Artist interview: Laura McKellar
Posted by Melanie Maddison on Wednesday August 25, 2010
This week’s interview is with Laura McKellar, an artist living in Melbourne who has an amazing series of work – digital prints on fabric, which she then hand-embroiders. There’s more to this crafty lady than meets the eye, so read more about her in this interview with Melanie Maddison, our chief interviewer on Pikaland!
Website: lauramckellar.com
Blog: lauramckellar.blogspot.com/
Online Shop: www.lauramckellar.bigcartel.com/
Zine: iloveokay.com/
Zine blog: www.iloveokay.blogspot.com/
Etsy: etsy.com/shop/sirseven
Hi Laura, could you tell us a little about yourself, and what are you currently working on?
I am a freelance graphic designer living in Melbourne, Australia. I’m currently working on artwork for exhibitions, album artwork, illustrated ceramic brooches, some logos and thinking about my next issue of my zine Okay.
How long have you been creating art, embracing your creativity, and working towards developing your current style and output?
As a little girl I was encouraged to be creative. My sisters and I would spend a lot of time drawing and painting and using mum’s Derwents.
My uncle and grandfather were both photographers and I was influenced at an early age by them. I collect film cameras and use my photographs with illustrations. I am drawn to images I find in old 50s & 60s pattern books and have collected many which have had a significant effect on my work.
I studied graphic design for 5 years at college but I’ve been making things for as long as I can remember. Learning to use design programs on the computer has definitely influenced how I design my artwork.
How did you first learn to access your creative and artistic talents, and gain the confidence to make art your career?
I grew up in a very creative environment. My aunt is a professional illustrator so from a very early age I learned with a lot of hard work and dedication that it is possible to make art your career. I also learned at school that I could make a living from being creative and have since pursued it!
CLICK HERE to read the entire interview!
Artist interview: Katy Horan
Posted by Melanie Maddison on Wednesday August 18, 2010
Katy Horan is a painter, drawer, crafter, and maker-of-things. She loves all things folky, spooky and crafty. Originally from Texas, she now lives in Austin.
Some of Katy’s work features in The Dazzle, a group show at Narwhal Art Projects in Toronto, Canada, which opens Sept 9th and runs until Oct 17, 2010.
{Interviewed by Melanie Maddison}
Website: www.katyart.com/
Blog: katyhoran.tumblr.com/
Etsy: etsy.com/shop/Katyart
Hi Katy, how are you? What are you working on at the moment?
I am great, thanks! I’m experimenting quite a bit these days. I am trying to balance the tiny details with more texture and looseness. I am hoping to make some large scale figures that incorporate ghost and widow imagery…should be pretty spooky.
How would you describe your art?
I would say I make bizarro lady monsters out of tiny lace patterns that make my hands hurt. That’s the casual version.
Here’s the formal version: I intuitively combine fragmented visual references with imagery from my own memory to create something that is both ambiguous and familiar. I do this to filter images from my own subconscious while raising questions of what we visually identify as feminine.
What are your daily inspirations?
I get a lot of inspiration from things I read, listen to and watch. I like to use my work as a filter for all the tiny pieces of inspiration I absorb in my everyday life and that remain from my childhood. Folk and ghost stories are a source that I return to regularly.
I am also really into history, so I like to incorporate visual details from the eras that interest me. Right now, I am really into Victorian mourning customs, so there is a lot of widow imagery floating around my head and studio.
How did you first get started in art, is it something that you’ve always been interested in and excelled at?
How long have you been creating art, embracing your creativity, and working towards developing your current style and output?
I always drew. As a kid, I did all kinds of other activities….dance, theater, piano….but art was the only thing that I never got bored with. It always felt more natural to me than anything else.
I always wanted to do something visual. I went to college initially to study costume design, but became more interested in children’s books than theater. I then transferred to RISD to study Illustration. After I graduated, my work gradually began shifting towards fine arts, so when galleries began showing interest and publishers weren’t, I decided to pursue a more fine art sort of path. Since then (around 2006) I have been pushing my work and process, trying to find deeper concepts and create more dynamic imagery.
How did you personally learn to access your creative and artistic talents, and gain the confidence to make art and creative expression your career?
My work is at it’s best when I work completely intuitively. I have always sought that place where the conscious mind shuts up and the work becomes meditative. I listen to audio books to distract the nagging, judgmental part of my brain, so that I can work without thought. It’s been a lot of trial and error to find the best way to get around my neurosis and ADD, so that I can just work and not worry about it!
