Meet The Boomers!

One by One! We're running a series of mini interviews, based on questions that we think were originally posed by Gerry of Gerry's Jewel Box as a basis for getting to know each other (thanks, Gerry). We will go in no particular order, but will do our BBEST to get everyone posted. Next in our series is lizplummer

1.What is the name of your shop/s?
It's my own name - lizplummer. I have a blog called Dreaming Spirals, which is named after a wall hanging I made and I wondered whether to use that name but I decided that as artists usually use their own names I would do so too.

2. What kind of items do you sell?
A mixture of textile art, mixed media and Gocco prints.

3. How did you find Etsy and Boomers also?
I heard about Etsy on an art quilters' Yahoo group a couple of years ago but last year I followed fellow Boomer Marion's (Artmixter) progress on Etsy because I read her blog, and at the very end of last year I decided to give it a go for myself! I wanted to wait till there were a good number of sellers from the UK on Etsy. Marion also told me about the Boomers. I love the chat
and getting to know everyone so I stayed!

4. How long have you been engaged in your art/craft?
I have always been interested in sewing, knitting and crafts of various kinds, but I did a City & Guilds course in Patchwork and Quilting when my youngest son started school, where we learnt design as well as dyeing and painting fabric and that really started me off. The groups and support I found on the Internet encouraged me to continue and I started a blog called Dreaming Spirals in 2005 to document my progress and my sources of inspiration.... the rest is history!

5. Do you consider yourself a hobbyist or a professional craftsperson?
Somewhere halfway between the two at present, I would say. I still have my three teenage sons at home so they take up a lot of my time, although by no means as much as they used to!

6. What inspires you?
Hmm... a lot of my art originates from nature and from the effects of light and reflections. I love bright colours and playing with paints and dyes.

7. Please share with us what a typical day is like in your workshop or studio?
A few years ago I followed a course in a book called The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron and one of the things she suggests is to write what she calls Morning Pages, which are 3 pages of writing, journaling really, but stream of consciousness, whatever comes into my head. After finishing the course I kept up the pages, not always in the morning and not every day but I find they help to clear my vision for any problems or questions I have about the way I am going. So often I will start with those. Apart from that, no day is typical. Some days I spend mostly on household things; I am writing a few articles for textile magazines and I might work on one of those, or make samples for them. Or I do a session of Gocco printing, dyeing or printing. Every day I check my emails and work on photos or write a blog entry or work some more on whatever art I am doing.

8. What keeps you company while you are working on a project?
BBC Radio Bristol. I like listening to the chatty DJs or the kind of music they play on that radio station. We have a cat but he usually is fast asleep curled up in an armchair.

9. What is your favorite 'task' related to your art/craft?
Painting, dyeing, and otherwise colouring my fabric - making a mess! Getting inspired by the interaction of different colours.

10. What is your least favorite 'task' related to your art/craft?
Clearing up afterwards... Being in the middle of a piece of work and not knowing how to finish - one of my wall hangings sat on the wall for about a year and I wasn't happy with it but I didn't know what to do about it. But after a while I realised what it needed and did it and it's great now!

11. Would you care to share any 'words of wisdom' with other aspiring artists or crafters?
I mentioned The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. One of the things that struck me was that she said "Allow yourself to make bad art!" What she meant, I think, was not to be perfectionist, allow yourself to play and just do it, get on with it and if it's bad, don't worry. It is in the doing that you come up with the really good stuff, even though a lot of it will be bad. You have to go through that bad stuff to get to the good. And I would add to that, just play!!!

Please leave a comment for this great artist. I'm sure she's love to read some feedback about her interview. What did you learn about the artist that you didn't know before? Do you agree with some of her philosophies?

Meet The BOOMERS...

