artist feature: pretty little thieves

i discovered pretty little thieves through a beautiful mess, and i've been following nancy mungcal's work ever since...  not only is this selft-taught artist,  talented, but she is also a philanthropist.  i was lucky enough to own a couple of her original works through etsy (which were for a good cause too).

"the community"

get to know the talent behind pretty little thieves, nancy mungcal:

"self-portrait"

CD (me):  could you share a little bit about yourself?

NM (nancy mungcal):  i wear glasses and currently live in california.  i am inspired by my family and friends, music, books, art, photography, design, and travel.  i love animals especially pugs and wolves.  i wish i could play the guitar.  i feel lucky to get to share my work.

"bird like"

 

CD:  what is your approach when it comes to composition?


NM:  i constantly fill notebooks and sketchbooks so i often refer to the things i've drawn or jotted down to inform my work.  at other times, the work comes together in the process

"support group"

CD:  who are the most influential artist that you look up to?  and what drew you into their work.

NM:  i find music and books to be transforming.  i find myself insfluenced and inspired by the work of my favorite musicians and writers.  i am drawn to the emotions and stories told.

"her outlook was different"

CD:  your work, in my opinion, sends a beautiful yet melancholic emotion.  is this intentional?

NM:  thank you for the wonderful compliment.  it is unintentional but tends to show up naturally.

"your black heart"

CD:  how do you like the viewers of your work to feel?

NM:  the really amazing thing about art is that the viewer connects to the work in their own way.  to me, the biggest compliments about my work i have received have been the ones where my work has reminded the viewer of herself, or a friend, or a sister.

"two heads are better than one"

CD:  do you have a favorite piece, out of the works you've created? 

NM:  i don't have a favorite piece but i tend to have some pieces that i can't let go of.

"crazy talk"

CD:  some artists, create a series of their work.   do you like doing this?  does it influence you to create works based on a theme?

NM:  there seems to be prevalent themes in my work like loss, heartache, friendship, duality, sisterhood, and sadness.  these seems inherent and are constantly influencing my work.

"a real mess"

CD:  do you have an inspirational place?  if so, where is it and why?


NM:  i'm a fan of road trips and finding or discovering new places to be real inspiring.  i also find the woods to be amazing magical places

"the things we share"

CD:  a lot of us were affected by or moved by the gulf oil crisis...  what are your views on it?  what inspired the creation of "for your friends"?

NM:  i found the gulf oil crisis devastating.  the images of the animals covered in oil were especially difficult to see.  "for your friends" was actually a painting my five year old niece asked me to paint.

"for your friends"

CD:  can you share some of your future plans, fund-raising causes you participate in, or the direction of your most recent work?


NM:  to continue to put my work out there, to find new avenues for my work, and to help when i can to raise funds for causes that i believe in.

collage of earlier works for the drawing for a cure project

CD:  what keeps you motivated to do what you do?


NM:  a love and a fierce (stubborn) determination for the creative process.

"what matters to us"

CD:  do you have any advice to give aspiring artists?


NM:  i'll share the advice i've been given, which are:  don't wait, keep putting your work out there, don't give up, and always be brave.  i remind myself of these constantly.

"friends with glasses"

website:
http://prettylittlethieves.com/home.html

blog:
http://prettylittlethieves.blogspot.com/

shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/prettylittlethieves
i hope you enjoyed pretty little thieves! 

xo,
carla