artist feature: sarah hickey

self-portrait (background:  "a bird on the wrist is worth two in the bush")

i met sarah, through our love for angelique houtkamp's art, and so many other things.  she is a really beautiful woman inside and out, and a great friend.  i saw her art through meeting her on my blog, and i fell in love with her work.  it exudes female empowerment and celebrates femininity.  i adore her choice of texture and stencils to enhance the beauty of her work.

let's get to know the lady behind the art:

CD:  could you share some information about yourself?
SH:  my name is sarah hickey, and i am a brisbane, australia based artist.  it's only been in the last three years that ive been seriously producing art again after a long hiatus.  i love the journey of it all, although i often want to jump ahead of myself all the time.  it's during those times that i need to remind myself why i do it in the first place - because it makes me happy.

CD:  what is your background in art? 
SH:  i studied fine art at queensland college of art immediately, after graduating from high school.  it seemed like a natural progression at the time, as i'd always been identified as being "arty" throughout my schooling years.

i found these years of study quite tumultuous in many ways.  upon relfection and with the benefit of hindsight, i think i was too young for the degree.  you need to have an inner strenght and knowledge of self to get the most out of it.  i used to marvel at how the more mature aged students handled the course.  the critiquing process can be quite devastating to someone so young and inexperienced.  however, it was a period of intense growth for me and i wouldn't play it any other way.  the unique experience and the subsequent years of not practising art have fired a determination and body of work that seems to keep flowing.  so it's all good.

"queen amazon and her avian entourage"

CD:  what is your approach when it comes to composition?
SH:  i usually like to do a bit of a "mock up" of the composition on an A4 scale before i transfer it onto canvas.  i used to "freestyle" it, and would have to work very hard (often with poor results) to try and make the image "work".  if it works on the smaller scale, it generally works on the larger scale.

sarah hickey's studio

CD:  could you give us a detailed overview or steps when it comes to creating your wonderful art?
SH:  i generally create an A4 collage of collected images of women and animals gathered from a variety of sources - magazines, vintage photography books, printouts of animals from the web, etc...  i prepare the canvas by layering on printed materials/fabrics.  i then, transfer the collaged image onto the canvas, and start to work with acrylics over the top.  i then get spray paint to stencil  patterns / designs on the outskirts of the image.  then, the final step is to use thickly applied oils to separate the subject matter of the painting from the backround image.

"betty the tiger tamer can jump through hoops"

CD:  who are the most influencial artists who you look up to?  and what drew you into their work?
SH:  like many people, i like klimt.  i loved the way he used patterning, structure, and shapes in his work.  he was unabashedly focused on the beauty of the aesthetic in his art.    i love the visual decadence, embellishment, and richness of the art deco period.  i love the fact that art seemed to have a clear purpose too, to enrich and beautify people's daily lives - lofty ideas.

"the kiss" - gustav klimt (source)

i like andy warhol for his business savvy and ability to produce ideas that continue to connect with people today.  when we recently had an exhibition of his work here in brisbane, there were record crowds to the show.  i think it's because people feel his work is somehow accessible.  he used everyday objects or easily identifiable images of people/celebrity that the general public found that they could connect with.  i love that he was once shunned by the art establishment, and then became its ultimate darling.  

"turquoise marilyn" - andy warhol (source)

 i love  a wide range of contemporary illustrators and street artists.  they both seem to have a freshness and vitality about them that is generally represented by new ideas and young blood.


CD:  how do you like the viewers of your work to feel?
SH:  i really want people to trust their gut when it comes to art.  i think the art world has brainwashed people into believing that they "don't know much about art", and that it would be wrong for them to judge.  we are made of a wide variety of people from differnt backgrounds and  contexts, and people should have the right to have different responses to different artists.  that means that some people will like my work and connect with it, others will hate it - everyone has a right to their opinion.  i'm not going to write a five page conceptual paper about why you should look at the work a second time and respect it if your initial response has been a guttural "nope, that's not for me".  okay... off soapbox now...

"girl with owls - candied blond with tattoos"

CD:  do you have a favorite piece, out of the works you've created?
SH:  in every batch or collection of work (i usually work on a group at once), i always have a couple that really stand out.  these are usually the ones that i could sell four times over.  then, there are the images that you need to produce in order to get to those stronger ones. 


i always prefer the most recent images.  sometimes, i look back on my earlier work, and i'm embarrassed to say they're mine.  my poor earlier work - i'm a flippant mistress!

