Weird, Creepy, and Bloody Cute, An Interview With dancesippydance

Once again while cruising through the Etsy forums an unusual avi catches my eye. I had to take a peek in dancesippydance's shop as soon as I saw her unique avi. Who makes art like that? I immediately fell in love with her whimsical and slightly unsettling paintings and sculptures.  I kept thinking that some of her sculptures reminded me of people I knew or have seen somewhere.  I had to laugh when I discovered that I myself had been poor little Roxy on occasion.  Dancesippydance has the gift of being able to reach deep into the psyche, into our dream world, that place that lives just a little ways past our peripheral vision, and bring it out into the light where we can all see it.  Here the delightful dancesippydance to tell you about her work.

dialing the phone is so difficult for roxy, is it too much to ask for a live person to answer instead of a machine?

Right off the bat, I have to know who is sippy and why must he/she/it dance?

lol,i am sippy. an occasional nickname from my husband, usually used when i would punctuate a statement by taking a sip of a drink.  o really it came from him making fun of me, "dance sippy dance" actually came from... well, my husband making fun of me.
  The morning after a night out with friends, i was drinking a coffee and telling him about the evenings events. i was telling him (with an unnecessary amount of disgust) how i was badgered into dancing to a song which i hated. he said, "what did they do?" he pulled my coffee mug out of my hand,got on his tippy toes, held the mug high as if playing keep away and said, "DANCE SIPPY! DANCE!" that phrase just always stuck in my head because it was so funny.  

 underwater juggling is harder than you might think.

Your work is so unusual, please tell us how and when did you start creating these pieces.

 i have always been drawn to the unusual. as long as i can remember i always tried to add some weirdness to my art.
 ideas just pop into my head, usually when i should be paying attention to something else. if there was an invasion of evil aliens, the second someone started giving me directions to the escape pod i would think " i should paint a  fat, bald guy in an evening gown.".  i miss a lot of important information that way.

he isn't really sure what he thinks of his new chiropractor 

Who or what inspires you artistically?

wow, too many things to mention. a big one is kid's art.i love kid's art! i always have. i totally dig the unintentional happenings of  bang on perspective, as much as i dig unintentional happenings of outrageously out of whack perspective, accidental smudges that look like brilliant shadows, grimacey little heads peeking over big round bodies, seemingly naked, yet with three buttons down the chest, i love it all. i'm sure people think the cheese is sliding off my cracker when i get all excited and start dissecting the nuances of a

preschooler's scrawl.

Avrid is concerned about his waistline.

 

What’s the story behind the pinheads and will there be more?  (I wish you had a huge series of pinheads, I love them so!)

aw, thank you. the pinheads lead right back to kid's art. when my son was in grade 1 they had a "100th day celebration" one of the projects they had to do for homework was to take a big poster board and glue 100 of any item onto it(cheerios,popsicle sticks, etc.). i cut 100 pieces of 1 inch cardstock (in the same colors that the pinhead paintings are in now) and we drew 100 monsters. the finished piece looked so cool, i knew instantly that i would do some paintings of the same flavor. the original style of the pinheads was shamelessly thieved from the first monster my son drew on the project.

yes! there will always be more pinheads! i do need to take a break from them every once in awhile otherwise the paintings look stale to me, nothing worse than a stale pinhead.

pinheads dig miasma.

Is there anyone special, who you feel has been very supportive of your artistic endeavors?

all my friends are great supporters but i have to say the feedback i have received from the etsy community has been invaluable to me. somewhere in the back of my head when a friend comments/compliments my work i think to myself "well, what else are they gonna say? "i hate your work"". etsy has gained me some fans and collectors of my work, and a handful of self professed shop stalkers, it's been very validating and motivating.
of course, i should also mention mr.sippy, who not only supports my artistic endevours but my shopping,eating, and having a roof over my head endevours. 

basil doesn't know who is managing your career, but he thinks they are doing you a great disservice.

Do you have any words you would like to share with readers? A favorite quote, piece of advice, or a cause that is particularly meaningful to you?

yikes! that feels like it requires a profound statement...  don't text and drive? stay in school? buy low, sell high?

"I've had a rough year, dad."

"I know you have, Chassie."

 

 it was really one of those "you had to be there" kind of moments, but you should have seen it, it was quite a trick.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog,  dancesippydance, you have inspired me and made me laugh right out loud and that's an incredible gift.   I'm coming to find you, should we be invaded by evil aliens, to make sure you find your way to the escape pod.  You're a keeper and we're gonna need you on whatever planet we end up on.

