Meet Your Maker: Evajuliet

Click on the earliest page of my favourites in Etsy and you will find a print by Evajuliet. Third one in, to be exact. That's how long I have been admiring Eva's work. I've found myself drawn to her prints again recently, as I search for art to to cover the stark white walls of our newly renovated kitchen. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered an email from Eva in my inbox one day, saying how much she admired my aprons. Oh, how much do I love the Etsy community? While I ponder which print to choose from such an amazing collection, I'm so very pleased to welcome Eva here to share a little bit about her work, her process and a very special blue letterpress named Juliet.

WHO are you?
I am Eva. I live with my boyfriend in Québec, a french province in Canada. I come from a family where making a living from what you love to do is the key to life. When I was a child, my father was a carpenter; my mother, a dressmaker. They are both very creative. Creating is something that is just in my DNA. I truly love my work each and every day.

WHERE do you work?
We are located in a beautiful century home on the countryside. The air is good, the birds are singing, the flowers are beautiful, but above all, people here take the time to live. For me it's the perfect mood to create.

WHY did you decide to start a business?
I work as a freelance graphic designer/art director and I really enjoy what I do. But sometimes, I miss making my own projects without any restrictions. That's how Evajuliet was born.

Evajuliet is an amalgam between me and Juliet, my old tabletop letterpress. We started working together in 2009. Juliet helps me to embellish my packages and all other printing stuff a little shop needs.

Evajuliet is my little space which allows me to set my creativity free.

WHAT inspires you?
Inspiration comes from everywhere but nature is an endless source of inspiration for me. I am always amazed by all the species and treasures that nature creates. All these colours, textures and forms make me want to jump on my brushes and paint.

WHAT is your motto?
I have many different mottos to help me focus, but recently, I opted for "Keep it simple". Nowadays, everything goes so fast and we are constantly stimulated and overwhelmed by thousands of images and information. So I want to give my brain a break and try to keep everything simple. I tend to become more zen.

WHAT are your favourite materials?
I love to work with watercolor and gouache. Watercolor is more challenging; you have to find the perfect balance between control and letting go. The result is often unexpected surprises. I also love it because of the transparency and brightness of the colours. It's also easy to clean, which is not insignificant. Gouache is more versatile. It works so well on so many surfaces. And I love the matte finish and the beautiful pigment.

WHEN do you work best?
I am a morning person. I am most effective when my batteries are full after a good night. I love the energy in the morning. The light is bright, the air is fresh, the birds are up. I am ready to start the day.

Thanks so much for sharing, Eva! I definitely identify with your "Keep it Simple" motto and have found it has become a daily, calming reminder for me as well.

Eva creates many more beautiful products than I could include here, so please take a moment to peruse her website and Etsy shop, as well as her inspiring blog.

Meet Your Maker: Soli Knits

Confession time. I've always been envious of people who make a living from knitting and crochet. I picture them snuggled up in a comfortable chair, covered in luxurious layers of warm wool and watching endless hours of TV. Of course this seems heavenly compared to hunching over a sewing machine, but this is no doubt a grass-is-greener situation, as I'm sure fibre arts come with their own aches and pains, frustrations and curse words. From the sounds of it, reality is a combo of both: here to tell us how it is, is the lovely Soli of Soli Knits. 

WHO are you? Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.
My name is Soli and I have been knitting for as long as I can remember. In the past, I mainly knitted things for friends and family to give as a gift, but it wasn't until about a year or two ago that I started selling to the public. At a certain point I realized what my real passions were, which oddly were the same as when I was a little girl: knitting, sewing, reading, writing, and watching plants grow.

WHAT inspires you?
Nostalgia plays a huge role in everything I do. I am greatly inspired by the past and try to reflect this in my knitting with a strong sense of craftsmanship and attention to quality. I like the idea of there being a movement to bring back good old-fashioned skills. For me, there is nothing more satisfying than making something myself, whether it be dinner or a scarf. To be honest, you can buy a similar looking scarf at a store, but it is the careful and tedious attention to quality, craftsmanship, and detail that sets handmade items apart. Also, the option of getting something custom made is worth a great deal. You can order a custom made item from my shop and choose the exact color you like, the exact type of yarn, and the exact size or shape. I want my items to become a staple in your closet, something that you will have for years and years and will always go back to. I strive to create pieces that are reliable and classic.

