Makers Part 8

In the flow of creativity, most artists experience the feeling that their medium and their ideas take on a life of their own and lead the artist to unexpected places. My next maker, Ryan Darwin revels in this process and the fruits of his creative journeys results in a diverse universe of characters and these can be found in his etsy shop called Ghostpenny. 

Can you tell me a little about your background? 
I come from Victoria BC on beautiful Vancouver Island. (West Coast of Canada). My family was always supportive of my artistic pursuits even back to my earliest memories. I think it all started with my Grandparents old Birks box full of markers and other art tools. After a few laps around the world I ended up in Montreal with my wife Sabina and my Taiwanese dog Mayble.
                               
What do you make?
Figurative sculpture that moves without movement.

What attracted you to this particular medium? How did you get started?
Sculpture has been part of my life for a long time. Originally I was into illustration, painting and photography. My college supply store had a sale on fimo and I bought a few pieces to try out. I instantly fell in love with sculpture and never looked back.



How long have you been making?
I have been working on sculpture for about ten years.

                                                                        

  

How does your practice fit in with your everyday life? Do you have your own studio space and when do you work and where?
My studio is nestled into the Plateau neighbourhood of Montreal. I share it with my wife and we spend 90% of our time there. We work together as a writer/director/producer team as well as keeping up on our personal art works. She has a fine art line called Mount Royal Mint on Etsy. I guess you could say we live in our studio. 

                     

What are the best and worst aspects about working with this medium?
For years I would do large scale sculpture and creature building. The time it takes for one mixed medium sculpture to come to life can be excruciatingly long. The cool thing about working with one main medium is the ability to create without the huge burden of laws and rules of SPFX materials. I make a wire frame and sculpt. Instant and very enjoyable.

Who or what inspires you?
I would have to say my wife Sabina inspires me everyday. Her work is my favourite when it comes to other artists. Mayble definitely keeps me motivated and smiling with her fuzzy face.

Do you get creative blocks? If so, how do you deal with it?
Rarely do i feel blocked anymore. I open the box and end up with a bunch of new work. Sometimes I feel like I am on auto pilot.



What other mediums would you love to explore? I love to draw but rarely have the time anymore so i would have to say I would love to do a series of illustrations for a book or magazine again. Illustration is really fun and challenging for me.

     

What do you hope to do next with your practice?
Eventually I will write a animated film starring my characters and release a line of toys to collect. 

Thank you Ryan! and thank you everyone who have participated in this series - what a talented bunch you are! If you have a hankering to be interviewed - you know where I am!

Makers Part 7

                                   


My next maker lives in my neighbourhood - Meredith has just started selling her work on etsy at her shop MeredithMallin and blogs about her artful life. I couldn't go past her vibrant bright and complex pictures when I found her on etsy and her thoughts about her work, I think resonates with many artists.

Can you tell me a little about your background?
I am an artist and a teacher living in the busy inner west of Sydney – in Marrickville – with my partner, Andy, and our two dogs! I grew up in the quiet (and cold!) of the Blue Mountains before moving to Sydney 7 years ago. I currently work in a beautiful preschool 4 days a week - Bambini House is a place that inspires me every single day. When I’m not teaching, one blissful day a week (and every other chance I get), I spend my time in my studio. Other loves of mine include days spent soaking up golden rays in the park or on the beach, long honest and inspired chats with tea (who doesn’t love that?), laughing, ‘old’ things, peoples stories, random adventures, yoga, collecting and gathering all kinds of *stuff* (yes, I’m a bit of a hoarder at times) and just be-ing.

                     

What do you make?

 What attracted you to this particular medium? How did you get started?

 

I make a combination of mixed-media artworks and acrylic paintings on canvas or wood panel. As I’ve learnt to step out bravely, facing fears and painting through them again and again, I’ve begun to wake my own creativity. My artworks unfold, evolve and transform through layer after layer after layer. Each layer is created fluidly, from a deep place of intuition and heart, allowing expression and imagery to emerge from a place of connectedness and my own inner truths. This is a process of continual renewal and trust.


