Maker's Series: Mary Kim Ceramics and Paintings

        With my mind wondering more and more to gift giving I thought today's local maker should be Mum of two and maker of all things imaginative Mary Kim. Mary's work is very illustrative and she has over the years created everything from one off zines, super cool patches, colouring sets to her colourful and fun ceramics. This year Mary has come out with mini mugs- perfect for little hands on a chilly days- my own Littles are each getting one in their stockings- sure to be used for many an after school hot chocolate!

       Mary's work has always interested me- I wondered where she got her inspiration from not to mention the illustrative nature that encompasses all of her work. Fortunatly for me Mary was gracious enough to answer a few of my questions as well share a few of her new designs! Born and raised in Calgary she attended the Alberta Collage of Art and Design followed by studies at the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design in Halifax. Mary's ceramics and paintings clearly show her love of the off beat and quirky- from her monster shot glasses to special unicorn mugs!

In Mary's own words:

I started becoming interested in monsters when Tim Burton came out with Nightmare Before Christmas.

I like the friendly, smiley types, not so much the dark and scary ones. There's lots of darkness out there.

I also like the cute and fluffy things; having a three-year-old awakened a new found interest in little forest animals, things with hearts and stars, and pastel colours…..I'm okay with it. Maybe it's cheesy or corny, but I'm okay with that too.

     

        As for inspiration? Mary cites a number of influences- nature- flowers, leaves, bugs- artist Charley Harper, monsters- hairy, toothy, many eyed. Bears, cats, cartoons, comic books, children's books, wall paper design. It seems that Mary takes in the word around her and translates it into fantastical creatures that may or may not be lurking!

         Be sure to check out Mary's work in person at Ainsworth Design on Granville Island- found at 1243 Cartwright Street this little gallery may be tucked away off the beaten path but is chock full of handmade, local treasures- all things we love! You can also check in online with Ainsworth Design to see what other goodies might grab your eye- as well get all the deets on things like the upcoming ornament show- their Facebook page can be found here- Ainsworth Design.

Focus On : Artist Amber MacGregor

        Recently I had the opportunity to have a virtual chat with Victoria artist Amber MacGregor- painter, portrait artist, moon gazer and digital collage master - she is an artistic force to be reckoned with. In addition to managing her own career as an artist Amber also lends her Social Media talent to a number of additional projects including her online Collective- The Golden Goose.  In an ideal word we would be sitting down at the same table with a cup of coffee- so imagine this is the case and pull up a spot at the table for our chat on art and most importantly favourite art supplies!

WDFS - I love that your love of nature comes shining through in your work- be
it a detailed painting of a moth or the moon  or the natural light on a
portrait subject's hair. What is your relationship with the natural world? 

AM- Being a city girl, I've always been in awe of nature, though I'd have to say it's sort of a fearful awe.  I think I should spend much more time out in it, and have been trying to lately. I think getting out into the natural world is the most beautiful experience there is, I love plants and trees, and so many creatures and water and of course our stately Queen the Moon.

WDFS- What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing our earth? 

AM- I would have to say humans are the biggest challenge facing the earth, but I also hope that we will adopt new ways of doing things and help to save her from our own idiocy. It's tough because convenience has become so important in our fast paced lives, and people worry so much about the economy and making ends meet that they don't take into account all of the things that they do every day that are damaging to our planet on some level. From the clothes we buy that are dyed in chemicals to the little packets of snacks we purchase for our kids, that end up on the playground and eventually in the ocean or eaten by birds. In my art practise I even consider the impact of my supplies. I work in acrylic which is a plastic polymer. That's a big issue for me, sometimes I wish I had never learned to paint in acrylic. I do my best to make sure none of my paint gets into the water system along with some very nasty chemical compounds, but in the long run I will have to use up my paint and move on to another medium like watercolour or sewing. I figure I'm just going to have to learn some new skills and that isn't a bad thing just an evolution of my art practise.

WDFS- Which artists would you say have been the biggest influence on your

work- how and why? 