WHERE do you work? Describe your workspace.
All my knitting happens while cozying up on the couch in my little apartment, surrounded by shelves full of yarn. I actually enjoy the clutter of craft tools — knitting needles, yarn scraps, crochet hooks, scissors — they make me feel at home.

WHEN do you feel most successful? frustrated/insecure?
I feel most successful I am busy. I love to be overwhelmed with special orders, a stack of packages to take to the post office, or piles of yarn waiting to be turned into scarves. I feel fulfilled when my scarves are in demand, and it feels even better when past customers come back for more or tell me how happy they are with their purchase.

WHY do you do what you do?
Knitting makes me feel sane. My hands and neck are constantly sore but still I sit and knit with a sense of urgency. I do this because I love working towards something that is mine, something that no one can take away from me. When you work for yourself, your business becomes an extension of you. I love that I am the production department, the photographer, the marketing department, the shipping department, you name it. It may sound strange, but somehow I feel that I can knit my way to a better place.

HOW do you do what you do? Describe your creative process and/or your typical work day?

The process is my favorite part. Typically, it involves me getting myself a large cup of tea, sitting on the couch in my little apartment, and knitting while watching old movies (mainly anything with Fred Astaire), until my hands can no longer take it. It takes me anywhere from two to five hours to make a complete scarf, depending on needle size and yarn weight. I like working with luxurious yarns: baby alpaca, angora, and wool blends are my favorites.

Thanks so much, Soli. If you have any more questions for Soli, fire away in the comments below. Also, be sure to check out her Etsy shop, as Soli is very generously offering Dear Edna readers 15% off their purchase with the coupon code DEAREDNA. Her scarves would make great Christmas gifts!

Meet Your Maker: Ingeborg Krebs

Is it just me, or is there something irresistible about little things? Baby socks, mini cupcakes, teacup pigs? All adorable in their teeny tiny ways. If you're with me, I have a treat for you today. Let me introduce to you Ingeborg Krebs, of Inge's Minis. Inge is an artist that takes miniatures to the next level, creating works of art like bobbin lace, cross-stitch, macrame and weaving at a one-inch scale! These types of fibre arts are seriously impressive under normal circumstances, I'm stunned by Inge's skill in being able to craft such tiny versions! As if this wasn't cool enough, Inge only does this part time. Most of her time is devoted to raising alpacas and sheep for wool and fibre on her gorgeous farm in the foothills of Oregon's Cascade Mountains. Umm... wow?! I was so intrigued by all of this, I just had to learn more, and I'm so pleased that Ingeborg agreed to share... a mini interview about minis. Haha!

WHO are you? Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.
I grew up in Germany and came to the USA in 1985. My professional life was in the medical field. Also, there I was intrigued by small things when I worked in a laboratory for electron microscopy.

WHAT inspires you?
The interest in making doll house miniatures started when I learned to make bobbin lace about 10 years ago. I was fascinated by the clear and crisp structure of the lace and the fact that I was able to make lace. So I tried out thinner threads which made the lace smaller and one day I thought that would actually look nice in a doll house. But then I also wanted to try out other craft techniques like wood work, cross stitch, macrame, basket weaving in miniature. I am fascinated by small things and I am always looking for things that can be done in miniature. Some times it can be done and some times not.

I started selling my crafts several years ago. I am taking part in the NW Miniature Show in Portland, OR once a year, and I am selling at the Saturday Market and Holiday Market in Eugene, OR. In March of last year I opened my Etsy shop first for the miniature things and then a second shop for the wool from our animals.

WHERE do you work? Describe your workspace.
I have a workroom in the house where I can make almost all of my miniatures. To do the wood work I have a work bench in the conservatory.

WHY do you do what you do?
I love to work with my hands and to create things that I like.

HOW do you do what you do? Describe your creative process and/or your typical work day?
On a typical day, I work in the garden, with the animals and their wool for most of the day. In the evenings and whenever I can in between, I work with the miniatures. Lately I started using hand-spun wool from my animals to weave miniature rugs. So now I am able to combine my two passions.

Thanks so much, Inge!

If you'd like to learn more about Ingeborg's art, please visit her website, IngesMinis (her miniatures Etsy shop) and TimberwolfWool (her wool and fibre Etsy shop).

