Tell us about yourself and your work: what you’re passionate about, what inspires you, and where you’re going. I am an illustrator, educator, and maker of things based in Portland, Oregon. I have been a full-time professor for the last nine years and have been making work about consumption for the last decade. The freelance illustration component came along shortly after I started my daily purchase drawing project in 2006. I have three jobs and they fuel each other and couldn’t exist without the other. The following things make me happy: insane collections, John Waters, PeeWee Herman, Steve Martin, maximalism, Louie Armstrong, design that doesn’t look like it was designed, the movie “True Stories,” “Rhoda,” handmade objects found in thrift stores, Carol Burnett, yard sale signs, my grandmother.

You’re in a new workspace. Why did you move? What’s different in this office? Since the last time my space was featured on Lifework, I moved my workspace out of my apartment, which was a brilliant move. It is so nice to have our living room back — ha! Currently, I share a space with five other illustrators/designers (Will Bryant, Clifton Burt, Jason Sturgill, and Tina Snow Le). Our studio is in an old Ford Motor Factory in Portland and we have a tiny corner of the second floor. The ceilings are high and the light is good. I am a happy girl.

You have a vintage Eames Molded Plastic Chair at your desk. Why did you choose it? I scored that wonderful chair from my friend Frank Chimero before he left Portland for New York City. This chair currently acts as my computer desk chair. This space also marks the first time I have had TWO desks. I currently draw on my grandmother’s drawing table. I compute at a different desk beside my drawing table. I do have a small laptop on my drawing desk, but that is also the laptop I travel with and take with me to school. It is easy to put away. The 27-inch iMac is a bit harder to work around. I can’t speak enough for designated work stations. SO GOOD. Also, I love that dang yellow Herman Miller chair. It makes me feel smarter as I do my screen work. Also, it has casters. Every object that touches the ground should have casters. FACT.

Photos: Kate Bingaman-Burt

Does anyone else use your home office? I am the sole user.

How do you organize the space? Not very well. My flat files give the illusion of being organized. The piles are colorful, but in the end, they are still piles.

What impact do you think color has on a workspace? HUGE. White walls drive me insane. I make work that is BRIGHT, FUN, RIDICULOUS! My drawings are all black and white, but the rest is, well, over the top on purpose. I like using candy colors and hyperactive patterns to correlate to the craziness of consumerism. These are also pretty accessible to a lot of different viewers, too — kind of like consumerism. I am always exploring different color palettes; this decorative side of my work is really fun for me, since the other side is more concept based.

What desk accessory can’t you do without? My hot pink stapler. My cups and cups filled with pens.

Is there a piece of furniture you’d love to replace? I would love to replace the table top of my desk. It is just a piece of MDF covered with a sheet of dry-erase board. It is easy enough to replace…I just haven’t gotten around to it. I love the structure of my desk. I love sitting high, having a large surface area and a large space for storage underneath.

Is there anything you’d change about your space? I wish that I had a door. Living with your work has definite benefits, but I sometimes wish that I had a door to close. Eventually!

What or who inspires you? Big permission-givers to me have been: David Byrne, Tibor Kalman, M. Sasek, Saul Steinburg, Ray and Charles Eames, Joseph Beuys, Walls of Sound (Galaxie 500, Deerhunter — music that fills up and overwhelms and how to translate that into artwork), Fluxus, and Zine Culture to name a few. Also: yard sales, thrift stores, objects that look like a designer didn’t design them, and teaching my rad students.

What was the last thing you bought? An iced Americano from the cafe downstairs!

Photography by Anthony Georgis