Artist - Margaret Olley

I think Margaret Olley called herself the original bag lady and I could see why when I visited Tweed River Art Gallery, New South Wales.  The artist had donated her home and contents to the gallery and it was a visual cornucopia of objet d'arts, possessions and house contents - amazing!  Not sure I would want to live there but I would certainly loved to have be invited as one of her guests for dinner.

Karlee Rawkins

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Link

Australian artist - love the colours and the colour mixes!

Sophie Gralton

Link

As The Studio Gallery describes Sophie's genre paintings are loosely based on 17th Century Dutch portaits of children painted at that time. She uses Australian models, often her own children and they are frequently wearing garments that were hers as a child. The device of cropping the eyes enables the subject to represent 'everychild' and avoids an oversentimentality which can sometimes be difficult to steer away from when children and animals are concerned.

Marise Maas

Gallery Link

Born in  Utrecht, The Netherlands, the now Melbourne-based Marise Mass's work takes inspiration from ordinary everyday things. I love the feeling of childlike wonder and naivety in her work.  Her line drawings are simple and restrained, yet rich with messages, which stem from Marise’s unique intuitive approach to image composition.

Creative Interviews : Cecilia Levy

Swedish artist and designer Cecilia Levy achieved an MFA in Graphic Design and went on to work as a teacher in graphic design at the College of Arts and Crafts in Gothenburg. Longing to work more by hand she studied bookbinding for a year at Leksands Folkhögskola.

Combining the professions of graphic design, bookbinding and illustration, she does commission work and is a member of the arts and crafts cooperative Kaleido in Uppsala, where her paper products are for sale.

Cecilia teaches bookbinding to art and design students in schools around Sweden. As an artist she works mainly with paper, creating 3-dimensional objects from old books or drawing in pencil or ink. Her art is exhibited in solo and group shows in Sweden and abroad. So it's a great big thank you to Cecilia for giving me some of her precious time.

Flickr

What’s your local area like in terms of supporting creatives
I'm a member of an arts and crafts cooperative (Kaleido) in one of Sweden's largest cities. Twenty members run a shop and gallery in together, taking turns working there, selling our handmade products. It's great to be part of something bigger. 

Flickr

How would you describe yourself in five words 

curious, accurate, adaptable, responsive, humble

Saucer

Give me the names of 3 objects or things you dislike most and why 

• gadgets/toys that come with childrens meals/magazines – I don't approve of advertising directed at children
• cheap bad quality products made to break. To think that somebody, somewhere in the world, is actually designing and manufacturing something intended not to hold...
• golf, water scooter (i.e. jet ski) and such egoistical “sports”. Devastation of nature and marine life.

Tolstoy

Tell me about something you've achieved 

Being a parent.

What’s your ideal working day.
Wake up at 6.15. Breakfast with husband Mattias and our two daughters, Olivia and Rosa (15 and 12 yrs old). The girls go off to school and Mattias and I go for a long brisk walk in the woods with our dog, cairn terrier Asta. We then have tea and biscuits, and after that my workday begins. I'm a slow starter...

Necklace

Who influences you creatively. 

The web is my main source of inspiration, can't mention one specific person.

Are you usually late, early or right on time
Late...

Black Ball

Do you like to shop 

Yes and no. I love second hand, vintage and thrift shops. Handmade products and good quality. But I don't like excessive consumption – the 'shop til you drop' mentality.

Where would you go in the world for inspiration 

Japan 

Exhibition

What piece of work are you most proud of
I'm rather proud of my paper objects.

Close - up detail

What would you like to develop further or learn to do
Learn more about paper and explore it's possibilities.

Who do you think I should interview next 

I'd love to read about these paper artists:

Mary Button Durrell - USA

Cindy Ferguson - USA

Kylie Stillman - Australia

Cecilia's links -

Web

Flickr

Blog

Creative Interviews : alyoisiusspyker

Welcome Kate aka alyoisiusspyker all the way from Sydney, Australia. In her Etsy bio Kate mentions that she likes to work with silkscreens, pencils, cake and very often sharp scalpels. Kate did a fashion degree but is always in jeans and sneakers. She's originally a Londoner who's getting a stronger English accent while she's living down in Sydney. It's over to Kate now ......