Meet Your Maker: Abigail MaryRose Clark

I seem to have a soft spot for porcelain lately. My last interview was with a porcelain pottery artist and today I have a porcelain jewellery artist. Please welcome Abigail MaryRose Clark of StayGoldMaryRose. Abigail's stunning bracelets, pendants, rings and brooches are all made from reclaimed vintage ceramics such as teacups and plates. She has been creating and selling her work since 2004 and last year began selling her teacup bracelets in Anthropologie stores across the US and UK. As an antique china lover myself, I adore everything that she makes and am always looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next. To top it all off, she's a super sweet girl, lives in an old Victorian schoolhouse near the ocean, and has recently taken to calling me "Poppet"!

WHO are you? Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.
I am Abigail. I am a Northern-born girl living in the South of England, right by the ocean. I have never been able to keep my hands still for more than 10 minutes. I never took Art GCSE [General Certificate of Secondary Education]. :)

WHAT inspires you?
Making/drawing/designing/collecting/documenting is pretty much my life. I am obsessed with the history of British-made objects, especially the heritage of British china and British tailoring/fashion. I love vintage illustration, Ernst Haeckel and James Audubon; colours and shapes in nature; kaleidoscopes and symmetry; old bygone processes and communications such as playing records, sending letters, using typewriters, drawing and painting with pencils/charcoal/ink, taking photographs on 35mm film, polaroids, screen printing/ lino printing; music; books; film. I could go on forever.

WHERE do you work? Describe your workspace.
I live in a beautiful old Victorian building that was once a school. My workshop is one of the old red brick outhouses in the courtyard. I have one workshop where I make all of my noisy ceramic mess with my machines and another that I use for designing peacefully, packing, drinking coffee, typing and pondering.

WHEN do you feel most successful? frustrated/insecure?
I feel most successful when I have a collection or a design taken on by a company/shop. I thrive on seeing a range of my jewellery on a website or in a catalogue such as Anthropologie. It's a lovely feeling seeing something that was once an idea in your head or a scribble on a page in your scrap book become a piece of jewellery selling around the world.

I feel most frustrated when I see my designs or my maker friends' designs being reproduced or copied.

WHY do you do what you do?

I think I would go insane if I couldn't make. It is a release. It has become a slight obsession. I have found a way to vent at least some of the images and ideas that constantly swim around in my head. I see objects as having their own life and purpose and if I see it being discarded or thrown away, then something in my head decides to change that. I guess some people call it upcycling.

HOW do you do what you do? Describe your creative process and/or your typical work day?

I make a lot of mess. Working with china is a messy process. I am blessed to have a great workspace and a lot of friends and contacts who work in the ceramics industry. I don't really have a typical day, as it all depends on the orders I get. I love days when I've finished my orders and can just experiment in the workshop to create new pieces.

FINAL WORDS: Anything else you would like to add? Advice for new artists or entrepreneurs?My advice would be to go with your instinct. If you have an idea, then run with it, even if people aren't so keen on a design/idea. Don't give up on a project, always finish one, even if you come back to it years later. Be as professional as possible and be honest. Don't copy. Be original and you'll do well.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Abigail. I wish you the best of luck going forward, although with such talent and passion, I don't think you'll need it!

If you have any more questions for Abigail, fire away in the comments below. Also, be sure to visit her Etsy shop, blog and facebook page. She actually has a special promotion going on right now for 30% off your next purchase for "liking" her facebook page!

Meet Your Maker: Isabelle Abramson

I'm very proud to present our very first pottery artist on the Meet Your Maker series today! Isabelle Abramson was one of the first artists I "hearted" when I first joined Etsy and she's held a permanent place in my favourites ever since. I'm just so completely blown away by the delicate intricacy of her designs. I'm a sucker for lacy things, but lace porcelain? How is that even possible? Well, you're about to find out! I'm so pleased to show you some of Isabelle's stunning work and incredibly honoured she has agreed to share her story here with us. Welcome, Isabelle.

WHO are you? Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.
I was a school nurse before I was an artist. I was able to slowly teach myself to make porcelain pottery through a lot of trial and error. My work tends to be very feminine, detailed, functional porcelain artwork with a lot of time spent on each individual piece.

WHAT inspires you?
I love the detail and craftsmanship that I see in antiques and some vintage furniture. I think that, except for in very high end home decor, a lot of that attention to detail has been lost. The spaces that feel the best for me are really simple, but decorated with a few ornate pieces of art or furniture.

