I am always inspired by people who can create a whole world with just their own two hands. Take my friend Mirka Hokkanen—she’s a printmaker, illustrator and crafter who seems to be well on her way toward shaping her own universe with pen and ink, and needle and thread. And the best part: we’re all invited to the party. Tacoma folks might recognize Mirka from the Tacoma is for Lovers or numerous other Northwest craft fairs, where she never fails to draw a crowd to her table like kids to a candy store. But her toys and accessories are just one small facet of Mirka’s world—she is equally at home (and even more engaging) in a gallery, or a classroom.

Originally hailing from Finland, Mirka moved to the U.S. over a decade ago to attend college in Rockford, Illinois. She finished her BFA in 2002, and moved on to receive both MA and MFA degrees in printmaking from University of Dallas. She has taught printmaking and art history at the college level, and has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally. She currently resides in Dupont, Washington with her husband, an officer in the U.S. Army. I asked Mirka to chat with me about her work, and what it’s like to juggle teaching, a full-time fine art career, a small business, and life in the military.

How did you get started with printmaking?

Ever since I can remember I have loved to draw. Paint just really was not my thing. I had never really tried printmaking, except for the random linocut in school, until I went to college in Rockford. I took printmaking my first semester and was hooked. I was initially drawn to the possibilities of making drawings that I could reproduce and the idea of multiples and all the possibilities that came with it.

I’ve seen you work with many different printmaking techniques—from traditional to experimental. Do you have a favorite printmaking method?

Intaglio is my first love and still my favorite medium, because of the lines. I love the depth and variety of line work and marks that one can print from an etching plate- there’s nothing like the satisfaction of pulling off that first print from your plate. I am also hooked on really detailed work and love all the processes that go into a finished print. I have worked in just about every other printmaking media, relief prints, screen printing, letterpress, some lithography and mixed media work and encaustics and magnets.  I am working right now to learn more about engraving and letterpress.

Because my husband is in the military, shop availability changes all the time as we move and I get to know the print community in a certain area. After the initial idea for a piece, I figure out what kind of equipment I have access to and then figure out what media to use for the print. I love that printmaking offers such a wide variety of techniques and I can change the technique to something else, when I get bored with it. On the other hand I do like to work somewhat consistently with a media when I get started. You get a feel for the material and tools you are working with, and it is hard to change daily from lets say a linocut that needs a strong hand to an etching with fine lines. I have slowly acquired an etching press and a small letterpress, so I am currently working on small relief prints and engravings to print in my home studio.

What inspires you (other artists, places, objects, etc.)?

Oh my, so many things can inspire me. I have lived somewhat of a gypsy life since childhood. Nature and animals have always been a grounding and soothing element for me with all the hassles that come with moving. In the woods I can center myself, find peace and really appreciate God’s creation and the mind staggering diversity of it. I also am drawn to old worn out things, that you can find in antique shops and fleamarkets (to my husband’s joy). It’s fascinating to imagine who owned them and what kind of a life they lived. The torn, worn and tattered surfaces of the objects tell the story of how it was made, used and then cast aside.

Historical artists such as Joseph Cornell, Albrecht Dürer and Norbertine Bresslern-Roth are some of my favorite artists. I am normally drawn to a type of work more than a specific artist. In my studio lies a box with innumerable clippings and postcards of favorite works. When I am looking for inspiration to start working, I’ll often flip through pictures, to get my mind working. In general my eye catches things that I am conscious of in my own work- something that makes me chuckle, beautiful lines, earthy colors or a worn look.

Your work often deals with animal themes, and runs the gamut between innocent storytelling and black political humor. How do animals tie these things together? What draws you to animals in your work?

I have always loved to depict animals over people. I found them more interesting to draw with fur and patterns than people with skin. As I got older and more serious as an artist, it seemed that depicting animals was a less confrontational way to address sensitive issues, like factory farming, than if I had directly pointed a finger at you. I wanted more of an open approach to let people think for themselves rather than forcing my opinions on them.

Animals also hold so much symbolism and meaning in every culture. We can see them as gods, symbols, metaphors, heroes, food, clothing and objects. We reflect ourselves on them or give them anthropomorphic qualities, they are leading characters in folktales and modern movies. It is interesting to dwell in our relationship with them, and bring it out on paper.

You also create stuffed toys, which are really beautifully designed and cleverly constructed. I tend to think of them as part of your whole body of work, but you seem to keep them pretty separate from your prints and illustrations. Is there a reason for that?

