Collage artist Beth Hoeckel is no stranger to frankie's world, having graced our blog way back in 2011. We recently revisited the talented lady's cosmos-laden mixed media pieces, however, and decided we're so smitten that it was time to sit her down for a chat. 

Where were you born and where do you live now? I was born in Baltimore USA, moved to Chicago for school, then New York, then Los Angeles, and now I am back in Baltimore.

How does where you grew up and where you live now affect your art? I think the travelling and moving around has affected my life and personality, so that affects what I create.

Please describe the space where you do most of your creating – whether it's your art studio or kitchen bench! I have a studio in my apartment, which is actually the sunroom. But I am moving this weekend to a new house and my studio will be one of the 3 bedrooms.

What kind of mediums do you use? Why do you choose to use these mediums? All different kinds, I like to experiment. Lately I have been very fond of liquid acrylics, india ink, and gouache- and I'll always use collage.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this medium? Well the one disadvantage of collage is that sometimes the papers are very old, and can disintegrate or tear easily. The advantages are that the colours and quality of the paper are very beautiful, they are simply not made that way anymore.

Is there a running theme to the work you create? I think a lot of it is about losing touch with reality in a good way. I have several different projects going at once, but within each one there is usually an unintentional theme. For example- my point of view collage series is about people interacting and reacting to the power of nature as well as getting lost in a daydream.

You've created pieces for editorial and album art – how does your approach to an artwork differ? For a band, they usually have something in mind so my approach is to compliment their vision while maintaining my personal aesthetic. Though sometimes they just let me do what I want, in which case I'll create something that matches their music. Editorial is different because it's more specific, it's creating a visual to illustrate a piece of writing. So I have to stick to the theme of the article. It can be challenging, because for my personal work I always create intuitively.

What kind of ideas and things are you working on at the moment? Abstract paintings and ink drawings, collages on vintage book covers, collages of people interacting with objects, about to start a collage project about trash.

What other budding artists do you love? There are so many, and I'm always finding new ones to love. I will name a few names that come to mind- Anna Topuriya, Leanne Shapton, Tatiana Berg, Vicki Sher, Ada Hamza, Eylul Aslan, Malin Gabriella Nordin, Elena Johnston... huh, those are all women. No disrespect to the dudes.

What do you enjoy doing when not creating art? Laughing, thinking, being quiet, being loud, sleeping, reading, yoga, thrift store treasure hunting and collecting old t-shirts, experimental cocktails (especially Campari lately), hanging out with my boyfriend, petting other peoples cats, etc...

Where can we see more of your work? I have lots of web things!

www.bethhoeckel.com
flickr.com/photos/bethfromabove
society6.com/BethHoeckelCollage
birdsofpray.tumblr.com
etsy.com/shop/BethHoeckel