WHERE do you work? Describe your workspace.
My studio is tiny (I think only about 200 square feet), so I have to be very conscious of what I fill the space with and how I work. I usually only have one or two pieces in process at any given time so I am totally focused on what I’m working on and then as soon as a piece is finished it goes into the kiln, because there’s not anywhere else to put it. It’s taken a few years to find a way to use the space in a way that is the most efficient, and I’m sure it will be an ongoing process. That being said, I really love my studio. I’m totally used to it and I feel good working there so I think I might feel like I was swimming if I moved to a larger space now. Also, commercial space in Boston is really expensive and the rent in my studio building is based on square footage, so having this tiny studio frees me up to focus on my art and not have to worry about overhead.

WHEN do you feel most successful? When do you feel most frustrated/insecure?
I feel most successful when I’m steadily selling artwork at a pace I can keep up with and making just a little more money than I need to get by. I feel most frustrated when things don’t come out right or break in the kiln. I always learn something when a piece doesn’t work out but if I spent a long time on something it’s definitely a bummer when it doesn’t turn out to be something I can sell.

WHY do you do what you do?
I really enjoy being my own boss. I feel like I’m good at the things that one would need to be good at to run a very small business like this. The balance of alone time where I create intertwined with the social part of selling is a great way to work.

HOW do you do what you do? Describe your creative process and/or your typical work day?
A lot of my focus in how I work is keeping the website stocked in a way that I feel like I’m providing a good variety of items that look good together as a collection. I can usually only finish one small piece or part of a large piece in a day. I slip cast the body of the piece before I leave the studio. At night when I’m home I look at what’s been selling on the website and what seems like it would fit with the other things I have and I start to think about what the design will be for the piece that I work on the next day. Most of my day is spent sitting at a desk with reading glasses on and an x-acto knife in my hand.

Final words...
It’s a really hard time to be selling something that is fundamentally unnecessary. I would tell anyone starting out not to forget that it is abnormally hard to be doing something creative as a job right now, especially if you rely on outside feedback for encouragement or direction. Focus on making your art better and less on people’s reaction to your art. When it is truly a labor of love it comes through and the people who buy your things with see that. Also, don’t quit your day job if being stressed about money is going to interfere with your creative process.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Isabelle. Your self-taught journey is such an inspiration, and your words of wisdom to new artists and entrepreneurs really hits home. I think you've shown us a side of pottery that many people have never seen before and I hope we'll all spend a little more time appreciating the art form from now on. I know I will!

Please take a moment to visit Isabelle's website and Etsy shop.

All images by Isabelle Abramson.

Meet Your Maker: Melanie MacDonald

Melanie MacDonald is another artist I discovered at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition a few years back. She's also a regular contributor to the art sale at the AGH, which helped me follow the progress of her work and kept me hooked, so to speak. In fact, every time Mike and I discover one her paintings for sale, we hem and haw at length over purchasing one, mostly because we can't decide which one we like best! As you can probably predict, I love her use of vintage and everyday objects as her subjects, her use of bright colours, and the realism in her work. After a short hiatus I am glad to see Melanie back painting and showing again. She is part of a group exhibition at the newly opened gallery, Hamilton Artists Inc., until March 12th. And I am delighted she has agreed to answer a few questions for us. Consider it background information for you to impress your friends with this Friday at Art Crawl. Take it away, Melanie...

WHO are you? Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.
I am a painter, living in downtown St.Catharines. This is my hometown and I love it. I went to university here and got involved with the Niagara Artists' Centre as a student and have stayed involved to the present day as a volunteer. My paintings are photo-based and my interest has been capturing or representing light in paint. My partner, Steve, and I are really into vintage stuff/kitsch, and in turn, my paintings are often made of objects from a different era. I have painted a series of dirty dishes, ceramic figurines, vintage board games and flea market scenes.

WHAT inspires you?
Cast-away or forgotten stuff.

WHERE do you work? Describe your workspace.
Two years ago, we bought the small 4-unit apartment building we have been living in for the last 10 years. We take up the whole upper floor and about half of it is studio space. The light is fantastic up here, the floor is pink and cornflower yellow tiles and the walls are celery green.

WHEN do you feel must successful? frustrated?

I feel most successful when I quickly rough-in a painting at break-neck speed and most frustrated putting the painfully slow finishing touches on one.

WHY do you do what you do?
I guess it's because I can.

HOW do you do what you do?
I owe a lot of my success, or ability to do what I do, to an extremely supportive creative community that exists in St. Catharines. Also, having one dependable or stable income helps make my career choice possible. We consider ourselves to be THINKS -- a two, half-income, no kids kind of family.

Describe your creative process and/or your typical work day.

