Hot Air Balloon Adventure, Perth, Scotland

Found some photographs we took on our first hot air balloon trip - great looking back! Flickr

lovelysweetwilliam interview

I'm down under with my latest creative interview and it’s a bit of a sister partnership so a big G’Day and welcome to Shelley Gardner, in New Zealand and Paula Mills, in Australia. Both sisters share a passion for all things creative, make, draw, sew, collect lots of lovely sweet things and drink endless cups of tea!!!

I just want to thank both ladies for taking the time in their very busy schedule to answer my questions and allow me to include images of their work. So, here they are:-

How would your friends describe you in five words!!

Funny, quirky, prayerful, eclectic, creative

What's your daily routine when creating

Make sure the kids are well taken care of! Music, phone off the hook, no urgent appointments and a lovely cup of tea. Once time and space is set up, Paula will doodle with her black ink pen and Shelley will pull out all her fabric and get excited about a new project.

What's been your greatest achievement

Shelley: Building a new house second time in a row!

Paula: Moving to Melbourne and establishing an illustration career.

Tidy or messy worker  -  messy!

What's your plan for 2011

Extending our range of products to include wrapping paper, cards and other paper goods. We also have discovered some lovely new craft markets and we want to be more involved with those. Shelley hopes to join Paula in Melbourne for a sister's crafty, creative week!

Did you ever consider other types of jobs

Shelley works as an educator at the Museum of Wellington, City and Sea

Where would you love to be right now and why

We would love to be with each other and our brother, Myles. He lives in Ireland so we would be there and be celebrating his birthday with him and having an Irish jig together.

What's your own favourite piece of work

Shelley: The Motherhood Dolls - based on the Madonna and baby icon. Carefully combined different fabrics, some vintage, some new and appliqued together to make this heart shaped doll. She is then embellished with wool, sequins, beads, pom-poms and embroidery.   Paula: Any new artwork I am currently creating!

Any advice for Ziggy? The grass is not always greener on the other side!

Thank you Paula and Shelley - I’m hoping to be in Australia in the near future so I'll have to pop in and treat Paula to a cuppa (sorry Shelley - you too if you are there LOL!) and a wee piece of cake as appreciation for answering all my questions.


Lovely Sweet William links: -
http://lovelysweetwilliam.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/lovelysweetwilliam
http://www.madeit.com.au/sweetwilliam

Tile Tuesday

Each week I include a collection of inspirational images from artists, designers, photographers and makers I've been admiring for some time - many of them for years! I hope you enjoy! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Top Left - Nice dash of paprika

Middle Left - McGdesigns

Bottom Left - eekdesign

Top Right - Andrew Joyce

Middle Right - retrowhale

Bottom Right - astashtoys

Gillian Bates Interview

I'm down in the seaside town of Eastbourne with Gillian Bates and my latest creative interview. Gillian's info on her site describes herself as a little bit obsessed and can go funny around fabric!

The only thing she enjoys more than adding to her ever-growing collection of vintage and reclaimed fabrics is rummaging through them all to find just the right piece to integrate into her latest textile art canvas.

Gillian's obsession for all things textiles led her to successfully gaining a BA(Hons) in Textile and Surface Design in 2007. During her studies she was extremely pleased to be shortlisted for the RSA Fashion Interiors Bursary Award.

She's now very happy to be indulging her passion working as a full-time artist, creating contemporary textile art from her studio in East Sussex.

I just want to thank Gillian for taking the time in her very busy schedule to answer these questions and allow me to include images of her work. So, here they are:-

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started?

My real passion is for drawing and but while completing my textile degree in 2007 I completely fell in love with all things textile. I'm just like a child in a sweet shop and have a large and ever growing collection of fabrics, buttons and threads anything I can lay my hands on. I once read you need to be a bit of a magpie as a textile artist and this is so true! So machine embroidery seemed to be the perfect vehicle for my passion and my obsessions.

What can you absolutely not live without?

I hate to say this as it sounds such a cliche but it's got to be my computer. Only a few years ago the thought of even trying to turn on a computer completely perplexed me and now it's the heart of my business.

Not only for the promotional side (A business website and social networking Facebook and Flickr are almost compulsory these days) but the access my business now has to the rest of the world is mind blowing. I've had two exhibitions in America I could of never of dreamt of such success without the internet.

Tea jenny of coffee junkie?

TEA!!!! Oh tea nearly made it to the thing I couldn't live without. In fact my family bought me for Christmas a bell you ring if you want tea...every home should have one!

This might be difficult to answer but, right now, who is that one particular person who inspires you?

I've had a good think about this one and rather amusingly I'm going to say Rolf Harris! I grew up on a daily tea time dose of Rolf's Cartoon time and his 'Can you tell what it is yet' massive canvases made art so accessible to a young me. I love the freedom he has with the brush and paint letting an image emerge from the canvas creating an impression rather than a true representation.

It's something I try to portray in my work, I build up layers of coloured fabrics and draw and define the image with my machine stitched line as if it were my pencil or brush stroke

What do you love most about what you do?

Sometimes I'm so busy it's hard to remember how much I love what I do.
One of the most amazing things is I get to visiting some of the most picturesque places in England as my job which is always a reminder of how lucky I am, as you stroll around a harbour on hot summers Monday morning.

If you didn't do what you do what else would you be?

I'm really not sure what I'd be doing if I wasn't a textile artist, I always knew I wanted to do something creative. But I do love to cook and even considered a career in catering as a school leaver, but I also wanted to be a nurse until I realised I couldn't stand the sight of blood.

