Up Close with Maria Lintott

February 28, 2008

Maria Lintott is as cute and polished as her name may imply. What she isn’t though, is typical of what that might mean if taken at face value. Her interest in details (probably what keeps her looking so well put-together) allows her to design patterns that are simultaneously intricate and simple.

In order to design a composition that is rational yet complex, Maria constantly studies the way details connect in all aspects - from wandering around street markets, noticing how the intense color of the tangerines plays against the wooden cart they sit in, to spending an hour examining the structure of a leaf and all its stems. Maria so closely observes what she is interested in that she is able to step back and recreate what she saw in a simple manner without losing the complexity of it all.

Through photography and sketching, Maria is able to capture images that exemplify how she sees the world. They also provide her with a tangible way to experiment with pattern, beginning with cutting templates from the silhouettes of her sketches and then loading them up with color. Then, by applying pressure, she transfers the pattern to the page, creating subtle variations in the color and depth of the design.