AM- Wow, that's a hard one because I find so many artists influential. My early influences were definitely Gustav Klimt, and Alphonse Mucha both used a highly stylized and decorative approach to their work that I still find fascinating. I did a lot of work looking at Velasquez and the Pre-Raphaelites when I was younger because I have a deep love of figurative work. I would have to say that lately I am finding so many artists fascinating in so many mediums that it's hard to keep track sometimes. I've been looking at the paintings of Henning Kles lately which have an eerie magical quality and the video work of Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, which have a similar ghostly feeling I am trying to emulate. I also really love the work of Hanneline Rogeberg, Edith Lebeau, Mimi Kirchner, and Andrea Couch. The thing that what got me started on my current Moon phase was an amazing piece by Michelle Holmes who is an incredible fabric artist from England that I came across by chance on Facebook.

WDFS- Because I am still an art supply nerd at heart what are your favourite

materials to work in? Anything different you might like to try?

AM- I'm a total art supply nerd too. I'm sure that comes of working at an art supply store for years no? I really love all the things you can do with acrylic mediums and paints but I am trying to get away from those and move into some more eco friendly options. I really love the colour choices in Daniel Smith watercolours they have some amazing iridescents which appeal to my magpie sensibilities. I also love papers, especially printmaking and watercolour papers, I am getting into painting on them a bit more lately too, some really nice ones are Waterford and that lovely pale blue Stonehenge paper. You know I could go on all day, so I'll just stop there.

WDFS- I know you run several artist Social Media pages including your own-
what role do you think social media now plays in fine arts?

AM-I think that it's great that artists can get their work out there on their own. So many artists are shy people who find it difficult to approach galleries or maneuver through the social scene of the Art World in such a way that they can find their niche, find clients or make sales in that way. I think that the internet and social media have really helped to open up the whole scene to new artists who would be really hard to find otherwise. It also makes it possible to live just about anywhere and find an audience for your work in any other place that your media can reach via computer. I find it really fun to make artist pages and organize websites and things like that it's a whole other side of my art practise that I appreciate for it's visual appeal as well as knowing it's information and images that I can pass on out there into the world.

   If you are interested in seeing more of Amber's beautiful work be sure to check out her website and blog www.ambermacgregor-artist.cahttp://ambermacgregor-artist.ca as well as her fun and crafty Etsy collective- The Golden Goose Collective! Thank you Amber for giving us a peek into what makes you tick and such beautiful work happen!

Focus On : Artist Brandy Masch

      Today I have the pleasure of bringing you yet another of my favourite artist- Brandy Masch- illustrator- imaginer- and all round great gal. Raised in small town British Columbia it was through the determination and encouragement of her high school art teacher that Brandy is where she is today. After high school Brandy made her way to the big city of Vancouver where she graduated with her BFA from Emily Carr- her dream alma matter. Having come full circle back to Kelowna Brandy stands out as an excellent example of fresh and exciting art coming out of an often times traditional town.

What is your favourite medium to work in?

I paint primarily in acrylic guache, fluid acrylics, inks and watercolour on paper and wood panel. But I mostly prefer acrylic guache which I am in love with because of it's intense opaque matte colour. From time to time I do incorporate other mediums for effect into my work, like crackle, patinas and rust on paper and collage.

What would you say your "style" of work is?

I would classify my style of painting as being Eco Surrealist.

Your work is obviously visual storytelling- can you tell me a bit about where you gather inspiration from?

My inspiration comes from our life around me, ecosystems and issues on biodiversity, urban development and it's impact on the environment, plus my imagination. I am very interested in pop surreal low brow art and street art.

 This past year has proved to be huge in terms of your career moving forward- what do you see in store for yourself next?

I see myself working towards having more shows, and filling my requirements to apply for artist grants, entering competitions, submitting my illustrative work to magazines and one day illustrating a children's book or some sort.

Often times achieving artistic success in a smaller centre can be difficult- does anyone stand out to you as having helped you along the way? 

In grade 11 I had a wonderful young teacher by the name of Miss Philpot who was fresh out of teaching school herself. She is the reason I decided to pursue the arts and make it my career. She signed me up (without me knowing) for an award (which I won) a bursary (which I won) and community art show (which was written about in the local paper). 

Also I would like to mention that I have been very lucky through out my university years to have such wonderful support and encouragement to pursue my dreams! My Auntie Christine, my amazing friends and university professors- all pushed me and helped to promote me. My #1 fan- my husband and his wonderful family have all been amazing in supporting me through out the years.

Brandy's work can be found at Mayberry Fine Arts in Toronto as well her prints can be found locally at Bird on a Wire in Vancouver on Main Street. Kelowna fans keep your eyes peeled as Brandy's work will soon be available there as well. You can always check out Brandy's website and purchase through her directly as well.

