gift: Eau de Vie of Douglas Fir, made by Clear Creek Distillery in Portland. It’s a wonderful tree spirit—perfect for after dinner. LUXE INTERIORS

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