I like the 9-5 kind of work day. I juggle laundry, dishes and meal preparation and flip back and forth between these tasks and my painting. Certainly by dinner time I am ready to get out of the house for a bit to get some exercise. We play basketball twice a week, and I try to get out to the gym/pool on the other days. As there is a cluster of artists living in the neighbourhood, and the NAC is just around the corner, we are never at a loss for things to do socially. Steve is the director at NAC, so free time, by default, is usually spent on art-related stuff.

Thanks so much, Melanie, for taking the time to answer my questions and give us all a sneak peak into your creative life and process! Your home/studio sounds absolutely amazing and I love your term "THINKS".

For more information on Melanie MacDonald, please visit her website here. In addition to her exhibit at Hamilton Artists Inc., as mentioned above, she will also be participating in the NAC fundraiser "Accomplishing Small Feats" on April 2nd.

All photos by Melanie MacDonald.

Meet Your Maker: Bess Callard

My interviewee today is someone pretty special. I was lucky enough to discover her amazing "Small Business, Small Steps" blog series when I was first starting out (and she was still living in Austria). The clarity and honesty in her writing had me hooked and I could see so much of myself in everything she wrote. In fact, we've been known to call each other "blog soulmates". Haha! Speaking from experience, she is also a great designer to work with. Her designs are the perfect colourful touch for any nursery or child's room. I'm so grateful and proud to call her a friend and to be able to introduce her now to you! Everyone, this is Bess. Bess, everyone.

WHO are you? Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.

Hi Erin, thanks so much for having me on the Dear Edna Blog!

My name is Bess Callard and I am an illustrator and graphic designer based in Montreal, Canada. I am the owner of English Muffin Shop, an illustration company that seeks to solve your children's room and nursery design dilemmas with modern, fresh and often educational prints and posters.

WHAT inspires you?
I find simple things inspiring; a bright sunny day, a tidy work space, a bowl of Granny Smith apples. I love clean lines and shapes, the contrast between light and dark and the use of movement and play in design.

WHERE do you work? Describe your workspace.
I live in a two bedroom apartment with my husband and dog in the Parc Lafontaine neighbourhood of Montreal. We have a great space and have been lucky enough to turn the second bedroom into an office. I work at a drafting table that my dad built for me a few years ago when I was in school. Never far from my side is Tyke, our miniature pinscher; along with his companionship and the CBC I never get lonely!

Here are a couple photos of my office taken for Ill Seen, Ill Said's "Where We Blog From" Series:

 
WHEN do you feel most successful? frustrated/insecure?
I feel most successful when I make a sale. (That sounds bad, doesn't it?!) I feel so successful when making a sale because it is a validation of all my hard work. It means that people are connecting to and embracing my work, so much so that they want to have it in their own home or give it as a gift. I think that is a huge compliment.

I think I feel more insecurity than frustration. The insecurity comes from analyzing too much and not trusting in myself. I could have a "normal" job, but I don't. I have made some riskier choices in hopes that I will get to lead the kind of life that allows for freedom and fun. Inherent in those choices is doubt, but I try my best to not get stuck in the land of insecurity too often.

WHY do you do what you do?
Because it's fun, creative, challenging, exciting, rewarding, fulfilling, and 100% percent ME!

HOW do you do what you do? Describe your creative process and/or your typical work day?
One of the best parts of my job is that every day is different. How I organize my day really depends on what projects I have on the go. Generally if I'm working on a new design I like to get started before lunch. Once the emails/convos have been answered and any overnight sales organized, I'll take a peek at my favourite blogs and then put on a podcast or the radio and get to work. On design days sometimes I get so caught up with what I'm working on that I won't have lunch until 2pm or 3pm! In the afternoon I'll most likely package orders and try to get to the post office before they close at 5pm. In the evening I have dinner with my husband and then usually wrap up the day with any odds and ends that still need my attention, and if I'm really on schedule, write a blog post for the next morning.

FINAL WORDS...

I'd love to wrap up with a big ol' THANK YOU! Thank you to my friends and family who are a constant source of support. Forging ahead with a one-woman online company is the kind of thing that can raise eyebrows. I couldn't imagine doing this if I wasn't surrounded by such a wonderful group of people. Most of all thank you to my husband for his truly above and beyond support. I feel so lucky every day to be doing what I'm doing, and know that I did not get here alone.

