Meow Meow! I hope everybody is having a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends! I know I've written about how awesome Etsy is and how I can't stop discovering new shops, (not that I want to!)
It really is the artist's market place. Full of amazing unique talent, and my most recent discovery is the artwork of the talented Ann from Twenty Little Lights. (Wait till you read how she named her shop!) When I first saw her art I was instantly drawn to the super cute kitty drawings, they're fun, whimsical and full of life! Ann has also recently started making plushies and decorations, mixing different textiles and materials for an ever interesting mix of art! Here's more from her about her beautiful work, enjoy!
I paint, make plushies and decorations, and sell them in my Etsy shop. I try to make colorful feel-good stuff, for kids, and grown-ups who are still in touch with their inner child. :-)
1/3 of the profit of the paintings and prints is donated to a local cat shelter, Cat Shelter Limburg.
2. How did the name of your shop 'Twenty Little Lights' come about?
It's so hard to come up with a good shop name. I wanted something that sounds neutral but interesting. My garden is a meeting place for every cat in the neighbourhood. At times, in the summer, there were 10 cats lying on the lawn. When the sun went under, you could see all their eyes twinkle. So those are the 20 little lights.
3.What medium/materials do you work the most with?
I work mostly with acrylic paint, ecoline and fabric.
Acrylic paint because I like the texture of it. I like working with my fingers, I need to feel the paint. It dries fairly quickly, which allows you to work fast.
Ecoline has such lovely bright colors, and it's so easy to use. Buying Ecoline colors is a real treat to me, and I can get all excited by it. :-)
A newly discovered medium is fabric. I love looking for new prints, and combining fabrics to make them look more interesting.
4.Is there a certain time of day when you feel the most creative?
I'm an evening person. After my day job I love to retreat in my studio, with some good music and some scented candles.
Although I also enjoy getting up really early on a day off, and see the sun come up while I'm painting, knowing that I have all day to do what I love most. Guess I'm just not a noon person. :-)
5.As a fellow cat lover I know the joy cats bring! Tell us a bit about your cats, their names, likes and dislikes, and their unique characteristics.
5.As a fellow cat lover I know the joy cats bring! Tell us a bit about your cats, their names, likes and dislikes, and their unique characteristics.
I have two cats, Bram and Floor.
I rescued Floor from a cat shelter. When I went to the shelter, I decided that the cat should pick me, not the other way around. And Floor (which means "flower") was the first to jump on my lap. She's a big ball of fluff. She looks a bit like a Maine Coon but is definitely not a pedigree cat.
It took me a lot of patience to make her a bit more social cause she's really skiddish. But eventually she came to me more often to get a cuddle, on her terms that is.
She's not the easiest cat to have around. She can be very sweet, but changing her flea collar or catching her to go to the vet is a battle, in which I am almost always the one that gets hurt. But I love her to bits. She meows often without a sound, just opening her little mouth. That's really cute to see.
Bram is a very big ginger tom cat. He's ok with everything. You can chase him, cuddle him, pick him up, even tease him a bit without him minding a bit.
He likes to play fetch with a drinking straw, just like a dog, and recently my boyfriend taught him to sit when he gets a treat!
He looks really tough, but actually he is a ninny. He's terrified of the vacuum cleaner, and a new empty box for him to play with is interesting but intimidating as well. :-) Toys that make a lot of noise just scare him away.
Bram is a very vocal cat. He talks back to you and always has to have the last word.
My cats are spoiled rotten and I see them as part of my family.
6. Apart from your cats, what inspires you to draw?
Anything can inspire me. A good book, a movie. Pictures in magazines. Sometimes I make a moodboard for a painting, mostly I just see where my brush leads me. Most ideas I get right before falling asleep.
7.Tell us more about the charity you support, and how they help cats.
Cat Shelter Limburg is a non-profit organisation that shelters stray kittens. Instead of putting them in a shelter, they place them in foster homes until they have found their definite home. They do a lot of good work, promoting neutering, giving the kittens medical care and socializing them. It's better for cats to be in a homely environment instead of a shelter, where they don't get the attention and affection they need. In a normal home they can get used to children, everyday life, and other pets.
Every year Cat Shelter organizes an auction with items from famous Belgians and art work that is donated by several artists. This year I took part for the first time, and I will do so next year.
It's amazing what these people do, and how much time and effort they put into it.
8.How has starting an Etsy shop helped you with your art?
It helps me wanting to improve myself, stretching myself, trying new things. When you just paint for yourself, inspiration runs dry and eventually you give up. The shop gives me the energy to keep on making stuff, practicing, and keeping the creative juices flowing.
The creative buzz on the site works stimulating as well.
9.How do you overcome artist's block? (If you have experienced it!)
I have. I think every artist get's stuck sometimes. I am lucky to have two main items in my shop: paintings and things that are made of fabric. When I'm done with painting for a while, I sew, and when I'm out of ideas for plushies and decoration, then I paint or make graphic stuff.
I have to say that I haven't experienced an artist's block since I have the Etsy shop. On the contrary: I have so many ideas for new things that I don't have the time to make them all, and I don't know with what I should start first.
I have. I think every artist get's stuck sometimes. I am lucky to have two main items in my shop: paintings and things that are made of fabric. When I'm done with painting for a while, I sew, and when I'm out of ideas for plushies and decoration, then I paint or make graphic stuff.
I have to say that I haven't experienced an artist's block since I have the Etsy shop. On the contrary: I have so many ideas for new things that I don't have the time to make them all, and I don't know with what I should start first.
10.What is your most favorite color?
My absolute favorite color is green. It is calming yet energizing, depending on its hue. It has a depth that attracts me.
My absolute favorite color is green. It is calming yet energizing, depending on its hue. It has a depth that attracts me.
11.What is your least favorite color?
I don't really have a least favorite color. I don't like drab colors, but every color has its charm when it's used right.
I don't really have a least favorite color. I don't like drab colors, but every color has its charm when it's used right.
12.If you had the chance to meet someone famous (living), who would it be and why?
I had to think about this for a while... But I came up with Milan Kundera. He is my absolute favorite writer. Especially "The unbearable lightness of being" influenced me and touched me enormously. I would love to discuss the book with him.
I wish the interview wasn't over! Haha and I hope you feel the same way :P To check out the rest of Ann's amazing work please visit her at her shop: Twenty Little Lights. She's also on Twitter: www.twitter.com/20LittleLights
And you know it's not complete if facebook isn't in the picture :P www.facebook.com/TwentyLittleLights
Become a fan for updates and promotions! She's running a giveaway now and you don't want to miss it, it's over at Morning Tempest , make sure you go for your chance to win a print!
Thank you for reading! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!
With Love,
Zoe
