In the latest edition of our Meet the Artist series, Liss Stender (livaurora) shares with us her love of frozen lakes and stormy weather as a year round resident of Greenland. She’s a Spoonflower designer inspired by her roots, her culture, and the turbulent natural environment around her.
Greetings, Liss! Where do you call home? Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.
My day starts with... Drinking a nice cup of coffee, looking at the ocean and enjoying the weather regardless of whether it rains, storms or snows. So I check e-mail, drive my son to school and open my shop at 10 o’clock in the morning.
I fell in love with design when… in 1987, when I returned to Greenland and discovered how much I had missed my country and my culture. I began drawing and designing in the late 1980s.
Tell us about your process. What’s in your toolbox? Pencil, pen (I make my own ink), brush and paper. Once I have my drawing sketched out, I evaluate whether I should re-draw it on my Mac computer or not. I use Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator. I sew all prototypes myself.
When I’m in my studio, I feel… free!
Who or what influences or inspires your work and why? Subconsciously, through my designs I am able to express my past memories. I’m drawing my culture. It is important for me to remember my roots and further transmit Greenland’s culture in new ways.
My favorite small business shop is… Kraum in Reykjavik, Iceland.
If I could live in a painting, it would be… one of Carl Larsson’s pictures. I love his world of warmth, creativity and lots of people in the Swedish countryside.
If I could only wear one fabric, it would… have a picture of a frozen lake on it.
My favorite Spoonflower fabric to work with is… Basic Cotton Ultra and Organic Cotton Sateen.
I’d love to see one of my designs turned into a… menswear suit.
The secret to a strong collection is… to have a strong DNA in your design.
Best advice I ever received is… be positive, believe in yourself and never give up.
Pleasure getting to know you, Liss! Get to know more designers in our community.