Monday Spotlight On: Mark Trussell of WrathofRa

A writer and editor currently living in Seoul, South Korea, Mark Trussell is originally from British Columbia, Canada.  Painting and drawing since he was a child, he became addicted to the creating Egyptain-themed art after seeing pictures of Egyptians in a baby Moses tale at church.  Married to a wonderful man, Mark and his partner have a Yorkie named Louis, and will be returning to Canada this year, to reside in Vancouver.

The artistic talent behind WrathofRa, Mark is another of those clever and snarky folks I met on the Regretsy forums.  I don't remember how I first stumbled onto his artwork, but I do know it immediately brought out the child in me, the little sixth-grader that was obsessed with Egyptology, who spent half that year trying to learn to write (and even speak) Ancient Egyptian fluently along with her best friend.  However, Mark's work also bring out the adult in me, as his artwork often contains a bit of tasteful nudity.  This interview is also very true to Mark: honest, bright and entertaining.  

Pharaoh's Court, Fine Print

Tell us three other things about yourself.
I have lived in Canada, US, India, Singapore, Italy, and South Korea.

My hobby is collecting action figures (Star Wars/Trek, LoTR, Batman)

I detest the words “moist” and “pudding.”

Your theme is Egyptian art, but what’s your medium and how did you get into it?
I paint and draw with acrylic, coloured markers and pencils. I use a lot of gold leaf as well, and paint mostly on wooden materials which have been discarded. Many ancient artifacts are simply things that people threw out or discarded. Now they are priceless art. I like the idea of making trash into art NOW rather than waiting thousands of years.

So many pharaohs, so little time. What’s your favorite thing you’ve made?
Many things, but right now I am quite partial to Monapatra.

Monapatra

The era of the civilization you love to paint has been gone for thousands of years.  From where do you take inspiration?

I have a collection of archaeology books on ancient Egypt. Also, I like the idea that some of my work almost looks like modern perfume advertisements…so I get ideas from promotional materials in magazines etc.

Name one piece of art you wish you’d created and why?
I usually make everything I want. I really want to learn more about sculpture though. I’d love to work with clay.

I like you're interpretation of that question.  Most people take it to mean other people's art. What are you doing when you’re not crafting?
Playing on Regretsy forums, walking my dog, working, writing, cooking, having sex, going to the bathroom, drinking cheap red wine, biting my fingernails, watching porn, talking on Skype to my mom, checking out Facebook, arguing with my husband, contemplating my purpose in the universe.

Nefertiti Print

All of those things could be great inspiration.  If you had to give up your medium and pursue another, what would it be and why?

Probably clay. I really would like to work more with 3-D art.

Tell us about a time you were making something that came out better than expected and how it happened.

I was doing a portrait of Queen Margherita and was using an old pizza box to mix my paint. Suddenly, I realised that pizza margherita was actually named after her. So, I painted her on the pizza box and it turned out great.

Who is one person living or dead, famous or not, who you wish owned one of your creations and why?

Meryl Streep. She’s fabulous. Who wouldn’t want her to own their creations?

How would you explain how to do what you do to an eight year old?

“I paint pretty pictures of Egyptian people from long ago onto wood. No, that’s not a penis/boob/bum. Okay, you really shouldn’t be looking at this.”

(Just as a side note, I'd like to say, I personally believe children should be exposed to nudity in art, so they can understand there is nothing wrong with the beauty of the human body or using that beauty in something you create. Anyway, back to the main program).  What’s your favorite part of the process?

Doing the details. I love putting in tiny jewels or details onto my work. Most people would find it tedious…but it’s my favourite part.

One random thing you think people should know.

Pharaoh Hatshepsut was one of the most powerful pharaohs in Egyptian history. She was also a woman…a rarity. But she actually dressed in drag and even wore a false beard.



Where can people find you if they want to learn more about your art?
Shop:  www.wrathofra.etsy.com
Blog: www.thebluebells.wordpress.com

Gods and Goddesses: Osiris, Fine Print

We've talked so much about historical figures, let's switch it up a bit. One last question: if you could be a character in fiction, who would you be?