As far as confidence goes…I am not sure how I kept that up. I am just so self conscious about everything else that it was a natural choice to pursue the art instead of another career.
CLICK HERE to read the entire interview!
Comments [1]
Artist interview: Nathalie Chikhi
Posted by Amy on Thursday July 29, 2010
Nathalie Chikhi is the queen of experimentation. She’s been making art everywhere she goes and no material is off bounds in her creations. Although I am very much taken by her drawings and colorful explorations (particularly Pixels, which is made up of ice-cream sticks!) she has experimented with paper, sculpture, bamboo and even messed around with toy cars — I kid you not! Read on for a personal one-on-one with Nathalie and you’ll soon be inspired to look around for things to make too!
Name: Nathalie Chikhi
Location: Orlando, USA
Website: nathaliechikhi.com
Shop: shop.ikubix.com
Gallery representation: newbloodart.com London, UK
Blog: nathaliechikhi.blogspot.com
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/nathaliechikhi
Facebook: nathaliechikhi
Illustration media: I do art & design so all kind of media and techniques like graphite, permanent markers, vector graphics, acrylic painting, clay, textiles and many more…
Tell us a little more about yourself!
First, I would like to thank you Amy, to give me this interview and the opportunity to share my work with the Pikaland’s community. {Amy: you’re welcome Nathalie!}
I was born and grew up in Quimper, Brittany. I went to art school over there, the only thing I knew is that I wanted to create some stuffs. During my childhood, I was drawing on the last page of my notebook and did some murals in my bedroom. At school, I was better in drawing that anything else.
Where do you live? What stands out about living where you are, and what is your daily schedule like?
I am primary based in Orlando, Florida where I have my home space studio. But I also travel extensively across USA. I have created many pieces in temporary domestic space or hotel rooms. I want to keep doing new artwork even if I am out of my studio. I use the space as a rule like a format of paper or a limited numbers of colors. This limitation of space helps me to experiment with various materials. For example, the series blizzard was done with permanent markers on paper. The series Pixels started in a domestic space, using wood sticks painted in acrylic and continue in my art studio. This process is part of my art practice.
What is great with Florida is the weather. I have also my friends there. Orlando is a growing city, with many things to do, a lot of opportunities for artists and close to Miami.
I am very much 9:00am-10:00pm. I practice art daily, alternating the creation of new artworks with marketing tasks/website updates/inventorying/reading art blogs (and so on).
How did you get your start in making art?
During my time in France, beside my graphic design job, I kept connected to the art world going to openings and art conferences or taking art classes. I have been invited by BD4D to create a flash motion. I did some videos with a creative group of designers which have been showcased at the Centre Pompidou and at the Biennial of Valencia in Spain. I did few paintings and sold some.
But let’s say, coming in the USA has been a revelation of what I really want to do. I decided to build a strong portfolio back in 2005 after I visited New York for the first time. I was really blown away by all the good art over there. It was amazing!
Right after NY, I moved to South California where I really started to paint-draw daily. I found out the series Mechanic and showed my work metamorphosis at the Art Center of Huntington Beach. Back in France, I continued to practice and organized my shows; one in a shop of contemporary furniture in Paris and another one in local cafe in Brittany. It was interesting to confront my art with people familiar or unfamiliar with art. At the same time, I did some textile monsters and illustrations but I felt more attracted by abstract textile works like ovolites.
CLICK HERE to read the entire interview!
Comments [2]
Artist interview: Naomi Shiek
Posted by Amy on Thursday July 22, 2010
An artists’ progress is a work in motion. Case in point — fashion design student turned illustrator, and now papercut artist — Naomi Shiek is an inspiration on how artists evolve over time!
Name: Naomi Shiek
Location: Israel
Website/Shop: etsy.com/shop/thetimeisnow
Blog: to-understand-water.blogspot.com
Illustration media: papercutting
Tell us a little more about yourself!
I am 24 years old, and have been a freelance illustrator for the past year.
I was always fascinated by the creative arts. I remember I wanted to be an animator (which I ended up never attempting), a ceramic artist (which after a disastrous course I decided wasn’t for me), and eventually I set my sights on being a fashion design. After studying it for 4 years I became more and more attracted to print and textile design. I liked the idea of a 2D surface coming to life in 3D applications such as packaging, books, clothes and furniture. This wasn’t an easy decision for a 19 year old who had her life planned out to make. I ended up dropping what I was doing and starting over. Last year I graduated with a BA in graphic design. I’m still finding my feet.
