Geeky, Cheeky, Awkward Art (for Humans!)
Awkward Affections is about evasive love, geeky escapism, care-free nostalgia, and the ridiculous, every-day circumstances of life. My best ideas come from quirky interactions with friends (and even strangers). Whether enjoying collective nerdery, or engaging in cheeky banter, everything I make is inspired by personal engagements. Those experiences are the ice cream of life, and I think we could all celebrate our absurdity a little more. By making cards and prints, I hope to share some of the wonder with other people!
Awkward Affections, LLC is now a Portland, Oregon based company! After growing in San Francisco for roughly 5 years, it had made the great northern migration to seek new nature and inspiration. Regardless, Awkward Affections will always possess a great desire to discover as many places and things as possible (like any other respectable, hopelessly curious, and ambitious toddler).
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All my work begins with (the-world’s-worst) sketches. Once the drawings are polished and scanned, they are then refined in Photoshop. Almost everything is painted digitally and then printed in my studio. All printing is done in professional, giclée style, 8 color process printing. My paper is high-quality matte stock. Awkward Affections is committed to sustainability and I try to keep my entire process as environmental friendly as possible. From packaging to envelopes to paper, almost everything used is made from recycled or eco-friendly products in order to spread more beauty and less waste!
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I take a lot of care with my designs and packaging, but I am always changing and refining those things as much as possible. I make what I enjoy, and while sometimes those things don’t all fit together, I hope somehow it will make sense someday. The process can be awkward, but then again, maybe that is the point.
The human behind Awkward Affections
Kaz Palladino was born and raised in New York, but ran away to the West Coast in 2009. She lived in San Francisco for 8 years and finally moved to Portland, Oregon in 2018 where she lives today with her fiancé and demon feline, Mewticia Cattams. She has a B.F.A in Drawing /Printmaking from School of Art+Design at Purchase College, and an M.F.A. in Illustration from Academy of Art University. She is the "awkward" in Awkward Affections.