www.kitthomasart.etsy.com

I have a newly discovered love for the Charlotte, NC- based painter Kit Thomas, and her candy store of an etsy shop called KitThomasArt! Her paintings are really fresh and exciting, boasting vibrant colors and strong forms. I love the freeness of the backgrounds and the line work! I would be equally inclined to believe that Thomas’ work is meticulously planned, or that she ‘goes with the flow’ and figures out the composition as she works. I am also quite attracted to the way Kit incorporates urban imagery like spray cans and simple geometric forms reminiscent of new-skool tattoos into her work without using them as a crutch.

What really blows me away about Kit’s paintings is the way in which she blurs the lines between foreground and background by incorporating line and color work from lower layers into the over-painting. This technique renders the work so rich and deep, like looking through pools of water to see an image arise from bits and pieces suspended at different levels.

It is almost as though gravity and all rules of physics and perspective have been suspended in the world on the end of Kit’s brush. I have a friend who is working on a series of comic book characters, one of whom is called Perspective Man and whose power is to mess with perspective – say, by grabbing a building from the background and hitting an enemy in the face with it. I think Perspective Man would be all too at home in Kit’s dreamscapes. Who knows, he might even just be a regular guy in her rule-defying world.

I do all kinds of art but I love to paint with acrylics the most. I feel I am naturally gifted. When I was a kid and we would go out to restaurants, my mother would just keep handling me napkins to doodle on and then brag how talented her little girl was.

I began drawing & cartooning as a kid and then began exploring more of my talent in high school. I dabbled in oil, acrylic, oil pastel, pencil and ink and pencil crayon mediums but my favorite was Native American design/tattoo with ink & pen. In college, I gained an interest in surrealism. I began exploring my darker, quirkier side with odd ambiguous paintings. I wanted to create strange, playful, slightly unsettling images. Today, this imagery was a fusion of cartoon, surreal, symbolic and abstract art styles that I have gained respect for west coast artists. I stumbled across a unique style in the process.

I went to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for 2 years but dropped out before graduating. No regrets though.

Through friends and my mother who also has an etsy shop.

www.KrystalHallman.etsy.com

www.Unconventionalida.etsy.com

www.madart.etsy.com

www.mattcrump.etsy.com

www.lilypang.etsy.com

A pen or pencil. Simple.

Um…nothing too obsessive but items with dragons on it and Elvis DVDs.

Superman. Not for the glam and glory but I was more intrigued by his inner turmoil.

Elvis Presley. Odd I know for a girl but he had such an attraction. He made you stop and stare.

I like to listen to cds. It seems old school now but I like the nostalgic feeling and I will listen to the cd from beginning to end. If I decide to watch movies it’s one I know line for line that way there is some noise in the background.

Thank you so much for participating, Kit!

www.kitthomasart.etsy.com

As a vivid dreamer, I have the fortune of remembering some of the concoctions that parade through my world at night. Lately I have been dreaming about dim rooms, perilous stairways and old grungy buildings with tiny hallways. If it is possible to share dreams with people one has never met, I think I am sharing dreams with Lynette Wood and Ryan Callahan, the Ohio-based photographic duo responsible for the awesome etsy shop CNC Freelance. It is as though this talented team had managed to pick the lock on my mental bedroom and snap a bunch of pictures of the inside of my mind while I was asleep.

The black and white photographs have a wonderful depth and a rich hand-developed feel (even though they are digitally printed!). The selected subject matter is often haunting, with abandoned buildings appearing throughout the work. I just love how these photographs unexpectedly offer up eerie images that are framed with a delicate sensitivity that makes the work seem self-reflexive and thoughtful.

What the heck am I talking about? Just look at this:

I am completely won over by the amount of texture that comes alive in these photographs! Some of the tight shots are so rich with texture that it makes you want to stroke your computer screen. Furthermore, the use of tinting stains in sepia and dark emerald green tones really evoke the memory of old (OLD!) photographs that were colored using special chemical baths or with the careful addition of oil paints. So lovely!

We are freelance photographers.We use a Canon EOS Rebel Xti 10.2 mega pixel camera, lighting and Photoshop Elements 7.

Neither of us took formal classes on photography, I (Lynette) realized through taking photos during paranormal investigations that I would much rather be out photographing things of interest and not just trying to “capture ghosts”… So I guess my skills have been learned over the last 9 years of trial and error and reading up on different techniques and styles.

I (Lynette) personally have only taken a slight few classes on art while in college and found them interesting and useful for learning techniques… however I had the unfortunate experience of having a teacher that felt my work too strange or not mainstream enough and I failed the class… and that was the end of art classes in college.

However we both feel where art school can be beneficial but not necessary as art is a personal expression that is different for everyone and not easily learned in a classroom.

