Tell us about your piece and how it represents the Country that you are from?

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and it’s a landscape that I have always been drawn to, and I have an emotional and visceral connection to it. If there is any place that I feel home, it is here. Two summers ago I biked from my house near Seattle, Washington down to San Francisco, California. Cycling is such a wonderful way to take in the landscape, because you have the time to truly experience a place instead of just rushing through it. I had wanted to make a piece that felt like traveling in that landscape, so the inspiration was starting in Northwestern Washington and heading south.  

​

What was the most challenging part of the brief?

I am half American and half Swedish, and often I don’t feel very American. In fact, I most often feel “in-between.” But I very much identify with the Pacific Northwest and the natural world that is found here, so I wanted to capture that in my piece, to showcase the part of the country that I love and identify with. 

​

What part of the brief did you enjoy the most?

It was a challenge to do a larger piece that what I usually do (the piece is 12x18”), and it was the impetus to make a piece that I have been envisioning for a long time but have never taken the time to sit down and make.

​

How did you enjoy working with Excel Blades?

I use Excel Blades for all of my work and love them. The blades allow for a lot of precision in cutting, and I enjoy cutting with the Grip-On knife because my hand never gets sore after a lot of cutting. They also have great customer service, which I really appreciate.