                             


I’m not sure what initially attracted me to painting - I think in some ways it became almost meditative to me. I’ve always been drawn to art – my earliest memories of Preschool and Kindergarten are of easel painting (in fact, I have clear memories of getting upset because I was asked to stop painting when I wasn’t finished!). At school, I studied art for my HSC, with my major work made up of drawing and mixed-media pieces. After finishing school, though, art was something I only really ‘dabbled’ in sporadically. A little over 2 years ago I was re-inspired and motivated to pick up a paintbrush again when I happened to pick up an artist magazine that featured an article about Donna Heart, from W.A. After reading a little about her story, I gradually began to listen to my own creative spirit...and I’ve been slowly spreading my wings since.




How does your practice fit in with your everyday life? Do you have your own studio space and when do you work and where?


I’m so lucky to have the opportunity this year to have an entire day a week dedicated to painting. This was the result of a decision I made in May last year (whilst on an art & yoga retreat in Bali) that I needed to make my creative spirit and painting a bigger priority, and this involved taking the step to make more time and space for it. This all fell into place in a matter of weeks after returning home – the Universe was at work responding to my willingness to just take a step forward. My painting process is very aligned to my everyday life, so I feel that there is really just a continuation between living and painting that occurs naturally.

                                                 


Until only very recently I had transformed our spare room into a studio. It was here I began facing my deeper fears and breaking through waves of resistance and doubt…where I began to nurture and cultivate trust in my own process. Only a few weeks ago I moved into a shared art studio space close to home – Scratch Art Space. I'm looking forward to seeing what unfolds here over the next few months!


What are the best and worst aspects about working with this medium? 


I work mostly with golden acrylics (I love the fluid acrylics). This medium is so rich and vibrant and layers perfectly. They are also an excellent medium to use in mixed media pieces as they have varying degrees translucency. I also use a combination of other mediums and materials – pastels, markers, masking fluid, textural mediums, paper, natural materials, and inks are definitely another favourite. 

Who or what inspires you?


It was through Donna Heart that I first heard about other artists such as the lovely Flora Bowley, Kelly-Rae Roberts and Mati Rose - all of which have been huge inspirations to me. I’m also inspired by Mirka Mora, Margaret Olley, John Wolseley, the Impressionists, and about a hundred others! I’m also inspired, constantly, by the children I work with (you can learn a lot from the pure honesty and rawness of children), nature and it’s abundant beauty. Inspiration comes from all of life’s lessons, and affirmations often find themselves in my work.



Do you get creative blocks? If so, how do you deal with it?


Yes! Creative blocks, resistance, frustration, walls of defiance (my stubbornness often gets in my own way)… these are all such a real part of my painting process (isn’t this so for everyone?). Even though these are not exactly ‘pleasant’ obstacles to encounter, I *try* to see these as turning points. Often it’s when these blocks and obstacles present themselves that I’m forced to make a bold decision. For example, sometimes when I’m being stubborn, and refusing to let go of something on the canvas, this is when I’ll make a brave decision such as adding a new image or new colour to change the direction and to enable me to really let go. Other times, though – perhaps more with creative blocks – I will try to show myself kindness by allowing simplicity or allowing something to just come with ‘ease’. Of course, there are times when none of this works though! This is also why I usually work on multiple artworks at once, that way, when I can’t get out of my own way I can put it gently aside and change my focus. This helps me to keep ‘flowing’ and working through the obstacles. Walks, yoga, affirmations and journaling also help with these moments too and often lead to more clarity.

                                                        

What other mediums would you love to explore? 


I would also love to explore sculpture – wire and clay, I think! – and also drawing. I have such a resistance to drawing usually, even though there are elements of this in my painting, I find I avoid sitting down to DRAW. I do think opening myself up to this would probably help me to develop my creative practice more and be helpful in working through creative blocks too.