I would be Lestat in Interview with a Vampire…because he’s sexy, powerful, and lives for a very long time.

Stuff I Love: Art

I wish I had more room to put art on the walls and the money to put it there, and perfect frames to put it all in.  Here are a few of the things I'd get, given the chance.

Pearl by AmberAlexander

Anyone who's seen one of my sketchbooks knows I love drawing Rococo era ladies in their tall wigs and gorgeous gowns, so of course this lovely Marie Antoinette-style woman with her friendly rodent companion, by Amber Alexander, hits me right where I art.

Steam and Sails by EllyMackay

Okay, anyone who has ever read my blog has probably seen Mackay's work before.  I love her stuff and actually already own two of her prints. Recently, though, she came out with a new series featuring steamboats which I love just as much as her other stuff and which somehow seems just as magical even though its a simple city and water scene.

May by ErinTyner

Erin Tyner's work has shown up here before as well, in the SIL about miniature.  I find her photography of train model figures in little landscapes slightly surrealist, breathtaking and beautiful (and yes, photography is art).

Winter Rains by Kecky

This print from Kristin Kemper was one of the first things I favorited once I got into Etsy, and even now I still love it. It evokes everything it is supposed to.  I look at it and think of winter and coldness and rain and stillness.  It moves me in a way there aren't quite words for.  As a matter of fact, every piece I've selected today, evokes emotion in me, invokes a part of me.  After all, isn't that what good art should do?

Monday Spotlight on Suhita of Sketch Away

I've decided to start trying to do theme weeks, where each of the five posts on Monday through Friday will all tie in together a bit.  This week is 'art' week and I'm starting out with an interview with Suhita, an amazing artists I met through my treasury team.  She's been the inspiration for quite a few of my treasuries with her watercolor illustrations.  Suhita lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a self-described obsessive sketcher, doodler and graphic designer.

Orange Temple and Flags

Tell us three other things about yourself.
I am one of those people that grew up loving to draw, forgot about it along the way, and came back to it only a couple of years ago.
I am inspired by travel, both to faraway places, and in taking a fresh look at the everyday world around me.
I had a pet tortoise for more than 20 years. I had to give him to the friend when I moved across the world and couldn't take him with me...

That's really cool.  Turtles and tortoises are some of my favorite creatures.  What’s your medium and how did you get into it?
My medium of the moment is pen, ink and watercolor. I love the simplicity and immediacy of the medium and that watercolor has a mind of it's own. It helps me keep it light and loose and let go.

When I'm painting, I have the same choice of medium, but for different reasons.  What’s your favorite thing you’ve made?
My favorite works are always sets of sketches that remind me of a trip, like this set from a recent trip to India.

From where do you take inspiration?
From travel, both near and far. And when I'm not literally traveling, I like to look at everything around me as a newcomer would... it makes the everyday and mundane interesting. Like the ferris wheel my kids rode while I made the sketch below or this one of poppies growing by a fire hydrant.

Ferris Wheel A Summer Carnival

You make beautiful art of your own, but name one piece of art you wish you’d created and why?
This is hard! There are just so many, many artists who's work I love, it's hard to pick just one. Or even just 10!

What are you doing when you’re not crafting?
I am a graphic designer, illustrator and have a 4 and a 6 year old who are threatening to bring in a pet into the family. Between it all, I have my hands and days full.

Even though you've already got a full plate what would you take up if you had to give up your medium and pursue another?
I think I'd enjoy acrylics just because they're great for the bright, bright colors I enjoy using. And, they're relatively easy to cleanup... One reason I shy away from oils is the cleanup involved!

You should try them.  Acrylics are really fun and can have that same immediacy, because they dry quickly and can force you to work the same way.  Tell us about a time you were making something that came out better than expected and how it happened.
I'm constantly surprised by which of my pieces works and which doesn't: I work very quickly, often reacting and sketching without premeditated ideas. So its always interesting to see what I end up capturing.