Where do you live? What stands out about living where you are, and what is your daily schedule like?
I only moved to Tel-Aviv a month ago. First time I have an apartment all to myself, too. Tel-Aviv is different than any other city I’ve ever lived in. I live smack down at the center of it, where all the shops, movie theaters, and restaurants are, and I am over the moon with how close by everything is. I feel… so grown up! I don’t know if the city inspires me, as my work is decidedly woodland themed, but it definitely boosts up my spirits.
I work in a shop at a job that has absolutely nothing to do with art or design. It gives structure to my day, a time table to motivate me. I work on my illustrations at night (always was a night owl). It comes down to I have less time and more inclination to sketch, cut, create!
How did you get your start in illustration?
At the fashion college I attended they had a fashion illustration course. I only attended 2 or 3 classes, but I was hooked. I never thought I could draw, but here I was – drawing! I had already started buying all these graphic design books, looking at all the textile prints at shops, and I was pretty much gone. I didn’t really start “illustrating” until my first class at university. It was just illustrating different words using only circles, squares and triangles. Nothing big. I received such compliments on my work, though, that I remember thinking “ah, maybe this wasn’t such a mistake.” And I began drawing.
CLICK HERE to read the entire interview!
Comments [5]
The Spring PikaPackage giveaway!
Posted by Amy on Thursday June 17, 2010
Ah, don’t you just love spring? The sound of birds chirping, the flowers are blooming, and also, the return of the PikaPackage Project – the Spring edition no less!
A year’s hiatus, plenty of emails and requests for the PikaPackage Project and I’m so happy to announce that we’re now on track to bring you more lovely items from our favourite illustrators and artists! For the newly initiated, the PikaPackage project is a fun marketing tool and swap meet for illustrators who are currently selling their wares online. There’s a giveaway (this post is it!), and also very limited edition packages for sale in the shop!
We have 23 participants in total, and here they are:
1. Allison Cole
2. Amy Blackwell
3. Angel D’Amico Bauer of AD Love
4. Carla Sonheim
5. Cloudery
6. Cristina Amodeo
7. Donna McKenzie of Corella Design
8. Fonfique
9. Jen Collins of Hellojenuine
10. Jordan Grace Owens
11. Jo Cheung
12. Juan Diego of Machintoy
13. Katie Green
14. Lucy Davidson of Peas & Needles
15. Lydia Nichols
16. Michelle Cavagliano of Myzoetrope
17. Nancy Mungcal of Pretty Little Thieves
18. Papirmasse
19. Roseau
20. Sam Wedelich of Dwell Deep
21. Samantha Battersby of Matou en peluche
22. Sarah Anderson of Petit Reve
23. Pamela Tobler of Zoetropa
Best of all, you can read all about our participants in this little nifty Spring PikaPackage zine – there’s a short little Q+A in there with each artist and you may just find a new favourite to love!
We have TWO 8-item Spring PikaPackage for grabs (valued at about $50 each!), and TWO lucky winners will get to take home a large loot of lovely items in the mail! All you have to do is just head on to any of the websites above and tell us which one is your favourite artist & why. Drop your note in the comments section by 23rd June and we’ll email the winners after!
For those who want to get a Spring PikaPackage of your very own, you can head over to the shop to pick up a package!
UPDATE: Commenting has closed and we’ll announce the winner on Monday!
Comments [134]
Artist interview: Marcela Restrepo
Posted by Amy on Friday March 19, 2010
Our next interviewee is Marcela Restrepo, a proud left-hander who is represented by the Jacky Winter Group. Her style is unmistakable; her work has a loose sketchy tone that is enhanced by crisp colors added digitally.
UPDATE: Marcela wants to give Pikaland readers a treat – she’s offering a 15% discount for purchases made in her shop until the end of May. Just mention the magic word pikalandlovers during checkout!
Name: Marcela Restrepo
Location: Sydney, Australia
Website: www.leftyhand.com
Shop: www.leftyhand.bigcartel.com
Illustration media: I do mostly pencil drawings and colour them in the computer with textures I create with different media.
Tell us a little more about yourself!
I was born and grew up in Medellín, the second largest city in Colombia, South America. I moved to Sydney in 2004 following my husband (then boyfriend) who came to Australia to do a masters in Sustainable Architecture.
