Interview with Artist Odette Muijsers
Tell us who you are and what you do?
I am Odette Muijsers, 47 years old, living in Amsterdam with my husband and two boys (10 & 13). ! studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and graduated in 1997. As a child I was always drawing so I went to art school to be an illustrator. ! still want to be one, maybe when I grow up. After a few years of drawing and painting I start doing ceramics as well. It is not always easy to make a living (and can be lonesome) as an artist, so I teach four to six year olds how to use a hammer and saw and make objects with wood.
What inspires your current work?
My current work is inspired by the bag of candy my brother, sister and I would get to buy every Sunday morning from the only shop that was open in our Catholic village. The color, the texture, the thin white paper bag, the selection, the sugar rush while eating them one after the other, and reading comics on the sofa. The soft pastel colors of my favorite ones are in my work now.
How does your environment effect your work?
This is a hard one…can you really tell how your environment affects your work? I know the structure my family gives me, or asks from me takes a lot of time. So, in that way it effects me because I can do maybe a quarter of what I would like to do and a lot of ideas just die slowly. The material I can buy, the colors that are available, like for instance shiny glaze, is very popular. It’s hard to find matte glaze, which I prefer, so I have to think how to make it myself, which is an interesting search and I have learned a lot in the process! It is interesting to think if I’ve been born in Africa, would I still be an artist? Would I be the woman who did the most beautiful ceramic bowls in the village?
My studio is in Pakhuis Wilhelmina www.pakhuiswilhelmina.nl It is an old storage building converted to studio’s, it has about 90 artists working in it. So, this affects my work as well, as I get to talk to neighbors and see their work evolve. I have a top five of my favorite colleagues.
Mark van den Brink www.markvandenbrink.nl
Nienke Sybrandy studiosybrandy.nl
Femke van Heerikhuizen www.femkevanheerikhuizen.nl
Petra van der Steen www.petravandersteen.nl
Willem van Albeslo Willem van Albeslo (@albeslo) • Instagram-foto's en -video’s
My website is made by www.harrisblondman.nl. They are really good, always learning and experimenting. You don’t just get a fantastic website but a piece of art!
How do you stay grounded during this time of change and transformation?
To stay grounded I had to refine my bullshit filter very fast! I was getting sick from all the news, now I only follow the ’serious news' and block all jokes, tips, warnings, etc! I always lead a very structured life, because I want to stay healthy enough to be able to work in the studio until i’m over 90. I get lots of sleep and I try to block everything that takes energy that doesn’t involve my family, work or close friends. It can be really boring, not very ‘Rock & Roll’, only sticking in the studio, but it helps me to stay calm for now. The idea of no income is very stressful, but I am positive we will get through!
What are you currently obsessed with?
I will share with you some fascinations and thoughts that keep popping up.
I wish I could feel what it feels like if I was a cat and I would put my cat feet cushions together.
I want to own a New Zealand sixties batch (being half Kiwi and always itching to go there. I lived there for 9 months and loved it.
Baches - Strandhuisjes, Nieuw zeeland huizen en Huizen
I am thinking about soap a lot lately, will probably have to make work with it.
In combination with this, also lemons are part of these thoughts.
I like lemons, they have such a nice shape.
Always fascinated by human behaviour, especially if it has to do with food, because it is never really about food.
The best book I read about it is by Geneen Roth, When food is love.
Dreaming about working at HARIBO inventing new candy and making art with their machines.
HARIBO - Kids and grown-ups love it so, the happy world of Haribo
I recently started teaching art to kids I am interested in artists who write or get interviewed about teaching.
One of my favourite artists is Emo Verkerk Hollandse Meesters - Emo Verkerk
My favourite book about being an artist is ‘Verf’ by Hans den Hartog Jager, he asked 14 well known Dutch artists how they work.
It is very inspiring to read about their rituals, hangups and reluctance to start working.