Actually one of Ryan’s co-workers mentioned the site to him as we have other on line stores and they felt Etsy would be great for us.

Right now we have a couple that we both like:

Black-eyed Suzie

Tom Banwell Leather

Exoskeleton Cabaret

Surly-ramics

Loopy Boopy

Photoshop Elements 7

Computer

Camera

Would the photos we have taken count??

We have close to 15,000 images! Other than photographs I cannot think of anything we actually collect.

Oh geez, I am not sure that either of us are inspired by any fictional characters… at least I cannot think of any!

Not anyone that we can think of at present.

We usually have movies playing in the background, ones we have seen a million times or just soft music.

Thank you so much for participating, Lynette and Ryan!

Be sure to check out their shop:

www.cncfreelance.etsy.com

Profiling the artist ROBSKE

www.robske.etsy.com

I have had the good fortune to come across some truly awesome ceramicists in my skulking through the corners of etsy, like today’s featured artist! Let us take a look at the work of Roberto Lugo, the American-based potter with a background as a graffiti artist who has fused the two mediums in a creative fervor.

He slams together the urban grit of graffiti- a specialization that is often frowned upon, criminalized and hotly debated in terms of its true ‘artistry’- with the traditionally middle to upper-class discipline of ceramics in a way that yield extremely interesting results.

I am particularly struck by the way he describes his work in his etsy shop, using language that clearly expresses a well-though-out concept that I think is actually quite thoroughly explored in the works he has posted. Roberto explains his perspective in the following passage from his shop:

“In this series I experiment with abstracting graffiti into paisley shapes, but keeping
it’s identity through colors and outline. Furthermore I rendered these
pots non-functional by not completely glazing the pieces but leaving
raw exposed clay, which I feel makes a statement on the judgment
the audience generally makes. After making these pieces the first
question I get from patrons are whether these pieces can be used.
The stark contrast of vile vandalistic stereotypes of graffiti, and
using them on object generally categorized as decoration. For me a
teapot says so much about class and status, and so does graffiti,
though they might be worlds apart my work seeks to bring them together
and challenge our perceptions. When I take “vandalistic” art and use it
to decorate pristine vessels, while rendering them non functional (unglazed)
I’m starting to feel I am conquering the challenges, I felt I would
face when attempting this work.”  -Robske, http://www.robske.etsy.com

He has a great understanding of sophisticated forms and clean ceramic sensibility as evident in his vessels, which I feel really accentuate the contrast between the graffiti and the classic forms of the teapots. I always take particular pleasure in creative endeavors that so poignantly demonstrate how the best way to break the rules is to know them well, and refute them directly; and Roberto has managed to do just that in a remarkable way.

Tea time, kids!

THIS JUST IN!

New items added to the shop include the Family Reunion series- a personal, tender reflection on family members captured in the most unexpected sculptures. Lovely!

Read on for Your First Sale’s interview with Robske

What do you make, how do you make it, and where or how did you learn your skills?

 I am an interdisciplinary artist focusing on ceramics at the present moment.  I adore for teapots because of the many things they do, such as getting people together, or giving the perception of a pristine vessel. I learned how to throw pottery in a community college, and then received a scholarship to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

What are your thoughts about art school?

 I think art school’s help you think critically and understand why things work, and how to expand you opinion on beauty. Technically you can acquire skills necessary to make things at a university or community college, but continuous critiques and evaluations help you thing about your work.  Also being completely around artist influences your work.

How did you find out about Etsy?  

My fiancé was purchasing many of her wedding items, on the site because of her love of handmade items. She then encouraged me to open a store.

Do you have any favorite Etsy shops?

Not yet as I just became familiar with the site and haven’t had much time to browse but I have seen some very strong work.

What crafting supplies or tools could you not live without?

My potter’s wheel and kiln.

Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect? 

Yes I love collecting political influenced art, as well as pottery, and work that makes me have an emotion just by it’s presence.

Who is one fictional character that inspires you?

Pony Boy

Who is one actual person that inspires you, living or dead? 

Jean Michel-Basquiat.

Do you listen to music, books on tape or watch movies/TV shows while you craft? If so, what are some of your favorites that you find complimentary to crafting?

I love watching Seinfeld DVDS, and listening to books on tape.

Thank you so much for participating, Roberto!

Be sure to check out his shop at:

www.robske.etsy.com

Maybe I have babies on the brain or something. My biological clock is tiiiicking.

No, really. That is just terrifying.

Shudder.

Anyway, I will try to put the brakes on the whole “This one time, when I was a kid blah blah blah” intro that I have been maniacally parading through this blog.

Thank you, gentle readers!

www.condor7.etsy.com

In a past career, my father was a woodworker for two decades. When I was growing up our garage had been transformed into his workshop, containing a whole array of wondrous machines and tools. Dad’s workshop always seemed so magical, and I still have the same fascination with woodworking that possessed me as a child. Tickle my 2×4’s, will you?