"sally's circus:  band leader and icon with red orchids"

CD:  do you enjoy creating a series or a theme?
SH:  absolutely.  everything is stronger in repetition...  i think it naturally happens this way.  sometimes i think painting (or any artmaking activity) is like a conversation with the spirit.  there seems to be a gust of that energy that sweeps you up in a momentum where you produce several pieces in a small amount of time, then you have a little rest waiting for the next creative wave.


CD:  can you give us 5 words to describe yourself?
SH:  happy, colorful, heartfelt, inspired, and optimistic.

"jane and her coconut macaroons"

 CD:  do you have a most inspirational place?  if so, where is it and why?
SH:  anywhere near the water, or an arty bookshop.


CD:  can you share some of your future plans, for example, the direction of your most recent work?
SH:  horns seem to be making their way into my work.  there seems to be a group of female illustrators at the moment who are particularly attracted by that connection between animal and woman, beauty and mythology.  i love these themes.  i love religious iconography.  chinese propaganda posters and advertising visuals of the 1950's - all the same thing really.  i love the ideal.  we shouldn't be scared of the ideal.  i like to embrace all that is supremely beautiful and unabashedly focused on the aesthetic.  i think my work will continue to focus on these things.  i think the women in my work are maturing, i feel that they are becoming stronger - more fierce in a contained, dignified way.

"she who wears the horns"

CD:  what keeps you motivated?
SH:  people's support of what i'm doing, and my own sense of happiness that comes from being a painting hermit for a while.  an exhibition, through exhausting, really spurs you on.  it's lovely to get that immediate feedback.  people handing over their hard earned dollars, because they've seen a piece and connected with it.

"an eye on the horizon an owl on my wrist"

CD:  do you have any advice to give aspiring artists?
SH:  go for it!


have a small group of one or two people that love you, and want to encourage you on your journey.  they will be your applause when you most need it.


although you'll be impatient for success, take your time and pat yourself on the back for making progressive babysteps towards where you want to be.


leave the peanut gallery out of it - nobody truly knows where you want to go like you do.  even those supportive family, friends, and loved ones!


follow your gut at all times, and spoil yourself often.


you get better at this (i strangely left that out of the equation when i first got started). 


dream big (cliched but so true)... belief is just a thought you keep thinking.  start to believe that artists are worthy and capable of producing great wealth and abundance.  don't buy into the myth that art = poverty.  although in saying this, having another skill up your sleeve helps in the initial stages.


keep going, keep believing, keep producing.  wonderful things are possible and likely to happen.

"vampira sets her sights on another conquest"

i hope you enjoyed learning more about sarah hickey.  if you would like view or get the latest updates on her work, click on the links below:

website:
http://www.sarahhickey.com.au/
facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Hickey/28840197955
twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/sarahhickey5

all images used in this post is courtesy of, and used with the permission of sarah hickey.  please contact her at info@sarahhickey.com.au, if you wish to re-post any images on your blog, or any photo sharing websites.  thank you.

have a great week!
xo, carla

artist feature: angelique houtkamp

i've always been a fan of old school tattoos.  so, it was so natural for me to be drawn to angelique houtkamp's art! angelique hails from netherlands and is a painter and a tattoo artist!  she currently works at admiraal tattoo in amsterdam.

 (source)

i love that her paintings exude the beauty of the ladies in the 1920's and 1930's.  they are playful and funny too...  she currently has two books out:  tattoo darling (2007), and tattoo mystique (2009).

i'm eagerly waiting for her third book:   black and white linedrawings - perfect for tattoo artists (as flash, or templates) perhaps, or for a fan, like me!

here are some of angelique's work that i absolutely adore:

"augusta"

"camille"

"damita"

"fabienne"

"lina"

"love hate"

"magda"

"marie"

"petronella"

"piaf"

"pookie ann"

"sailor's sweetheart"

"vertamae"

i hope you enjoyed her as much as i do...  if you would like to follow angelique's work, check out the following links:

website:
http://www.salonserpent.com
facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Angelique-Houtkamp-Art
shop:
http://www.admiraaltattoo.com/home.html
all images in this post are courtesy and with the permission of angelique houtkamp.  if you wish to re-blog or publish this photo at any photo sharing websites, please contact her at angelique@salonserpent.com.  thank you!

before i go, i just wanted to add this to the post:  amazing make up artistry and a self-portrait by josephine love, using houtkamp's "augusta" as an inspiration...