                               

What do you hope to do next with your practice?
My current hopes are to build a wider network and connection with other creative souls and to continue developing my own creative process. I have lots of aspirations – there is honestly endless possibilities that rotate around my mind! (I would LOVE to create a bag with images of my paintings…or cushions? Or Stationary? Cards?). I’d also love to develop a workshop for children sometime – perhaps in the not so distant future (focusing on building strong self-esteem, resilience and connection with the self).

I believe that even though this creative path of mine is only just beginning, that there is no end – it is a wide-open field, always ever expanding, always ready for new possibilities and never-ending room to grow. Most of all I want to keep pushing forward and exploring this vast open place of creative possibility and we’ll see where it takes me.

                                                       

Thank you Meredith! if you are interested in being featured as a collector or a maker please convo me through my etsy shop evaelena. Don't forget to like my facebook page to keep up with my latest listings and blog posts.

Makers Part 6

                           

How do you adapt your creativity to life in another place? My next maker is an American now living with her Danish husband in Denmark. As a result, Lann Kolpin's  metal work is transforming into an exciting range of other creative possibilities. Her etsy shop Lann gives us a taste of this.

Can you tell me a little about your background? 
Hello, I’m Lann and I live in Aarhus, Denmark with my Danish husband. I grew up in Montana and that is where most of my family lives. I went to The Appalachian Center for Craft in Tennessee where I obtained a BFA in Metals. I have a background with working in many mediums from painting, drawing, glass, blacksmithing, metalsmithing to ceramic. I have a great difficulty sticking with only one. I also worked as a typesetter for a time and am currently teaching myself various things with digital design. Did I mention I also worked as a cake decorator? 

                                         
What do you make?
Most of my work on Etsy is bright simple jewelry using polymer clay. I also paint, draw and work with ceramic.

What attracted you to this particular medium? How did you get started?
When I first moved to Denmark, I could not bring my tools with me as many of them were large. I also had to sell a lot of my belongings to be able to come over here. I was in a new country with no studio or economy to start one so I started working with less expensive mediums. It started with painting and drawing as I had experience with them. As time went on, I worked my way over to using polymer clay. I first bought some FIMO to make small figures from the game “Star Craft” but the jewelry designer in me took over.

How long have you been making?
Since I can remember. I was raised on a cattle ranch in rural Montana with depression era grandparents so self-reliance was an essential part of life. My mother was also an artist and I remember her teaching me how to make things when I was really young.

How does your practice fit in with your everyday life? Do you have your own studio space and when do you work and where?
I create things on a daily basis although not always for my shop. My husband and I live in a two bedroom apartment and I use most of the computer room (besides my husband’s computer table) as my studio. I spend most of my time working at my computer desk as I like to switch back and forth between digital and physical mediums.

What are the best and worst aspects about working with this medium? 
With polymer clay, I really like the color and texture but I wish it was taken more seriously. 

Who or what inspires you?
Nature has always inspired me but right now colour has been a large influence. It’s not something I've focused on so intensely until recently. My past works have been very limited and even void of colour but now it has now exploded in my life. I quite like it.


Do you get creative blocks? If so, how do you deal with it?  
No, I have too many ideas and too little time and resources. 

What other mediums would you love to explore?
I wish I was better with sewing. I know the basics but I would like to be proficient enough to make some of my ideas a reality.

What do you hope to do next with your practice?
Right now I plan on adding some new work with glass and metal. I got a hold of some new materials but I don’t want to introduce them to my shop until I have everything polished out. My long term plan is to go to Design school.

 

Thank you Lann! Are you a maker or an artist? I would love to feature you! Please contact me through etsy.

Makers Part 5

                                           

Today's maker is an Australian post grad architect student at UNSW in Sydney. In her spare time, Natalie Rosin translates her eye for form into ceramic jewellery and sells through her etsy shop called TaupeKlein.

Can you tell me a little about your background? 

I live in Sydney, Australia. Currently I am studying a Masters of Architecture. During my undergraduate studies I enrolled in a ceramics course at the College of Fine Arts followed by other casual classes at local community ceramics studios. 

