Posts Tagged ‘interview’

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Interview: Ian Carpenter

Monday, August 31st, 2009

ian carpenter

I am intrigued by Ian Carpenter’s paintings; landscapes that morph into creaturely forms, arresting blocks and swatches of acid bright colour, these works will take you on an emotional journey into spaces where stories are woven. Let’s join Ian and learn some more about his work.

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Tell me us little about yourself, the media you work with and your creative process.

“Well I have a natural inclination towards the creative process and I find paintings to be a good outlet, a great medium for myself. I find working with gouache at the moment (I’ve worked with oils and acrylics too) with wood board a spontaneous way of creating and the way the colors mix and react with the wood itself. Sometimes I work without any plan and paint as I go along but lately having a predetermined idea of what I want to do has been my creative guide.”

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From where do you draw your inspiration: music, books, people, nature etc?

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“Music, so many things, just today I’ve been listening to Tortoise again, great ambient and jazzy sonic textures and now I have some sad ol’ Wilco song drifting through my head, so yes, songs can help out in terms of a painting’s atmosphere when one is painting. Nature plays a part too obviously – I like landscapes, from the Fauves to the American Tonalists to De Stael to various artists of our time. People, well, hm, I’m not much of a figurative painter of late. I’ve studied Classical Drawing and have rendered the human form in many ways (paint, pencil, charcoal), but in the last few years I’ve focused on nature and abstract forms – why is that – I don’t know – maybe just living in New York City I get enough of human beings and human interaction daily, ha.”

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If you could talk briefly about the background to one of your pieces which would you choose and why? Tell us the story behind the piece.

“For example Bánh Hỏi Weather (above), I had that Vietnamese dish on my latest birthday and being a foodie (and an artist), just putting that dish into a landscape seemed fun to me – and maybe the thoughts of growing older influenced me to put stormy clouds in there, something greyish and forlorn overlooking tasty sustenance – and again everything is regenerative so nature provides/nourishes the food we eat then we or I live on to experience another day – or more specifically in this case – to paint another day. So looking at this painting again I’m getting that meditation from it and a colorful one at that.”

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You can find Ian here:
Blog
Coming soon to:
Artquiver

Ian tells me that he is planning to open an Etsy shop at some point in the future. Do let us know when your shop is up and running Ian, thanks so much for joining us today and sharing a little corner of your life with us. What is it about Tortoise’s music that creates such vivid mental imagery? When I was going through an “I’m going to be a filmaker” phase I plotted out a cinematic journey to Standards. Sadly my film was never made!!!
I have a plush related interview coming up soon, in line with my all new super-relaxed attitude to blogging I can’t say when. But soon kittens!

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Posted in Interviews, Visual Art, illustration | 3 Comments »

Interview: Lilla Lotta

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

I am sure that many of you will recognize those delightful teapots and cups above, as we are joined today by the wonderful Anna of Lilla Lotta. Anna has such a strong and instantly recognizable style, fresh, crisp and homely, inspiring thoughts of cinnamon buns, the smell of freshly baked bread, percolating coffee and cut grass in a spring meadow. Oh yum! In addition to running her amazingly successful Etsy shop Anna is also a mother to five beautiful children, I am in awe of her creativity and feel sure that Anna must get very little sleep indeed! Let us grab a cup of tea and settle down comfortably to meet Anna.

Tell us a little about yourself, the media you work with and your creative process.

“I am Anna. Mum to five young children. Living under the big blue sky in the South of France. Originally Swedish/Dutch, I have lived in 6 different countries in the last 20 years and am still not feeling quite ‘at home’ where I am at. I suppose I am a bit of a wanderer, slightly lost in the wrong era.”

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“I am a bit of a fiddler and have a creativity compulsive disorder. A day without creativity, just does not seem like a proper day. I won’t call myself an artist, to me that would imply that I “studied” it at a grand school, in a specific class. And truth is, I have never taken a class in art or any other creative process. I suppose that is why the title “fiddler” suits me better.”