Where do you live? What stands out about living where you are, and what is your daily schedule like?
I live in Erskineville, Sydney, it’s a nice suburb close to the city. It has plenty shops, restaurants, parks and a nice lifestyle. I like Sydney so much, it’s the perfect combination of city and nature. I still feel like a tourist and have fun easily walking around the city, going to a park or any of the many beaches.
My daily schedule… I wake up, shower and get ready. I start working around 8:30, checking email etc. As I am based in Australia I may wake up to some news and client responds when I’m working for other countries. Since I don’t even have to walk to work, I go to yoga three days a week. That is what resets me to come back to the desk and the bad posture.
I work all day but spend some time wondering around the fridge, I am eating all the time until night when Daniel comes back from work to cook me a nice dinner.
How did you get your start in illustration?
I started working on illustration by chance! I am a graphic designer but after years of working in graphic and web design I wanted a change. In 2007 I took a short course with Christopher Nielsen, a well-recognized Australian illustrator, where he showed us how the illustration market works and we did some exercises… I then realized I wanted to work as an illustrator, put together a portfolio of personal work and a couple of months later I had an agent and started taking jobs.
Could you tell us more about your thought process when you start a piece?
When I start drawing, I have a clear idea of what I want. I basically sketch in my head and then start drawing serious. Sometimes ideas change in the process of drawing but it’s always for good!
For editorial jobs I work on some ideas after reading the article. I make roughs of different ways of showing the message and then develop the one chosen by the client. Basically clean the lines, and add details and colour.
CLICK HERE to read the whole interview!
Comments [15]
Artist Interview: Christiane Engel
Posted by Amy on Friday March 12, 2010
The weekend is here (for me anyway ;) And there’s nothing better than to kick off a possible breakfast-and-reading-in-bed day with an interview with Christiane Engel, an accomplished illustrator who has done amazing work for editorials, ad campaigns and children’s books!
Name: Christiane Engel
Location: London, UK
Website/Shop: www.desertfriends.com www.etsy.com/shop/chengel
Blog: www.christianeengel.blogspot.com/
Illustration media: digital collage / pencil+acrylic / pen+ink / paint on wood
Tell us a little more about yourself!
Hello! My name is Christiane. I’m an illustrator of children’s books and other things and I like to design fabrics. I’m originally from Germany and I hope to live in a semi-desert climate one day.
Where do you live? What stands out about living where you are, and what is your daily schedule like?
I’ve been living in London for a while now, but in a less urban area with lots of parks, sports grounds and leafy roads.
Sometimes I forget it’s London and when I get off the underground at Piccadilly Circus it hits me that I’ve been living in my own bubble surrounded by children’s books, animal wall-charts and maps of National Parks, and I really need to adjust to get into that fast-paced city mode again. What I like about this place though is that you can find all kinds of things here and that it doesn’t even surprise people when you’re not from here because rarely anyone is!
And when it gets too much I can always escape into my dream world through my illustrations.
My daily schedule is mostly a variation of this: checking e-mails / revising color artwork digitally / sketching on own projects / working on roughs for commissions / going to the library or food shopping / more e-mailing or uploading artwork/ googling pictures of Namibia / work out at the gym plus Yoga or Pilates / re-hydrate / eat in or out / watch TV whilst still sketching or noting down ideas…I have to learn how to switch off.
How did you get your start in illustration?
I studied mainly Animation at a German art school but when I moved to England I ended up making little story books and finally, for my MA, I wrote and illustrated a children’s book series called Louis + Bobo. After I graduated I sent my work out to a few agents and the response was quite positive, that really surprised me cause all I heard were warnings about how difficult it would be to break into children’s publishing. Soon after that I had my first commissions which were in advertising and my first book, ‘Louis+Bobo – We Are Moving’, was published by Chrysalis in 2005.
I still had various day jobs by then and mainly worked on my illustrations at night.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of Christiane’s interview!
Comments [6]
Society6 Artist interview: Aurelie Grand
Posted by Amy on Tuesday March 2, 2010
Awhile back I posted about collaborating with Society6 to pick out an artist every month (it’s more like a bi-monthly thing though!), and our third pick this time goes to Aurelie Grand. There were tons of applicants, and while it was no easy decision to make, Aurelie stood out because of her sense of style, and the various media that she uses. Here’s definitely one lady to watch!
