My new special in my etsy shop!

I love my pendants but now I want more of them to find homes...so I'm doing a buy one get one free deal until they move. Here are pics of my lovely pendants!

Netamir's wonderful store...check it out!

Its the awesometastic interview with MarmaladeNina!!

1. How long have you been selling on etsy?
April 11 2009, so I am fairly new to ETSY..and I am hooked all ready. I was recomended by a friend to take a look,I decided all though I had not heard much about it here in England Id take a chance by trying my hand to becoming a seller.

2. Do you have advice for etsy newbies?
Well Im a Newbie myself but I guess that nothing ventured nothing gained! Keep adding new stuff when you can to keep your listings busy and use the showcase and look at hints from the other sellers on how to become a respected Etsy shop.

3. What are 3 fave etsy stores and why?
Fave stores where can I start? There is so much fantastic talent but in my short time there is a few of many that has caught my attention and I feel drawn to taking pleasure at their brilliant creations.
SCRUMDIDLYUMP.
Well I smile at the humour and fun that comes from this fantastic artist, I feel that her work oozes personality and I like that. I guess that her ideas are straight from the heart.. I can visualise her creating them which I think is important to a buyer as to love handmade is to love the creativity that is within the object.I particularly like the awkwardness of some of the designs such as the cake stand and it is much better to see something that is not defined as a perfect and symetrical shape..so simply fantastic shes a great artist.
TIENNE REI FINE ART.
Beautiful artist! Fantastic use of colour.. I am drawn to the vivid pieces of art work that she paints..her female subjects are beautiful and the busy design is just wonderful..what can I say except Beautiful take a look.
BLACK EYED SUZIE.
This artist has been featured allready and compliments are perhaps allready flowing..but my own personal love of her work is brimming with admiration. Allthough I am not a collector of dolls, if I were to be.. these are the ones that I would love to own.The Victorian look of the dolls and the gothic pale skin and the large sad eyes are just the kind of design that draws one in. I have seen other dolls on here but allthough there are some fantastic artists creating them.. for me Black eyed Suzie's are the cream on my tea!

4.What are your fave pieces in your shop and why?
Wow..me??? My fave that is there at the moment without a doubt has to be my Turquoise blue and greens..large mermaid bowl listing-23546922. Why? well I just love it and was very reluctant to sell it..it is here at home on my big table awaiting a home and I suppose I shan't be too sad if it remains. I just love the glazes and the pictures do not do the colours justice..the bowl is stunning and is a fantastic centre piece.
My second fave is the large green blue wavy edged mermaid bowl listing-23546922. Why? Because it is vivid and yet again the pics do not do it true justice. The bowl is like a functional painting in my eyes and the textures are plentiful.
My third is a close second the large green and gold mermaid bowl..listing 23554239. This is a very interesting piece and is carved underneath as well as inside. I love to look at the busy design and all my bowls are to me a canvas to create a scene inspired by the ocean.

5. What plans do you have for your shop?
My plans are brimming!!I am new but I feel ambitious and am working on new designs at the moment and I am very excited at the moment I can display them. A lot of my work that is on ETSY at present is my older stuff and I feel that my sculpture has since been developed incredibly..so watch this space. I would like to say though that sometimes things are a little slow moving as I have to drive 28 miles to take my work to be fired..phew..so hence I am prowling for my own electric kiln apart from the Raku kiln that I own.

6. How long have you been creating art?
Art to me was something I was creating from an early age in the simplest way unknowingly.
For example Mudpies in mums garden..cutting out faces with a pair of scissors and card in maths class at school..and building a wooden fort in my son reece's room when he wasn't looking.

7.Who are your art heroes?
My art heroes are Ron Murek,Gustav Klimt and anyone else that tries their hand at creativity.

8.Where do your ideas come from?
My ideas come from childhood dreams and stories..things that I see for example a vision I cannot explain it is just there in my mind and my hands draw it..I am captivated by rich colours and my imagination runs wild..

9.What do you do when you have a creative block?
If I have creative block I try to escape the things that may be causing it..I try to see the funny side of dilemmas and so I meet up with a friend and just laugh about life and its woes and then I feel good and am ready to go again. Or wash my hands have a cup of tea and a break and start again!

