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Sunday, April 25, 2010

INTERVIEW WITH Mary of "Vanti Designs"

I am very excited to introduce a long-running series of interviews with various Etsians, bloggers, and other folks I find interesting :) Today I’d like to introduce you to Mary of "Vanti Designs" She is a sweet and very talented person who makes luxurious felt accessories and jewelry …

Mary Georgis is a talented and creative felter and metalsmith. Though relatively new in these areas she has a life full of experience in arts and crafts. The one thing that never changes is her desire to design and create beautiful items around her.

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-Bio:
Hello, my name is Mary Georgis. My whole life has been about art and design. I am a self taught felter and have been taking a few metalsmith classes over the past year. Before that I always had a new project or hobby. The best part of art and design is that there is always more to learn and I love it all!!

-Where are you originally from?

I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I moved to Athens, Greece with my family at the age of 14.

-How did you choose the lovely name for your Etsy Shop?
I wanted to choose something from the heart, something I would love always. The first thing that came to my mind of coarse is my daughter, Tina, and then a place that has mesmerized me ever since my teacher described it in grade 6, Vancouver, BC, Canada. I combined some of the letters and came up with ‘Vanti’.

-How did you find Etsy? How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I found Etsy while searching the web for felting and jewelry information.
I started my online shop ‘Vanti Designs’ immediately, it was February 2009.

-How would you describe your style? Have any other artists etc ...influenced your style?
It is difficult to define a specific style in my designs. I would say that what expresses my work at this point in time is a contemporary, minimal look with elegant lines and attention to detail. A very important part of my personality is that I always strive for perfection and I have very expensive taste when it comes to quality in materials and craftsmanship.


-What are your main sources of inspiration?
My love of natural materials such as wool, silk, silver, gemstones, and pearls inspires my designs. I feel that we are all better off with natural materials and I try to limit my designs to eco friendly products.

- How did you first come to art and creativity? How did your journey in art and creativity begin?

I was very lucky to go to a school where art was very important. There was something new to learn every day and my teachers always encouraged me. Being able to express myself through art and to better understand the world around me is a journey I never want to end.




-Have you had any mentors, or are you self taught?
I must say that I am very lucky to have an amazing metalsmithing instructor. The techniques I have been learning from him have been passed down through generations of Greek craftsmen. His hands on experience are immense and he always has a little trick to show us.


-Do you sell more at one time of year than others?
It surprised me but even in the middle of summer I sold a scarf, and although during Christmas there were a few more sales, I realized that if you have something special it doesn’t matter what time of the year it is.

-What is one thing about your creative process that you think most people don't know?
I think the most important thing people are unaware of is everything handmade takes a lot of effort and time. The entire process is more than the actual construction. There are times when an artist might have to start by gathering, creating, and preparing everything down to the raw materials. There might be experiments involved and a lot of dead ends, there are many times when you just start all over. There are things that go wrong and results you didn’t expect but sometimes welcome. When I get an idea I try to quickly make some notes and a sketch, I never know how long it will be before I make it but having it down on paper is the first most important step for me.

-How has life affected your art and art affected your life?
Art is everywhere in life, it makes it beautiful and complete.

-Do you have a favorite item you have made?
Every design is special to me. I especially love the items that fulfill their purpose to flatter and compliment the owner. When I have made my clients feel beautiful I am encouraged to make more.

-What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?

I can’t choose a specific one, but someone once jumped up and down like a little girl holding a scarf and saying this is hers!!
I also love to get online feedback, such as “This is the most beautiful bag I have ever seen. Love it!!!!”, this was a very happy moment, this was my first felt bag and I am happy she ‘loves it!’. That’s what it’s about to me.


-Your message for all of us?

Choose handmade!! Choose natural products!!

Thank you so much Mary:)
VANTI DESIGNS SHOP HERE

Friday, April 23, 2010

INTERVIEW WITH Dafni "lacravatteduchien" ..very sweet girl CHECK IT !

