"Between the Lines" is an interview feature about handwriting, objects with stories, and everything that doesn't fit into an obvious answer. A space for unlikely lists, unwritten letters, and what defies a blank page.
In this 1st edition, I invite Joana Dornellas, a plastic artist who is a friend of mine and whom I greatly admire for her restless imagination, sense of humor, limitless creativity, and our shared love for Jeff Buckley, the Portuguese countryside, and French fries.
Despite a close (and admitted) relationship with imposter syndrome, Joana draws, doubts, creates again, and fortunately for all of us, always challenges herself to go further.
Here, we talked about letters she would have liked to receive, imperfectly perfect pencils, papers that simply cannot be thrown away, and, of course, her stationery choices.
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To whom would you write a letter on paper?
During my teenage years, I wrote many letters on paper to cousins, crushes, and friends, and I loved it when something arrived in the mail. And since I was very insecure at the time, I think I would love to receive a letter from future Joana just saying: "Cut the crap."
What inspires you to create?
I know I should say a child's laughter or the morning light on the dew... but what truly inspires me are crooked photos - half-eaten tables, unposed flowers, and less obvious color mixes. Crooked photos, but true ones.
A book that made an impact on you.
I recently read Anne of Green Gables with my children and I still think about it regularly.
An artist who inspires you.
This one's easy - Sandi Hester is by far the person who has inspired me the most in my artistic process, but also Emily Powell - both have a certain "clumsiness" that inspires me greatly.
An object that lives on your desk
There's a Colman's mustard tin full of pencils that we've collected from museums and hotels we've visited. Most of them are pencils of questionable quality, but they all have a good story.
What is always in your stationery drawer?
I'm a super fan of 4B charcoal pencils! There's no life without a 4B. And also a ream of paper for all sorts of lists, ideas, tests, notes, constructions.
What's on your Modern Stationery wish list?
The Kaweco fountain pens and those Rossi correspondence sets in all colors.
What stationery item would you like to exist – and no longer exists, or never existed?
That's very difficult - I think maybe a really, really black pencil that writes thick and super intensely but doesn't smudge. It's really hard to find a pencil that does this - they're either gray, or thin, or smudge everything - the closest I've found are china markers but it's still not perfect!
A paper you can never throw away.
A note my husband wrote on the tracing paper that was wrapping the yogurt cake my mother smuggled into Santa Maria when my first child was born. My husband was so emotional that he wrote: Long live "Joquim" - priceless.
What's the best letter you could receive in the mail?
A letter saying: cut the crap.
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