(source)

happy monday!
xoxo, carla

artist feature: kira shaimanova

i was introduced to kira's work through one of my friends.  i fell in love with this:

"sweet talk"

i started following kira's blog and was inspired by her passion and patience in creating these wonderful 3d illustrations.  she is a very talented canadian, whose hands create the most unique and beautifully haunting pieces of art! 

let's learn more about kira shaimanova!

CD (me):  where are you from, and what made you love what you do?

KS (kira shaimanova):  i'm a toronto illustrator, but i originated from russia.  i'm practically canadian, since i moved here at the young age of five.  i always knew i wanted to be an artist of some sort, and had an interest in sculpture way back in high school.  i had the hardest time trying to find my own unique style.  i was going back and forth between different mediums like acrylic and oil paint, to ink pen, and mix media pieces for years on end.  while in university, i took a class outside of school during the summer - simply for fun.  it was a doll making class that lasted for about a month.  as i started making the head of my doll, i thought, "oh my God!  this is it, this is what i'm going to do".  i fell in love instantly.  i found a way to incorporate these doll characters into sets and photograph them into an illustration form.

 "big hero"

CD:  what drew you into the world of art?  do you have any childhood memories about it?

KS:  my mother was an artist way before me, so i guess you can say i have the artist gene in my family.  although my mother didn't continue her art career and stopped in her early 20's, i was motivated to make this career happen.  my parents got to see my art flourish throughout the years, like early on in elementary school, teachers would approach my mom and tell her i have a talent for art.  they would compare my drawings to other students in the class.

"helping hand"

CD:  how did your studies influence you and your work?

KS:  school definitely helped my development as an artist.  i got to learn all types of mediums and find out what it is i loved to draw.  i am also a big fan of art history classes.  i've taken them all throughout  high school and university.  it is a great benefit to learn about past artists and how various types of art and genres came to be.

"freshly cut bouquet"

CD:   what is your approach to designing and creating your artwork?

KS:  for me, starting a piece of artwork is all about a great concept and a visually intriguing image.   once i have my idea, way before my sketch even comes along, i like to get a rough picture in my mind of lighting and the mood of the piece.  the mood is quite important to me, because people react to colors and how bright and vibrant a piece is versus a mysterious take on an image.  then, i can figure out my composition, and try many variations of the same sketch until i come along something that's visually intriguing.  i try not to do too many sketches of the characters because i love experimenting with their expressions when i start the sculpting process.

"save the prey"

CD:  what is/are your favorite medium/s to work with?

KS:  my favorite, believe it or not, is working with acrylic paint and getting to paint the dolls.  the sculpting process is my second favorite, but actually seeing the little people come to life is amazing.  i never really know what color eyes or hair they'll have in the end.  i just go with the flow, and get a vibe of what details each character needs.

CD:  can you describe your process in creating a 3D illustration and the final photo?

KS: 

1. concept and sketch
2. sculpt or make the heads first (a few layers of clay)
3. create the bodies while the heads dry
4. hands and feet are last, they are added after the body is dry
5. the dolls are all sanded down to get the smooth skin
6. they get painted, and details are added:  hair, eye lashes, etc.
7. the clothing is sewn or glued together
8. the background and set gets created with practically anything (shoe boxes, cardboard, wood, etc.)
9. then i need to figure out the lighting i pictured in my mind
10. i shoot the piece about 2-3 different times, with different lighting approaches until i am happy with the result

kira's creative space:

work in progress, sculpting the head of ella for "cooking with heart":

details added after the head is dry:

the finished product:

 "cooking with heart"

CD:  aside form the project being part of your thesis at school, what drove you to create the "chivalry is dead" series?  what was your inspiration?

KS:  for the thesis, we had to come up with 3 different concept ideas to propose to the professors at the beginning of the 4th year.  in the summer time, i had an idea of doing something with chivalry - how everyone  claims chivalry is dead in today's day and age.  i couldn't think of a unique twist on the concept, so i dropped the idea.  after submitting about 7 different ideas, over a 2 week period, my professor, jody hewgill, a well known illustrator, had rejected everything claiming it wasn't strong enough, or it's been done before.  on the last day of proposing ideas, it just came to me and the end of class to mix chivalry with zombies.  so in the end, my concept from the summer time finally clicked in my mind.

