Meet The Boomers!

One by one! We're going to run a series of mini interviews, based on questions that I think were originally posed by Gerry of Gerry's Jewel Box as a basis for getting to know each other (thanks, Gerry). Brett of Van Fleet Street Design has offered to put these onto the blog, for which our thanks! She did, however, say that I had to go first, so here goes!

1. What is the name of your shop(s)?
I have two shops, artmixter and purelypainting And just for the record, my name is marion barnett.

2. What kind of items do you sell?
In artmixter, I sell mainly textile art, hand dyed cloth, some altered art and a selection of textile and mixed media ACEOs. In Purely Painting, though, I sell just that, purely paintings; mainly oils and acrylics. And of course, painted ACEOs.

3. Do you consider yourself a hobbyist or a professional craftsperson?
Neither, to be honest. I consider myself to be a practising artist.

4. How long have you been engaged in your art/craft?
Oh... I've been working with textiles for 25 years; painting is a relative newcomer, I've been painting for eight years.

5. What inspires you?
Everything! I focus on certain themes, though. I'm interested in mark making, the way that our brains try to make sense of even random marks, on stones, for instance, or in the landscape. I also make art about myself, the way I interact with the world, and my ongoing relationship with the demon depression, without whom I'd still be a personnel manager!

6. Please share with us what a typical day is like in your workshop or studio.
Mmm. I don't think there is one. I start the day slowly, read my email, catch up with BBEST in the Etsy forums, prepare any packages that have to be sent, take photographs if the light is good, and then go to work on what I feel I want to do that day. I'm profoundly fortunate in that I have good working spaces, and am about to get into a new painting studio, so everything sits out waiting for me to pick it up where I left off the day, week or month before! Later on in the day, I'll spend some time on the computer, talking to people, updating my blogs, generally keeping up to date with my online world.

7. What keeps you company while you are working on a project?
Sometimes I listen to music, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, T Rex, Paul Simon...depends on how I feel that day. I have some specific things I listen to to lift my mood, like T Rex, for instance, or Paul Simons' Gracelands. I also have four cats, and Mollie sometimes comes up to keep me company in the cloth room...really just an excuse for going to sleep on a pile of fabric! Or Advo might come up and announce he is there. Otherwise, I get on with it, I much prefer time on my own.

8. What is your favourite 'task' relating to your art/craft?
I love painting and dyeing, but I rarely do anything that I don't like, as I make one of a kind (OOAK) pieces, I never repeat myself.

9. What is your least favourite task relating to your art/craft?
Oh, tidying up afterwards!

10. Whereabouts are you based?
I live and work in a tiny village in Norfolk, UK, though originally I come from Scotland.


Three pictures of my work... the first is a mixed media ACEO, the second, a detail of a piece of hand dyed cloth (both available from artmixter), and the third, an acrylic painting entitled 'White Goddess' (available from Purely Painting)