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Name: Aurelie Grand
Location: Montreal, Canada
Website: www.aureliegrand.com
Shop: socuute.etsy.com
Blog: lilyk.canalblog.com
Illustration media: ink, digital, photography, acrylics, fabrics
Tell us a little more about yourself!
I was born in Toulouse «Pink City», France. I grew up in a small village closer to the Pyrenees. My dad has always been an illustrator (though he was also a full time dentist for a while) and I used to spend hours in his studio either watching him or doodling. As far as I remember drawing’s always been my number one occupation. I honestly never stopped. How nerdy is that?
I currently live in Canada with my boyfriend Max who’s also an artist.
Where do you live? What stands out about living where you are, and what is your daily schedule like?
I spent 3 fun years in Vancouver, Canada and I recently moved to Montreal, Quebec because I wanted to experiment the North American East Coast for a while and we have long-time friends here. Montreal is culturally rich, there’s a lot of artists, parks and bikes (and snow), that’s enough to inspire me.
I like to wake up early and start my day by sketching ideas, new projects etc… Then I have to say I’m not very productive in the afternoon so I’m networking, reading, having a nap, or just hanging around . My favorite shift at the studio is 9pm-2am. I guess I get more focus at night. I also like to take the bus home from the studio with drunk people.
How did you get your start in illustration?
I wrote and illustrate a book when I was 9 or 10. It was an elementary school project, a sort of novel inspired by a school trip. It was about 2 detectives (a dog and a hamster) who were investigating on missing horses in a farm. We sold the books to parents and friends at the school annual show. Ha!
I didn’t go to art school right after high school, even if I really wanted to (I wanted to be a graphic designer actually) mainly because my family did not seem to agree with the idea but I know now that I wasn’t ready anyways. So I went to university to study cell biology and animal behavior for 4 years which was seriously interesting but I soon realized life’s too short and I was wasting my time there.
Comments [8]
Artist Interview: Jinjerup
Posted by Amy on Tuesday December 22, 2009
Today we’re doing an interview with an illustrator who draws with the computer as opposed with her hands! Lynn of Jinjerup is a dear friend of mine who just opened up an Etsy shop that sells digital downloads of her work. Behind all that cutesy-ness is a mind with a razor-sharp wit!
Name: Lynn
Location: Malaysia
Website/Shop/Blog: Jinjerup, and the Jinjerup shop
Illustration media: Digital (Hurrah for computers!)
Tell us a little more about yourself!
I’m a natural sweet tooth for all things cute plus I love trying new things just to test my own limits.
A good example of this would be Jinjerup. I used to only post up new patterns once a month or so when I had a bit spare time on my hands. Now I run it regularly with heaps and heaps of new patterns and a brand new Jinjerup freebie every week (be it adorable gift boxes, note cards, tags, wallpapers & bookmarks). The response is extremely encouraging!
What is the best thing about living in Malaysia, and what is your daily schedule like?
The food, the land and of course its people! :) Let’s liken my daily schedule to that of a recipe for cake. On normal weekdays, it would be 2 parts of working on Jinjerup pieces and 6 parts of my day job as a designer, with generous cinnamon sugar sprinklings of family, friends and love to taste. Sometimes this 2:6 ratio is reversed for weekends but usually weekends are more 100% Jinjerup.
How did you get your start in illustration?
grin* Ever since college when I began life as a graphic designer.
I was amazed at the millions of endless possibilities I could do with Illustrator and Photoshop.
Could you tell us more about your thought process when you start a piece?
Hmm..it depends actually. There are times I can spend hours or days just mulling over what would fit a certain theme or title whilst on other occasions, I can have my inspirations in a second! Best of all, are times when I wake in the mornings, happy for having dreamt of entire design pieces! :P
Odd, yes but seriously, its happened on more than a couple of occasions in these past 2 years! chuckle* Next, would be a quick sketch or two, then its off to the computer drawing board for me.
Do you keep a journal/sketchbook, and would you mind if we had a sneak peek?
Try as hard as I might, I can’t seem to keep one. I’ve bought so many over the years and they either end up being misplaced (only to be found 2 years later) or not used at all as they look too pretty :( Hence, I’ve taken up scribbling my drafty-sketches, notes and lists on scraps of paper & leaving them in miniature hills on my tables or as bundles in my bag. I’ve tried keeping them in one place like a dedicated box but they dont seem to like their new home very much. :P
What or who inspires you?