INTERVIEW WITH Dafni "lacravatteduchien" ..very sweet girl CHECK IT !

I am very excited to introduce a long-running series of interviews with various Etsians, bloggers, and other folks I find interesting :) Today I’d like to introduce you to Dafni "lacravatteduchien" She is a sweet and very talent person who make handmade jewelry funky, colorful, funny, something that came out of a comic book

-Bio:
Hello, my name is Dafni and I'm 28 years old. I have studied graphic design and illustration. I have worked as a graphic designer for many years but lately I spent most of my time in my jewelry and my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/lacravatteduchien
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-Where are you originally from?
I was born and and still live in Athens, Greece.

-How did you choose the lovely name for your Etsy Shop?
That's a funny story! When I first started handcrafting, I was mostly making belts and bags. I asked all my friends go give my old clothes that they didn't need any more in order to use the fabric. Among them were 2 very colorful neckties. So when I started looking for a name I wanted to use the word "cravatte" in it. I'm also a bit obsessed with these looooong dogs, dachshunds. So a combination of these two was the final name: La cravatte du chien.




-How did you find Etsy? How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I found out about etsy completely by accident, while a was looking around in DeviantArt and I saw that many people had a link to their etsy shop. I opened mine in 2007, but I actually start work on it about 2 years ago.

-How would you describe your style? Have any other artists etc influenced your style?
I could call it ... hmmm... funky, colorful, funny, something that came out of a comic book. As an illustrator and a comic lover I have tons of comic books in my house. And I think that they have influenced me a lot.

- How did you first come to art and creativity? How did your journey in art and creativity begin?
I was always a creative person. Ever since I remember my self I wanted to work with something that has to do with art. I grow up with both parents been artist so I guess it was obvious to me that I will take the same road.





-How long have you been creating? What is it about the female form that you love so much?
Ha ha ha! Are you talking about my fairies? Well I don't know what is it about them. I like things that jump out of my fantasy "room". Things that when we where all kids thought they really existed but growing up we learn to forget about and hid them in the back of our heads. I've been working with plexiglass for about 6 months now.

-What are your main sources of inspiration?
As I said before everything that jumps out of my fantasy "room", and also everything that I'd love to see around me but I don't.... Guess what that is? Nature! You don't see a lot of it in a city like Athens...

-Have you had any mentors, or are you self taught?
I took some handmade jewelry lessons, so I learned how to work with metal and also all the tools you need to do that. Ending up with what I do now, I think it's a combination of illustration and jewelry.

-Do you sell more at one time of year than others?
Well I have to say that christmas and easter are the high seasons. Same thing for all stores, on line or not. People have an extra reason to buy at these times.

-What is one thing about your creative process that you think most people don't know?
It's not as easy as it looks. The one corner of my studio, where the cutting is done, is a mess full of plexiglass dust and leftover pieces. The other corner, where color comes in, is and has to be spotless! A tiny amount of dust coming from the window can stuck on the fresh color and destroy the item. And all that in a very small room where there is also my books, my computer and my bed! And one more important thing. My items are 100% hand made. It's not shrink plastic and it's not laser cut.





-How has life affected your art and art affected your life?
Art affects my life in all possible ways. How I see the world around me, what moves me, my believes... And the other way around. Depending on my mood and how my life is at any time, I'm more or less creative, I use happy or sad themes. But most of the time I have a smile in my face. What can I say? I like to have fun!

-Do you have a favorite item you have made?
I love all my kids but my favorite is the black sheep brooch!

-What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?
Returning for more! :)





Illustrated Jewelry!



