Monday, September 7, 2009

The wonderful work of Tanya Pshenychny or razorberries




I just met this accomplished artist the other day in chat and knew that you all would want to know more about her.

1) How long have you been selling on etsy?
Since June 2006, a little over 3 years.

2) Do you have advice for etsy newbies?
I've learned tons of stuff.. let's see.
- Your customers are #1, so always reply your convos asap and don't forget to thank them. Send a handwritten note with their order, it might make their day.
- Don't list everything you've got all in one day, list a couple things a day so your things don't get buried in the search.
- Talk with people on Etsy -- participate in the forums, go chat, but be friendly -- it all reflects on your shop.
- You might not have a sale for a while, but don't let that discourage you, just keep going, research, ask questions, and try to have fun. It takes time and luck. When the right person sees something you've made and falls in love with it, they'll buy it.

3) What are your fave etsy shops and why?
This is hard. I let my favorites list get out of control and now it's 63 pages long! Here's a few at random:

http://skunkboycreatures.etsy.com - caution: these little stuffed animals are so cute, your head might explode.

http://DirtyAssSoaps.etsy.com - who knew soap could be so fun? And I love the name.

http://ozknits.etsy.com - gorgeous yarn. I don't knit but Helen's shop makes me wish I could. She is a sweet person, too.


4) What are your fave pieces in your shop and why?
Weathered 11x14 Archival Print - I created the image while going through a rough time in my life and it exists a reminder that there are storms everywhere, can be unpredictable, some are worse and last longer than others, and eventually they have come to and end. And if you make it to the other side, you're stronger.
Pink Freud 8x10 Archival Print - Because striped pink giraffes are awesome. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. But now you see it, right?

5) What plans do you have for your shop?
Well, I'm working on creating some ACEO (Art Cards, Editions and Originals) -- originals only. And I want to do portraits with my spin on them, so I will be trying to emphasize that in my shop.

6) How long have you been creating art?
Drawing probably almost as long as I've been breathing, really. Being an artist seriously, as a career, since graduating high school in 2003.

7) Who are your art heroes?
Again, there's a ton.. but the most famous are:
James Jean - http://www.jamesjean.com
Salvador Dali
Tim Burton

8) Where do your ideas come from?
Connections of random things, people, animals, observations/conversations/experiences, colors, textures, music, weather, media, metaphors, stories.. Actually, my head is pretty empty except for a tiny mouse who sits in my skull and does crossword puzzles all day.

9) What do you do when you have a creative block?
I look at pretty pictures, roam around, go on walks, drive to random towns, wasting gas. If that doesn't work, I tell the mouse that if he doesn't get back to work, I'll feed him to my neighbor's cat.

10) What other interests do you have that feed into your art?
My second love is photography, don't know how it feeds my art -- it just does. It's the peanut butter to my raspberry jelly sandwich. Yes, it has to be raspberry, says so in the mouse's contract.

Here's her lovely shop on etsy! Razorberries

8 comments:

T@PoppyPlacePdx said...

Hi, I tried the link to your Etsy shop but it didn't work, couldn't find a link on your blog, wanna give me your shop name :)

I think it would be fun to feature you on my blog :)

Regards, T.

Rheea said...

These works are gorgeous and I especially love the first piece! Thank you for sharing with us. :)

PS: Thank you for your sweet comment in my feature, Lrc! Honestly, I find it hard to promote my own works sometimes but I'm learning everyday. Remember, ''When you can't wait to show the world your works, people can't wait to buy them too!'' Also, I think you're doing well by sharing other artists' works here; what goes around comes around. Hee!

Good luck to the both of us! :)

Rheea

Laura Trevey said...

Love these ~~

Thanks for visiting!!
Have a
Bright, Bold, and Beautiful Day ~~

xo Laura

Moosjeploosje said...

Exactly what I mean, colors, figures, finishing, I LOVE IT !

Thanks for showing and I absolutely got an name in my wish list!

Monique
www.dutchfeltart.co,

LEFTZ said...

Your art is beautiful! Wonderful reading about you

Jewels of Saraswati said...

Love love this artwork!!!!

Unknown said...

I absolutely love that first piece! Thanks for introducing us to yet another amazing artist!

suzanne cabrera said...

Wow! Such beautiful work. Thank you for sharing.