WEBSITE: http://www.englishmuffinshop.com/

BLOG: http://www.englishmuffinblog.blogspot.com/

EMAIL: bess@englishmuffinshop.com

Thanks so much, Bess! As always, I am so impressed and inspired by your honesty, genuineness and passion. I wish you all the best this year! Please take a moment to visit the links above.

Meet Your Maker: Jenna Rose

I have no regrets about the education I received or the path that it took me on. However, I won't lie that I often have pangs of jealousy when I discover that the designers and makers I admire most were formally trained in a Fine Arts or Design degree. If I had time to do it all over again, I tell ya. But since I can't, I'm determined to turn that envy into inspiration and try to learn as much as I can.

Enter: Jenna Fenwick, founder of Jenna Rose. Jenna designs and screenprints fabric that she then creates beautiful accessories from in her a gorgeous Hamilton-based textile studio. Her peices have been featured in the top design blogs and magazines and are sold in numerous boutiques in both Canada and the US. She is basically living my dream and she inspires me more than I can say. So, when she agreed to take the time to answer some of my questions, I was over the moon! Enjoy!

WHO are you? Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.
I grew up in a family where art and sewing were a part of life. I sewed my own clothes in high school and worked in my mom’s quilt shop - it was inevitable that I would go on to work with textiles one day. I received a Bachelor of Find Arts Degree from NSCAD University in Halifax with a major in textiles and a minor in fashion. After graduating in 2006 I returned to Guelph and set up my studio in the top floor of my mom’s quilt shop and started producing my screenprinted fashion and home accessories full time. In the summer of 2008 I moved to a lovely studio surrounded by a vibrant artist community in Hamilton, Ontario.

The current Jenna Rose collection consists of hats, scarves, handbags, pillows, blankets, and storage bins and hampers. I illustrate each design by hand and screenprint all of the fabrics in house using non toxic waterbased pigments and natural and organic materials
 


WHAT inspires you?
I am constantly drawing and photographing things I see and places I go that I find interesting or intriguing. I am really attracted to old objects and architecture as well and trees, or anything out in nature really, most of which I find on forest walks. These are things I enjoy to draw and that eventually become prints. The prints remain very personal to me because of where the initial inspiration came from, such as pinecones collected and sketched at the family cottage, or animals and trees photographed while on trail walks with my husband and dog.

WHERE do you work? Describe your workspace.
My studio is just around the corner from James Street North in Hamilton. It’s a building where other creative businesses have their own studios and offices as well. There’s a painter, a recording studio, a clothing company, a record manager, and a vintage clothing shop. The building opens for the art crawl the second Friday of every month, often with live music and art shows throughout the hallways.

My own space is a big room with high ceilings, painted exposed brick, and all the necessities of a screenprinting studio. I have a 15-foot print table, a dark room, cutting tables, and an industrial sewing machine. I have inspirational images framed and hung on the wall. There’s a partial wall painted in chalkboard paint where I write my long list of to-dos each week. I have shelves and baskets of fabrics and notions. There’s one big window in the studio, in front of which sits my sewing machine. It’s a nice place to sew, and it also overlooks the best sushi in town, which is so tempting every day.

WHEN do you feel most successful? frustrated/insecure?
Success, I suppose, is when everything just feels right. When a design that I have worked on and worked on is complete and is a hit, or when I have great show with lots of positive feedback from customers. I love meeting customers and hearing that they love what they have of mine. To hear that my work makes a customer happy is the most successful feeling of all.

The harder times would be when I feel stressed and pressured by time constraints and deadlines, mostly when preparing for shows. There just never seems to be enough hours in the day.

WHY do you do what you do?
On a creative level, I make what I make because screenprinting is the perfect medium that combines my love for textiles and drawing. From a business and environmental stand point, in a mass produced world I am providing objects that are thoughtfully, locally, and independently made with a small environmental footprint. And I also do what I do because it’s great working for myself.

HOW do you do what you do? Describe your creative process and/or your typical work day?
On a typical day I would walk to my studio with my yellow lab, Beau. I spend most of my day making. I am lucky to have a long print table where yardage is pinned and printed. I also have a big cutting table and an industrial machine. I initially hand draw each design. They start out as sketches and are developed into patterns which are exposed onto screens for printing. I screenprint each piece of cloth and while the yardage dries I will usually cut or sew. Each design is heat set in a heat press to make the pigments permanent - I am also doing this at the same time. So I pretty much go from task to task all day long: from the print table, to the cutting table, to the heat press, and back to the print table. I’m a multi-tasker.

