Eva Magill-Oliver

I am an artist.

My practice has a few branches: creating and exhibiting original, one-off pieces (Including Tiny Blades Project), making multiples (prints), and then partnering with other small businesses to offer in-person workshops.

I started Tiny Blades Project by cutting something out of paper every day for 365 days. Initially running as a year-long endeavour, I’ve since cut over 760 pieces to date.

I was born and raised in Ottawa (roughly 550km away) and moved to Toronto at age 17 to attend OCAD University. For short periods of time I’ve also lived in New York and Hong Kong.

I heard a saying once: “people build small towns wherever they go”. I’m fortunate to have been able to travel, and have my own ways of making myself feel at home anywhere, but Toronto has a special place in my heart from the experiences that I’ve had here and the unique energy that the city embodies.

I’ve recently had several clients approach me about making portraits of their homes. Each project was a lovely experience; for some clients I got to hear some history and personal stories with the house. I also got a sense of how much they loved their space. Now I pay even more attention to vernacular architecture when I’m out on my bike.

HOUSES – PAPER CUT [Originals], Annyen Lam.

I’m most productive in the morning or evening, so I wake up as early as I can, work with something in the background (Netflix, podcasts, or streamers on Twitch), and then take some time the afternoon, when productivity wanes, to do other things (bike errands, work out, read). In the evening I’ll either teach or work with dinner in between.

If we were to trace it back to my early childhood, I was a huge bookworm; I loved interacting with different book forms, which probably informed an early love for paper. I’d also go through popup books and try to figure out how it was put together.

Paper is seen as a humble medium; it’s been around for centuries and is found virtually everywhere. So there’s something magical about putting it under a slightly different light – in my case, cutting away at it, or exploring its sculptural possibilities – that underscores the fundamental strangeness of our everyday objects and surroundings.

A giant pine tree. A few springs ago, baby birds were hatched and raised right in front of me so I got to see them (and their mother) all the time.

I hear the neighbour’s dog barking and the bell from the school around the corner.

I smell the tea from across my desk.

An equilateral triangle.

I enjoy the thrill of heights. My first bungee jump was 233 metres (765 feet). It definitely brings you into the present moment!

In 2007, I moved to Paris to join my fiancé who was pursuing his MBA at HEC Paris. I left quite happily to live with him in anticipation of a new life and new adventures. Hardly knowing the French language at all, things in the beginning were quite challenging to say the least.

In time though, things fell into place. I studied the language, made new friends, and soaked in as much of the French culture as I could. I miss everything from those times, but certain things I miss the most are – first and foremost, les brocantes. I adored how every weekend in a new “quartier”, I could peruse all of the beautiful objects from linens to antiques to artwork. A close second are the museums. Being able to take the metro to view beautiful, historic works of art and then be back at my apartment in the space of a few hours was like being in a dream. People in large cities should never take this opportunity for granted.

Being a vegan in Paris, I also miss one of my favourite “restos” in the 4eme, Le Potager Du Marais near Le Centre Pompidou.

Keeping sketchbooks and journals has always been a regular practice of mine. I love the tangible aspect of sketchbooks and books in general. I think it is important for an artist to keep one in an effort to record ideas and inspirational imagery that can often be fleeting. The art and usage of the sketchbook has evolved a bit for me over the past year or so, but quite naturally. Doing these sketchbook “assemblages” incorporates my love of design, art, and photography, while at the same time highlighting texture, pattern, shape, and line.

I also have been interested and encouraged to continue to do the sketchbooks because I believe they represent the true soul of an artist. They are not polished or framed or residing in an elegant home – they are simple, humble, and sincere. All qualities I hope to express and emulate myself.

PAPER & PAINT MIXED COLLAGE [Originals], Using IMPRESSION ORIGINALE wraps.

My family and I moved to Atlanta last Summer from Asheville, NC. The move was bittersweet for me. I knew I would miss the beautiful mountains, landscapes, and certainly the great friends I had made there. But I also knew moving to a larger city would bring new opportunities for both me and my family.

Eva has agreed to work her magic on one of her notebook with IMPRESSION ORIGINALE design paper wrap. She has come up with an incredible and very personnal interpretation of the “A thousand and one Roses Wrap” from Monika Forsberg and “Optical Wave Wrap” from Matt Chase.

She lives in a fairly quiet and small neighbourhood, so from her studio you mainly hear birds and neighbourhood kids playing. Even though Eva loves music, she can’t seem to play it while painting. She prefers to be in her own mind and thoughts, which helps her to focus on the task at hand.

As far as smells, Eva loves coffee, so it smells that in addition to paints and other materials that surround her in the studio.

Probably a deep blue – generally, blues remind me of the ocean that I grew up very close to on the coast of South Carolina. It brings a sense of calm, reflection, peacefulness, and quiet. All things that I strive to find in myself and in my daily life. I also love how dark colors stand strong on their own, yet highlight and enhance surrounding colors – the kind of relationship I would like to find with myself and those around me.