Guys!

Oh ma gawd. Friday has arrived, how did that happen? Don’t you feel time is just flying by lately?

Today I have a little interview for you with Malta-born artist Elisa von Brockdorff (she’s the funky gal in the image above!). Elisa totally caught my eye with her photographs; she loves to find beauty and colour in the ordinary. She can also transform doll houses into bright little fairy-like lighthouses, pretty cool, yah?

Before we jump to the interview, I just wanted to quickly share with you that I am the featured blogger of the month over at Blog Brunch! YAY! Thanks so much guys, so honored :)

Alright, interview time! Enjoy

Who is Elisa?
Elisa is a freelance photographer who currently lives in Malta. Three years ago, she completed an MA in Fine Art in the UK. Her work, be it photography or installation art is created by staging mundane, often colourful objects within spaces. These interventions display a contrast between materials and challenge the scale of the objects, whilst projecting irony or humour. She is also keen on fashion photography.

When did you start making art?
Ever since I was very little I can always remember being fascinated by the process of ‘putting materials together’ to create something else. Hence I liked craft books and would make my own little constructions out of objects I found at home. That was the start of my fascination for the ‘staged world’.

Who / what influences your art?
In general, I make it appoint to look at others’ creative work, be it art, photography, fashion and design on a daily basis. However I also get influenced by colour, repetition and light, as well as mundane objects and occurrences – for instance plastic goods in a shop might inspire me to create an installation.

Which tools do you use to keep track of your inspiration?
I have a large folder on my pc which is further subdivided into art, fashion photography, fashion design, interiors and graphic design. Whenever I come across an image that draws my attention, I make sure to save them and often make reference to them later. I’ve recently also started using Pinterest to keep track of images I enjoy. When it comes to documenting ideas for installations or photography work, I like to make a quick pencil drawing in my sketch book – sometimes the work evolves into an artwork, other times it remains a sketch.

Who are some of your favorite artists?
There are a lot of artists I admire though here are a few. David Batchelor for his colourful installations. Liz Wolfe for her playful, staged photographs. I really love Tim Walker’s photographs – in his work I see the two worlds of fashion and art merge together so strongly and beautifully. There are also many other photographers I find extremely inspiring, such as Miles Aldridge, Sophie Delaporte, Steven Klein and Lara Jade to name a few.

What would be your advice for people wanting to pursue a creative career but don’t know where to start?
As cliché as it might sound, first you have to believe and be convinced you can make it since there might the tendency for people around you to discourage you initially – claiming it’s not an easy career move since there is a lot of competition bla bla – and that’s not something helpful! Get to know what you are good at and do a lot of that. Don’t expect money to roll in instantly. It’s ok to do some unrelated work on the side whilst you work on personal projects to enhance your skills and portfolio. Market yourself – upload your work on social networks, exhibit your work and create a professional website. Then target potential clients in your niche – contact them and show them your work. Not all will reply but don’t get discouraged. Continue developing your skills within the field you chose and look at your contemporaries’ work… and keep in mind that good things will come to those who work hard!

Excellent advice Elisa! You gotta trust yourself and work hard, the rest will follow.

Thanks so much for your time Elisa and thanks guys for joining us for this interview. Don’t forget to drop by Elisa’s site and give her some love!

Happy Friday amigos!

Wow, this week went flying didn’t it? Monday came and first thing you know, boom! You’re already making Easter eggs.

Today I have a little interview for you with collage artist Jenny Brown. I found Jenny’s art while browsing through Mammoth and Company - a mega cool site where you can buy beautiful, affordable art. The colour, details and jellyfish-like shapes in Jenny’s work made my heart skip a beat – hence, she’s an Artful Friday-ee.

Sit down, get comfy and enjoy the interview!

T.A.D. Who is Jenny Brown?

Jenny: I am an artist living and working in Providence, Rhode Island. My primary mediums are drawing and collage, and I have a special interest in working with found materials.

T.A.D. When did you start making art?

Jenny: I began making art as a child. I loved drawing houses and creating my own blueprints and city maps. I got serious about my work when I was about 19 and a student at Bennington, and at the time was very focused on painting.

T.A.D. What or who influences your art?

Jenny: I am influenced by nature in the sense that I feel like I am always trying to “understand” the natural world in my work. My lifelong hobby of collecting antiques brought me to my interest in found papers, photographs and books.