FINAL WORDS...
You are always welcome to visit the studio by appointment. Anything you see on my etsy shop will be in the studio for you to look at in person. I also usually try to open for the art crawl. I mention on my blog when I will be open for it. I often have screenprinting demos and button making happening that evening, as well as treats and goodies to eat.

I am currently working on products for the One of a Kind Show. It runs from November 25th to December 5th in Toronto. If you are able to make it I will be at booth I-04.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Jenna. I look forward to meeting you and seeing your studio in person at your next Art Crawl event. I'll try to not talk your ear off with all the other questions I'm dying to pick your brain about.

To find out more about Jenna and her work, please visit her website, etsy shop, and blog.

 

All images via Jenna Rose.

Meet Your Maker: Holly Farrell

I came across Holly Farrell's paintings at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition last year and was immediately taken with them. I love the simplicity and nostalgia of the subjects she chooses. They remind me of those moments when a single coffee mug or a row of books can seem so perfect and comforting. Or when a toy car or doll's dress can evoke long lost memories as clear as day. At the risk of sounding hokey, they speak to me. As you scroll through the pieces I've chosen to show here (and believe me, it was tough to choose), I'm sure you'll see why.

I've been using Holly's card as a bookmark for the last year, so you can understand how thrilled I am that she has agreed to answer a few of my questions and share with us a little bit about herself and her art. Perhaps even more inspiring than her work, is her amazing story... so enjoy... and you're welcome!

WHO are you? Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.
I was born in 1961 in North Bay, Ontario. My childhood was spent in various towns in Northern Ontario along Highway 11, depending on where my father was working. My father was an alcoholic which has had a big influence on my work. The chaos that resulted from the strain and violence of alcoholism had me and my siblings constantly scrambling for escape and solitude. My father died from the effects of alcohol when he was 39 (I was ten), leaving my mother and seven children to run the roadside diner and gas station that he had hoped would help turn his life around.

Much of my time alone was spent in creative endeavours (unless I was playing with Barbie). I loved crafts and paint by numbers. Art was the only subject I excelled at in school but it never occurred to me to pursue art in college. Instead I trained to work with children with special needs. It wasn't until I was 29 that I decided to try my hand at painting again. I was stressed out from my day job, working with teens who had developmental as well as psycological difficulties, and painting seemed to ease the strain.

WHAT inspires you?
I am inspired by all things common. I find comfort in the quiet that comes from painting and the simple things that I paint. The familiarity of old bowls, chairs, toys, books, shoes (to name a few) reassures me.

WHERE do you work? Describe your workspace.
I have a room in my house which is set aside for my work. The house was built sometime in the mid 1800s. It houses me, my husband and five cats (yes, a cat lady). I was never comfortable "going off" to work, so being able to step into my studio when I think I need to do something makes me very productive. My studio has old wood floors, big baseboards and a high ceiling - lots of light. It is a good setting for my subjects.

WHEN do you feel most happy/successful/frustrated/insecure?
I work in three stages. As each stage is completed successfully, I feel happy. Sometimes I get stuck and have to work on a painting for a long time before I am satisfied with the results. I usually have a hard time appreciating these paintings until a little later on, as it takes time for the frustration to dissipate (and the odd time I throw a painting away). It's hard not to be insecure about my painting, especially as I'm self-taught. Having no formal training I feel lucky I fell into painting but also feel that somehow, sometime, someone will tell me it's all been a big mistake. I am really happy that I can make a living with my painting as it was totally unexpected.

WHY do you do what you do?
I paint because I love to and it's the one thing in my life that I have done with some success. If it "wasn't my job" I would still be painting.

HOW do you do what you do? Describe your creative process and/or your typical work day.
I learned how to paint doing crafts, tole painting, guessing - most of what I did was on wood or metal. I was also a house painter for a number of years and you would be surprised at how much it teaches you about colour and care. I basically transferred my wood technique to board. I learned how to draw by setting up a subject in front of me and drawing until I thought I had it right. My earlier work is certainly fairly askew - but nice in a folky way. As time went on I would refine my technique, discover new paint, and stretch a little here and there. Basically, I underpaint the background and subject in acrylics and then I warm the surface with oil paint (rubbed into the surface and used to creat the shadows). There are many layers, I use lots of fine sandpaper and I always use varnish to keep the oil and acrylic separate.

