Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 42
Occupation: Artist and industrial designer.
Instagram: @zoepawlak
Hometown: Vancouver, Canada.
Studio location: Vancouver, Canada.
Describe what you make: I’m a contemporary painter and a rug designer. I have collaborated over the years on furniture and mirrors, but my focus has always been custom art for interior designers and private clients. I’ve done more than 600 custom pieces, ranging from large-scale paintings for lobbies to intimate portraits in people’s homes. I’ve also designed three rug lines.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: Designing my first line of rugs, Over Oceans, was probably the most meaningful body of work I’ve ever created as an industrial designer. It was challenging in that I had to learn so much about the materials, yet it was very familiar because I’ve been working within the confines of a rectangle for almost 20 years. All of the same principles are applied to both rugs and canvases in terms of uniting color and composition. I wanted to provide my collectors with pieces that covered new areas since many of their walls were already full.
Over Oceans reveals the five ways in which the ocean moves as one of our Great Teachers. My goal was to create a collection that was as deeply meaningful as my paintings. For me, there had to be a strong theme, coherence, and resolve behind the collection. Being from the West Coast and growing up camping a ton, the ocean has always been central to my life and work for the entirety of my career. And it will continue to be.
Describe the problem your work solves: My work is at its best when I’m problem-solving on behalf of a client. I love being presented with a challenge. This could be a tricky space or a way in which the designer or client wants to emit a certain emotion. My job is to find the best way to tell (their) stories and marry my work with the desired content to achieve the best possible outcome. I’ve been able to build long-lasting relationships in which my clients often work with me for many years. There are designers I’ve worked with for my whole career. We establish deep working relationships that extend into friendships.
This is the most meaningful part of my work: human connection and relationship. The work brings me into relationships with some exceptional people and some very talented folks. My aim is twofold: to offer exceptional customer service and be a conduit for the client’s vision and emotions. I have a great capacity to listen and feel, two practiced gifts that I’m grateful to use. I translate this onto a two-dimensional surface that people can then observe and feel. Ultimately, I solve the problem of creating tangible emotion, using art as the vehicle.
Describe the project you are working on now: I’m fortunate to have had my work selected for each guest room in the historic Waldorf Astoria currently being renovated in New York City. The hotel is an iconic landmark and when I work on a public space, I feel immense joy knowing that so many more people will be able to experience and interact with my artwork. When I get to work on a project like that, I feel so fortunate because so much goes into those selections. The hotel selected a vessel piece. The vessels-as-content-for-painting idea came to me in New York while I was exhibiting at ICFF in 2018. New York is the birthplace of a six-year-long vessel series. The first painting in the series lives in the collection of Fernando Mastrangelo and so it all feels very full-circle. Canada is a small country and so I’m incredibly touched when my work finds a home in big cities made widely visible to many. It’s truly an honor.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: We recently launched the Vessels and Muses Oracle deck, a 40-card deck crafted through intuition that features palm-sized iterations of my original artworks paired with soulful and reflective messages. As I grow in my career, I aim to be of service to others. After experiencing the transformative nature of journaling and self-reflection, I decided to embark on a project that would share these practices with others. The goal of the deck is to support people’s intimate journey with self-discovery and growth, while allowing them to have a beautiful and aesthetic piece of my work at home, making the process that more enjoyable.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: As a mom, I’m a snack master. Snacks are the great joy and sustenance of life. Good music, too—of course.
What you do when you’re not working: I spend a lot of time with my teens. I love yoga and spending time with people who are newly sober and supporting them.
Sources of creative envy: Prince. Was or will there ever be anyone more creative or sexy? I also loved seeing Gord Downie’s final tour. That was profound.
The distraction you want to eliminate: How did we get so addicted to these phones?!
Concrete or marble? Concrete.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse. Gotta keep a girl grounded.
Remember or forget? Depends.
Aliens or ghosts? Aliens, please.
Dark or light? Light now.
Portrait photography by Yohan Kim; styled by Victoria Stephenson.