-Your message for all of us?
Very simple: Peace and love! :)

Friday, April 16, 2010

FEATURE SELLER - INTERVIEW WITH Christen Largent "bddesigns"

I am very excited to introduce what I hope is the first in a long-running series of interviews with various Etsians, bloggers, and other folks I find interesting :) Today I’d like to introduce you to Christen Largent from bddesigns... I discovered Christen in a blog where I was looking for a seller to feature .. she came there and told me that "If you're interested in having a metalsmith featured, I will volunteer! ;)"

I immediately saw her passion and love for her art.... and I think she is the best for this weeks interview ... SHE IS AMAZING !!!!!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bddesigns
Christen Largent is a talented and creative metalsmith with years of study in traditional metalsmithing techniques that metalsmiths have been passing down from generation to generation for hundreds of years. It is a legacy of metalwork and she is very proud to be part of that history. Her designs reflect the joy and inspiration she receives when working with metal.
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ENJOY !!!!
-Bio:
Hi, my name is Christen Largent. I am a self-taught, juried metal artist, specializing in custom precious metal jewelry. My artistic journey has been a varied one – I taught layout design for over 10 years in the fields of marketing and scrapbooking. I turned my attention to metal about 6 years ago, starting with wire art and progressing to metalsmithing. I participate in several local art shows and fundraisers throughout the year, but am mostly found through my online shop at bddesigns.etsy.com. The things that most inspire and motivate me are nature and “pushing the rules”. If it seems impossible, I want to try it!

-Where are you originally from?
Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA (the "sweetest" place on earth :)

-How did you choose the lovely name for your Etsy Shop?
bddesigns started as a joint venture with my best friend and "morphed" from there. It's just a silly little name that doesn't mean anything except to the two of us! :)

-How did you find Etsy?
How long have you been selling on Etsy? I found out about Etsy from a friend of mine who prints all of my advertising and printed materials. She thought my work would do well there, so I checked it out and started up my shop right away - August of 2007, I believe, so 2 1/2 years I guess! WOW!

-How would you describe your style? Have any other artists etc influenced your style?
I'm kind of at a loss on how to describe my style. I think it's kind of modern medieval meets forest spirits....HA! :) I get inspiration from a LOT of metal artists, metal structures....just metal in general. I just absolutely LOVE metal of all kinds!! But I have lived in the woods my whole life, so trees and nature really play a part in how I see metal.

- How did you first come to art and creativity? How did your journey in art and creativity begin?
My journey began practically at birth!! My mom is painter, sculptor...well, she can do just about anything creative that she wants to. She's very talented. But growing up on the east coast of the US, my family has the typical "hands-on" or "make it yourself" type of attitude. We made EVERYTHING we could! My dad makes furniture if he is so inclined, my grandfather was a GENIUS woodcarver, my grandma instilled in me the love of arts and crafts...so I got it from all angles! I really don't know how to NOT be creative!!

-How long have you been creating?
I have been doing arts and crafts since childhood and just have continued to learn new things and explore new areas of art as I've gotten older. My daughter and I will still take a drawing or sculpting class at our local art museum from time to time...just anything to be CREATING.

-What are your main sources of inspiration?
Main sources of inspiration are definitely nature and modern clean lines. Metal itself inspires me, as do the gorgeous stones that God put on this earth!!!

-Have you had any mentors, or are you self taught?
I am mainly self-taught, however, my most important mentor...the one that really set me on the path of traditional metalsmithing is Helen Blythe-Hart www.helenblythehart.com I studied with her in 2008 and the skills I learned from her have been invaluable. She is a ROCKSTAR!!

-Do you sell more at one time of year than others?
My biggest holidays are Christmas and Mother's Day...probably both because of my Keepsake Jewelry. I do really well at the 3 summer art shows that I participate in also.

-What is one thing about your creative process that you think most people don't know?
Hmmm....well, one thing about METALSMITHING that most people probably don't know is that it's one of the MESSIEST crafts in all the world. People think that lovely, sparkly jewelry is just so beautiful and clean...it starts out ugly, messy and terrible-looking until the final polish!!! I am black dust from head to toe everyday when I'm done working!!