What do you make?

I began creating wheel thrown and slab ceramic homewares such as mugs and bowls but soon branched into ceramic jewellery design.

What attracted you to this particular medium? How did you get started?

I am passionate about architecture but was looking for something more tangible in terms of design during my studies; sometimes one can spend months on an architectural scheme and have only digital drawings and renders to show for it. I enjoy using my hands and appreciate the experimental aspect of clay and ceramics. The medium has really tested my patience and allowed me to let go and remove the sense of control and precision you would expect from other art mediums. 

                                         

How long have you been making?

I have been making ceramic pieces for just over a year and plan to develop my practice throughout my life. 

    

How does your practice fit in with your everyday life? Do you have your own studio space and when do you work and where?

My current studio space is the studio at UNSW, Kensington. It is a fantastic shared space open to both the public and students. My schedule can vary; sometimes I will be in there three full days a week and other times just a couple hours a week. 

What are the best and worst aspects about working with this medium? 

The best aspect about working with clay are its forgiving qualities. Since there are so many stages during the creating process, there are numerous opportunities to alter a form or smooth a surface. However, these multiple stages can also be frustrating and patience is very key when working with clay. Since the making process can in some cases involve waiting for weeks for one piece, at times you want to rush ahead and skip all the stages to arrive at the final product. I have learnt to overcome this by working consistently on separate projects to allow for a more constant flow of production and avoid those tedious waiting stretches. 


Who or what inspires you?
I am definitely inspired by my background in architecture. Many of my pieces follow this geometric, defined form. I am also focused on texture and tactility found both in nature and man made materials. My wood texture pieces are an example of this whereby I created a lino cut of a magnified wood texture and then pressed a clay slab into this carving, much like the steps involved in certain print making techniques. The result is a rich surface both visual and tactile. 

Do you get creative blocks? If so, how do you deal with it?

Sure, I get creative blocks. I end up just making something completely unplanned, spontaneous and intuitive. The result in either surprising, mundane, beautiful or some combination. It is definitely not the end of the world, especially having noticed that sometimes the pieces I don't particularly appreciate others seem to prefer.

What other mediums would you love to explore? 

I would love to branch off into mosaics and integrate that knowledge into my architectural practice. I really appreciate the buildings of Gaudi, a Spanish architect who explored these processes and created the most beautiful spaces I have visited to date.

What do you hope to do next with your practice? 

Currently I have an Etsy store and I wholesale to a local pop-up shop named Merge Contemporary Art Space. Recently Etsy Australia included me in their Melbourne Fashion Week exhibition at Federation Square. I hope to increase the wholesale portion of my sales, continue to exhibit my pieces and constantly design and create new necklaces and possibly other forms of jewellery in the future. Online Store, Merge Contemporary Art Space

Thank you Natalie! Are you a maker or an artist? - I would love to feature you - particularly if you make something that is unusual - its painless and gives your work exposure - it is so inspirational to hear about other creatives, as everyone's story is interesting. Contact me today.

Makers Part 4

My next maker in this series is visual artist Kylie Fogarty, who lives in Canberra, Australia.  Kylie is a country girl at heart and draws inspiration from her environment. As well as selling her work directly on etsy and her web site Kylie also exhibits regularly.

Can you tell me a little about your background? 
My name is Kylie Fogarty, I am a full time, visual artist enjoying my art practice in Canberra, A.C.T.
Art has always been a part of my life, drawing from the time I could hold a pencil, which has been the basis for my art practice in all avenues. I enjoy participating in as many art workshops as I am able to attend as this really works within my time frames. I have had the pleasure of attending many workshops such as Portraiture and Life Drawing workshops with Archibald Finalist Sue Taylor. I grew up in Regional Australia, being inspired by my surrounding landscape and all within it, which remains my inspiration today.