Empire State Building Modern Art Deco

Who is one person living or dead, famous or not, who you wish owned one of your creations and why?
My hero is an artist/illustrator called David Gentleman, who travelled the world and made books of incredible sketches from his trips. I've tried tracking him down and emailing him to let him know how much his work inspires me, but I haven't been able to get in touch yet.

How would you explain how to do what you do to an eight year old?
Exactly the way I tell it to a grown up: I draw and paint. That is really all I do. If I end up capturing the essence of the scene I work on, it works. Since I sketch on location, I often have kids come peek at what I'm doing: at museums, in parks. They're always surprised to see an adult drawing. I didn't realize how surprising this would be to a kid until a kid came by on a recent trip to the Metropolitan Museum in New York, looked at my book, and said "look mom, she's drawing and she's a grown up!".

Afternoon Light

That tells me more artist need to be paintingin public, so children know they can keep being creative all their lives.  What’s your favorite part of the process?
The doing. Truly. That 20 minutes to an hour that I draw/paint each piece is a frenzied yet zen process. to make it work, you have to be totally present in the moment,and it all comes together intuitively: the line,the color, the mood.

One random thing you think people should know.
It's never too late to pick up an old passion and take it to the next level.

Your shop address/facebook/Twitter/blog/website.
Shop: http://www.sketchaway.etsy.com
Blog: https://sketchaway.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sketch-Away/194253643924688
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/sketchaway

City in Purple Pink and Mauve

And my last, usual, random question.  If you could be a character in fiction, who would you be?
Long John Silver. He wasn't the nicest guy, but I loved him as a kid!

Illustration Friday #4(.2)

I know, I know, I know.  I already did this and I said I didn't believe in using something made for another purpose for the Illustration Friday thing....but this particular painting was done after I received this week's theme and it just seemed to fit so well.  (Reminder: the theme is launch.)

I haven't named it yet.  I was going to call is "Escape" but I have to admit, I'm liking "Launch" better.  It's done technically a mixed media piece (the sailboat was hand drawn and collaged in) but it's mostly acrylics.

I love this painting because it was so unintentional and came out so well.  I started painting on the panel, fully intending to paint some of my usual trees and weird plants, and there I was spackling blue and white paint on with a filbert (my most favorite of brush shapes), when suddenly I just knew it had to be a seascape instead.  Then I started painting the sea and knew there had to be an island looming. I painted the island and knew there had to be a boat (and that the boat needed to be paper, not painted on).  It was a painting that just felt right to do from start to finish so I had to share.

The whole reason I did this painting by the way is for the upcoming Community Mosaic at Seed Gallery in Winston-Salem, by the way, so if you live up that way, you should go when it opens.  There'll be more on that later.

PAAGP Video

The Project Art Aid Goes Pink exhibition is coming up on June 17th, with all of the awesome paintings in this video up for grabs during a silent auction.  It's a fun video to watch and it'll be a fun event to go to if you live in the Charlotte area (and all of the bidding starts at 50$, so you could potentially get some really amazing art for a really great price).

If you're interested in attending, go here to buy tickets.  One of those hundred-plus paintings you just saw fly by is mine and will be up for grabs! 

Stuff I Love: Trees

Yeah, yeah.  Not a very creative title today, I know, but I'm feeling kind of tired.  The long and short of it is here is some cool handmade awesomeness and art, straight from Etsy.  All of these things come from my favorites list.

This first one is a painted Victorian style silhouette, with trees inside from the shop, theblackbirdsings, which is the art of Natasha Newton.  I love this simply because it combines two thing I love to put in my art, clean lines and, well, trees.  If an original painting is a bit out of your price range, she also carries lots of other beautiful smaller things from moleskines to postcards.

Silhouette of a Lady with Branches

I adore TheHauntedHollowTree's prints, especially her trees.  They are so fitting to the name of her shop and are done very uniquely with the art of pyrography (woodburning).  The art is serene, subtle, dark and so absolutely elegant.