One shop that quells my need for awesome woodwork is Condor7, the little corner of Etsy run by the artist and collector extraordinaire Johnny LaMonica. Currently based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Condor7 has stocked his shop with lovely little hand worked carvings made of gorgeous, sweet-smelling aromatic Cedar.

The pieces are usually pocket-sized treasures that are offered as magnets, necklaces/pendants, brooches, and even belt buckles! Some of the listings are customizable, so you get to choose the way the piece is finished, so you don’t have to wish that the one you really love were a necklace instead of a magnet. Cool!

I am taken by Condor7’s more simple, sophisticated designs such as the geometric shapes and elegantly curved ripple forms.

I completely COVET this:

AND THIS,

AND THIS!!!

So, so lovely. I love the idea of wearing one of these tactile pieces as jewelry, and feeling the soft carvings under my fingers while the smell of Cedar swirls around me…all this deliciousness from a completely badass original piece of artwork! Be still my heart and my olfactory processors.

Just before publication, Johnny posted some sweet monsterrific art cards (ACEO stands for ‘art cards, editions and originals’, just to unpack the acronym for you), and perhaps you are familiar with my stance on monster art. Monsters = Giddy Up.

What do you make, how do you make it, and where or how did you learn your skills?
   
The main thing I’m concentrating on these days are the Cedar Wood Carvings.   I learned by ‘Doing’.  I hate it when people say “Oh, I could never do that”! Well, of course not dummy, you just told yourself you couldn’t! When I decide that I want to do something, I just Do It! Either I’m good at it, or I’m not, I don’t worry about it, or pre-judge myself. As a result, I’m pretty good at most artistic things, not great, but good, acceptable. I’ve always been a good ‘Self Teacher’. Studying other people’s carvings helps to learn techniques, as well as studying photos, but the best way to learn is TO DO!

What are your thoughts about art school?

I dislike school in general. The schools I attended taught me almost nothing. Anything I know, I pretty much taught myself. As far as Art school is concerned, It’s a great way to learn the technical/professional side of art. But they can’t teach you to be an artist. Either you have that mindset, or you don’t, No school can make you an artist.

How did you find out about Etsy?

I learned about Etsy from my friend Colleen, who owns a small Shop/Gallery in Downtown Kenosha Wisconsin, called “Down the Rabbit Hole”. It can be found by doing a simple web search. She doesn’t have a website yet, but has been written up on Expose Kenosha.com, a local art site, here’s a link     http://exposekenosha.com/2007/11/18/curiouser-and-curiouser-down-the-rabbit-hole-with-colleen-steenhagen/     

Do you have any favorite Etsy shops?

I’m still quite new to Etsy, and have only marked two shops as favorites.

Cathie Fillian’s page, she has a television show the wife and I enjoy watching. 

www.cathiefilian.etsy.com

And Sagittarius Gallery.

www.sagittariusgallery.etsy.com

What crafting supplies or tools could you not live without?

Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect?

Yes! Very much so! The wife and I are avid collectors on many, many things! My main collection consists of well over 9,000 records! Mostly old 78 R.P.M.’s, some dating back to 1901!  I also collect old Jigsaw Puzzles. My collection and I were given a full color feature article in the Kenosha News March 19, 2004 edition. For a while I was making my own puzzles, using my own photos and cutting them on 7-ply board.   I also collect Tiki items, Books (a couple thousand of them), 8mm and 16MM films, DVD’s, and VHS. McCoy, Haeger, Hull, Copley, etc, ceramics.  Also strange old electronic items. One of my hobbies is repairing and restoring old radios, specifically ShortWave receivers, and selling them. I’ve probably repaired and sold 80 radios in the past 10 years. My wife collects Frog items, and has over 2,100 of them! Ribbit! We have many other smaller collections as well.

Who is one fictional character that inspires you?

Who is one actual person that inspires you, living or dead?

Frank Zappa. The finest American Musician who ever lived!

Do you listen to music, books on tape or watch movies/TV shows while you craft? If so, what are some of your favorites that you find complimentary to crafting?

Sometimes I watch old movies. I have a video set up next to my work bench, and occasionally I’ll play an old 1950′s Sci-fi, or some low budget flick. I collect dollar DVD’s, so I have a pretty vast library of crappy film. I love low budget films, because what they lack in expertise, they gain in spirit. There’s something special about any movie that was shot in 3 days, with a small crew, and a few friends! But usually I listen to music. Heavy Metal mostly, sometimes Classical.  Most people don’t realize that Quality Heavy Metal music is based on Classical themes, Specifically Opera. A good Metal Guitar solo is easily as intricate, dynamic, and expressive as any classical piece. Brian May, Frank Zappa, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, etc, etc, are all Classically trained players, who feel as I do that while Classical is great to listen to, Rock is just more fulfilling. I find that the intensity of the music gets me going physically, and creatively.  Sometimes, I put on headphones, crank the music up as loud as I can take it, and when it’s over, I feel clean, purified. I call it ‘Heavy Metal Zen’!