Balloons

What’s your local area like in terms of supporting creatives

I live in Sydney, where there's a vast array of creative disciplines like any city in the world. The arts festivals are fantastic and diverse but it's very hard to find affordable studio space in the same way that it is available elsewhere. In some ways this has benefited me in terms of treating my work as a business and all that it encompasses. My support system is made up of other creatives rather than local or city wide help.

1950000 more ...

How would you describe yourself in five words

I leave that to others.

Rita and the Guestimate

Give me the names of 3 objects or things you dislike most and why

Nylon, snakes and the terror that is clowns. Dear God, I hate clowns and I have no rhyme or reason why I dislike any of those things. Snakes is an especially weird one as I grew up in inner city London.

Tell me about something you've achieved

30 lengths of the pool this morning and no nap at lunch as a consequence!

All new Parrot

What’s your ideal working day

Breakfast and coffee in bed (made by someone else), 5 hours of thinking time, lunch with friends, swim at the pool, 4 hours of more thinking time, 2 hours of 'me' time, dinner with friends, send out an invoice and be paid immediately. Well, you did ask for 'ideal'.

Who influences you creatively.

There are so many amazing people out there it'd be hard to name names besides my fantastic husband and my mother. I can be influenced by a stranger at the bus stop from the colour of their eyes to the conversations we have. People are amazing and wonderful creatures. Most of the time.

Heart Strings

Are you a coffee or a tea girl

Both, especially when served with a slice of cake or a tunnocks teacake.

Where would you go in the world for inspiration

My bookshelf or the tv, especially if Miss Marple's on.

Winking Muskateer

What piece of work are you most proud of

Some of my commercial work which is yet to be published.

What would you like to develop further or learn to do

I'd like to be tidy all the time rather than shoving things in the dustbin once a month.

Work 2011

Who do you think I should interview next      Lovely Emma or equally lovely Anna and Gareth

Emma : benconservato

Anna and Gareth : ableandgame

Thanks for the great interview Kate and giving me some of your time in your busy working day! Hope it's stopped raining - last time I was there it rained torrentially for 2 solid days but that gave me a chance to go to your lovely art galleries and the big casino with the running water steps!

Kate's links:-


Work website

Etsy

Creative Interviews : honeycup

I'm still in Australia and have headed off to the lovely city of Melbourne this time. Honeycup is a web designer by trade and she recently had an epiphany that she needed to try and make the leap to creating my own products online, to utilise ALL her skills and talents.

Honeycup actually found out something new about herself - she loves designing her own products and she's beginning to think that she's a bit of an artist. So let's get to the questions as I say a great big thank you!

Bunny Rabbit Girl

What’s your local area like in terms of supporting creatives
Well I live in Melbourne, Australia. It's a very artsy city. We have lots of arts initiatives, and I think we have a very supportive community.

Now having said that my, 'very local area' is a very small suburb, but it still has creative initiatives. I have a local handmade shop in the next suburb and there is a craft market down just around the corner from me.



Fox and Deer

How would you describe yourself in five words

Kind, easy-going, perceptive, quick-witted and creative.



Give me the names of 3 objects or things you dislike most and why

I really dislike people cracking their bones. Aghh, sends shivers up my spine!



Bunny Bird Creature

Tell me about something you've achieved

My illustrations... I went on a quest to find something that I am good at, I think I have found that - he he!

What’s your ideal working day (I like to clean my house!)

I wish I started with cleaning the house, but cleaning is something I leave till the very end. It really depends, just like my personality, it's hard for me to stick to a routine. I need variety. Sometimes I will be writing class notes, sometimes I will be working on freelance design work, other times I will be updating my shop and orders and then some days I will decide to draw.