10.What other interests do you have that feed into your art?
Other interests that feed into my art..are perhaps just use of colour and surface decoration, I am a very decorative person..and it finds its way into everything..I also love mythology.. maybe there is an element of that..and I have an interest in bizzarre items I think that creeps through most definately...
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check out this giveaway!

CantaloupeCorner is giving away this beautiful "Cherry Blossom" shirt in your choice of color: Red (as shown), Pink, or Black. (comes in XS, S, M, L and XL)It's way cool and I have entered cause who doesn't like a giveaway! She also sells super cool t-shirts for kids and adults!

New Interview with etsy artist netamir!

Here is another interview with a wonderful artist who has some creative, unique pieces in her etsy shop. I have never seen cloth used in this way and I knew other creative people would be inspired by her work.

1) How long have you been selling on etsy?

I began on Dec 2005; it was short while after I quilted a work as a fashion designer in a commercial company.

2) Do you have advice for etsy newbies?

Patience! This is the most important one.
Good photos would do a lot for your promoting. Enjoy what you are doing; you wouldn't get rich out of it so you must at least, have fun.
Flickr, twitter and blogging are helpful tools.
Luck, is sometimes necessary too.

3) What are 3 fave etsy stores and why?
Holli,
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=64858
Beautiful dolls and illustrations by Argentine artist Paola Zakimi. I love her funny and sad characters, I like the way she combines humor with melancholy at her work.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5085167
kjoo,
Crochet and Felt accessories by the Portuguese artist Maria Joao Ribeiro. I like to see designs that doesn't look like anything I have saw before, and Maria's are exactly that, they are original and innovative, well crafted and beautify designed.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5219973&ga_search_query=yoko&ga_search_type=seller_usernames
Yoko,
She is amazing, she makes me smile every time I see anything by her and she makes it in such a whimsical and sophisticated way.
Take a look at the title of her store.

4) What are your fave pieces in your shop and why?
It's a difficult question to answer as to a mother who should answer which child she prefers.
But If I must I would say that the "let's cloth it" collection is my favorite as it came out of my art installation "scraps".

5) What plans do you have for your shop?
I just split my store into two, now I am selling my dolls at my second store:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7252436
I want to populate this store, the dolls there are getting bored, and they need more attention and company now.
Afterwards I have some ideas for more shoes and "let's cloth it" designs.

6) How long have you been creating art?
Since I can remember my self, as a little girl I was painting all the time, later on I was also crocheting and sewing with my mother and grandmother. I always attended after school art classes and at the age of 15 I moved to art high school.

7) Who are your art heroes?
Elsa Schiaparelli in fashion

Louise Bourgeois and Annette Messager in fine art.

And
Rosa Pomar, Camilla Engman, Sandra Monat, and many more artists I met through the web.

8) Where do your ideas come from?
It is difficult to say, it is a combination of sources, sometimes it is people on the street and sometimes it is materials I use.
The creation itself is also great source of inspiration for me as well as the unique communication I have with people through the web.
The story about my shoes making can illustrate it best:
At the beginning I had only dolls at my store, I really liked to design unique garments and accessories for them, then a customer who envy their unique style asked me if it is possible for me to scale up my dolls slippers for her feet.
I was working three weeks to find the best materials and developed the scaled up pattern, this is how I began with the slippers. Shortly afterwards a customer who likes the slippers wished to go out with them, this is how I began with the shoes making…

9) What do you do when you have a creative block?
Take a nap.

10) What other interests do you have that feed into your art?
I love Movies, music, reading and just wandering around.

The drama of my apartment figures!

I have lots of figures, action figures,body parts of dolls hanging around my apartment and I was looking at them the other day and took more pics because I was drawn in to their dramas just being next to each other. This isn't a bad idea for a background for art pieces for etsy or any other site. As long as the picture isn't too complicated to look at, it can really draw people in to your work if the surrounding environment is cool.