Everything and anything, it could be something as fleeting as a moment in breezy, fresh air or how my bicycle makes tracks on sand. Of course looking at cute stuff works instant wonders too.
What’s your favourite tool?
A computer and its partners, mouse and keyboard! Not to forget, the occasional pencil or an unscratchy pen with loads of scrap paper.
Are you a full-time artist?
Currently, at this given time, I am not yet but I’m working hard toward being a full time one! :) Wish me luck!
What advice would you like to give people who are interested in being an artist full-time? What keeps you motivated?
Since I’m in the interesting process of being one myself, I would say, give it your all and never give up!
Its still a bit of a struggle trying to find balance between my day job and my ever growing love for expanding Jinjerup but knowing that this dream of making it fully on my own some day keeps me going strong!
Where do you see yourself within the next few years?
A successful full time artist :D In the mean time, I’m in the ‘gathering ingredients’ stage of building up a Jinjerup shop do stick around to find out more! UPDATE: the Jinjerup shop is up!
What message do you want to send out to people about your work?
Jinjerup is actually my platform for fine tuning my own illustration style and I can clearly see 2 very distinct styles emerging. The first style would be clearly be an almost cavity-inducing cute style and the second, a more subtle yet still playful way of depicting the world around me in lines and engaging sets of colours. Adding a huge dollop of cuteness in my works comes naturally.
Tell us something random about yourself!
I alternated between wanting to be a naturalist, psychologist and an ornithologist at the age of 10 but decided on a major career change at the age of 18! :P & here’s where i am.
Comments [4]
Artist Interview: Irene Hwang
Posted by Amy on Friday December 11, 2009
Irene Hwang of Bobobabushka makes the most interesting matryoshka dolls around – they’re all alive with character (and attitude too, I might add); best of all, there’s some trompe-l‘œil action going on!
Name: Irene Hwang
Location: Gold Coast, Australia (and sometimes NYC)
Website/Shop: Etsy: bobobabushka
Blog: bobobabushka.wordpress.com
Illustration media: acrylic on wood…with miscellaneous add-ons.
Tell us a little more about yourself!
I am a Taiwanese-born New Yorker currently living in Gold Coast, Australia so I’m an old hand at filling out officious-looking forms. I was teaching art to pre-schoolers up to grade eight students for several years before deciding to give it all up, including my bulldog Bo, and start afresh in the west coast. But first, I was going to see the world, broaden my horizon, and figure out what to do with my life. My first stop was Australia. Three days after I arrived, I met my future husband. I ended up moving west as planned, only a little further on than I intended, and on flip side of the equator.
Don’t worry, my Bo is safe and sound and being minded with diligent, almost to a degree of alarming, care by my parents.
You were born in Taiwan and grew up in the USA. Did that ever impacted your work in any way?
When people ask me where I grew up, I always say, Taiwan and Queens. I was encouraged to experiment with all things artistic as a kid because my parents believed that I might as well have my fun before being thrown into the rigorous education system in Taiwan. Immigrating to the US took its toll, but the one solace I always had was my ability to create an alternate universe with my drawings. This resulted in me being a little loopy. Fortunately, in the US, there are plenty of opportunities for loopy kids, like high schools that focuses more on the arts than academics and I had some great art and design teachers. In the first part of my childhood I learned to have fun, in the second part, I learned discipline and how to combine the two together, which ultimately made me a perfect candidate to dabble in illustration.
What stands out about living in Australia at the moment, and what is your daily schedule like?
I’ve been living in Oz-Land for nearly two years now and still can’t get over how laid-back everyone and everything is. It’s quite a change from my previous life in the Big Apple. But I’ve always been a mellow person, so this place suits me better…although I am still surprised that I don’t get yelled at when I dawdle at the check out lines in supermarkets!
I don’t use an alarm clock anymore, since the birds make sure I wake up when they wake up, which is around 4:30 AM these days. We’re not talking about the gentle chirps of Disneyesque birds, but the loud and obnoxious squawks of Australian natives. They are more effective than alarm clocks. On a work week I spend about 6-8 hours on a project. Parts of my afternoons are set aside for messing around in the kitchen. I love to cook but detest following recipes. I feel bad sometimes that others are subjected to my concoctions. Then again, without people like me, there wouldn’t be Cup O Noodles. At night (in the summer months) I usually abandon my paintings because my desk lamp draws every moth and gnats in the area and I monitor the rooms for any invasion of the insect kind. In Oz, nature has a tendency to take back what’s rightfully theirs. Although I respect that, I still don’t see why I have to share my muffins with roaches the size of warthogs. My fiance makes sure I have a day off now and then. We usually spend it at the movies, hiking or kayaking.