Thank you so much for participating, Johnny!

Be sure to check out his shop at:

www.condor7.etsy.com

www.mountoctopus.etsy.com

www.neilwaukee.blogspot.com

I have been lucky enough to be around lots of kids my whole life, and I have always been a huge fan of the way children capture the people around them in their drawings. Every now and then you find a real live grown-up artist who has not lost the ability to portray other human beings with that same straightforward and sometimes brutal honesty. The shop Mount Octopus, run by the unusual Seattle-based artist Neil Vandervloed is a trove of just such treasures.

The shop is filled with really funny, quirky little drawings of both odd creatures and everyday people. Neil’s artwork is the perfect combination of naïvely elastic portrayals of bodies along with bright colors and an unexpected mix of the totally fantastic and the totally mundane. The characters in question range from imaginary monsters like a Cyclops hippie to a deadpan portrayal of the all-too-real That Girl with the carefully arranged and exposed thong strings. My personal favorites include the punk guy, lady thong, and the half nude go-go dancer.

I also come from the generation of people who went to high school in the mid 90’s, smack dab in the middle of the emerging hoody phenomenon wherein every single person under the age of 30 has to be wearing a hooded sweatshirt at all times. The movement is still going strong, and this fine piece of original artwork just makes me laugh because the hoody is such an odd little artifact of our time to select as the subject matter for artwork. Completely relevant to my experience, yes. Yet so very unexpected…

Just before posting this little ditty I hopped on over for a visit to Mount Octopus’ shop and to my delight Neil has recently added some fantastic wood block prints!

Check out the dark wonder that is THIS amazing piece, entitled Unicorn Skull:

Also of note is this great homage to teenage mischief (although thankfully here in Canada that does not necessarily connote the ownership of firearms, but 40ozs and spray paint are ubiquitous to urban teenage life), called hoodies (ha! See above):

Read on for Your First Sale’s interview with Mount Octopus…

What do you make, how do you make it, and where or how did you learn your skills?

I create paintings and woodblock prints, drawings and bug houses.

I am obsessively self-taught.

What are your thoughts about art school?

Never heard of it, never learned of it.

Should I go?

Should I send my son?

How did you find out about Etsy?

Everyone was telling me to open a store and now, here I am sitting by the front door waiting for customers.

Do you have any favorite Etsy shops?

What with all the laps I swim and the physical therapy and the hard-core blogging, I haven’t yet had the time to find favorites.

What crafting supplies or tools could you not live without?

My van and my partyknife.

Do my fingers count?

Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect?

I only buy gifts for other collectors, what I know they like, the things I like float in front of your eyes.

Who is one fictional character that inspires you?

Tulip, from the unfinished novel of the same name by Dasheill Hammet.

A great story.

Who is one actual person that inspires you, living or dead?

My son Forest who taught himself to walk this week.

Do you listen to music, books on tape or watch movies/TV shows while you craft? If so, what are some of your favorites that you find complimentary to crafting?

I live with three boys, a girl and two dogs. The only sounds are barking yelling, laughter, and the sound of things shattering.

Profiling ART AKIMBO

www.artakimbo.etsy.com

www.dcramer.com

When I was a wee thing back in the 80’s I had a very special bedtime toy called a glowworm, which totally made my short list of favorite kid possessions. It was a soft-bodied doll whose face that lit up softly, like a nightlight built into a doll head. That sounds kind of creepy, and maybe it is. Nonetheless, when I first laid eyes on the art of David Cramer in his awesome shop Art Akimbo, I could not help but draw a parallel between my glowworm companion and this cool sculpture:

Art Akimbo is like the grown-up, fine art version of the IT STORE (which may or may not have been an exclusively Canadian mall phenomenon in the 90’s), where you could buy all kinds of weird gifts and oddities that could be found nowhere else. I am drawn to Cramer’s quirky style, particularly the way he delivers what could easily be dark subject matter in a way that is remarkably sunny and fresh. His use of clean, rounded lines and slightly softened colors brings a whimsical element to the work, making the pieces feel like something out of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse or cult filmmaker John Waters’ famous collection of eccentricities.

The Lil Buddy face magnet set is so amusing, and it comes with 3 eyes, of course!

I am willing to bet that David’s work aptly reveals the delightful oddness of the Connecticut-based artist, as the biography he posted in his shop reads:

art
o man
can’t stop it
gotta gotta gotta
get down

furthermore:www.dcramer.com

Read on for Your First Sale’s interview with Art Akimbo…

 What do you make, how do you make it, and where or how did you learn your skills?