The Companions Signed Print

Okay, so this next one merely has a tree as the logo, However, Julia and her husband, at BelleTerre are not only local soapmakers (which makes me happy), but they make amazing, completely natural soaps while trying as hard as humanly possible to be totally green and organic in doing it (which should make you happy).  Eventually, I will stop buying their soap when I get good at making my own, but I hope all of you, who love natural soap like I do, will try a bar of theirs.

Lemongrass Shea All-Natural Handcrafted Soap

Finally, if there is one thing I love more than trees, it is my first morning cup of coffee.  I recently got a small espresso a machine with some of our wedding money and I start every day out with a latte and these mugs from marywibis would be the perfect size to hold one, with just a dollop of creamy froth peeking over the top.  (I also love that I, inadvertently, picked another North Carolina artists).

Set of Two Winter Mugs

This won't be the last of trees you see from my favorites, I'm sure.

Love At First Sight

There is such a thing.

It had to have been the very late 90's or early 2000's, because I was in NoDa (our arts district) back when it was better (more on that in another post), on a Gallery Crawl Friday.  I used to go to Noda nearly every weekend, stopping in all the galleries from Green Rice to Beet, and ending up at Fat City to watch firedancers outside, eat a grilled cheese, and undoubtedly lust after some boy whose band was playing.

But before I got around to all that, I walked into the (now-defunct) Center of the Earth gallery and immediately fell in love with an artist.

The painting was called "Invitation to Optimism" and it showed a woman with wings, head bowed, holding a dark frame.  Behind her, on the horizon, was a line of dead trees, but inside the shape of the painting they all bloomed brilliantly.   It was everything I ever wanted to see in a painting, everything I wanted to be in an artist. It was soft, ethereal, surreal. It had a bit of fantasy, darkness and just enough light.

The artist's name is Duy Huynh (pronounced Yee Wun), a Vietnamese-born artist who moved to the United States as a child  in the 80's and found refuge in art in a new and foreign place.  Obviously, he grew up, got great and makes breathtaking works.

His paintings were often shown at Center of the Earth, and whenever I went down to a gallery crawl, I would go look, see if there were new ones, look at the old ones.  Eventually, I stopped chasing the boy in the band and stopped going to Noda quite so much.  Whenever I would go down there, however rare, I would still look, and dream of the day (which hasn't happened yet) on which I'd own one of his painting or, better still, the day when my art would compare.

Center of the Earth is closed, and Huynh opened his own gallery a few years back, Lark and Key, first one in Noda, then one in South Charlotte.  The one in Noda closed and I haven't seen a painting of his in person since.  Still, like an old girlfriend checking on the flame she never quite fell out of love with, I still often look up his work online, visit his website, and that of his gallery, and dream little dreams that are not quite as beautiful as his paintings.

Project Art Aid

As some of you may know, if you follow me on Facebook as well (if you don't and want to, it's right here), I have been working on a couple of pieces for donation to Project Art Aid, an effort by the American Cancer Society to raise money for breast cancer research here in Charlotte.

I am contributing two pieces.  The first, pictured below, is a small 6 x 6 painting that will be hung at Presbyterian here in town in a large mosiac with ninety-nine other pieces.  All of the painting combined should illustrate a large heart.

I am also donating a slightly larger piece (12 x 12 inches) that will be available for purchase at a silent auction which will be held on  June 17th at Wachovia Atrium from 6 to 9 pm.  The bidding for any painting starts at fifty dollars and tickets to the event are fifteen dollars.   During the auction, the mosaic of one hundred paintings (One Heart One Hundred Artists) will also be unveiled.  If you are interested in a chance to bid on some beautiful artwork by a massive collection of local artists while doing some good, go to Project Art Aid's website right here to purchase tickets and see a few of the works that will be on display.

The Conjoined Twins

While technically not new, this painting hasn't appeared on this blog before.  I created it last summer and it hung in the coffee shop I worked at until we closed.  Since then it has been sitting in my room, waiting to be photographed and listed on Etsy, for as much as I love my work, I can't keep it forever.