How did you get your start in illustration?
It started with me discovering the magical wonders of a ball point pen. I can’t say how old I was, but old enough to know it shouldn’t be used on the dining room wall, but it was anyway. After that I always had a pen with me. I didn’t get into any of the Catholic high schools in Queens, but managed to be accepted to several art high schools in Manhattan. I majored in interior design in high school but moved onto illustration in college. I worked for art dealers, high concept boutiques, an illustration rep agency, and did some freelance gigs before going back to school for art education and subsequently began my teaching career as a dance instructor.
Could you tell us more about your thought process when you start a piece?
The ideas generally hits me at the most inopportune time, waiting in a queue, kayaking, marooned on an island (this happens to me more frequently than any New Yorker would care to admit). I’d be so excited about the project and want to start straight away. But I’d force myself to sit down and do a sketch first and figure out all the kinks. Painting matryoshka dolls can be a bit tricky, especially if I’m trying to convey a story through them. I’d have to have the right angles and focus on a point of interest and then figure out the colors. Up until recently I’ve only really worked with pen and ink, so the concept of color doesn’t come easily! I’ve learned over the years that my first instinct is always the right one, so I almost always stick with it.
Do you keep a journal/sketchbook, and would you mind if we had a sneak peek?
I have this really bad habit of scribbling on pieces of scrap paper. Napkins, receipts, lotto tickets…When I was packing up, I found, to my horror, that with one swift flick of the wrist, I could be buried in an avalanche of my scribbles. Since I was planning on doing heavy duty backpacking, I had to get an actual sketchbook, or else I’d be leaving a trail of papers behind me wherever I went. I have two now. One is comprised of drawings and prints I’ve done in taped into a sketchbook (old habits die hard) and the other one is my travel journal. For me, art and writing goes hand in hand…and I finally had the perfect excuse to combine both of my favorite past times.
What or who inspires you?
I firmly believe I have a muse lurking around. When she’s here, she’s loud, demanding, pushy, and wants to get things done without any regard for my personal welfare. I adore her, except on nights when I desperately want to go to sleep but am stuck in my chair with a paintbrush in my hand. When she goes on vacations, though, I am inspired by every day things. I never know when an idea is going to hit, whether it’s a trip to the mechanic or just doing the laundry. It’s a magical thing, how an idea comes into the light and ends up either firmly taped into my sketchbook or on a matryoshka doll.
What keeps you motivated?
My fiance! He’s an adventurer who does these crazy sea kayaking expeditions. When I first met him I figured that he lives off the land and grunts around a bit when he’s on one of his trips. I didn’t know then that he’s also a gear head. A lot of things he uses can’t be bought commercially or are too big to fit into his kayak so he’s always thinking up ways to make his sojourns bearable and then constructs it from scratch. He makes his gadgets on one end of our dining table and I use the other end for my projects. He gets so into his work and I feel like I need to do the same as well. It’s always funny when the two of us are working together because what we’re doing is so different from each other’s but our mindsets are the same.
What’s your favourite tool?
I absolutely love pen and ink. If I hadn’t had a bevy of teachers and friends to inspire me with other mediums, I’d have stayed with it! But now I rely heavily on the Winsor & Newman Cotman paintbrushes. I have one about 10 years old and it’s still good as new.
Are you a full-time artist?
Now that I am not tethered to a day job, I am. I live in a small space so I am constantly surrounded by my art supplies, piles of matryoshka dolls and my books. I’m also fortunate enough to be in a situation where I don’t really have to think about anything else.
What advice would you like to give people who are interested in being an artist full-time?
There’s no reason why you should let a little thing like life hold you back.
Where do you see yourself within the next few years?
I plan to travel more and see what else will inspire me. If I haven’t taken the initiative and leave my comfort zone, I wouldn’t be where I am right now, doing what I love.
What message do you want to send out to people about your work?
My dolls are meant to put a little sparkle of light into people’s life. If the spark is lit, great. If not, that’s all right too.
Tell us something random about yourself!
I have an extensive (but mostly useless) knowledge of progressive rock and Broadway shows.
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