Clutter & Paste
selected works by Jessica Pulos
// We've had our eye on Jessica Pulos, the mastermind behind Clutter and Paste, since she launched the project in 2017. Her vibrant color palettes and juxtapositions of figures and shapes have us mesmerized. We caught up with Jess on her process and upcoming projects.
Asymmetric Magazine: How did you get started doing collage art?
Jessica Pulos: It’s kind of funny because I’m not really sure. I think that I saw something online that kind of sparked an idea, and I knew I had a bunch of Rolling Stone magazines lying around, so I flipped through them and cut out whatever caught my eye. The pieces started off very random and just things glued wherever, where as now, there's a little bit more purpose and structure and less chaos. I started out wanting to make cover art for songs/albums, but I kind of fell into doing lyric videos instead. I made one because I wanted to try it and see if I could do it, and then I got my first email to make a video for “Strangers” by AOBeats, and from there that's been my main project load.
AM: What is your biggest inspiration?
JP: I draw a lot of inspiration from the people I surround myself with–their art, their views, their belief in me–my favorite artists.
AM: What role does Los Angeles play in your work?
JP: There has always been something about Los Angeles that has intrigued me. The atmosphere is electric and it feels like a completely different planet. There’s always so much going on and so much art and creativity and different kinds of people everywhere and that fuels me. I come home with so much energy and so many ideas. Los Angeles is one of the reasons I even started Clutter and Paste to begin with.
AM: What themes do you typically pursue in your work?
JP: I just want my work to be as weird and original as possible. There’s never really a specific theme. There’s not much structure with my work–it’s a lot of winging it.
AM: Do you have a favorite magazine or place to get your source material?
JP: I don't have a specific magazine that I like, but fashion magazines are usually where a huge majority of my material comes from. There are so many colors and patterns, and they’re never in short supply. But any magazine I can get my hands on is perfect.
AM: When starting a new piece, do you seek out specific images/words or do you let what you stumble upon in magazines drive the piece?
JP: A little bit of both. If I'm working on a commissioned piece, I try to go into the project with some semblance of an idea and search for pieces that help develop that idea. Or a lot of times, I’ve had a dream that will give me ideas, and I’ll pursue them. If i'm just making a piece purely because I'm in a creative mood, I’ll just flip through and cut out things I like, and usually my pieces come together by accident. I usually end up liking how the cut outs are stacked together, so I’ll paste them in that same form–just tweaked a little bit.
AM: What music are you currently jamming to?
JP: I’ve been in a very picky mood music wise lately, but I'm very obsessed with “Pacific Daydream” by Weezer, “Beerbongs & Bentleys” by Post Malone, Grandson, Snail Mail, and ironically “Famous” by Mason Ramsey, but that one is more so my go-to to annoy people.
AM: What can we expect to see from you next?
JP: I’ve been working with some amazing people and have a couple lyric videos that are in the process of being finished and released soon, and they might be some of my favorite videos. And there will be a lot more weird, random pieces being thrown up on my Instagram from time to time.
View more of Jess's work at clutterandpaste.com.
