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Studio visit with Swedish artist Linnéa Andersson
14.09.21 Interview by Wrap | Photography by Hilda Grahnat

Studio visit with Swedish artist Linnéa Andersson

For one of our recent Wrap lifestyle collaborations, we joined forces with queen of the leaf motif, Linnéa Andersson on a series of striking Art Trays for the home. Here we take a look around her light-filled Gothenburg studio, and catch up with her about her work, our project together and her signature style.
14.09.21 Interview by Wrap | Photography by Hilda Grahnat

Swedish artist Linnéa Andersson is known for her expansive leaf motifs, which often find themselves winding across large-scale canvases and city walls. Now they’re unfurling across a series of Art Trays designed especially for Wrap, in Linnéa’s signature blue hue as well as delicate pink, forest green and lilac colour ways.

Having searched for her style for almost a decade, Linnéa’s now signature aesthetic took root when she began dedicating two hours a day solely to painting, moving away from her design training and embracing a playful approach to colour and shape. We chatted with the Gothenburg-based artist about finding that distinct visual voice and how she’s been using her trays in interesting ways. We also took a spin around her light-filled studio, where her beautiful ideas grow.

Paint the picture for us – what does your day normally look like?
I wouldn’t say that one day is way different from the other, or exactly the same either. More like that I got a bunch of different days I switch between. There is the ‘working on my tablet in my living room’, ‘making another painting in my studio', ‘replying to emails, messages and finding that lost receipt’ or ‘painting a big mural’-day. So there’s quite a lot of variety, and that’s what I like about working the way I do!

Can you tell us a bit about where you work from? Your studio looks great.
I’m based in Gothenburg. My studio is quite small but is situated in an old factory with really high ceilings and big north-facing windows. I share my floor with a group of people working in design in one way or another, it’s great! It’s also just 500m from my apartment. I couldn’t wish for more!

Do you have a creative routine you like to follow?
I’m quite resolute when it comes to my process. I know what I am capable of, and often it is just a matter of being patient enough to get to the end of a project. I know that I will feel like shit when I am between 50 and 95 percent done, but that I just have to push through and not give up. If it feels too much like hard work before that point, it is time to start over before I waste too much time. I’m quite direct with myself and my process, we know each other by now.

Your designs feature striking leafy motifs. How did your style develop, and what does it mean to you?
After the first year of my Masters degree in design, I felt quite lost. I'd been studying art and design for almost a decade without finding my place, so I was feeling really frustrated. I decided to start painting for at least two hours every day, experimenting with different mediums and playing with colours and shapes. After a couple of months, the leaves started to emerge, and I found them so fascinating, I couldn't stop painting them. They became my voice; a kind of language to describe how I felt that day. My work became a sort of diary without words. By simply living my life and gaining new experiences, I come up with a new story to paint.

Linnéa Andersson
I’m quite resolute when it comes to my process. I know what I am capable of, and often it is just a matter of being patient enough to get to the end of a project.

We've collaborated with you in the past on greetings cards and wrapping papers, and recently we've loved working with you on this growing collection of Art Trays. What was your process when approaching the project?
I really enjoy working with some kind of creative restriction or specification, whether that’s a new format, a new colour, a new purpose. It feels like solving a puzzle. For this project, I needed to create designs that sat well in circle and rectangle frames. It was intriguing for me, working out how to bend my designs into interesting shapes within those forms.

Do you have a favourite colour-way in the tray collection?
Haha! I think you can guess what my favourite is… blue of course!

And have you used your trays for practical use, or are they decorating your studio/ home?
This might sound a bit weird, but I’ve used them to organise my fridge and I love it. I spend a lot of time in front of my fridge since another passion of mine is cooking. I think more people should try decorating inside their fridge! It’s oddly appealing and very comforting.

Your designs lend themselves excellently to large-scale murals. Can you tell us a bit about this work?
Thank you! My most recent wall is situated in central Gothenburg, next to the harbour. The only thing that separates a mural from painting ‘normally' (like on a canvas in my studio or on my tablet) is the weather. I love going up in scale, but I don’t think it changes my way of working. I always start with a frame, a decided area to paint within, and then just trying to optimise that space as much as I can. So it doesn’t make any difference if it’s a big wall, or as small post-it note. But well, Gothenburg weather is windy and rainy and it was a constant struggle to not give up. But that's also a part of the fun.

And finally, when we last spoke you mentioned you were working on an exciting and challenging commission. Can you tell us about it, or is it still in the works?
Yes! I have been working on creating two wallpapers for the Swedish ancient wallpaper producer Boråstapeter. My designs are part of a collection with two other artists, and it has been such a dream project! I haven’t made repeat patterns since uni and I was a bit rusty at the start. Unlike with the trays where I was sticking to a decided frame, suddenly I had to do the total opposite, as I wanted the pattern to look fluid and not like it was repeated. It was really challenging and super fun! It will be released at the end of September.


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linneaandersson.se / @linneaanderssonofficial