My Etsy shop is evolving, let’s say. For now, I have a few sculptural pieces and some functional decorative pieces. They are designed to be cast, then uniquely hand painted. I plan to introduce prints soon. For many years I have been a studio furniture maker. My furniture pieces have shown in numerous galleries and museums including the Clark Gallery in Lincoln, Mass, Sansar Gallery in DC , the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, the Amarillo Museum of Art and so forth. More can be seen at www.dcramer.com

 
What are your thoughts about art school?

I went to the NYC School of Visual Arts in the early 70’s. Minimalism was fading out and conceptualism was all the rage. Technique was frowned upon, generally speaking, although in those days Chuck Close taught freshman drawing…
Anyhow, great exposure to galleries, museums, ideas and attitudes- many fond memories but little actual training…
 
 
How did you find out about Etsy?

Possibly in a New York Times article.
 
 
Do you have any favorite Etsy shops?

Probably the first shop I took notice of was Art and Ghosts – really lovely stuff.

www.artandghosts.etsy.com

 
 
What crafting supplies or tools could you not live without?

I have a pretty full shop, but lately I’ve been digging my computer as a design tool.
Other than that, I’d have to say a pencil.
 
 
Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect?

I’d like to be the sort of person that throws things out regularly, but I seem to be the sort of person that accumulates piles of stuff that I just might have a use for someday…

So yeah, I collect possibly useful stuff that sits in piles, awaiting that fateful someday.
 
Who is one fictional character that inspires you?

Cartoon characters like Wile E Coyote, etc, who keep trying no matter how many times they have failed in the past (which seems to be always). They keep on scheming, coming up with new ways to achieve their (possibly evil) goals – I like that dedication, minus the evil part.
 
Who is one actual person that inspires you, living or dead?

I have 3 kids – one approaching college, one in college and one just graduated. They are all funny, smart, talented and enormously creative.Anyhow, they inspire the hell out of me.
 
Do you listen to music, books on tape or watch movies/TV shows while you craft? If so, what are some of your favorites that you find complimentary to crafting?

I am quite fond of 30’s Hawaiian steel guitar. Sol Hoopii, Andy Iona. Floating along in a moonlit lagoon…
 
Thanks so much for participating, David!

Be sure to check out his shop at:

www.artakimbo.etsy.com

Profiling 365 MONSTERS

www.365monsters.etsy.com

www.365monsters.blogspot.com

Do you remember the book Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak from when we were tiny? Bonus points if you just thought about the fact that in addition to being a remarkable book in its own right, this baby also made a cameo in the quintessential Jim Henson/Brian Froud fantasy epic The Labyrinth. This book made a huge impact on my little mind, and when I found the kooky etsy shop 365 Monsters I experienced the same thrill of monster discovery that first came to me courtesy of that wonderful childhood book. 365 Monsters is a little window into the sketchbook of artist and boogieman expert Harry Boardman, who is in the midst of a fantastic year long monster art spree. The Montgomery County, Pennsylvania based Boardman had the bright idea to create a new original creature drawing or painting each day for a year, and his progress is astounding! At the time of publication, 365 Monsters’ blog has just tipped past the 100^th posted drawing. And almost all of these beauties are available for purchase in his etsy shop! Wowza!

The monsters are totally interesting and quirky, ranging from fanged dinosaurs to lifelike gorillas, to strange crossbreeds between fruit and insects. Moreover, he incorporates imagery like robots, killer squid, and a character he calls Murder Baby, which does exactly what you might think.  He even manages to play upon your fear of fanged hotdogs. Wooooo!

The artistic styles range from piece to piece, but they all maintain a certain sentiment that keeps them unmistakably parts of a whole, even beyond the binding theme of monsters.

Boardman merges a host of media in his works including inks, pastels, watercolors, acrylic, pencil crayons and more. The diverse media keeps each work exciting and fresh, as you never know when you will get an unexpected rush of color or texture in a new piece. Considering the number of pieces in the series, it should come as no surprise that the tone changes from day to day. While many of the works are whimsical and witty, some are haunting, some plain silly, and several are simply frightening.

When explaining his take on himself as an artist, Boardman self-effacingly states:

“I’m just a regular guy who poses as an artist and who also happens to love monsters”, but I have to differ with that über modest synopsis. 365 Monsters is a bright project run by a genuinely exciting artist with enough creativity and focus to sustain working on a project for over 100 days and counting (and let us not forget, additionally photographing, explaining and posting each work on TWO sites). Bravo, Harry! 

Read on for Your First Sale’s interview with 365 Monsters… 

What do you make, how do you make it, and where or how did you learn your skills?

In this case it’s drawings of monsters. 