I am still working on trying to find balance in my life. I work mostly during the day in natural light. I begin after breakfast and paint on and off until the light goes. Some days, when I am working a lot of detail, I can manage only a few cramped hours with a tiny brush. Other days I can do ten hours if I feel really inspired or a great deal of pressure (meaning a looming deadline!).

FINAL WORDS... Anything else you would like to add? Advice for new artists or entrepreneurs?
I feel very lucky. I love my work, and if it wasn't my work, I would love it anyway. I would advise anyone aspiring to be an artist to "just be an artist". Do it for yourself, and if it works out that people would like you to share your work with them, then that's extra.

Thank you so much for sharing your story Holly! I identify and relate to so many of the things you said and I have a much deeper appreciation for your work now that I understand more about where/who it comes from.

To find out more about Holly and her work, visit her website http://www.hollyfarrell.com/.

If you're in the Toronto area, the Katharine Mulherin Gallery is showing some of Holly's most recent work  until July 4th!

Meet Your Maker: Laura Amiss

I came across Laura Amiss's work while searching for picks for my April showers post. I immediately fell in love with so many of her pieces that I knew she needed to be reserved for a feature all her own and I am so thrilled that she has also agreed to answer a few of my questions to let us all get to know her a little better.

Laura combines so many things that I love in her work: vintage fashion, cityscapes, fabric, embroidery, bright accent colours, and clean lines. They're incredibly affordable too! If the lovely ladies are too feminine for Mikey J, I have a feeling, after our trip to Amsterdam, a special place on our walls will be reserved for a canal print.

WHO are you? Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.

I'm a Textiles Artist and Illustrator. My work is composed of subtle lines and color combinations produced through layering, piecing and sewing fabrics together. I am originally from the north of England near the Lake District but for the past seven years I have called Amsterdam in the Netherlands home. I live there with my husband and two children aged 2 and 3 years.

WHAT inspires you?

I draw inspiration from my every day environment and hope that the way in which I recapture the landscape or moments of ordinary life allows people to appreciate them with a fresh perspective. I am pretty obsessed with fabric, a piece often begins with color or fabric combinations.

WHERE do you work? Describe your workspace.

I work in my studio at home, although it has kind of spread to all areas of our flat! A lot of my preparation work is done on my computer, which along with my sewing machine is on a very large desk I have (that my husband built for me). I often see pictures of amazing looking studios, all organised and co-ordinated... mine is not like this, although I would like it to be.

WHEN do you feel most happy/successful/frustrated/insecure?

I really enjoy the process of putting a piece together, choosing colors and fabric. It has been amazing to receive such a positive response on Etsy. It's always nice to wake up to a sale; it makes being woken up early by my kids that bit easier!

Not everything goes to plan. I get frustrated when I've worked on something a long time and it just doesn't seem to come together as I had planned. Knowing when to put a piece aside is very important, although, saying that, I am also of the belief that great things can come from mistakes also! Drawing and planning a piece really helps avoid problems, although I am always very eager to dive in to pieces. It is actually my husband that makes sure I've thought it through first!

WHY do you do what you do?

I've always loved textiles and mixed media art work. I did my degree in Textiles at Goldsmiths Collage London. It took a while to find my feet once graduating; I think you have to become confident in your choice of working. I love being able to work for myself and from home.

HOW do you do what you do? Describe your creative process and/or your typical work day.

My pieces always begin with either a photograph or drawing. I make patterns of the image, just as you would making clothing and work from there, cutting fabric and layering the fabric together. My pieces are often made of at least three layers of fabric. I use a sheer muslin or silk for the top layer before adding the stitched detail.

I work in the mornings after I have dropped my two children off at pre-school (on the bike of course, this is Holland). I also begin again when they go to bed at night. I like that my children are growing up in a creative household but it's always a challenge making sure I am fulfilling their needs and doing work. When a lot of your work is based online it's hard to walk away from it with all the technology we carry around with us now. My children are 18 months apart, aged 2 and 3, so they have huge amounts of energy and inquisitiveness.

FINAL WORDS... anything else you would like to add? Advice for new artists or entrepreneurs perhaps?

You have to work very hard, not only physically but also to find your way of working, style and being successful. Most importantly you must have confidence in what you are doing and your work.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your process with us, Laura. I know it is a great inspiration to me and hopefully to others too.

To find out more about Laura Amiss and her work, visit her...

website: http://www.lauraamiss.com/

shop: www.etsy.com/shop/lauraamiss

flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/lauraamiss

facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Laura-Amiss/134162549933627