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.
