Friday, October 10, 2008

Meet the Boomers!

Name of shop?Kate1 
My Etsy shop is called HeronKate, my business name is The Blue Heron Studio.

What kind of items do you sell?
I have an eclectic mix in my shop. I do paintings with a southwest theme, paintings from my garden and have recently started making collages with women as the theme. When I joined Etsy I learned about ACEOs and have been doing some of those. 

I also paint floorcloths, some home decor items [placemats, trays, boxes] and I have a few vintage items for sale too. 

How long have you been engaged in your art/craft?
I’ve been doing artwork since I was a child and I majored in art in college.

Do you consider yourself a hobbyist or a professional craftsperson?
I consider myself a professional artist and have a business doing faux finishing, making floorcloths and painting furniture.  Most of my floorcloths are custom orders.

What inspires you? 
My garden, my travels, materials that I find.

Please share with us what a typical day is like in your workshop or studio.
There is no such thing!  If I’m working at home then I often work all morning and sometimes into the afternoon in my pajamas.  Yes, they have paint on them.  While I'm working, I'm kept company by music, visits from friends, and checking in on the Boomers forum.

What are your most and least favorite tasks related to your art/craft?
My favorite thing is starting a new painting and knowing what I want to say with it.  My least favorite task is sanding an old piece of furniture prior to priming and painting it.

What are some of the venues you use to promote your shop/ware?
My blog is mostly pictures of custom work I have done,Kate3 such as this custom table.
Kate2

I am also involved in our county’s annual Studio Tour, where I have several hundred people visit my studio in two weekends in December.  Hopefully they will buy things and/or order custom work. [Editor's note:  this is a really big show in NC.  Below is a portion of the tour map, and a link to the site.]
mapTo which teams do you belong? Do you use other sites? 
I belong to Gallery United, VAST, Interiordesignteam, Studioart team, and of course BBEST.

I also have paintings on Boundless Gallery, another online site, but have had no response from that.

Tell us something about you that we wouldn’t necessarily know about you by talking to you in the forums.
I smoke.

What’s your favorite book and why, favorite movie and why, favorite kind of music?
I love The Little Prince because of what the fox said: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;  what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
My favorite movie is Casablanca because it reminds me of my first love.
My favorite kind of music is jazz, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, and especially Bill Evans because he reminds me of my last love.  I also like Patsy Kline, Bob Dylan, and lots of other music.

Would you care to share any 'words of wisdom' with other aspiring artists or crafters? 
I guess everyone says “Just do what you love,” which is all nice and lovely, but most of us will also have to get a job or marry someone who has one.

Please leave a comment for this wonderful artist. She would love to hear from you!

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kate is one of my favorite artists here on etsy. Here
color sense and the movement in her work are
wonderful. Great blog.

Nuvofelt said...

Kate, you have such a talent. I'm in awe.

circleinthesand said...

WOW - the transformation of that table is awesome!! And what fun to have all those visitors to your studio!!!
Duckie

joon said...

Woo hoo Kate! And J, great first interview post.

Kate, did not know you are a Miles Davis fan. I had a super groovy set of pinbacks I sold of some uncovered never published B&W shots. You might want to have a peek.

Thank you, both. Lovely all around.

On a Whimsey said...

Great post about a very talented lady! Kate has a wonderful eye for things around her and is able to translate those images for us lesser mortals!
Great interview Janine!

Beth said...

Kates work is fabulous, shes so talented. Great feature

Chauncey said...

I think Kate's work is amazing. I loved this line..."but most of us will also have to get a job or marry someone who has one".

Great feature.

Mystic Silks http:mysticsilks.etsy.com said...

Kate,

Has always been a fav of mine--Her work is terrific!

Anonymous said...

Great blog post! Thanks for sharing all this. My dream is to quit my day job and paint all day in my pajamas.

Pamela Baker said...

What a great article, It is always nice to learn that little something extra about our friends.
The pictures you choose are perfect also. I love the very colorful table, did you ever hear of the artist "McKenzie Child" she has a studio and shop in NY. All her designs are exactly like that and she gets about $800 for a table like that!

Jordanka Yaretz said...

Great interview, enjoyed reading it and learning a little more about Kate.

Kate Ladd Art said...

Thank you all for the wonderful comments ! Magdalene, I have heard of Richard and Victoria Mc Kenzie Childs. Their work is incredible ! I also know who the woman is who bought them out several years ago - I used to work for her in Boston many years ago. Sad to say, I did not get $800.00 for my table, I got $250.00.

kae1crafts said...

Love the interview. It is so nice to get to know the other artists better. Thanks for sharing with us.

Kae

Jean Levert Hood said...

Kate is so talented in so many areas. It's been a pleasure getting to know her on my Teams. It was nice to learn more here!

ElizabethGraf said...

This is a very nice interview HeronKate -- glad to see you so well represented!

Elizabeth Graf

Judy Nolan said...

Loved learning more about Kate as an artist, and Kate as a person! Great blog post.

Rose said...

Wonderful article about one of my favorite Etsy artists, good to get to know HeronKate better.. I do so want a floor cloth :)

DreamON said...

What an interesting article about a wonderful Etsy artist! So good to learn a bit more about you, HeronKate!

If we all painted in our pjs, we would have no excuse for the paint on our clothes. I also would probably never get dressed. :)

Pam said...

I always love your work! And enjoyed finding out more about what you do! Such wonderful talents! Thanks for sharing yourself with the rest of us!