As for my creative process...I'm very old-school. I sketch most of my designs before I begin prototyping them. They start out as an idea in my head...the idea rolls around in there for a while, working out problems that might arise, and then I really need to sketch it in order to SEE it in real life! Sometimes what looks GREAT in my head just doesn't work on paper or in real life!

-How has life affected your art and art affected your life?
Wow - that's a great question! Art has affected EVERY area of my life...I wouldn't be who I am without it! It affects the way I see the world...slows it down a bit, helps me analyse the world. My life affects my art GREATLY - I'm a mom, so one of the most important things to me is SIGNIFICANCE. The significance of what I wear, the meaning behind it, what's important to me in my life...so a lot of my keepsake jewelry is inspired by my family. The only lasting thing in life is love...and I want that with me all the time!

-Do you have a favorite item you have made?
My New Moon Ring...it's the picture in my avatar in my shop. It was a "bolt of lightning" design and I have loved it from the minute I saw it in my head! :)

-What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?
TEARS!! I have had people burst out in tears when they see a piece that was customized for them. Words are very powerful and I incorporate them into my work to be a powerful force!

-Your message for all of us?
Very cliche, but, "Do what you love and love what you do"!!! If you don't, you won't be happy!

Christen said :if someone buys something from my shop and mentions artistico blog that they can get free shipping anywhere in the world.
THANK YOU SO MUCH Christen!!!!!

my promo for sunday in my twitter 18/04/2010

Thursday, April 15, 2010

EAGLE EYE - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES

EAGLE EYE - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS,GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art
zoom
EAGLE EYE - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS,GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art EAGLE EYE - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS,GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art EAGLE EYE - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS,GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art EAGLE EYE - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS,GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art EAGLE EYE - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS,GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art

Description

-------------------EAGLE EYE-------
My mixed media works on wood are created on recycled wood panels, my latest are from old wooden doors
from old traditional houses in Greece (old more than 100 years old).My vintages materials(old motifs, vintage images,old pages..)
are also from rescued objects and handmade transfered on my collages with mediums
Handmade original artwork by Kostas Tsipos created from acrylic, silkscreen,and gold leafing 24K on recycled wood...
Each work is handmade and unique,elegant Fine art mixed media collages from my heart & loving attention!!!
MORE ART YOU CAN FIND HERE http://www.etsy.com/shop/Artistico
Price for this item represent a superb value! check the saving with others mixed media art with this quality..
SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES
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I prompt a friendly service to shipping your art .. I do professional packaged and delivery..
This original artwork will come to you signed and dated on the back.

FLY .. FLY - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL

FLY .. FLY  - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS, GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art
zoom
FLY .. FLY  - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS, GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art FLY .. FLY  - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS, GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art FLY .. FLY  - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS, GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art FLY .. FLY  - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS, GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art FLY .. FLY  - MIXED MEDIA ART ON WOOD PANEL - SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES - recycled  wood panel - PAINTING ,ACRYLICS, GOLD LEAFING AND silkscreen - One of a Kind Art

Description

-----------------FLY .. FLY ----------------
My mixed media works on wood are created on recycled wood panels, my latest are from old wooden doors
from old traditional houses in Greece (old more than 100 years old).My vintages matterials(old motifs, vintage images,old pages..)
are also from rescued objects and handmade transfered on my collages with mediums
----------------------------------------
Handmade original artwork by Kostas Tsipos created from acrylic, silkscreen,and gold leafing 24K on recycled wood...
Each work is handmade and unique,elegant Fine art mixed media collages from my heart & loving attention!!!
MORE ART YOU CAN FIND HERE http://www.etsy.com/shop/Artistico
Price for this item represent a superb value! check the saving with others mixed media art with this quality..
SIZE 10 INCHES X 10 INCHES
-------------------------------------------
I prompt a friendly service to shipping your art .. I do professional packaged and delivery..
This original artwork will come to you signed and dated on the back.