Focus On: Artist Sarah Ronald

        Today's featured artist is the very talented illustrator Sarah Ronald. What attracted me to Sarah's work is her obvious deep and abiding love of the natural world- her love of animals and the multi dimensional beauty that streams from each of her subjects- each animal popping off the paper and coming to life with it's own story right before the viewer's eyes. Be sure to pop on over to her web site and get lost in a pair of raccoon eyes- her shop is a treat to check out- www.sarahronald.com. I'm always interested in what makes artists tick and particularly one with such reverence for the environment- Sarah was gracious enough to answer a few questions for me and let us all have a peek into the how and the why of what she does.

·         Obviously you have a very strong connection to the environment- when did your interest in the natural world begin?

Both of my parents have a deep appreciation for the natural world, and I definitely learnt it from them. However I think that I first felt a real conscious connection to animals when my parents separated when I was 8 years old. For any kid that kind of change is hard to understand, and during that time I grew closer than ever to the family pets, they became my stability and no doubt my connection to the familiar. I am sure there are many studies to be read about this phenomenon.

I remember being 9 years old and planning with my best friend that when we were old enough we would buy a forest, would cut down a patch of trees (by hand), build a log house and animal hospital (also by hand, of course!) and help all of the injured animals that came to us. Naturally from the mind of a 9 year old all the animals would live with us after that and we’d all be best of friends, the end.

When I was 12 years old I made my first set of drawings that were concerned with animal welfare: I drew posters of injured lions and elephants, protesting the circus that was coming to town. I put the posters up on the doors of businesses where tickets were being sold. The posters didn’t stay up for too long and I got a few kind scolds about my gorilla approach, but I felt like I did something good for the animals through my drawings.

·         Can you describe your path to becoming an illustrator and artist?

My dad is a painter, so making art was just a regular part of growing up.  As for how I got to the current place in my art practice, it’s actually not at all what I had originally envisioned. Despite going through 4 years of art school and always maintaining a creative practice to some extent over the years, I finally came into my own ten years after achieving my BFA.

It happened as a result of working by contract as a Visual Arts Examiner for the International Baccalaureate program, and it was through the process of interviewing and examining over one hundred lower mainland grade 12 students on their final bodies of work, that for kicks I decided to turn the process onto my own work. With that level of guided self-reflection, I realized what is now incredibly obvious: that in order to be truly satisfied with my art practice I needed to create work based on something that I am passionate about: nature and animals, and the fact that we as a species are very irresponsible to the planet.

The challenge then became about creating work that encompasses my concerns while ensuring that the images aren’t so blatantly ‘activist’ that it repulses viewers; I’d rather have people fall in love with the animals in my drawings than react to their personal feelings around activism. My goal is for viewers to have a positive experience of the subject, to fully consider the concept of animals trying to comprehend the world, and then hopefully to take the next step of self-reflection in real life. I know it is a big ask, but judging by the increased stacks of notes and scratch pads and midnightbrainstorms I’ve had over the last few years, I’d say that I have finally gotten to a spot of being constantly inspired to create, and given the underlying purpose of my work I don’t feel like I am doing it for vanity sake (self-indulgence is a topic that I’ve really struggled with, particularly when it comes to creating more stuff in the world).

·         What is your favourite medium and why are you inclined to use it? 

I have explored almost every medium, however drawing has always been my touchstone. I enjoy the simplicity and immediacy of it, I love the primal connection that one feels making a mark directly on a surface.  I actually enjoy working in extremely large scale– achieving a point where a drawing can encompass your entire field of vision and pull you in emotionally. When working large scale I prefer to use charcoal, however, given that I am currently studio-challenged, I go with mediums that are more manageable.  I have been hooked on using texture free papers (drafting film and Yupo are my favorites), and with those I use pencil, coloured pencil, conte, graphite, and sometimes water soluble media.

        Although I have a day job (which I actually quite enjoy), I do want to get to the place where drawing is the main focus of my day. I have some awesome ideas for opening up a small business that would allow me to get to that spot, so I have been slowly plodding along that path and keeping open to new experiences and opportunities along the way. For now, my work can be seen and purchased online www.sarahronald.com and through my social media posts, through my local artist’s cooperative www.blackberrygiftshop.ca , and of course at upcoming exhibitions.