One by One! We're running a series of mini interviews, based on questions that we think were originally posed by Gerry of Gerry's Jewel Box as a basis for getting to know each other (thanks, Gerry). We will go in no particular order, but will do our BBEST to get everyone posted. Next in our series is NightSkyJewelry

1. What is the name of your shop/s?
First, thank you for honoring me with this interview! I feel so special to be included among the talented artists in this group! So, to the answers. Night Sky Jewelry and/or Night Sky Silver Designs. I’ve used some version of the name Night Sky ever since AOL was invented, and it’s become so familiar and comfy to me, that I use it for just about everything I do online. When it came time to name my shop, the only difficult part was deciding whether or not to add something after “Night Sky”.

2. What kind of items do you sell?
I love earrings, so that’s what I concentrate on. I usually use sterling silver, but recently have started playing with 14KT gold-filled wire and components. Some stones really look their best in yellow settings! I use natural gemstones as well as occasional glass or crystal beads that capture my heart.

3. How did you find Etsy and Boomers also?
I think someone sent me the Etsy link about a year and a half ago, but I didn’t have anything to sell at that time, so I didn’t think much about it. Then I started playing with wire and beads, and thought, “Hmmm, where is that Etsy place? I need to get rid of some of this stuff.” ;-) I found the Boomers when I was just exploring around and found the list of Street Teams. I saw the word “Boomers” and I figured I would feel comfy there. And I do!

4. How long have you been engaged in your art/craft?
Well, I’ve been making jewelry for about 35 years, but I’ve only been working with wire and beads for about a year. Before that, my experience was with lost wax casting. My (ex)hubby and I had successful businesses in Utah and Colorado, making original, one of a kind jewelry. We didn’t make molds of our work, so everything really was one of a kind and never duplicated. When we split up, I moved back to Utah with my kids and went to work for the supply house in Salt Lake. There I met lots of jewelers!! I mentioned to one of them that I wished I could make money by carving waxes because that was my favorite part of the process. Who knew? Most jewelers hated to carve wax and when word got out that I loved it, my business was born. I raised my kids with the money I made as a wax artist and occasional odd jobs, like delivering car parts. Oddly, I love that job, by the way! Boogying around the valley all day, talking to people. Perfect!

5. Do you consider yourself a hobbyist or a professional craftsperson?
After 35 years, I guess I consider myself a professional wax artist, and a learning wire worker!

6. What inspires you?
The gemstones! They usually speak for themselves, and if they don’t, I put them on hold and wait until they do!

7. Please share with us what a typical day is like in your workshop or studio?
I have an extra room that is supposed to be my shop. It’s all set up. But…. I work all over the house. Mostly in the living room, because it is my favorite room, and I’m so comfy in there.

8. What keeps you company while you are working on a project?
My sweet little parakeet, Noodle. She will often hop around on me, try to eat the beads, chew on the wire, and generally be annoying, but I love it. The only time it’s a problem is when she decides to actually sit right on my hands while I’m trying to work. I love old rock and roll (and some new) and political news, so one or the other is always on.

9. What is your favorite 'task' related to your art/craft?
Shopping for and getting new stones! I love to see them, feel them, hold them up to the light, drape them around me, and just generally admire them. It’s often weeks (even months) before I will use new stones.

10. What is your least favorite 'task' related to your art/craft?
Cleaning up the mess. As I said, I spread it all over my house, so on a typical day, there will be stones, wire, and tools all over the place. As for actually making the pieces, I love the whole process! Well, except on those days when I get something finished, hold it up, and go, “What the heck was I thinking?” Sometimes they just don’t turn out like I had pictured them!

11. Would you care to share any 'words of wisdom' with other aspiring artists or crafters?
Just do it! I bet there is something crafty out there that everyone would be good at and enjoy. I don’t know of a better way to relax than to have everything else done, so I can just sit down and start creating a piece of jewelry. There is nothing more satisfying than to make something with your hands. It’s just incredible! Even if the final result is less than perfect, every handcrafted item includes the imagination, time, and skill from an individual. That’s priceless!

Please leave a comment for these great artists. I'm sure they'd love to read some feedback about their interview. What did you learn about the artists that you didn't know before? Do you agree with some of their philosophies?