Alma Charry
Where are you from and where you do you currently reside?
I was born in Paris, but raised in the countryside of France in a very small village. I got back to Paris to follow my studies in cinematography, which didn’t last for long! I quickly left university to start working. Since then I work and live in Paris.
What necessities do you require when making your art (radio, specific paintbrushes)?
Most of the time I like listening to radio shows or Ted conferences. If I don’t feel like listening I just put some music on or a (often bad) movie I don’t really look at, but I like having background noise. Practically speaking, my main necessity is to have a little bit of space to work sitting directly on the floor.
Describe a typical day in the studio for you.
I wouldn’t say there is a typical day in the studio for me. My days are balanced between commissioned work, side projects, and my personal practice. I allow myself to pick up the brushes anytime I feel like it, so the work can stay spontaneous and fresh.
Regardless of the medium I use, whether it is watercolor, ink, collage or even digital drawing, I conceptualise very little, and I rarely plan. It is all about some kind of purity I am attached to.
Alma Charry
Despite working in both watercolor and collage, do you find any commonalities amongst your works?
Besides the shapes that I am a little bit obsessed with and which I repeat a lot, I would say that spontaneity is the main commonality. Regardless of the medium I use, whether it is watercolor, ink, collage or even digital drawing, I conceptualise very little, and I rarely plan. It is all about some kind of purity I am attached to. I try to create my own way of preserving what moves me, which - if it had to be defined - would be something mixing science, emotions, magic, literature, and the link between all things. Even if it not obviously formally, these are themes throughout all of my work.
Are your compositions inspired by everyday objects, or are they purely imagined?
My compositions are mostly purely imagined, though I absorb a lot of inspiration from my surroundings without even noticing it. They’re never the direct reflection of something I see. All that matters to me is that they have to “feel right”, and in this way they reflect something that I cherish and take from everyday lifesome sense of oscillation and balance.
What’s next for you?
I have a few collaborative projects in progress, which have opened doors to domains I am not familiar with and which I am very happy to be making my way through. Right now I am working with a friend on a series of limited editions objects made by hand, which will allow me to work on textile and product design, and experience the whole chain of production, from design to production and communication.