There was a tree by the bus stop I took to work every day and, to me, the tree looked like it was two grown from one seed or two separate tree that grew together as they grew upward.  Regardless of how it happend, I found the way their branches arched out from each other interesting.  To me it looked like they were tired of being together and were trying to grow apart.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73789832/the-conjoined-twins-ooak-original

On a side note, I'm never sure whether to call them painting or illustrations.  I use mostly watercolor and ink applied with a brush, but I use and hold the brush like a pen much more often than not, as though I am 'drawing' on the color.  What defines a painting, I wonder?

The Pom Trees

I am going to try to make a short post whenever I have a new piece to show.  I finished a whimsical little painting tonight, I call "The Pom Trees."  It's four by six inches on 140 lb cold press watercolor paper (I love watercolor blocks) and was illustrated with water and ink.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73785987/the-pom-trees-ooak-original-illustration

Monday Spotlight on: Jaime of ArtInspiredLife

Jaime is another April's Army member and a woman who has achieved the kind of realism in art that most of the rest of us wish we were capable of.  At the same time, she manages to balance it with equally surreal works that are just as beautiful. 


Tell us three things about yourself.
1) I am a stay at home mom with 2 kids ages 4 and 18 months.
2) I am an oil painter, portrait artist, and surrealist.
3) I have lived in many cities in 9 different states all over the US. I am truly a nomad and will always be searching for that green grass.

What's your medium and how did you get into it? My main medium is oil, though I can work with many artist mediums. I got into oil, because I can work with the drying time much better than anything else I've tried. I love the look of the final product, and I can achieve the desired results better with oil than any other medium.

What's your favorite thing you've made? All of my paintings are my babies, but this one is my absolute favorite 

Tangled in Purgatory 

From where do you take inspiration? As a small child, I thought that art was something you learned, no different than reading, writing, walking, etc. Two of my aunts are fine artists, my dad can draw, my uncle draws comic book characters, my mom does crafts, my grandfather painted, and an aunt on my mom's side owns an art gallery. So i grew up thinking artistic talent was quite normal. It wasn't until I got to school that I found out it wasn't. My favorite artist is Salvador Dali, he inspires me because he was famous during his life, so that gives me hope. He also died of old age and painted all the way up to his last days. I can look at his work over and over and always see something new.


Name one piece of art you wish you'd created and why? When I lived in Florida, there were huge fires all over the state. One day I went for a walk during the fires. I came to a lake, with a pier that went to the middle, I sat at the end of the pier and saw the most amazing sight. The lake was surrounded by trees, on my left side there was an enormous smoke cloud. It was brown, black, white and thick smoke that engulfed that side of the sky.  When I looked straight ahead there was beautiful clear blue sky. On my right there was an equally enormous storm cloud with sun beams bursting through it and lightning bolts. The storm cloud was very dark, angry and ominous, but it was nature on it's way to help put out the fire. It was the most magical and frightening thing I have ever seen. The image is still in my head and I will paint it one day, I just haven't found the right canvas.

What are you doing when you're not crafting?When I am not painting, I am a mother. I take care of my kids and the house. I'm in charge of finances, making appointments with doctors, dentists, etc. Cooking, laundry, all the mom stuff, there's not a lot of time for much else.

If you had to give up your medium and pursue another, what would it be and why? I have always been curious about welding, I am also a sculptor, I just don't have the workspace. I think that teaching art would be the only other replacement for what I do.

Tell us about a time you were making something that came out better than expected and how it happened. 

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/42936406

This one turned out way better than I could have imagined. The only way my work comes out this good is when I turn off my mind, and go into a kind of meditative state. At that point I paint more with my heart and feelings and I get lost in the work. Usually I will overthink technique and the piece doesn't come out as good. The heart isn't there. My work is always better when I'm on autopilot.

Who is one person living or dead, famous or not, who you wish owned one of your creations and why? I love when anyone takes an interest in my work, but I'm sure if someone like Oprah owned one of my pieces, I could say I have truly made it.