The goal was to do a sustained project and I’ve always worked on monster art in the background.  365 Monsters is a great way for me to work on an awesome project every day for a year and bring my monster art into the foreground. 

I draw and paint a new monster every day and post them on my blog www.365monsters.blogspot.com .  The next day the originals are posted in my etsy store under seller name 365monsters usually between $20 and $60.

Now everything and everyone I see is a monster to me. 

What are your thoughts about art school?

I have a BFA from Pratt Institute for Illustration.  I loved art school.

I also knew less about what I wanted to do when I left there than when I arrived.

How did you find out about Etsy?

My wife Heather was drawn to etsy like a moth to flame.  The rest was inevitable.      

Do you have any favorite Etsy shops?

Well, I love Heather’s store because of her neverending supply of amazing work.

www.hmbstudios.etsy.com

I have a lot of hearted stores on etsy.  I’d hate to influence anyone with my opinion but my favorite stores contain handmade awesomeness and very skilled execution. 

What crafting supplies or tools could you not live without?

Dr. PH. Martin’s Black Star waterproof India ink in matte finish (dropper included), a 4b pencil, and some serious cold press colored paper.   

Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect?

I am a recovering packrat with a little bit of everything.  Most of all I have a thing for chairs.

Who is one fictional character that inspires you?

Curious George

Who is one actual person that inspires you, living or dead?

Maurice Sendak.  Enough said.

Do you listen to music, books on tape or watch movies/TV shows while you craft? If so, what are some of your favorites that you find complimentary to crafting?

A lot of work happens in my studio while listening to movies I’ve seen too many times.  More often than not, I go for my collection of itunes on shuffle.

Thank you so much for participating, Harry!

Be sure to check out his shop at:

www.365monsters.etsy.com

Profiling ZOMBIES CAN’T LOVE

www.zombiescantlove.etsy.com

I heart zombies. I mean really, who doesn’t? My roommate and I have become zombie movie connoisseurs over the years, and often have conversations about our respective weapons of choice against les zombies. She wants a heavy wooden baseball bat, and I have always thought a nice sharpened shovel would really do the trick. We have reached a consensus on the fact that zombie-fighting weapons should be low tech, analog devices that are good for smashing (or in my case, smashing and chopping). But wait; let us not forget about the effectiveness of fire! Clearly this weapon of choice has not escaped the keen mind of California artist Doug Elkins, the zombie-inspired creative force behind today’s featured etsy shop Zombies Can’t Love.

Okay, so maybe these cool little magnetic matchboxes (complete with matches!) are not really meant as an anticipatory addition to your stash of zombie-fighting weapons. Even so, they would certainly come in handy in the event of zombie hysteria. Until that time, these matchboxes will liven up any metal surface in your home with glittering images of cool cracked skulls, decrepit hands and pearls of wisdom such as “If you give your heart to a zombie, all he’ll do is eat it”. Word to the wise.

If you just can’t bring yourself to take the advice that zombies are bad lovers, and even worse in relationships, then you can always pick up some of these awesome REAL STONE coasters to make your zombie significant other feel at ease in domestic situations. Patterned with the great cracked skull image and the words Zombies Can’t Love (don’t worry, everyone knows that zombies also can’t read), these little coasters look like cool little epitaphs on tiny tombstones. These stone (STONE!) coasters like a piece of the graveyard in the tea room! Perfect.

Keep an eye on the shop for upcoming tee shirts!

Read on for Your First Sale’s interview with Zombies Can’t Love…

What do you make, how do you make it, and where or how did you learn your skills?

My favorite thing to do is print tee shirts. It is not always my original work, because a lot of the designs I print are someone else’s that I am hired to do, but that affords me to print my own designs too. I have a screen-printing shop in the North Bay in California where I print called Loud and Clear Printing, which I own with one other person.

The first time I ever printed was in high school back in Texas, where I grew up, at a family friend’s shop. We all wanted some punk tees so we bootlegged the art or made up our own and added band names. I attended some college art classes and printing classes in San Diego, but I owe most of my skills to trial and error and a boss named Dion Thurman I had worked for at Foundation Skateboards, where I learned to screen print skateboard-related items.

What are your thoughts about art school?

I think it works for some people and not others. It is a great place to learn theory and concepts, but if you do not have talent it does not matter one bit. I applaud anyone who could make it all the way through… I could not do it.

How did you find out about Etsy?

My girlfriend told me about it. I only have a few starter things on now but I want to get tons of things up.

Do you have any favorite Etsy shops?

I really love Folded Pigs. I think her art is amazing and if I had access to a kiln I would probably screen print some water slides and do some similar type stuff with my artwork.

www.foldedpigs.etsy.com

Also, Eisenbahn, That is my girlfriend’s shop! She prints as well.

www.eisenbahn.etsy.com

What crafting supplies or tools could you not live without?