 "portrait of a lady with fox" by jody hewgill

(source)

CD:  do you have a favorite among your sculptural illustrations?  which one is it?  what's the story behind it?

KS:  i love the second piece i did in series, called " be my umbrella".  this piece is showing chivalry to animals, birds in this case, versus only showing acts of kindness towards others.  normally, the scenario would be a gentleman holding an umbrella over his lover to protect her from the rain.  in this case, the zombie's coat is the shelter, and the ribs are in a form of a cage, a safe haven for the birds.

"be my umbrella"

CD:  are there any artists that inspire you to create?  if so, who are they? and why?

KS:  oh, i have plenty of artist that inspire me.  i do wish that one day to reach the success that chris sickels has, or liz lomax - both sculpture illustrators.  i found out about them, after i started my sculpture illustration venture.  it's nice to see different approaches to sculpture illustration.  although, we all use similar mediums, the styles are all so distinctive.  sickel's and lomax's characters and settings are all so unique, and wonderful to look at (versus 2D art).  i think it's definitely time for the world to see new forms of illustration.  sickels and lomax are pretty much the foremost founders of this new style of art.

 "the seeder" by chris sickels

(source)

"the tooth fairy" by liz lomax

(source)

CD:  could you give us five words to describe yourself?

KS:  driven, friendly, punctual, easy-going, and goofy.

CD:  can you tell us something funny that happened to you recently?

KS:  druing my graduation, i was supposed to walk over to shake hands with the dean of OCAD university, and two other honorary doctorates on stage, but as soon as they called my name and got on stage,  i turned to anita kunz, who was also on stage, and waved to her instead.  i was so happy she came to my graduation, and i got to talk to her after the ceremony, such a sweet lady and a brilliant artist.

"the puppet master" by anita kunz

(source)

CD:  what is your favorite or most inspirational place?

KS:  i don't have a specific place, but it's anywhere, around creative people.  i get really inspired being around other artists, and seeing what projects they're working on.  it makes you more driven.  it's totally different socializing with people outside the creative field.  people in the arts think alike, and bond easily, we all see the world in a different light, it's a very beautiful thing.

detail of frames from "mop head"

CD:  what keeps you motivated and what made you realize that this was your calling?

KS:  i like to get to know working artists/illustrators in the field.  seeing what they've gone through when they've started out, and how they were able to reach their goals.  it's motivating to know that if your follow their lead, you can make it too.

i realized art was my calling around the time i was in high school.  i had been doing art all of my life, but on the side, i did modelling for 3 years, dance classes for 5 years, and competitive figure skating for 10 years.  i slowly dropped out of everything, because i knew i wasn't passionate about dance and skating, as i was passionate about art.  i didn't exactly know where i was going to go with it, but i knew i needed to continue, and only focus on art.

 "mop head"

CD:  could you share some of your goals with us?  future projects, etc.?

KS:   i just want to be a successful illustrator, and artist.  i want to inspire other to follow their artistic dreams.  i have the most respect for people who chose an artistic career, over a 9-5 job they hate for the rest of their lives.  if you love it, and it makes you so happy, why not create, for life.

 "lady gaga superstar"

as for future projects, a group of illustrators and i are planning a group show for the late 2010, or early 2011.  it will be a themed show that's in the works.

 "friday night poker"

CD:  do you have any advice for all aspiring artists?

KS:  think of your career as a marriage, a life-long commitment.  there will always be ups and downs, but in the end if you really love it, it is worth working hard for, and you end up learning something new each day.  i still haven't made it to the top, but i will do anything to get there.  you just need to keep creating non-stop, and learn from the people who are already in the position you wish to be in, one day.  everyone has an e-mail address, don't be afraid to ask for advice.

to see more of kira's work and stay updated on her new creations visit the following links:

website: 
http://www.kirashaimanova.com/index.html

blog:
http://kirasillustration.blogspot.com/

facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kira-Shaimanova-Sculpture-Illustration/108813239153471

i hope you enjoyed this interview.  happy sunday everyone!
xo, carla

all images in this post are courtesy and with the permission of kira shaimanova.  if you wish to re-blog or publish this photo at any photo sharing websites, please contact her at kira@kirashaimanova.com.  thank you!