Photo sketches for new boxes--springy theme

I have been compiling images and sketches for my new boxes, one that is a lovely dusky green color. Here are some photos I've taken around my apartment that have inspired me.I really like the shadows that fall against the leaves and the layering of leaves against leaves

Featuring the fantastic artist known as pickledaliens

He is the first artist I asked to be interviewed on my blog and I have images of his art to show...now you can see his work! Presenting etsy artist pickledaliens! He actually does sell a piece in his shop that is a creature in a bottle. This quirkiness and his creativity drew me to his artwork. Here now is the long-awaited interview.
1) How long have you been selling on etsy?
I have been an etsy member since December of 2007. I joined etsy simply to sell my work in ceramics.

2) Do you have advice for etsy newbies?
My advice for etsy newbies is to begin networking right away. Talk to other members and find an etsy team to join. This may help sales but it will help you understand how etsy works.

3) What are 3 fave etsy stores and why?
You are asking a very difficult question. Take a look at my favorites on etsy if you like and get a feel for my appreciation for the fine art and high craft that I have seen. i also appreciate some of the vintage stuff there. Obscure is cool. Some of these vintage objects for sale remind me of a shop here in Pittsburgh called Groovey. It is a POP CULTURE EMPORIUM. They sell all kinds of cool toys that take me back to childhood. Thats what vintage does for me sometimes. Other things that are not from my childhood and come from another era speak about the times they are from. I think those objects can represent...define place and time. I also like some of the silly and odd stuff being made on etsy. Sense of humor is good. But let me tell you still not an easy question to answer.

1. redravenstudios has cool ceramic earrings that have a speicla place in my heart. First of all, she is the one I love. I have seen this work come about and evolve. Women of all ages love her stuff. She and I both use vintage decals. As I enjoy the process of ceramics (make/shape in wet clay, fire, embellish with color/and or shine, fire and in this case-decal) I think it her work well crafted and thought out with the wearer in mind.

2. PistolesPress demonstrates a superior skill in the craft of mulitmedia. Japanese Woodblock, collage, bookmaking- Moku Hanga. I have a deep respect for her academic training in these disciplines. Her work truly celebrates a craft as well as the materials she uses.
Oh yeah, own one of her works (the Fat Hog) as it was a special Christmas gift.

There is no way to just pick three and I have debated on if I should stay true to the questions with just three fave picks here. I have a few ceramics shops that I really like but many that I just enjoy as well. But my third pick will actually include a mention of a few...

3. ara133photography, RobertSocha, Tree Candy, AliciaBock, everydaymoments
They capture moments in time and that is simple and a generic explanation for why I like them but wait... The first three really capture difficult moments as their subject matter is bird. But these birds are interacting with the photographers immediate surroundings. We coexist with these creatures and just get glimpses of them. In these photos I get to take a longer look and not in a scientific way. AliciaBock's and everydaymoment's images are often moments in dreamy places. They have sort of an otherworldly quality to them; places from the past never to be seen again or places far away only visited in long night's rest, or if oyu get hit in the head really hard. I want to go to there.


4) What are your fave pieces in your shop and why?
My favorite pieces in my shop are the ceramic wall tiles. I think these pieces really have in mind what etsy is about. The tiles are entirely handmade and also contain vintage ceramic decals. These pieces are fun to make but also represent a new technique that I am still exploring.


5) What plans do you have for your shop?
I just need to make more work and create a variety within my inventory.

6) How long have you been creating art? AND 8) Where do your ideas come from?
I have always had the need to create from the works of my imagination. Early in like it was through drawings and writing stories. In my junior high and high school years it was more drawing, poetry, and short stories with the dream of writing a book. During those years I also got together with friends an made short films with those old clunky, heavy VHS camcorders. Photography became something I dabble in as well. I am interested in capturing a moment or an image that tells a story and sometimes that can be in any of the mentioned disciplines. Yeah, I love story telling. I love to know about characters and how they deal with their struggle. I am interested in how one becomes what they are through their experiences through story telling. So, later came ceramics in college. Since then I have loved the concept of pottery for its usefulness. I really enjoy making sculpture with clay as well due to my ongoing desire to handle and manipulate materials. Narratives have remained in my work. In my listings on etsy I have created stories that go along with the tile pieces and the spoon rests. For the tiles you get a snip-it of a short story or maybe movie. For the spoon rests you get a little bit of background and biographical info on these weirdo creatures that are passionate about food/cooking and have devoted their lives to it by functioning as your spoon rest.