Please visit dancesippydance in her shop. And remember, "pretending you didn't see homeless artwork doesn't make the problem go away"

 

 

 

Trudy's Big Beautiful Heart

Beautiful Trudy...Where to begin?
I met Trudy in May in the Etsy forums, her colorful avi caught my eye right away and I had to see her shop and find out more about her.  Trudy creates vibrant, beautiful paintings as a means to survive and persevere after the loss of her twin sister, Jude.  It looks to me like she has found a way to open the door and invite us all in to the celebration of life. Please enjoy Trudy's wonderful paintings and her inspired words.

"The minute I spotted this gorgeous sunlit sunflower, I knew that I had to paint it. I had never seen one this color before! It was so vibrant, so beautiful...so orange!
The sunflower represents warmth, happiness, adoration and longevity. The orange and red colors also represent passion."

 

"We have all experienced pain in our lives. Knock you on your bottom sadness...crying tears that had no end. When I was in the depths of the abyss I called it my , "Humpty Dumpty Years." "All the King's Horses and all the King's Men Couldn't Put Humpty Back Together Again."
Time DOESN'T heal all wounds. It is what you do with that time! May this beautiful painting be hanging in full view of those who need it! The author is anonymous. It was an honor to paint this piece to match these profound words. "

 

"I sold this print at a Farmer's Market and everyone who saw her had a good laugh...I knew exactly which one they were looking at! Gotta love ZZA ZZA!
I love people on the edge and she certainly fills the bill on that one. She is an icon. Love her or hate her you'll still laugh!
She also looks so fabulous with her fancy hairdo and her sexy come hither eyes!
The disgruntled gentleman at the bottom of the page is my husband! I see that look often! (JUST KIDDING!)No I"m not!"

 

 

"I want my art to make you think..to make you laugh..tug at your heart..to make you feel an emotion! I want my art to wake you up as it has me!"

Trudy certainly has painted a vibrant world for us to wake up to!  Much mahalos (thanks) to Trudy for cheerfully agreeing to let me use her paintings to decorate my blog!

Please visit Trudy's shop to see all of her paintings and read more about her.
 

 

Fantasticly Sparkly Jewelry From Diadem Jewels

I was so delighted to find Diadem Jewel's shop during a recent 'sparkly' search.  Her fine jewelry is a real treat for the eye and has an elegant fantasy feel to it that I really loved.  I asked Lauren, the creator of these amazing pieces, what inspires her work.  Here's what she had to say;

 My pieces are inspired by music, nature, and fantasy (fairy tales and such).  All my jewels are sterling silver or gold filled and I am very open to mixing colors that most people wouldn't.

 

My favorite Fairy Tales are Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. None of my pieces are exactly inspired by a single story, just tales in general. Something a fairy princess or a magical being would wear.  A lot of it comes from what I think elves, faeries, pixies would wear. I mix those ideas

with contemporary/modern looks.

My favorite beads are gems but I also like to use swarovski crystals occasionally.  Sometimes a piece is inspired solely on a bead.  I feel that one of a kind beads have a story of their own to tell.

 

 

 I put a lot of time and feelings into every piece that I create which is why I don't make many at a given time- this is why they're extra special, because they're one of a kind.  I usually don't remake a piece and my hands do the work, none of my designs are ever sketched out, they come to me on a whim.

Thank you so much, Lauren, for helping to make my unapologetic blog look amazing! To see more of Lauren's magical, elegant jewelry please visit her lovely shop at Diadem Jewels. 

 

 

Seriously Sparkly From Pookie and Pierre

I was so excited to discover this gem of an artist and  I couldn't look at all of her beautiful creations fast enough!  Each piece was making me hungry for the next.  That's really how it feels to visit the shop at Pookie and Pierre.  
I was so delighted to find that the proprietor, Emily, is just as sweet and sparkly as her gorgeous, hand woven, colorful and (need I say it?) sparkly jewelry.  She kindly offered to share a little bit about herself here. By the way...Emily tells me that Pookie and Pierre are her two fat French kitties who sit with her while she beads.

Hi, my name is Emily, and yes, I can be a little sarcastic, but I am also a creative, loving and at times even funny woman with a lot to give and share.