What's next for you in 2011?

I've got some exciting new ideas for expanding my ranges this year. I think it's always good to keep pushing what you do not only for your own sanity but also your customers love to follow how your work evolves.

Who do you think I should interview?

I can't think of anyone in particular who I'd like you to interview but I love to buy art. One of my latest additions to my wish list is a painter called Lisa Green's work and I've also recently purchased as a present a Mark Perronet print which I also love!

Mark Perronet

Any advice for Ziggy

My advice to Ziggy is find a lovely girl bunny and do what rabbits do best.


Gillian's links -

Website

Flickr

Tile Tuesday

I'm hoping to carry on each week with a collection of inspirational images from artists, designers, photographers and makers I've been admiring for some time - many of them for years! I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think.

Top Left - Catherine Campbell

Middle Left - Little Doodles

Bottom Left - yuki kitazumi

Top Right - Willy Ollero

Middle Right - Mimiloveforever

Bottom Right - Hazel Terry

Cathy Cullis Interview

In England for this week's creative interview and meeting up with mixed media artist Cathy Cullis (I also found out that Cathy is a poet, with work published by established journals and publishers. She received an Eric Gregory award from the Society of Authors in 1996).

A great big thank you Cathy for taking the time to answer these questions and allowing me to show your amazing work. So let's start:-

Describe yourself in five words   creative intelligent sensitive caring complex

Where does your inspiration come from

I have very eclectic art taste and so over the years have explored many different eras, styles and design schools.... I particularly like visiting galleries and museums in London. Outsider art is a strand of art-making that I studied as an arts undergraduate. Folk art, childhood, collecting vintage things, poetry, dreaming...

What works really well for you and did it take some time for you to get there

Ooh good question... I think what works for me is setting myself a time slot of a few hours and giving myself just about free rein to explore something. I may, for example, have a morning devoted to stitch and see what comes about. This works much better for me than sticking to a pre-conceived plan. Working on the moment works.

What’s your ideal working day

I like working on various projects on one day. So I will explore different media and there will be a fresh approach to each. I prefer getting up and getting started, but that is not always possible as I have a family. Ideally I can work and take breaks every so often. Coming back to a piece with fresh eyes helps greatly.

Who influences you creatively

My children really inspire me and help my approach - as I will always wish to look at things with a 'child-like wonder', and never too cynically.

Have you ever or do you have a PLAN B

I don't know what plan I am working to right now but it is probably not plan A, not B, but something else that has evolved over time. So I will just hope to keep on going with the flow and wish that with good health and luck I can continue doing what I do, which is rewarding.

Where would you like to be at this precise moment?

Here. At home, I am a homebody. I would love to own my own small home but one day, one day...

How is work for you at the moment.

I've made a positive start to the year and feel optimistic. It was good to take time out during the holidays. Now I have various projects starting and feel energized.

Any advice for Ziggy

I sucked my thumb until I was 12, Ziggy, so no worries. Be Happy.

CATHY'S LINK INFORMATION


http://cathycullis.etsy.com/
http://cathycullis.blogspot.com/
http://novembermoon.twitter.com/

Folksy Feature

Aileen Clarke Craft

Second part to my personal take on contemporary crafts in Scotland - on Folksy.  Thank you for the opportunity

McEtsy Mention

 

Lovely highlight on McEtsy Blog for my calorie free haggis!  Many thanks!

Eva Juliet Atelier Interview

I'm over in Canada for my very first New Year Creative Interview meeting the wonderful Eva Juliet.  Have been chatting and finding out about the person behind the amazing work. As always, a great big thank you to Eva Juliet for taking the time to answer these questions. I really do enjoy finding out about the person behind the work.

How would you describe yourself in five words!!

feather . whisper . breeze . cream . peace

Are you a full time creative or do you have another job

I worked as an art director for a few magazines and, in last October, for my birthday gift, I decided to quit my job and give more time to the thing I love the most: Eva Juliet Atelier.

Tell me about something that inspires you

There is plenty of things that inspire me, but I think my mother is my biggest inspiration. She is such a creative person. She is unique and she is willing to assume her uniqueness, which I think it’s not easy for everybody. It’s easier to follow the trend, to decorate our home with the “colors of the year”, to wear the latest fashion clothes, etc. But my mother follows her own trends, her environment is the reflect of what her heart dictates. And that is why she is so unique.

What’s your ideal working day

I like to start the day early, when the morning light fill my little white studio. I listen the quiet daybreak or I put some smooth music, I make some tea or coffee, then I am like a kid in a big sand box. There is so many possibilities. I can do painting, photography or working on the computer. The ideal working day ends with a creative result that I am satisfied with which is not always the case but the journey is always fun.

Coffee or chocolate?

Do I really have to make a choice? What about a Moccacino with a beautiful white mousse on top! : )

What season do you like best and why

Fall and Spring, when it’s not too cold and not too hot and the light is so special.

Where would you go in the world for inspiration

Scandinavia. I think the region is really poetic and the design, so pure.

Who’s your favourite artist, designer or maker

Oooh that is a tough one. There is so many talented artists!! I discover a new favourite one each week. So I would say my favourite artist this week is Caroline Swift. I really love her work, especially those little ceramic bowls as fine as petals and those beautiful spoons.

Eva's links

evajuliet.etsy.com
evajuliet.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/evajuliet/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eva-Juliet/132893705195

handmade : kirkcaldy

Just created a new logo for a pop up shop in Kirkcaldy - I'm hoping they like it. Decided to just call it 'handmade' after brainstorming with my friends and in particular, Tash! What a team!