Ink, screens, and squeegees. Those are essential, but I love having Prisma brand pens and pencils around, and for me Adobe is a must for printing. Also, I would have to say the French Paper Company’s paper; they have the best paper around.

Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect?

I am not so much of a collector anymore, I use to collect a ton then I moved to a studio and that all went away. I read some books on Fung Shui and decide to get rid of a lot. Now my biggest collection is old punk rock tees, 7”s, books I love, and lots and lots of zombie movies. I also have a lot of children’s books in foreign languages from countries where I have visited.

OK, so I guess I do collect some stuff.

I think I may take up collecting friends on Myspace because that does not take up any room.

Who is one fictional character that inspires you?

Oh, that is a tough one because I read a lot and watch movies all the time… right now I am going to say Spiderman, not because of the movies, because I have like 500 comic books….I guess I collect those too! That is probably how I first started drawing, by copying my favorite comics.

Who is one actual person that inspires you, living or dead?

I would say one of many is Roald Dahl, I really aspire to be a fictional writer, and I love his stories. They aren’t really specifically for children or adults. They are just these kinda dark, humorous stories and the artwork in his books, by Quentin Blake, is great.

Do you listen to music, books on tape or watch movies/TV shows while you craft? If so, what are some of your favorites that you find complimentary to crafting?

MUSIC is my life. I listen almost non-stop whether crafting or not, I have worked as a tour manager for years and a lot of my screen printing is merch for bands. As far as listening while working, I usually put my MP3 on shuffle and crank it up until my neighboring shops complain (I like to work late as opposed to during the day.) It has around 20000 songs on it so I may go anywhere from Black Flag to Oingo Boingo to Jackie Mclean to Knapsack to The Action Design to Coalese…etc.

It is all over the place all the time.  Lately while doing design on the computer at home I have been really into Detektivbryan, they put me in a good working mood. I also recently started watching Arrested Development so I will watch those on Hulu.com while on the computer.

Thank you so much for participating, Doug!

Be sure to check out his shop at:

www.zombiescantlove.etsy.com

Profiling LittleAesthetics

www.littleaesthetics.etsy.com (etsy shop)

http://margaritasampson.nlk.nf (personal website)

Today Your First Sale features the jewelry of Little Aesthetics, the etsy shop run by artist Margarita Sampson of Norfolk Island, an isolated territory of Australia that weighs in with a population 1,800 and a mere 40 square km landmass.

Margarita’s jewelry line features an unexpected hybridization the natural and the industrial; including botany-inspired forms cast in resin to render ultra sleek and sophisticated designs. Her bold color choices add another notable dimension to the work, as the use of deep red and black pigments lend the impression of strength and weight to the pieces. Make no mistake – these are no simple girlish flowers! The lines are remarkably clean and modern while still retaining some of the organic chaos gifted by floral forms. I can see these pieces being equally well worn by those who love leather, and those who love lace. I really thought at first glance that these pieces were all blown glass, the resin is so well-mixed (no bubbles!), densely colored and finely polished! Luckily, resin is lighter, stronger and more suitable for jewelry pieces of this magnitude than most glass.

I also love Little Aesthetics’ intricate sculptural brooches and neckpieces that incorporate finely crocheted sterling silver wire. These pieces are inspired by sea creatures, and the wonderful texture of the crocheted wire and use of negative space help to give the impression of weightlessness and buoyancy. It almost looks like the pieces are floating in a gentle current of water. Beautiful!

Finally, there are the intricate mandala-inspired laminated paper necklaces that resemble the childhood Christmas snowflakes that are made by cutting folded paper; but with an haute-couture twist, of course! She explains her process for one of the paper cut necklaces by saying:

“This piece is made from 24 little mandalas hand-cut from the pages of “Pitman’s Shorthand Sampler” (Have you seen shorthand? I hadn’t before I found this book…it’s gorgeous, all loopy like Arabic) which are then laminated and strung in a sort of adjustable daisy chain on looped tiger-tail with sterling silver crimps and catch”.

 – www.littleaesthetics.etsy.com

What a great idea!

Read on For Your First Sale’s interview with Little Aesthetics…

What do you make, how do you make it, and where or how did you learn your skills?