I have made some stuffed animals as part of an exhibition before but in general I have tried to keep them separate. I figured that to be taken seriously as a young artist, it was better to be just a printmaker and keep the cute handcrafts on the side. I originally just sewed little things for myself and for gifts. While in GA I had a hard time getting access to any printmaking facilities, so the handcrafts started to pile up on my free time. I started an Etsy shop, through which I was able to make enough profit to buy a small press to make prints. Another reason to keep them separate was that the art had a political bent on it (meaning behind it) and the stuffed animals and other things had no meaning behind them. They were just cute things for people to enjoy. For a long time I have been trying to think of ways to incorporate craft techniques with printmaking, but haven’t come up with a solution that I was satisfied with so far. As time goes by, it is harder to keep them separate, simply because there are a limited amount of hours in the day and everything in printmaking and crafts takes up a lot of time. I love what you did with the Mnemonic Sampler show and Whitney Lee’s latch hook art. Another great resource I go for inspiration is Embroidery As Art.

How has Finnish culture influenced your work? Have you had any influence from American culture as well?

I get my love of nature and handcrafts from Finland, since that is what I grew up with. I learned to draw and sew early and to knit in first grade. We lived by woods and had a summer cabin in the country, so I spent countless hours outside playing and exploring and as I got older picking berries and hiking. My grandmother also loved collecting “antiques”, and I loved going through their drawers and nooks in the garage to see all the treasures they had stored up. Also the simplicity of Finnish design is more attractive to me than rich colors and pattern that I see more over here.

After moving to the US I have learned to speak up more and to adapt quickly to situations (which also goes for my art). After living in IL, TX, GA and WA- I am not sure if there is one culture here in the US. I think I am happier at the moment making my art here, because I can reach a wider audience and find printmaking communities just about everywhere.

Translations—clockwise, from top left: “Yet a new day can change everything;” “Thank the Lord of my Soul!” and “Welcome to the house! As a guest in our cottage!”

Tell me about the Huoneentaulu Project.

The project came out of my love for handcrafts and my ongoing desire to incorporate them in the same body of work. These Finnish hand embroidered wall hangings were very popular in the early 1900’s, and hung in just about every house, but now they are becoming harder to find. They would have a center piece that had a short (most often religious) verse or saying. Sometimes embroidered embellishments were added and a fabric border. I think these wall hangings are very endearing, a sign of their times, but now they are becoming harder and harder to find, because they get worn out and thrown away and their original owners die. I wanted to save the story of this folk art by collecting as many pictures as I can, with stories, and then looking into them for common threads. I will use that as a jumping off point for more modern versions of the huoneentaulus that people could hang on their walls today.  I also think that now is a great time, with a revived interest in young people in things/traditions of old.

Translation: “My home, my happiness.”

How will you be translating Finnish handcrafts to the medium of printmaking? What techniques or materials will you use to convey your ideas about the original textiles? Will the meaning behind the objects change as you recreate them?

I wanted to use relief printing and letterpress for the new wall hangings. I figured they are old techniques as well, so it would be appropriate to use them to revive an old tradition and they work well for large solid areas and text. So far I printed the first huoneentaulu with a letterpress on paper, but I am playing with ideas of printing on fabric, embroidering paper, or using fabric to print on paper.

I am currently doing research on the original wallhangings, to get a sense of what they meant for people. The method of distribution will change, since before women would embroider their own hangings to have on their own wall, so they would have something that spoke directly at them. Since I will be printing and other people will hopefully be hanging these in their homes, the maker and media changes, but I hope that people would still hang one because the message speaks to them.

This will be a pretty slow project, just because it is taking a lot of time to figure out how to reach people to get pictures/stories for the research. But as I dig in deeper, I am finding more interesting things. At the end, I hope to have a book printed with the original wall hanging pictures, my work and an essay on what I found out through my research.

What does your ideal work space look like? Do you have any goals for your studio?

I dream about a great studio just about every day. Right now I work in a spare bedroom and garage which is cramped and rather gloomy. So far my husband is career military, so I don’t have high hopes of getting a great studio until he retires in our 5os. I imagine lots of space and large windows. I would love to have a communal shop in Finland that would bring in printmakers from the area to work together. It would be awesome to have a nice large press and equipment to make intaglio prints, and a letterpress or two, and a separate area for sewing and fiber work.

Do you have any advice for people who want to run a business by selling their handmade work?

I would say make sure that’s what you want to do, because it is a lot of hard work. Have a clear goal in mind and an identifiable product. In today’s world networking is also key, so get plugged in your local art/craft scene. I am so happy to be in the Tacoma area, they have a great supportive community here.  Etsy and Artfire are also great places to sell, if you can consistently keep up your shop. Consistency is a key element. When people know where to find you and know what you do, things will roll along much easier. Military life makes things pretty hard, but I try my best to get settled in every couple of years. Having an online store and website at least gives people the chance to find me after I have moved away, but it’s easier to get work from the contacts around you.

What’s next for you? Is there anything you would like to work on in the future?

I seem to always have many irons in the fire. Right now I am illustrating a Christian children’s book by Robbie Edgren and working to make prints for several upcoming shows in January and April. The wallhanging project is ongoing and I hope to concentrate on it full time after my last scheduled show in April 2011. I am really looking forward to this project and all the challenges it will bring with research, grants, writing and exploring new media.

Thanks, Mirka!