Deer Boy

Who influences you creatively

It's hard to say. I would say my influences in my art have definitely been from my childhood. So people like Beatrix Potter and A. A. Milne would come to mind. I am sure I am influenced by lots of creative things in my day-to-day life from books, magazines, art, galleries and so on, but it's hard for me to say what exactly influences me creatively. However, at the same time, I try and not get too wrapped up in what others are doing, so that my work really does come from within.

A A MiIne

Beatrix Potter

Fav movie - band or book and why
Book - Chris Guillebeau’s book The Art of Non-conformity. It's a book about not accepting the status quo in life and defying normal convention. If you are someone that is quite entrepreneurial then this book will be for you.

Orange Girl

Where would you go in the world for inspiration

France. I have always had dreams of living in the countryside in France.



What piece of work are you most proud of

Hmmm, it's hard to say which one I am more proud of. It changes. All of my illustrations have challenges when they are been created and so I am proud when I finish them. I think 'Bunny Girl With Circles' is my favourite, mainly because of the colour palette and she just seems so sweet!

What would you like to develop further or learn to do

I would love to master the art of coding complex websites. That's an art I have never quite understood. I hate not been able to win a challenge, but so far I haven't been able to beat it!



Bunny Rabbit

Who do you think I should interview next

brillianttreescollective.wordpress.com/ She's a lovely lass :)


Brilliant Trees Collective

Honeycup's contact details :-

Twitter: @nomuu
Blog: http://ammiki.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/nomuu
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ammiki

Creative Interviews : withwallpaper

I'm down in Oz for my last question and answer sessions and I'm delighted that Mandy Horne from Adelaide has taken up my challenge.... so let's hear from Mandy.

Whisk

What’s your local area like in terms of supporting creatives

I think it's hard to work as an artist wherever you are & there is never enough support. However, I live in a city that is well known for its many arts festivals and they are very well supported by the whole community here.

Adelaide is also well know for its fine wine and good climate, so the combination of these three things makes it an extremely appealing place for artists to live, although these things can also somewhat distract you from your work!

Toaster

How would you describe yourself in five words

As Popeye would say, I yam what I yam.

Give me the names of 3 objects or things you dislike most and why

I dislike dishonesty, greed and broccoli.
I also dislike bad design.
I guess all of these things are self explanatory as to why I dislike them, but I know some people inexplicably really like broccoli.

Still Life

Tell me about something you've achieved

I'm happy that I work as an artist and have never really deviated from that path.
Sometimes it's a struggle to keep going, but the freedom that comes with is something I couldn't give up now, and it makes me happy.

Bon voyage

What’s your ideal working day

I have no specific routine except to try and achieve something every day. I do get distracted easily and so the challenge is to get to work and stay working.

Who influences you creatively

Other artists from the past, present and no doubt future. There are some amazingly talented and creative people in the world & they inspire me no end.

Pen and Ink

Fav movie - band or book and why

I have far too many to narrow anything down!

Where would you go in the world for inspiration

I'd like to visit any city where there is a Guggenheim museum, for both the art and the culture of the different places.

And I'd really love to go to the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. It has a collection of over three million works of art and the building has an incredible history in itself. You would need to spend days there to take it all in.

Keys

What piece of work are you most proud of

The first piece of art I ever sold. I was about 18 years old and had done a large oil painting at art school. It was included in a student exhibition and sold for (what I thought was) quite a lot of money.

Many years later the woman who bought the painting recognised me in a cafe & told me she still loved it and had it hanging over her bed. Selling my first piece to someone who appreciated it so much has always encouraged me to keep going as an artist.

Flying Fish

What would you like to develop further or learn to do

I'd actually like to go back to using some of the printmaking techniques I learned at art school - especially lithography and screen printing. It's very satisfying to get ink on your hands, and I'd love to develop some of my work into fabric designs.

Lyrebird

Who do you think I should interview next

There is an English printmaker living in Sydney, Kate Banazi, who does great silkscreen prints or American artist Vivienne Strauss - I love the humour in her work.

Kate Banazi

Vivienne Strauss

Thanks so much Mandy for taking the time to do this - would love to think that I could meet you the next time I'm in Oz and there's always a kettle on the boil if you're ever in Scotland.

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