I make sterling silver and resin jewelry, mainly, and otherwise do
sculptural work. The sterling silver is worked on my jewelry bench with
a variety of techniques including sawing, soldering, forming, chasing,
stamping, fusing, and lots more. The resin work starts as carved wax
forms which are cast in silicone, into which resin is poured. They
are then cleaned up and painstakingly hand polished (you can’t beat a hand polish, but it does take about an hour for even a little piece)

Nestled amongst the descriptions posted in her etsy shop, Margarita says the following about her inspiration:

“I’m strongly influenced by the sea and the creatures in it, our environment and natural structures and patterns…I like works that are adjustable, that move, that use materials in unexpected ways. My idea of hell is making the same piece over and over so it is unlikely you’ll ever see anything the same in here…although, oddly, I am perfectly happy spending 3 months cutting and sewing identical tiny bits to make up a huge sculpture…

I wanted to make a visual alphabet of the plant forms where i live- the curls of the tree ferns, the new buds, the leaves etc. This piece is also part of a larger body of work looking at leis, wreathes and garlands, so there’s a link between the Pacific island lei and the ornamental garlands of Europe”.

What are your thoughts about art school?

Good question. I often used to say the best things about art school were the friends I made and the understanding that I could make art, and that it was accessible. But I thought the teaching was outmoded, the lecturers fairly stale and quite frankly, a lot of the time at 18 I wanted to nick off early and go to the pub with my friends. I think there is valid reasoning behind the call to bring back the apprenticeship system, where you apprentice yourself to a craftsperson or artist you admire and learn the craft through them. Art College does teach you how the art system works, which you can buy into/work with or disregard, and there are lots of practical skills to be picked up. There’s also something to be said for teaching yourself stuff, obviously…you’ll make many mistakes and may retain a certain naivety for longer but it probably won’t look like anybody else’s work.

How did you find out about Etsy?

Friends kept saying, “Oh, you have to go to Etsy and sell your stuff!” I’m represented by a gallery locally and exhibit my sculpture work overseas, but Etsy was a great revelation- I love how grassroots it is and empowering, if you are making things and they are creative & well-crafted then the market can come to you. It gives the gallery system to the makers.  I love using the “shop local’ feature for absolutely the opposite purpose-

I like seeing what is happening in Iceland or the Netherlands at the moment. It’s very personal, I can get a sense of the person behind the work, it makes me feel connected.

Do you have any favorite Etsy shops?

Oh, heaps! I usually have a little Etsy romp in the mornings before I go into the studio…here are a few of my recent joys…

www.dadaya.etsy.com

For the craziest hats…artworks for your head!

www.twosarahs.etsy.com

Stunning prints, if only I could decide: the meerkat or the lark? Or both?

www.redhydrant.etsy.com (just treated myself to a print from here, can’t wait for it to turn up in my mailbox!)

http://uloni.etsy.com (textile sculptures for your body..and they keep you warm..)

What crafting supplies or tools could you not live without?

My jeweler’s pliers are an extension of my arm and I have had them for 20 years, blue for needlenose, black for flat, and green for little snips. They travel with me.

Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect?

Books, books, books, several thousand of them. I started up and ran a bookshop for 5 years, and an unseemly amount of the books ordered ostensibly for the shop used to make it home with me. My partner was gracious enough not to mention it, as he’d step over another new stack in the living room. Also natural history specimens, affordable art (I swap a lot with other artists), outrageous jewelry, weirdly textured fabrics, vintage photos of Victorian children with wall-eyes or ladies in homemade fancy-dress, and bits and bobs for my sculpture work. I’m a flea-market queen.

Who is one fictional character that inspires you?

Mmm, don’t know if I’ve been inspired by a fictional character but I love a strong, complex female character in a story…Kerewin Holmes in Keri Hulme’s “The Bone People” is a grumpy misanthrope who smokes a pipe and lives in a stone turret and spends a lot of time on windy New Zealand beaches poking at things- she was a revelation to me when I was younger, I think I could see a possible older self in her. I haven’t yet taken up smoking, however.

Who is one actual person that inspires you, living or dead?

 Rosalie Gascoigne was an Australia woman who became a celebrated artist in her later years with no formal art training. She was married to an astronomer who worked at a remote observatory in a very sparse landscape, and through the principles of ikebana (which was an acceptable wifely thing to do in your spare time) trained her eye, and ended up making absolutely exquisite artworks from salvaged roadsigns, drink bottle crates, feathers and things sourced from the tip. She was the first female artist to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale in 1982 (!). Her artworks are now part of the Australian national psyche.

Do you listen to music, books on tape or watch movies/TV shows while you craft? If so, what are some of your favorites that you find complimentary to crafting?

Radio National, which is part of the ABC – (Australian Broadcasting Commission). I find it an articulate and informed commentary on the arts, social issues, spirituality, music, and popular culture. No sound bites. I couldn’t work without it, keeps me sane, it’s the silent partner in my studio. You wouldn’t believe the stuff I’ve got the inside track on- yesterday it was the chaplains working with the fire victims in Victoria, the day before microbes, or monkeys or the Booker Prize….who knows what the day will bring. The ABC is my wingman.

Thank you so much for participating, Margarita!

Be sure to check out her shop at:

www.littleaesthetics.etsy.com