“I have never found a medium that takes my fancy the most. I flitter about, from one thing to another, like a flutter-by. One day I simply must paint in water colour and the next I feel the need to do lettering. Lately however I have been completely inspired by fabrics. I am working on a selection of Lilla Lotta fabric designs, which hopefully will be finished by the end of the year. Needless to say I have very little free time and do without sleep often. Who needs sleep anyways? *smiles* ”

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From where do you draw your inspiration: music, books, people, nature etc?

“Inspiration is one of those things that can be found in every day living. It might be loud laughter and a smile that comes unexpectedly. Or those moments where little arms give such big hugs, incredibly warm and loving. It is like sparkle. Magic dust. The only reason you need to wake up in the morning and have a head filled with ideas. Things waiting to be created.”

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” My source of inspiration is being the woman who runs around like a headless chicken most of the time and takes care of a large family with lots of little feet. Almost like living double the life and feeling doubly blessed.”

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If you could talk briefly about the background to one of your pieces which would you choose and why?

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“I would have to choose my recent creation of cotton tapes. By chance I made one to add to a 3D woolfelt house I was making as a Christmas gift and I needed a specific ribbon to go on the top of the roof. That is when it happened. How about making lots of different ones? A creative project where I could combine my love for illustrating with my love for fabrics. ”

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“And it has been wonderful ever since! By the Autumn I will be able to finish a whole new selection of highly illustrated cotton tapes. I find myself feeling so blessed to be able to do what I love doing. Fiddling around and raising my family.”

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You can find Anna in these places:

Lilla Lotta Etsy Shop
Flickr
Blog

Thank you so much Anna for sharing a little of your life and creativity with us. I feel so inspired by your attitude to the world and the obvious joy you take in creating your handmade goodness.

As I was putting this interview together this morning I began to read Anna’s blog, duh, I hadn’t come across it before, and laughed out loud at this post: 40 Facts About My Summer. I could relate to so many of Anna’s ‘facts’, I am sure you can too!

40 Facts About My Summer

1. The weather in the South of France is hot. I mean it is really hot.
2. Being a mother to five kidlets is exhausting. Especially during the Summer.
3. I am drawing and painting every spare minute in front of a fan.
4. New banners for my blog and shop in the making. Everything will be brandnew and fresh in the coming Autumn.
5. Lots of highly decorative cotton tapes being made for the new season.
6. Only 7 days before my mother arrives.
7. Husbands work throughout the Summer.
8. I work throughout the Summer.
9. My head is exploding with ideas.
10. I have no real appetite during the Summer months.
11. Thai food does not agree with me and is returned within an hour.
12. I am already thinking about Christmas.
13. I am tired all the time.
14. There is absolutely nothing on the telly (and I am not even a big telly fan).
15. Bed linen is changed more often during the Summer.
16. My washing machine broke down about two weeks ago.
17. My children only want to eat ice pops.
18. Home made cake does not taste as good as it does in the winter.
19. I am still in love with my hot chocolate.
20. I am going through hand soap like there is no tomorrow.
21. My hoover is used about 4 times a day.
22. Paddling pools for little children are great!
23. Long trips in a car are not recommended.
24. I worry about the new school year and my children.
25. I still have not learnt any French.
26. I am totally behind with all my emails and visiting my favourite places online.
27. I spent very very very little time behind the computer. And if I do, I have to wrestle someone off first.
28. Sitting in the garden in the evening is like recharging your batteries.
29. France has some freaky insects.
30. I am not even mentioning the snakes and the lizards.
31. I don’t sleep during the Summer, I just pass out.
32. I am still totally lost.
33. I love being productive and being able to run my shop. It has saved my life.
34. I am grateful for meeting new friends. It means a lot.
35. Husbands are grumpier when it is hot outside.
36. My to do lists are taking on monstrous proportions.
37. I have to remind myself to drink less coffee, and more water all the time. It makes me really ill.
38. For some reason I have started biting my nails again.
39. I am doing my best.
40. I am a rubbish blogger.

He, he, he, excellent!

