Meet Erica Malmsten | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erica Malmsten and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erica, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started Odd Modd Works because I wanted control over my own work. I make what I want when I want, and that’s the best way for me to create. There are so many more tools now for artists who want to go their own way, and I’m all about it. It may take longer to get where you’re going, but you don’t have to compromise your art to get there, and that’s an important factor for a lot visual artists, musicians, and writers. Underground hip hop artist Pro Dillinger calls it ‘taking the stairs’, and it’s worth the extra work.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What gets me most excited is having a room to myself to transform. I enjoy the installation process. Everything about it. I approach the walls like a giant open sketchbook. There are of course preplanned pieces, but the spaces in between and around them will tell me what they need to pull everything into a whole concept. It’s like solving a puzzle.
All of art making is pretty much puzzle-solving.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My idea of a good time is being in a museum with a sketchbook (and we’re assuming for the sake of argument this hypothetical best friend would feel the same), so Fernbank, the High, the Oddities Museum, and the Center for Puppetry Arts would all be on the itinerary. As would the Botanical Gardens, not a museum, but a great place to spend a day sketching. And if they’re up for a drive into the mountains, Black Orchid Curiosities is well worth the trip!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s several, so buckle up:
First off, my husband and other half of Odd Modd Works, Karl Knott. He’s instrumental in how things operate here, as well as deeply involved with the art making itself.
My second is Chariy Lindop of Black Orchid Curiosities, who challenges me to do things like this (not a huge fan of talking about myself at any capacity) and has tirelessly supported my endeavors.
I also would like to shout out Kim and Jeremy Gibbs at The Oddities Museum/Rainy Day Revival for providing a space that inspires and promotes so many local artists.
I’m also shouting out Seattle artist Gentian Osman, who I’ve had the privilege of working with and bouncing ideas off of for over 20 years, and who is a better artist than me and makes me up my game.

Website: https://oddmoddworks.com

Instagram: @oddmoddworks

Image Credits
Dental phantom photo reference credit: Jana Miller