In The Studio With Camilla Engström
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Nicki Sebastian
Photographed by Nicki Sebastian
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The Swedish-born, Los Angeles-based artist invites us into her new studio space to discuss her latest chapter: motherhood.
The first time we met Camilla Engström, it was online—and she was dancing.
Joyfully, uninhibitedly, funkily in front of her colorful, large-scale paintings. It was a few years before the pandemic, back when there was a lot less dancing on the internet, and we know we’re not the only ones who became instant Camilla fans right then and there.
A self-taught artist from Sweden, Camilla’s work is as original as her dance moves and eclectic personal style. She moved to the U.S. to study fashion design at FIT before pivoting to art, and has since become known for her bold, color-soaked paintings that blend surreal landscapes with unexpected human elements—like spherical breasts dripping milk.
That imagery feels especially resonant these days, as Camilla recently became a first-time mother to an adorable baby girl, Hilma, now 9 months old. (Her name is a nod to iconic Swedish artist Hilma af Klint.)
While embracing this new chapter of motherhood, Camilla is also juggling a thriving art career, with exhibitions and commissions spanning the globe—from Belgium to Marfa to Hong Kong, and plenty of places in between.
Recently, she and her fiancé completed a renovation of their Los Angeles home-studio, a project they tackled while spending her pregnancy camped out in the more rustic landscapes of Central California.
In today’s feature, we’re delighted to tour Camilla’s newly finished studio and chat about her multicultural upbringing (her dad is Swedish and her mom is Chinese), what’s inspiring her lately, and how becoming a mother has shaped both her life and her work.
Be sure to follow Camilla online at camilla-engstrom.com and @camillamengstrom.
Did you always know you wanted to be a mother?
"I think I always knew I wanted to be a mother from a pretty young age. I always had a calm nurturing side to me. Once I met my partner, I knew I wanted a family with him."
How was your pregnancy and birth experience?
"My pregnancy was pretty easy, with the exception of the beginning and end being hard. I was tired, had a lack of appetite, and found no joy in food. The end was exhausting too, with all the nightly bathroom visits and feeling uncomfortable all the time. My partner was also very worried about becoming a dad, so that was something to juggle."
"The birth experience was pretty shocking. My plan was to do a natural birth at the hospital with our midwife taking on the role of doula. When she arrived at our house to accompany us to the hospital, I was already 7 cm dilated. Once my water broke, I felt like it was too late to leave for the hospital. Our midwife checked the baby's heart rate and position and gave us the green light to get ready to give birth at home. Also, the idea of getting into a car felt impossible."
"My partner had to jump in as doula because the doula our midwife called for at the last minute didn't make it until right after Hilma was born. I was so happy to have her, though. She helped clean up and was a soothing presence while our midwife stitched me up and checked on our baby."
“I still have so much creativity in me. It never went anywhere just because I became a mom. I think it’s more intense than ever.”
Tell us about your daughter's name. Is she named after Hilma af Klint?
"Her dad named her. He learned about the artist through me and really liked the name and how it sounds in both Swedish and English."
What excites you about raising a daughter? Did you find out her sex right away?
"I wanted to know as soon as possible to make it feel more real. My partner was certain it was a girl, and I assumed it was a boy. We were thrilled to have a daughter. I'm just excited to have a little buddy. She's still so small, I don't think too much about her gender. I'm sure it'll change as she gets a little bit older."
What has surprised you about the experience of motherhood so far?
"I thought I would return to work much sooner, but the idea of being away from Hilma for an extended period of time feels wrong at the moment. I feel completely different as a human, and I'm still in the middle of a big change. There's definitely a newfound softness. I feel calmer. Some parts of me are eager to be done with the change and fully land in this new person I'm becoming, but I also accept that it will take some time. It's also wild to be able to relate to mothers now. I'm so happy I get to experience that."
What was your own upbringing like?
"I grew up in a town called Örebro in Sweden. It's a small town. I have three siblings, but I only grew up with my two youngest siblings. I had my grandfather and a few best friends who were also my neighbors. Life felt pretty complete."
"I had a great upbringing despite my parents being divorced. Things got harder after we followed my mom to Stockholm after my grandfather died when I was ten. Being a teenager in Stockholm was not fun, but I guess I didn't like being a teenager in general. There were also no rules, really. I had to make them up myself. My parents kind of just let me do whatever as long as I had good grades. My mom ran a restaurant and was pretty much unavailable, so I mostly stayed with my dad."
Are there things from your upbringing that you're consciously trying to incorporate (or not incorporate) into your child's upbringing?