Thanks so much again Anna.

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Posted in Interviews, Shop handmade | 14 Comments »

Alleluja: Sawako Hayakawa

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

I discovered Sawako’s work via a twitter comment from Kit Lane telling the world that they had to click over and visit an amazing new Etsy shop. I found the most beautiful and original work at Alleluja, Sawako’s shop, I hadn’t come across anything similar anywhere else, an astounding combination of kawaii, colour and exquisite skill. Really it is so hard to convey just how perfectly made these tiny porcelain creatures are, you need to hold one in your hands, feel the smooth, glassy glaze next to the warm and fuzzy felt. I am a rhapsode for Sawako’s Kigurumi pincushions, oh and you can wear some of them as pendents as well!

Tell us a little about yourself, the media you work with and your creative process.

“My name is Sawako Hayakawa. I live with my partner and two cats in the suburbs of Tokyo, Japan. I work as a transcriber at my home office. In fact, I don’t know how you say my job in English correctly. It is to convert the oral conversation into the reading ones. I keep typing almost everyday. I began to go to the ceramic workshop of the neighbouring town ten years ago. That was my first experience of ceramic work.

“Also, I started to do the needle felt in my own style a few years later. In after years, I combined them with my work as the pincushion. I think it is the natural flow, because I like the wool as much as the clay. Now, I make the ceramics in my spare time. I formed porcelain soil in my home and do the glazing and the firing in the ceramic workshop.”

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From where do you draw your inspiration: music, books, people, nature etc?

“I like movies and music. Also, I like science fiction novels and manga. My work is sure to have all those influences. Usually, I draw rough sketches before making ceramic works. Every time I find any cute thing, I make a simple sketch of them in my notebook.”

“I always listen to music while making my work, and I’m an iPod user outdoors. I like music such as alternative rock, indie rock and folk music. This music uplifts my feelings and it surely leads me to better work. And I like cats. I find the “kawaii” in their casual gesture day by day. I am inspired by their cuteness.”

“Above all, I like movies very much. My screen name “alleluja” was taken from the hero in a spaghetti western movie titled “Heads I Kill You, Tails You’re Dead! They Call Me Hallalujah”. I’m a movie lover. I am dedicating my work to the movie as a hommage in a somewhat strange way.”

If you could talk briefly about the background to one of your pieces which would you choose and why? Please tell us the story behind the piece.

“I want to talk about my Kigurumi pincushion. I have begun to make this works recently. At first I intended to make Kigurumi doll of the porcelain. “Kigurumi” means a stuffed-animal suit in Japanese. I have been interested in the animal suit long before and I tried to make it with the ceramic art work. I molded an animal suit doll with clay and laid it prone. That pose of the tiny animal suit doll reminded me of a scene in a well known movie.”

“It is Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. At the outdoor party scene, a flock of birds descended on the children and attacked them. One girl who was running away fell prone, a bird stopped on her head. She was struggling to escape from the bird. She fell down on the ground and fluttered her foot. It was a very impressive scene. I felt sorry for her, and even more, I was instinctively fascinated. It was really cute! So, I decided to make Kigurumi dolls fall prone and make pincushion in their back. By such a process, the Kigurumi pincushion was completed.”

“I received a lot of responses to my Kigurumi pincushion at Etsy and Flickr. It’s wonderful! It makes me feel really happy! I want to thank KitLane who encouraged me when I was hesitating about having my Etsy shop. And thank you, Lisa! I could think deeply about my work and myself through this interview.”

Find Sawako here:
Flickr
Etsy

What a joy to learn some more about Sawako and her beautiful work. Thank you so much Sawako. I adore the story of the inspiration behind the Kigurumi pincushions, I must watch that scene again. Good bird phobia aversion therapy. Do you lovely kittens have any unusual sources of inspiration? I would love to know. I will let you into a little secret, my pieces for Plush You have been made with memories of Battle Of The Planets swirling around my head, do you remember that cartoon, I was *obsessed* with it is a child?!

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Posted in Interviews | 8 Comments »

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