                                 
What do you make?
My art practice includes a large spectrum of 2D Visual Artworks, ranging from line drawings in pen, intricate drawings in graphite, to landscape, botanical and portraiture paintings along with abstract mixed media works. 
I enjoy being versatile with my work, often clients have a particular interest in one genre and its nice being able to offer a range for clients to choose from. I love the range of mediums available to artists today and enjoy spending time in my practice using the various mediums in their traditional methods as well as testing their boundaries. 
Often when experimenting in the combination of mediums you find the most unexpected results, which then takes my artworks to a new horizon, I love it. Recently I have started to offer Reproduction prints and Archival Giclee Prints of my works as well as cards for all occasions. The past year has brought a new fascination with miniatures, specifically ACEOS – (Artist Cards, Editions and Originals ) which are tiny works that must be 2.5 x 3.5”. 

What attracted you to this particular medium? How did you get started?
My fascination for Miniatures is that I often hear from clients that they do not have a huge space to fill or a large budget to allow them the ability to purchase large scale art. These Miniatures are a great way to start investing in Original Artworks, they have a great following and are highly collectible. 

Although I do create larger scale works as well, it’s the miniatures that I find myself grabbing when I have a spare half hour to continue on the artwork that has already been started. One could say that I have trouble focusing on one particular art medium or materials, however, I like to be able to use various types for differing genres.

I really enjoy the process and relationship of the medium to the artwork that is being created, particularly in my more abstract paintings, having the time to allow the medium to evolve is a large part of my artistic process. I also create a lot of line art and archival pen drawings which I enjoy immensely as it is an easy art form to set up, you only need to take out a pen and an art pad, you can find me drawing in at any given moment when I have five minutes spare.

How long have you been making?
I have been creating my entire life; however, I have been more prolific since moving to Canberra in 2008.

How does your practice fit in with your everyday life? Do you have your own studio space and when do you work and where?
My practice fits around my very hectic family life, which is a juggle at times but I wouldn’t have it any other way. On days where the inspiration takes over I paint well into the night in my small but friendly studio here in Canberra.
My work has been exhibited in Art Galleries throughout Australia, is held in the shop section of the Strathnairn Arts Gallery and I have an online shop (www.KylieFogartyFineArt.etsy.com) alongside my website (www.kyliefogarty.com) to enable clients to purchase online without needing to be in Canberra. 

What are the best and worst aspects about working with this medium? 

The best aspect of working in so many mediums is the variety of choice, the worst aspect is that this choice can be problematic when choosing which medium to use, although that isn’t always the case.

Who or what inspires you?
I get inspired from all aspects of everyday life, be it a colour in an object, something in the landscape or even a memory or experience, moment or inspirational person. Capturing a moment in time is a delight for me, which is an aspect of portraiture I really enjoy, often these candid moments are the ones that grab my artistic attention the most.

Do you get creative blocks? If so, how do you deal with it?
I do get creative blocks, and it’s at these times that I return to drawing the most, as it is the basis for all of my artworks and I love to allow the lines to flow and see what evolves from them.  In these times I get very frustrated so it’s my drawing that relaxes me and this generally gives my mind the space to contemplate what subject matter I would like to focus on next.

                                                  

What other mediums would you love to explore? 
I have been attending some workshops with local Printmaker Jo Hollier (www.johollier.com) learning how to do etching and intaglio prints. This has been so interesting and I am hoping to continue with more workshops in the near future. I really enjoyed copperplate etching and have recently purchased some Gelliplates to experiment with in my studio – it’s a real bonus to not to have to have a personal press to be able to use these plates.


                                         


What do you hope to do next with your practice?
I am currently preparing and creating for my upcoming joint exhibition with Photographer, Cindy Wilkins from Worldscape Imagery in July, Canberra at the Strathnairn Homestead Gallery, called “Two Views” – which will be an interpretation of Australian Landscape, Flora and Fauna.

Thank you Kylie! Are you a maker or an artist? - I would love to feature you - particularly if you make something that is unusual - its painless and gives your work exposure - it is so inspirational to hear about other creatives, as everyone's story is interesting. Contact me today!