I felt as I began to mature as an artist, I needed to find a way to bring these found materials into my work. As for artists, one of my earliest influences was the work of Philip Guston. Right now, I love looking at the work of Mary Delaney, a British artist who created an amazing series of botanical drawings in the 1700s.

T.A.D. What’s on your current playlist?

Jenny: the past weeks I’ve been listening to The Black Keys, Radiohead’s “The Bends,” Kate Bush and jazz works by Wes Montgomery. An odd collection, I know, but it keeps me going!

T.A.D. What do you do to recharge your creative batteries?

Jenny: When I get frustrated with my work, I like to step away and do something completely different…errands, clean, buckle down at my day job. And always, after a few hours away, I feel calmer. I remember how lucky I am to be able to make art, and that I need to remember it isn’t something to stress about, but rather, something to have fun with and enjoy!

Great advice Jenny! I think sometimes all us get trapped in the stress ball of “I HAVE to do [insert occupation/hobby here]” and we forget about the fun part. Whether you’re creating art as hobby or as a full-time job, you should always remember to enjoy it! If you don’t, then creativity will say laters dude! Gonna get a new mind to inspire, and you don’t want that right?

Lucky for you it’s the long weekend! So take some time for yourself – pamper your soul. Promise?

Jenny! Thanks so much for your time and sharing a little glimpse into your creative life.

Happy weekend everyone :)

Don’t forget to give Jenny some LOVE by sending her a tweet or visiting her site. Even better, get some of her beautiful art over at Mammoth and Company.

There are a few times when I feel as hyper as I feel right now. It’s usually triggered by something or someone that made me have a massive grin from ear to ear.

It usually happens at Christmas or when it snows and you cannot get to work. In this case, it’s thanks to my brand new post (yeah, I am bragging, big time!!! ) at Cargoh . It looks so pretty!!! It’s like my 1st baby. Now I am totally addicted and I want more of this. FEED ME BABIES!

I got so excited about it that my hair went into an instant mexi-crazy head, Whoopi style . So once again, in case you didn’t see the link, here… eat it, enjoy it, rub it, pounce it, grab it and do it again.

http://www.cargoh.com/blog

I’m off to watch Sister Act and eat tacos to celebrate.

PS to make this post even sexier, listen to this guy, David Vertesi, his voice is like an air born juggernaut. Drool…

music-player?sindex=-1.0&shuffle=false&amix=false&pmix=false&plid=28100&artid=13408254&sseed=0&ptype=3&stime=67.134&ap=1&rpeat=false

Gbox

Don’t worry this post won’t self destroy in 10 seconds, and no, Tom Cruise will not come and rescue you before your crappy laptop blows up. Even if you were in danger, he is probably super busy skyping and counseling some confused gay alien that’s trying to leave the mother ship to come down and party-hardy for Pride week.

Actually this lil´post is about tonite’s amazing experience. I went to the SALON night for The Cheaper Show #9 . To be honest I was very, very nervous but at the same time, massively excited.

I got to meet some funky-sexy-artsy-smartsy artists from all walks of life. I thought these artists would be nerdy uptight asses, the type of artists that , when you ask them something about their art they would be all like ” you don’t ask questions about my art, you just stare at it and let it be…fuck…..”  or the typical ” There is no explanation for what I do, I just do it when it needs to be, because when I do it…. it’s been done and has been, and I did it, cuz I’m real,  you get it? ”  uh…..well….uh….

But this WAS NOT the case AT ALL. Artists were SO friendly! They even wore pins that said “I’m an artist” , how cool! is not an everyday thing that you get to mingle with them. This was a super rewarding experience AND it really proofs that, nowadays everybody can have access to art. There are so many resources that are inexpensive and that showcase great talented people from all over the place -whether it be social media, blogs, websites, market places or an open house – you can have access to all of it, supporting up and coming young talent.

Anyways, I’m pooped, I walked like 1000km today. So as proof of a successful night I give you this:

My green rug, full of business cards that I got from people at the show, a bag of pizza and of course, my own personal Cargoh planner. Thank you Cargoh! if you were a mechanical bull, I would ride you everyday!!!

Gbox.

PS By the way my blog is called Gbox, not Gspot, (you know who, you dirty bastard)