"I want to incorporate the sense of freedom I had as a kid to fantasize about the future and what it could look like. I also want to make sure there's a lot of time to be creative if that's what she wants. I want to make sure there are a lot of routines (like bath and a book before bed or a weekly movie night), nurturing meals, and that I'm very invested in her life both in school and after. I want to make sure we have a constant dialogue and that I ask her a lot of questions. I hope we'll talk a lot as friends. That's something I longed for as a kid that my partner had."
What cultural aspects are you trying to incorporate into Hilma's upbringing from both your culture and your partner's background?
"My partner is from Southern California, so I hope she has a strong relationship with the ocean. I hope she'll be a strong swimmer like her dad. Her grandmother is Chinese, so I hope she learns a lot about her Chinese heritage and is as adventurous with food as I was. I grew up in Sweden and feel very Swedish, so I'm not worried about her learning the language and culture as it's just part of who I am with her."
“I feel completely different as a human, and I’m still in the middle of a big change. There’s definitely a newfound softness. I feel calmer. Some parts of me are eager to be done with the change and fully land in this new person I’m becoming, but I also accept that it will take some time.”
You are so in touch with art, creativity, movement, and dancing—is this something you're trying to infuse into your daughter's childhood?
"I just hope we play, dance, draw, paint, and laugh a lot. I hope she feels loved, seen, and supported in her self expression."
What excites you most about motherhood right now? And what makes you most nervous?
"I'm intrigued by this person I'm turning into. I feel like I'm finally becoming an adult. I'm nervous about being too nervous. I want to be a cool mom!"
What advice would you give to other moms—especially artist moms—about to start their motherhood journey?
"I didn't know how much help we would need. In the U.S. you need to be able to afford help unless you have a parent who's willing to drop everything to help you. Or you need a very supportive partner with a flexible job so you can split up the day and take turns working. My partner works full-time, so we had to hire a part-time nanny and my partner's parents help when they can. Finding people you trust with your kid can be tricky and we've been very lucky with both our families and exceptional nanny. I work at a different pace now. I’m letting things take time."
Tell us about your home and your studio.
"I work out of our guest house/studio where I've been since 2023. It's the perfect setup since I'm still breastfeeding. Whenever my baby needs me, I'm right there."
What do you like about raising your daughter in Los Angeles?
"For us, it feels temporary. I'm grateful to have friends here and family close by, but I didn't grow up driving everywhere, so it feels very foreign to me to have to do that with a baby. Our goal is to move somewhere less overwhelming and more suitable for kids."
Do you have any favorite spots in LA that folks would find you at when you're not at home or in the studio?
"I don't really venture out far. I'm usually at Proof Bakery picking up pastries, the Atwater Farmers Market, McCall's or Cookbook if I want to splurge on dinner groceries, the Frogtown bike path, or Just What I Kneaded for cinnamon buns and La Colombe for coffee."
Can you tell us about your career in a nutshell?
"I studied women's ready-to-wear. I was really into fashion and wanted a career designing and making clothes. I'm happy it didn't work out and that I found a different path making art. It's been over ten years on this artist path and a few years doing it full-time. It's hard, especially in LA where the cost of living is expensive, but I've been lucky that it's been working out so far."
What would you consider your "big break" in your art career?
"When I finally switched to oil painting and having a sold-out show shortly thereafter in 2020. I had never had a sold-out show before. Now that feels less important. The work is definitely more important now, but the sold-out show, after years of only selling maybe a painting here and there, felt hopeful and made me feel that maybe I could be a full-time artist after all."
Has becoming a mother impacted your creativity, career, and art practice?
"There is way less time to make things, but when I do, the gratitude I feel for my practice is immense. I still have so much creativity in me. It never went anywhere just because I became a mom. I think it's more intense than ever; it's just about finding the time now."
Do you have regular hours that you try to work each day?
"I work whenever our nanny is available and whenever our baby has a window where she's happy and not hungry or teething!"
What's inspiring you lately?
"My daughter inspires me, as does my joy for painting. These days I have less time to consume things that could lead to a painting. I only have time to be in the moment which is a nice way to reconnect with my spirit. That being said, David Hockney’s passing reminded me of how much he’s inspired me. Throughout my career he’s one of the artist I keep coming back to."
Do you have any go-to creative habits or practices to get grounded, inspired, and ready to create?
"I don't have much time to myself, so I try to find creativity within myself. It helps not getting to paint all the time because it builds up. I also started working with clay more. I find it therapeutic."
Any big goals or happenings—professionally or personally—that you're excited about for the year ahead?
"I have a solo exhibition at De 11 Lijnen in Belgium in August 2027. That's what I'm most excited about. I'm also very excited to go on my first vacation to Sweden as a family. I can't wait to show Hilma Sweden."
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