  

I've always been a bit of the creative type.   I love to write, dabble in painting, basically... create.   The ability to turn nothing into something beautiful impresses me every day and motivates me to continue.

 

My mother lost her battle with breast cancer in September 2007.  For anyone who has gone through this or been impacted personally by the disease, you understand what this means.     My mother was my best friend and biggest supporter.   Losing her was devastating.   In the grieving process, I lost my desire to create.  I stopped making jewelry.   Life truly lost its color and sparkle.

Over time, I kept coming back to a message that my mother often left me with that I never quite listened to or understood.   She always told me, very clearly, to "do what makes you happy".   I of course, being brilliant in my old age, pursued what made me money.   But those words continued to haunt me and ultimately drove me back into creating and making jewelry.    Color started to come back and life began to sparkle again.

 

 I wholeheartedly support the message behind this blog.   "Bringing forth art without apology or qualification."   What a truly empowering message that really applies to a whole lot in life.   We are who we are.   We like what we like.   We love who we love.    Embrace that fully and share it with the world.

Thanks for the opportunity to share a little of my story.    In closing, do what makes you happy, embrace your inner child/creative chaos, love those around you and take advantage of every opportunity.   You never know where life will take you.  I hope your paths are filled with a little color and sparkle and a whole lot of joy.     

 

Thank you Emily for sharing your story and fantastic jewelry with us.  You are a lovely, inspiring person and I'm truly happy I found you!  Please go visit Emily in her Etsy shop at Pookie and Pierre to see more of her sparkling jewelry and photography.

Sunshine in Sopron: by Emily.

Inspired Gorgeousness! Handspun Artyarns From Coolclimates

I came across this amazing artist while searching for my fellow sparkly Etsians.  I was just blown away by her sense of color and texture so I had to have her gorgeous yarns to share here.  She kindly took the time to answer my questions and agreed to be featured.  I am so excited to present Rachel from Coolclimates. 

Tidal Pool Handspun Artyarn

my heart be still...it has beads AND sparkle in it!

How do you choose what you will add to a piece?
 I know what I'm trying to capture before I spin the yarn so I pick items that I think will further enrich that idea. For example, with "Tropical Rainforest" I knew I wanted some tropical flowers thrown in.

Do you ever get stuck? How do you move through that?
 Yes, sometimes. I go to Ravelry and go to several of my groups who post amazing pictures and ideas for inspiration. There are lots of "challenges" (games and such) for people to spin certain kinds of yarn. I also just look through books of scenery, my travel photos, etc.

New Hampshire Handspun Artyarn

Why do you choose the colors you do?
 Again, I have a certain theme or topic in mind with the yarn before I start out. Sometimes I try to match colors in the ones through a photograph. Other times, I just pick out colors that I think will best express the idea I have in mind.

Do you have one piece that is your favorite? The one you can't part with or wish you didn't? 
 I have several. I guess "Garden of Earthly Delights" (Heironoymous Bosch) is one example. It's just so unique and I don't think I could easily make another one. Also, there are yarns that I spin that have great personal meaning to me that I'd like to hold on to.

Beach Party Handspun Artyarn

Do you listen to music when you work? If so what do you listen to?
 Yes, all the time! I listen to all kinds of music: world music, rock, etc. Some of my favorite musicians are David Bowie, Sigur Ros, the Beatles, Bjork, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Tori Amos and so many more.

Is there someone who has had an influence on you? 
I would say that Lexi Boeger and her book have had an influence on my yarn. I have been trying to spin most of the yarns in the book and have been continuing to use those techniques in my future yarn.

Nordic Light Twist Handspun Yarn

What did you dream of doing when you were a kid? If we knew you then could we guess that you would be spinning art yarn?
I wanted to be a rock star. I never would have thought that I'd be spinning artyarn.

I read in your profile that you have traveled a lot and are influenced by your travels.  Tell me how these places have influenced your work. 
 A combination of factors. Usually, it is a particular place that I visit that makes a real impression on me. Such as the Blue Lagoon in Iceland or the Puna district in the Big Island of Hawaii. Iceland, especially, has so many odd and striking color combinations. It's hard to say why I'm drawn to particular places more than others.

Chinese Lanterns Handspun Artyarn

*I really love that Rachel offers a knitted sample of some of her yarns.  Here is a sample of  the Chinese lanterns Yarn (above) knitted.

Please go visit Coolclimates shops here:

Coolclimates on Artfire

Coolclimates on Etsy