The appointment
is set. Myriam Van Neste connects directly from Vienna, where she lives with
her spouse and children. For her, it’s almost time to pick up her son from
daycare. For us, the day has just begun. And it begins beautifully with this
illustrator who makes you dream of distant Nordic countries…
First, tell us
about your journey: from Montreal to Vienna, Austria, via Finland and
California…
“First, I completed my bachelor’s in sculpture at
Concordia University in Montreal. I then studied environmental art in Helsinki, Finland, where I lived for two
years. My goal was to create public art, which I was able to do for some time
in Quebec. When I had my first child, we were living in California. I no longer
wanted to do large-scale work that generated a lot of stress and took up a lot
of my time. I started doing collages and illustrations as a creative outlet. I
was working in the field of culture. When we moved to Austria for my husband’s
work (a plant biology researcher), I could no longer work in this field, and I
was expecting my second child. At first, I drew for fun. But then it became
more and more prominent… I had found my niche! It made more sense for me to do
this kind of work…”
Where did you
get the name Helsinki mon
amour?
“I would say that that my practice became more
focused during my studies in Finland’s capital. I chose this name when I
created my online boutique when I came back from Scandinavia and was selling my
illustrations. Six years later, I still hadn’t changed it, and it was starting
to become known. I couldn’t go back. At the same time, Finnish design is so
much a part of my work.”
What inspires
you in these Nordic countries?
“I think people who like winter are attracted to
Nordic countries. I’m one of those people. I also inevitably work with nature.
While I am a city girl—I like to live in a big city and soak up that energy—when
it comes to design and cutting, I always go for landscape shapes, animals,
flowers, leaves…”
Collage is
always part of your creative process…
“Absolutely. This is the link that remains from my
sculptural practice. Collage is my way of sketching, of letting my ideas fly. If I’m not motivated, I just
have to take out some coloured paper and it allows me to start the day on the
right side, creatively. I have lots of notebooks filled with quick collages. I
consult them from time to time. I come back to one or the other… It’s more
creative for me to start with my hands than to jump right onto the computer.
For editorial work, however, I do less cutting.
I choose a theme of 20 to 34 colours and work with
that. I will often reproduce the collage or elements of the collage in
Illustrator. I work in vector format. Making a new pattern takes several days
before I am happy with it. I finish with the colours.”
At what point did you
feel comfortable defining yourself as an illustrator?
“When I was in the art world in sculpture, I could never identify
with this world that I loved. I found it arduous and cumbersome to always have
to justify my artistic approach, since I was mostly intuitive. Can’t we just
make something beautiful, have fun and work with brands that stimulate us? Art can have a very inaccessible
side. I work on a lot of products that will be used in everyday life. All this
can also exist.”
“I have no problem doing
commercial illustration projects. My illustrations are present, they embellish
life.”
What state of mind do you
have to be in to create? What environment do you immerse yourself in?
“I have a work space that must always be clean. I like to create
in a minimalist, clean
environment. In the morning, I am hyper creative and in the early afternoon, I ‘crash’,
so I do more administrative tasks. My office is bright. I am lucky, because we
live in an old apartment with a very large window in the heart of Vienna.”
How does your
collaboration with Demain Demain inspire you?
“I love to illustrate products that are part of everyday
life. I am happy that my work brings colour and joy to people’s lives!”
“It’s important for me to work
with businesses that share my values. What could be better than an ecofriendly,
local Quebec business, founded by a woman!”
Where to find Myriam Van Neste’s creations:
A Few Quick Questions
Who are your
main clients and for what type of projects (editorial, youth, advertising,
murals, animation, storyboard)?
“My clients are really diverse, which is the
favourite part of my work! I divide my time between commercial illustration
projects or designs for various products (packaging, clothing and accessories,
textiles, food products, etc.), illustrations for the visual identity of
companies and organizations, as well as illustrations for books and magazines.
I also occasionally design murals.”
Your favourite
illustrator at the moment?
“Taiwanese illustrator Hsinping Pan. I love her visual world, her colours and the childlike joy
that emanates from her work!”
A children’s
book that you never tire of revisiting?
“I love the book Tant et tant de choses by Hungarian illustrator Anna Kovecses and the book Dans le détail by Élisa Géhin. The illustrations are wonderful. My boys
and I look at them every day.”
