Frida + Cara Carmina

Lors du dernier Souk@Sat, j’ai rencontré Norma Andreu, la sympathique créatrice de Cara Carmina. Ses poupées Frida ont tout de suite attiré mon attention. Colorées et uniques, ses créations sont des véritables oeuvres d’art.

Originaire du Mexique, Norma s’est récemment installée à Montréal. Je lui ai posé quelques questions in english parce que Norma est entrain d’apprendre le français. J’ai considéré traduire l’entretien, mais j’ai préféré le garder tel quel pour conserver l’authenticité de Norma. Elle est une des personnes les plus sympathiques et enjouées que j’ai rencontré cette année!

Cara Carmina

Norma, you’re from Mexico. How did you end up in Montreal?

I came to Montreal for love! My best friend in Mexico moved here 10 years ago… it´s a long story but I came here to finally be together after many years! (It´s a lovely story)

How did you start doing dolls and illustrations?

I was one of those girls who loved to draw! I used to draw all the time and through my school years I was always attracted to anything that would be related to visual arts. I studied graphic design and then I went to work for a year to NY as a nanny to pay myself some fashion illustration courses. I fell in love with the books of the kids I used to take care of! The illustrations on those books inspired me so much!, that’s how I decided I wanted to be a children illustrator!

I love to experiment and try different things try different materials. I started making the dolls some years later…. One of my best friends used to have a sewing machine and I loved to see the fabrics, the transformation of the material was fascinating for me… I thought I would love to give life to my illustrations in this way so I just bought myself a sewing machine, read the instructions and started experimenting with it! it was such a rush to draw with the black thread! Little by little I developed my own style of dolls and now I cannot stop making them! I also keep drawing! They are both my passions!

Les poupées disponibles à la boutique du Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

Is Montreal a good city to live in when you are an artist?

Montreal is a vibrant city! People are looking for inspiration and there is lots of it everywhere. You name it! There is art, fashion, music, crafts, performing arts… There is a lot of up and coming artist with great projects! I think Montreal is just a great city to be an artist! I always say that is all because of the young people… there is a huge young crowd in Montreal and that keeps it alive!

Cara Carmina

If you name your dolls Frida, I guess you’re a fan of Frida Kahlo? What do you like the most about her?

Yes! I admire Frida Kahlo as an artist and also as a woman. She is part of my culture I was born in the same city she was born and the neighborhood where her house is (Coyoacan) is one of my favorite ones in the city! There are many sides of her that I like and identify myself with: her passion, he independence, her personality, her strength, her sensibility… but the one I attracts me the most is her dedication to her loves (“sus amores”) Diego and her work, her painting!

It amazes me all what she went through to be a painter in a time where women should be house wives only and also with all the physical pain she went through! The woman painted while in bed! I´ll never understand why she fell in love with Diego, but keeps amazing me the way she loved him; deeply and with all her soul… against everybody and anything, even against of herself!

L'atelier de Cara Carmina dans son appartement à Verdun

Can you briefly describe your process to make a doll?

Each doll is one of a kind I don´t have a pattern to make them so the first thing I do is draw the outline and cut it. Then I “draw” with the sewing machine her face and hair using black thread as if it would be my ink, each doll has a different expression because of this process which is very laborious and intricate. After that, I dress the doll. I mix different fabrics, laces, I add paper of fabric flowers (for the Fridas), add a heart here or there (I love hearts!) anything to make them pretty! I like to write phrases on the dress with the thread, in the case of the Frida dolls I always write Frida´s quotes… so little by little the dolls gets prettier and prettier!

In the last few years I`ve been playing with other kinds of dolls like my Dream Whisperers! They are oniric creatures that have long big ears… I like to think all my dolls come from a hidden place where they wait patiently that I get inspired to make them… The process is very organic… I create in the moment without too much planning. I have discovered my most beautiful dolls happen when I don´t think too much about it… I just go with the flow.

Cara Carmina

You can see some of my process on my website here!

I heard you were really busy this month, what are you up to? Any news to share?

Oh yes!!!! I can share half of the good news! (The other half is still a secret) From this week on you´ll be able to find my work at the Boutique of the Museum of Contemporary Art! This is such an important thing for me! Since I arrived to Montreal 3 years ago I´ve had been dreaming to sell my work there so from tomorrow on you´ll be able to find my Fridas, my dolls and my dioramas there! (how cool is that?)

Merci Norma!
http://www.caracarmina.com
www.etsy.com/shop/caracarmina

Écrit par Julia Vallelunga

Julia Vallelunga est l’éditrice et la fondatrice d’À la mode Montréal ainsi que designer pour sa ligne d’accessoires La Raffinerie. Passionnée par le vintage et les voyages, elle adore dénicher des belles trouvailles d’ici et d’ailleurs. Bachelière en économie et politique de l’Université de Montréal, elle a travaillé comme lobbyiste (pour des gentils) à Bruxelles pendant quelques années et comme conseillère en démarrage d’entreprise. À 30 ans, elle a finalement trouvé sa voie comme entrepreneure!