Monday, October 13, 2014

Getting To Know The Cre8ive Crew: Sally Rose

This is a talented gal you will want to know better!  

Her name is Sally Rose and she’s originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota.



She is fascinated by all forms of creative expression and currently has a passion is for mixed media with an emphasis on acrylic painting.


How often do you create?

As often as I can. We are currently building a new home for ourselves, so I have been focused on that project. But I always keep at least a sketchbook and art journal handy for when inspiration strikes.

How do you know when a piece is finished?

That is always tough. I find that my work is always better and closer to my vision if I don't over think the process. I know that life should inspire our art, but more often I find it interrupts the process of creating. But frequently I will be called away for some non­emergency only to return and discover that I had finished the piece without realizing it. Those times are kind of magical.

When/how did you realize your life had to have art in it?

I have always had art in my life, I cannot remember a time when I wasn't doing something arty, in some way or another. Even when my children were small and my energies focused solely on them, I created. It just manifest in other ways, sewing their clothes, making quilts and decorating our home. All these things are art forms and expressions of creativity.



Sally Rose Flowers


Tell us how your creativity blends over into the rest of your life?

“Being creative isn't a hobby, it's a way of life!” I mentioned earlier that we are building our home. This will be the third time for us. I do the design work, layout, landscaping and tile setting. We both do the construction and heavy lifting, but the vision is mostly mine for how it all goes together. It's like working on the biggest canvas possible!

Give a couple of tips on how you stay organized. (This doesn't have to be about your art or studio, could just be life, office, kids...whatever)

“A place for everything and everything in it's place”. Ha, just kidding! I am very disorganized and when I am in the middle of a project everything comes out and gets thrown around. I do think it helps to have a dedicated space in which to work, especially if you are trying to carve out a bit of creative play time in the middle of a busy schedule. If you have to keep packing everything away so your family can eat at the dining table, you'll waste what little time you do have. You should also love your space. Decorate it in the colors and style you love. If your space makes you happy, it will be reflected in your work. I love pretty and eclectic storage containers, like vintage vases full of aquarium gravel to hold my paint brushes, pencils and pens.

If you could hang out with any artist dead or alive who would it be and why?

I would love to have met Vincent Van Gogh. An amazing artist, and a complicated man. For him it was all about the art. No matter what his personal pain or his circumstances, he made art. He was able to capture ordinary scenes and objects and make them magical with unexpected colors.

Sally's Owl


Do you believe that only some are creative or that everyone is creative in some way? Why?

I do believe that everyone is creative in someway or another. It may be in their cooking, housekeeping, home decorating or clothing. It may be in how they keep their books, run their shop, write letters or landscape their yard. It is human nature to be creative, your gift may not be in the traditional arts, but it is there!

If money were no object in what country, place, or on what planet would you live? ...and why?

A temperate island near the water with a lovely studio in a grove of trees. The walls would be open to the outdoors and there would be a beautiful well maintained garden to wander through. Because that would be heaven on earth!

Are you an introvert or extrovert? How do you feel about that?

I am an introvert that is masquerading as an extrovert. I get along well with others and can deal with a crowd, but as soon as I am home it's like flipping a switch. If I went a week without seeing another person, I would be fine with that.

Sally's Enthusiasm Goose



Choose an imaginary friend who would it be and why?

I would love to have a big fluffy Saber-tooth tiger to snuggle with! Maybe multicolored like in the movie, “The Croods”. What a cutie!

What is your earliest childhood memory?

My Grandmother telling me I had to use the yellow crayon to color my sun because that's what color the sun was...I was angry because I wanted to use red!

If we all came to your house for dinner what would you make for us?

Homemade pizza, biscuits and gravy and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

Sally's Listen Flower


For more of Sally’s beautiful art please click on the links below:


Thursday, October 9, 2014

Getting To Know The Cre8ive Crew: Linda Kay Kinnaman

Linda Kay Kinnaman is my name and art making is my game.

Hello Linda!!!  

Linda Kay Kinnaman


Let's dig deeper...

Linda is originally from South Bend, Indiana. She has lived and traveled all over the world and now makes her home in Bartlett, Illinois. She loves mixed media collage but also likes decorative painting and a bit of watercolor.

What kind of art is your passion?

I love mixed media collage but also likes decorative painting and a bit of watercolor.

How does it make you feel when you're creating something?

When I am really into the groove of creativity and making art that I am happy with, it feels like I am dancing. I usually have some music playing in the background and mostly stand when I work, so I actually do dance a bit sometimes.

 How do you know when a piece is finished?

I quite often struggle with this. There are always little tweaks to be done to a piece, but many times I just have to put my brush down and say, "Enough!"

When/how did you realize your life had to have art in it?

I have tried several careers, cashier/retail work, bookkeeping, administrative assistant, and it always comes back to art. I have even "given it up" a few times, but will find my creative thoughts never stop. I finally decided that I might as well stop fighting it and declare myself an Artist! 

