Artist Name: Shannon Riffe
Shop Name and Url: Rifferaff, rifferaff.etsy.com
Blog: rifferaff.typepad.com
City: Cambridge, MA
Where in your home/apartment is your studio located?
My studio consists of the dining room table in the one-bedroom apartment I share with my boyfriend, with little nooks and crannies used for storage through the rest of our home. I love the open layout of the apartment, but as a result my mess and my work is always out in the open. I try to keep things tidy as much as possible.
What equipment/tools do you use?
Very large silkscreens (30" x 40" in size), lots of large paper (19" x 25") and alot of ink containers. I recently purchased a swing arm paper trimmer and it has been amazing. Much better than using a metal ruler and an x-acto knife, which is what I had been using up until last month.
Do you have an inspiration board, and can you tell us what is inspiring you now? Actually I don't have an inspiration board. Because the screens are very large and expensive to create (and hard to store!), I only have 3 designs. So I try to think creatively in terms of color, since I will only add new designs one to two times a year. I love seeing color combinations in all places, a pair of socks my boyfriend is wearing, an ad on the train or in the paper. I also read design and craft blogs daily and always take note of what types of colors seem to be popping up regularly. Mostly, I go with my gut and do what feels right.
How do you create best (e.g. do you listen to music while you create and if so what?)
I come up with my best pattern designs at my day job while I'm doodling at my desk. Sometimes I think that if I was ever lucky enough to work on my art full-time, I'd lose my best designing time because nearly my entire portfolio of designs were dreamed up at a desk job, doodling while in a meeting or on a phone call or a lunch break.
List (3) of your favorite artists
Lotta Jansdotter
Orla Kiely
Mark Rothko
If yours isn't, what would be your perfect studio?
I'd love to have the space and equipment to create my silkscreens myself. Right now I outsource that work to a local screenprinting shop. So I'd love a large space in a converted factory building with lots of natural light, wood floors, and room for a drying rack, flat files, an exposure unit and a washout booth. I'd also love for it to be a shared studio space with creative and fun studiomates.
Thank you Shannon!