How would you explain how to do what you do to an eight year old? I would first let them know that there is no such thing as perfect art. I would teach them techniques, but never focus on right or wrong. I would encourage them to experiment and paint with their heart, and not get hung up on whether it looked just like the subject. Children can become discouraged easily by being told they are doing something wrong.

What's your favorite part of the process? The smell of the paint, and getting my hands dirty. I also love the meditation that comes with shutting off all logical thoughts. Getting lost in my work, gives me similar feelings as falling in love.

One random thing you think people should know. When you purchase a painting from an artist, no matter what you've paid for that piece, it is always difficult for the artist to let that piece go. We are very attached to our pieces. I love when my art sells, but it is hard to say goodbye.

Amsterdam Blond Bottle

What did you want to be when you were ten? An artist, I have wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember.

If you want to see more of Jaime's work in her Etsy store, you can check it out  here.
You can visit and fan her Facebook page here  or follow her Twitter  right here.  
Last but not least, read more about her at her blog, over here.

Monday Spotlight On: Alisa of ArtbyAlisaSteady

I found Alisa how I find most of my interviewees: my Etsy teams.  Another member of Etsy Entrepreneurs and a talented illustrator and traditional artist, she jumped at the opportunity and I'm happy to have had the chance.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I was born in a Hoosier in Indianapolis, IN. My family moved to Madison, WI shortly after I was born and we lived there until I was seven. Then we moved to a town north of Chicago, IL where I survived my formative years.  I always painted and drew pictures for birthday gifts and home decorations (especially around Halloween and Christmas time), then attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago, IL, and am now trying to pursue art full time.

What's your medium and how did you get into it?
It all started with a desire to paint with something that squirted out of a tube. So happened to be a sale on watercolor pigment - in a tube. Then when I went to art school, my teachers who I admired painted in watercolor and I fell in love with the medium. I am also having a love affair with acrylics, too (which come in bigger tubes!).

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68431102/mha-caat-original-aceo-dave-what-have

What's your favorite thing you made and why?
My favorite thing I made was a poster size Ravinia poster for the 1997 season. There was a contest in all the Chicago art schools, and my poster won fourth place. I created it out of vinyl - but it has since been destroyed in a basement flood.

What is the one piece of art you wish you'd been the creator of and why?
Hm, that's a tough one. I would say the Sistine Chapel by Michaelangelo. I admire his discipline painting non-stop for four years, even by candle light, on his back. The sheer discipline and will to get it done is staggering.

If you had to give up the medium you work in now and take on another what would it be/why?
I would take on FIMO clay. It would be very cool to create art in 3-D using a whole differnt set of skills.

If you could have one piece of your work owned by one person living / dead, who would it be and why?  Sammy Davis, Jr. I love the Rat Pack era (early 60's when Vegas was untouchable), and I admire him as a performer and individual. In a different dimension, to think that he liked one of my pieces enough to purchase and hang in his home would send me over the moon.

An important piece of advice you've learned along the way. 
The most important thing I've learned is stick to it. Take advantage of Etsy's treasuries and create your own; become involved with like-minded teams; and buy Etsy. I believe in karma, and if you buy a treasure from another gifted artist, your beautiful art will be purchased in kind. And remember, great customer service is the key. Be certain that whatever little piece of art you created that is sent out the door is the best representation of who you are as an artist and business owner. 


One random thing you would like to add, that's not covered here.
Even if you're not business-minded (like me), go with your instincts. Mirror those artists you admire. And don't be afraid to seek guidance from your contacts. It's amazing what you will learn.


_______________
Sidenote:
Hello, readers! I will be gone travelling this week to Florida, to help finish the planning of my upcoming wedding and so there will be no Treasury Tuesday or any other regular blog posts until at least Friday.  I am hoping I will have the time, while gone, to write the Friday Feature and post it when I return that evening (if not I'll try to do it on Saturday).   Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week, everyone!
--Jessica--