Friday, October 12, 2012

Featured Artist: Whimsical Monkey

 


o Tell us a little about yourself
I am a wife and mom to an 8 year old little girl and 2 year old little boy. My husband is a cyclist and works as a bicycle mechanic in a bicycle shop. We live in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado. I started on my home business adventure 8 years ago with henna body art. I grew from doing parties and festivals to contracts with entertainment companies. Last Christmas, I decided to hand make all of my gifts. I made jewelry for all of the women in my family and they absolutely loved it, so I reopened my Etsy shop in February and it has taken off.

 
o Where does your inspiration come from?
My friends! I have some amazingly talented friends who are photographers, models, body painters, makeup artists, performance artists, painters, sculptors, etc. Also, where I live. I live in a beautiful area and can see the mountains by just looking out of my window.

 



 o Who has influenced you the most in your creations?

Wire artists such as Nurrgula, Twisted Sister Arts, Lirimaer, Cook on Strike, and Nix Creations.

o How would you describe your creative process?

Sometimes I will pick a color scheme and it will determine how my piece comes together. Other times I will see a shape, make the shape in wire,   and then build around that shape.

o How do you get out of creative ruts?

By visiting the local bead shops. There is one I go to regularly where the owner has traveled around the world and brought back several kinds of stone beads and metal components. Each piece I have found in there seems to have its own personality and I know just what to do with it.
 
o What advice would you give to aspiring artists?

Don't give up! There is a whole world of supportive artists, groups, youtube videos, tutorials, books, blogs, and websites out there to help you on your path. I don't think I would be where I am at today without them. Never stop learning! Jewelry has this snowball effect. Once you learn one technique, you can apply it to several styles of jewelry and sometimes learn another new technique in the process and it builds on itself.

Links:

Blog: http://whimsicalweavings.blogspot.com/

Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/WhimsicalMonkey

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/whimsicalmonkey





1 comment:

Monique (A Half-Baked Notion) said...

I love Jessica's "Anatomical" and have it as a fave on Etsy. I am so NOT into steampunk but when I saw this piece I just found it so compelling!