Linda Collage


Hows has your view of life (art) changed over the last 5, 10 years? 20 Years?

I started out with the classic types of art--drawing, ceramics, fiber art--but found I always wanted to push their limits by adding something more into each. I found that after I could handle a medium well, I then needed either a new medium or a new challenge. When I started mixed media, it all fell together. I can now use just about anything in my work and make it blend together to create a piece of art that satisfies my need for the unconventional and unique. I no longer feel I have to limit myself.

Would you say your entire way of life is creative?
Yes, most definitely. I try to use creativity in everything I do.

If you could pick one tool or supply to do more experimenting with what would it be?
I have never tried encaustics and would really like to give it a try. I would need a bit of free time first, so it may have to wait a while.

Linda Painting



 If you could hang out with any artist dead or alive who would it be and why?
Oh there are SO many artists I would love to hang out with...but if I have to choose just one, it would be Georgia O'Keefe. She was the first artist I was influenced by, mostly because she was a woman who was successful in a male dominated business. She fascinated me. She painted big, bold, beautiful, lively, seductive, extraordinary art. She was not afraid to let her art speak of who she was and how she saw the world. She knew who she was and lived her life on her own terms.

If you could change your name what would it be?

I am actually thinking of doing this. Linda Kay was my birth name, always will have that name and think at this point in my life it is what I should be.

 If money were no object in what country, place, or on what planet would you live? ...and why?
I have been planning to move back to Florida, but if I could live anywhere, it would be Bali, Indonesia. There is such a beauty in the environment, culture and people that I think I could be quite happy there. 

Linda's Tag Art

Whats your least favorite food? ...most favorite?

Lease ~ okra. Favorite ~ Thai curries!

 Choose an imaginary friend who would it be and why?

My very first imaginary friend was a little Japanese girl who I played with, usually under the dining room table or behind the sofa. I think I would like to reconnect with her.

If we all came to your house for dinner what would you make for us?

Either Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry or Penang Curry.


That was fun! Want to know more? Click below for Linda’s site and information.




Monday, October 6, 2014

Getting To Know The Cre8ive Crew: Cat Athena Louise

Please give a warm welcome to Cat Athena Louise!

She is from Auckland, New Zealand originally, and has been living in England for the past 13 years.... yes, she is a dual citizen! 

How exciting!

Cat Athena Louise

What kind of art is your passion?

I’m very eclectic (continually restless and love to change things up often) -- I have noticed that Photography lights me up, as does the fluid and bright marks only watercolor can make, and I’m crazy about collage and mixed media too!

How does it make you feel when you're creating something?

I feel alive and connected to something far greater than myself. I also experience a sense of peace and timelessness (transcendence) as I go into the ‘zone’

Describe your personality in three words.

Sensitive, Instinctual, Passionate

When/how did you realize your life had to have art in it?

I realised it very early on as a child, and when I was spending all my lunch
 breaks in college in the art room creating fervently, it became very apparent!


Pathfinder


Has being artistic changed your life or outlook in any way?

Yes, I notice the tiny little details, textures and subtle nuances around me and I often smile at how things play themselves out, the irony of how life truly does imitate art. Artists often think they are creating something outside of themselves, but it’s all self-portraits. All of it. They are expressing what is inside of themselves. I find it very intimate and revealing.

Would you say your entire way of life is creative?

Yes, it feeds into every area of my life. I feel it when I pick up a camera, arrange items on an altar, strike a stick of incense alight... the kinds of meals I cook, the bicycle I ride, the crazy way I stack dishes in Dr.Suess-like piles for washing up, the kind of jewellery I wear.

Whats your superpower?

Intuition is my superpower. I’ve been told that by too many people now to ignore.


Hummingbird

If you could hang out with any artist dead or alive who would it be and why?

Oh my goodness, that would be incredible and naturally I’m struggling to name just one... Pablo Picasso would be a total firecracker to spend time with -- he has such a wildly eclectic range of styles I could never be bored. He seemed very self-assured and confident in his approach. I’d also love to hang out with Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and his Die Brücke German Expressionist friends...I love their wild frenetic mark-making and fauvist colors. I’s be equally happy hanging with Annie Leibovitz in her studio and learning about her hyper-honest style of portraiture photography... Or navigating Andy Warhol’s ‘Factory’ amid the film-making, stencil cutting and screen printing. Bliss!


Which side of the bed do you sleep on? Can you sleep if forced to change sides?

The Left side and yes I do struggle to fall to sleep (at least for a few nights till I adjust) if I ever have to change sides.

Are you an introvert or extrovert? How do you feel about that?

I’m a perfect hybrid. I land right down the centre of the intro/extro spectrum...and that’s very true. I can be extremely zany and wildly expressive in how I communicate and also incredibly quiet, private and observant and need to be left alone...it all depends on my mood at the time and the company I am in as to which way that coin will fall.


