Just felt like painting some cherry blossoms this weekend so did so while watching anime with a fellow Etsian!
I like the blue sky effect but should have put dots or shadow leaves in the linen (brown) section. I probably should also have had less offshoot branches, but it was a larger canvas than the first Spring Cherry Blossoms so I wanted to give it more negative space.
The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be in the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!
What is your shop?
hi.cutie.pie (http://www.hicutiepie.etsy.com)
What is your art/craft?
Mixed media art! From the art work, I also create prints, notecards, keychains, and mini art-to-go necklaces.
Describe your style in 2 words:
Uplifting, whimsical
What is your favorite piece and why?
“We Grow Together”, a piece I created after I met up for tea with an old friend who always finds a way to inspire me. I came home that evening and let my feelings project onto a new creation. Beginning with a recycled canvas where I once painted images representing loneliness, I took my old college math notes, found papers, buttons, fabric, yarn, thread, ink & paint and covered the lonliness I once felt, with my new feelings of gratitude for the journey I have taken along with my friends. We have grown together, and continue growing in a positive direction. I decided to keep this piece. It’s very close to my heart.
where she lives…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonyagallardo/1095120561/in/set-72157600636911193
What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
It’s an oldie but goodie… “you have nothing to lose”.
I like this one for its directness and simplicity. The meaning I find in this advice is this: take a chance, take a risk, and allow yourself to be vulnerable. I have nothing to lose. I like to sit and ponder this idea and think of ways to apply this into different aspects of my life. We all like to feel safe inside our own box that we create, but when you make the effort to step up and out of that box, stretch your limbs and go for a walk, we are challenged to take long strides on the streets of Vulnerability. It’s in vulnerability where you learn a lot about yourself, about others, and about life.
What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Make sure that the work that you do mirrors who you are. When your art is a true representation of you, everthing feels whole, complete and right. You will show pride in your work, and your work will show pride in you. It’s an energy that’s felt and that people respond to.
The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be in the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!
What is your shop?
MKP Art Jewelry (http://www.mkpjewelry.etsy.com)
What is your art/craft?
Art Jewelry
Describe your style in 2 words:
Eclectic, fun
What is your favorite piece and why?
“Possiblities” I made this last year for a artistic challenge group I belong to. The theme was for mother’s day. I thought about mother’s day, and being a Mom myself, what it meant to be a mom. Some wonderful way it twisted in my head and I ended up making a piece of what it FELT LIKE when your in the process of becoming a mom for the first time. All the worries, all the hopes all the fears as you feel the little thing moving inside of you….. I wanted to design something that showed what that means inside a woman’s head. I sketched this out, and then did a dummy up in copper, wanted to make sure I could capture what was in my head. And this pendant is the result. It’s made with sterling silver wire, and a hollow lampwork bead by Jodie Marshall. I stuffed the lampworked bead with Swarovski crystals, all of my favorite colors, as many as I could fit and still have them tumble about like snow in a snow globe. Then I wired the ball between her hands, like a soon to be momma feeling for her child’s kick. Then I added just a thin red line in her face.. her smile. And realized it was a happy piece, and it dwelt on only the hopes and dreams of the soon to be born child.. it dwelled on the happy possibilities of that child The “baby” actually rotates on the frame, and I realized it was kind of like a lottery ball.. just like being pregnant you never know what number was gonna come up!
What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
I didn’t recieve this directly, I was listening to NPR and the guy being interviewed was a photographer. He was talking about his influences, and one of his idol’s told him to always leave a corner for the viewer to turn. This really hit me.. he was talking about photography, but it applies to any art.. always leave some of the story for the viewer to create within themselves. That’s the best kind of art, that invites the viewer to be apart of the story.
What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Don’t be afraid of mistakes. you will make them, both business-wise and artistically. Just accept that, and try new things without getting hung up on if it’s “good” or not, or sellable or not. Just create for creation’s sake. You learn so much by not being afraid to try.
The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be in the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!
What is your shop? MyStringTheory Crochet (http://mystringtheory.etsy.com)
What is your art/craft? I crochet and felt wool. I create purses, bracelets, rings, pins, necklaces, zipper pouches, and I’m creating an amigurumi (crocheted animals) line also!
Describe your style in 2 words: Colorful nature
What is your favorite piece and why? My favorite is my felted Orange Tree necklace. I think the design is very original, and I love the color combination. The texture of the tree is so smooth, in contrast with the felt, and I feel like the tree is me- it stands on it’s own, patiently waiting for it’s fruit to be picked.
What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received? Follow your heart. Trite, and often given, but I have followed my heart, and now I am a professional musician, and I am creating my own business with a craft I adore. What could be better than that?
What is the one piece of advice you’d give? Don’t get so immersed in creating items for your shop that the quality or heart is lost. Each item should be special to you. That is what handmade is all about.
Another in-depth review for you today, or is it? Truth be told, the shop I’m reviewing today needs to do very little to improve, in my humble opinion. That shop, is Waterrose.
Right off the mark, I fell in love with the Waterrose banner. Very nice, appealing and shows the range of products without looking like an Etsy Mini. The shop announcement is short but inviting and the policies are in place on the profile page, which also adds warmth in it’s initial description of where the name of the shop comes from.
The item photography is nice and bright and shows off the cute little items very well. The colors are vivid, the backgrounds nice and basic so as not to clash with the items themselves, the descriptions are strong, and the shipping costs are reasonable. Truthfully, it’s hard to do an in-depth review/critique of this shop as I can’t find anything to really suggest for improvement! The ONLY suggestions I can come up with, and that’s after taking a break last night and looking at the shop again this morning, are firstly that the shop accepts money orders and checks so may want to add something into their policies to protect themselves regarding time for the payments to clear before shipping. Secondly, that the shop needs to fill those empty sections or remove them for now.
Truly, this is a very well-done shop and I enjoyed looking at it. Let’s see if anyone else can come up with some constructive commentary that i might have missed!
My rating: 5 out of 5 cherry blossoms!
This month, in order to kick off the recurring Featured Artisan, we will be having two! First up is Jessica of Liebling, a talented artisan who designs handcrafted jewelry. Self-described as eclectic and feminine with a uniquely modern twist, Jessica fills her shop with a blend of her personal styles. Finding inspiration in everything from romance and the Victorian era to architecture and design, Jessica also likes to make pieces that are fun and playful!
Now, let’s cut to the chase and pose our monthly 20 Questions to Jessica!
Jessica’s 20 Questions:
Let’s start at the beginning. What is your earliest crafting memory?
I’ve been crafting my whole life. My earliest memories are that of being a little girl and making handmade Christmas ornaments with my mom, the kind that you arrange all the little glass pieces in a frame and then use your oven as a kiln to melt the glass and create an ornament. I still have them all. My mom and I were always doing projects together. Read More
Well, thanks to some great sunlight (finally), I felt energized to finish my first painting aimed at kids. As you can see, I made some additions from my last post and covered my larger, fancy star with a big sun! Here’s the description I am using on Etsy and DeviantArt:
The creator has gotten tired and decided to start anew… or the universe is building up to the next big bang… or maybe some cosmic entity is draining the universal pool. Whatever your take, this bright and colorful painting is perfect for a child’s room or in anyplace a little whimsy is desired!
Painted using glow-in-the-dark additives, it takes on a soft glow when the lights go out!
We’ll see if it catches anyone’s interest but I definitely had fun painting it!