7) Who are your art heroes?
Art Heroes come in many forms. Overall, I think art heroes were those renegades that developed and defined a movement in art. If I subscribe to the notion that art reflects life in its current state then art is a historical document - often socially or politically.
Let me be more specific about art heroes that I admire. I enjoy many aspects of the Italian and Dutch Renaissance periods. The mastery of materials to often create realism in form astounds me, especially the human figure, sometimes in still life and landscape. Moreover, the artists achieving this were art heroes to me.
I consider some of those who worked in clay in the very late 19th century and especially into the 1940s and beyond to be art heroes. It was at this time that clay and pottery began to gain recognition as art rather than just craft.



9)What do you do when you have a creative block?


I think about process and sometimes talk about it with other artists. I like to problem solve and often find that creative blocks can be remedied by trying to execute a new process or revisit and old one.

10) What other interests do you have that feed into your art?
My first published novel, Paths in Clay is a story about ceramic artists who must make a journey both in the form of a road trip and spiritually in order to complete a circle in their lives or perhaps evolve personally and artistically. This story is a reflection of my most sacred interests/passions. It is somewhat autobiographical. Travel and the human condition interest me very much. The process of learning ceramics and the community centered around it have been very special to me. So being that I enjoy writing, I found myself itching to write about it all. Bottom line, I love to tell stories (Did I mention that?!?!), work in clay, travel, and contemplate life. My book reflects those interest which feed into my art.

Interview with the fabulous Jeffery Heft of HeftArt

I am just starting to post interviews with artists on Etsy that I admire. I want to help them get some exposure and focus on their process as artists and sellers. If you read this blog, please send some feedback! I asked questions that I thought readers would be interested in but I am still learning how to do this so help me out. I came to Etsy more as a fine artist so that is my focus...and i want to create a dialogue with other artists so we can feel supported and inspired. This blog is for anyone though, crafts people, artists, art admirers, bored people...etc.
I saw Jeffery Heft's art on etsy and immediately saw a distinctive voice in his pieces...I think you will love his work as well.

1) How long have you been selling on etsy?
I opened my Etsy shop in December of 2006 as an experiment in selling the handmade relief prints that I was beginning to create. At the time I was selling my other types of work (paintings and monotypes) through brick & mortar galleries.

2) Do you have advice for etsy newbies?
Just the basics. Search Etsy for the kind of work you are making. Compare quality and price to see where your work fits in. Etsy is really very mainstream in the types of work that do well. List and renew often to keep your product at the front of the line, so to speak.

3) What are your fave pieces in your shop and why?
Difficult to choose 3 favorites from my shop - the choices would change from day to day. Today I suppose I might pick "Redhead", "Cat Eat Cat World", and "Release." "Redhead" came from an enjoyment of the many woodpeckers I see about the house. I live next to the woods so I see Pileated, Red-bellied, Northern Flicker, Downy, & Hairy woodpeckers. "Cat Eat Cat World" is just an amused comment on a couple of relationships I've witnessed. "Release" came about during the year my mother was fighting lung cancer.

4) What plans do you have for your shop?
My plans for the shop are to keep adding new handmade relief printmaking work. I'm also working on some new collagraphs. I've had requests for low cost reproductions and I'm considering how that might work for me

5) How long have you been creating art?
Since I was a little kid. If you check out the bio page on my website (www.brainplay.net) you'll see a photo of me at 5 yrs old in front of a painting easel.
6) Who are your art heroes?
Too many to list, and the list is varied. Jack Kirby to Hokusai. Rembrandt to de Kooning. Goya to Hanselaar. That's just 2d work - I could go on and on.

7) Where do your ideas come from?
Observation interior and exterior. I'm very interested in narrative so the many things I read can become entangled in the imagery also.

8)What do you do when you have a creative block?
I've never really had a problem with creative block.

9) What other interests do you have that feed into your art?
Pretty much anything that interests me can end up influencing my artwork. My artwork many times functions as a way to process and understand my life experiences.


Jeffrey Heft
www.brainplay.net
www.heftart.etsy.com