Signs of Spring


 Whats your most embarrassing moment?

Oh there have been so many! One that immediately comes to mind was turning up for a job interview to find the front reception desk completely unattended, and only a sign on the wall, placed near a switch, saying ‘ring for attention’. Well I could see no bell to ring so clicked the switch (placed beside the sign) and suddenly..... all the lights in the building went off! Blimey, talk about instantly getting everyone’s attention...you should have seen them running out to find out what had happened!

Pick two celebrities to be your parents...who and why.

I think my inner-artist child would be in perfect company with Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter as my celebrity parents....I think creativity and self-expression would be encouraged in every possible way and from every angle in that household! Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer I reckon would also be awesome.

If we all came to your house for dinner what would you make for us?

Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese followed by an Indian rice pudding flavoured with cardamon pods and rose-water... It’s the rice pudding equivalent of turkish delight! Incredible. 

Those are great answers!

For more of Cat and her artwork please click on the links below:

Website:     http://www.catathenalouise.com
Blog:          http://www.catathenalouise.com
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/catathenalouisestudio
Instagram:  http://instagram.com/catathenalouise
Shop:         http://www.catathenalouise.comPinterest:   http://pinterest.com/catathenalouise/
Flickr:        http://www.flickr.com/photos/catathenalouise
Google+    https://plus.google.com/+CatAthenaLouise/posts
LinkedIn:   http://uk.linkedin.com/in/catathenalouise/



Friday, October 3, 2014

Getting To Know The Cre8ive Crew: Michelle Reynolds

Say Hello to Michelle Reynolds!


Michelle Reynolds


Michelle is from Perth, Western Australia and is passionate about gelli plate printing, acrylics and mixed media.

We asked her some other fun questions so we could get to know her better.

How often do you create?

I try to create several days a week, length of time depends on how much time I have - 30 mins to several hours.

 How does it make you feel when you're creating something?

Happy, I am totally focused on my art and don’t think about other responsibilities. I go off into my own little world.

When/how did you realize your life had to have art in it?

I have always been creative but found my passion in art in 2009.

Has being artistic changed your life or outlook in any way?

Yes, it has given me something to focus on other than my family.

How did you get started...who inspired you?

A friend encouraged me to take drawing classes, then I discovered acrylic paints, mixed media girls and intuitive layered paintings. Kelly Rae Roberts, Flora Bowley, Tamara Laporte.

Michelle Reynolds Art


If  you could hang out with any artist dead or alive who would it be and why?

Andrea Matus DeMeng

I’ve just discovered her work so she is my latest artist crush - her girls have many layers and vibrant colours.

 Do you believe that only some are creative or that everyone is creative in some way?

I believe everyone is creative or can be creative in some way.

Why?

Because there are so many different forms of creativity from gardening to cooking to decorating to carpentry.

If you could change your name what would it be?

Shells In the Bush or Shelly Beach.

Which side of the bed do you sleep on? Left Can you sleep if forced to change sides?

I don’t know.

Creativity Takes Courage


If money were no object in what country, place, or on what planet would you live? ...and why?

Michigan, USA with my art buddy Lin so we can be arty together and go to Art Prize at Grand Rapids each year or France because it’s very beautiful and near several other beautiful countries or Portland, Oregon, because it’s very arty there or in a small country village in Germany with my Aunt and Uncle and cousins.

Are you an introvert or extrovert?

In the middle. I’m quiet when getting to know people but when I feel comfortable with them then I’m more outgoing. I’m quite happy to be on my own especially at home but I enjoy meeting friends for coffee.

Choose an imaginary friend who would it be and why?

Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice because I really like her. If I was a child I would say Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie. 

For more about Michelle please explore her links:

Website: http://www.shellsinthebush.com
Blog: Shells In The Bush
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShellsintheBush
Instagram: ShellsintheBush
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shellsinthebush
Pinterest:http://www.pinterest.com/shellsinthebush/
Flickr:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/shellsinthebush/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MichelleReynoldsshellsinthebush/posts


Wednesday, October 1, 2014

The Studio Table With Seth Apter

Sometimes when I'm walking through Hastings or Books A Million, I'll stop by the magazine rack and check out the art magazines.  There are lots of them, but my favorites are from the Stampington Company. Their Somerset Studios and Sew Somerset are my favorite, but they have probably a dozen different titles. One of the more interesting ones is Where Women Create.  It's full of the most amazing creative spaces.  The photos are just beautiful.  Unbelievable spaces.  No...I mean....really unbelievable. 

Those pristine places look like works of art but don't really look like anyone works *at* art there.  Art making is a messy business.  To prove that point, Seth Apter does an annual "Studio Table" post where working artists post photos of their work spaces while actual work is happening.

Several of us here at the Cre8ive Klatch shared our spaces.  I feel so much better now!

Take a look.

















And, of course, our host for the event