artwork

Maker Monday: Juleco Design

Happy Maker Monday!

This Monday we are featuring Julie McClements of Juleco Design! We love her amazing and positive typography prints. Julie uses her creative passions to bring encouraging words to those who may need them. A kind word at just the right moment can be all a person needs during a challenging time and it’s awesome that Juleco Design is there to help you say it. Julie’s shop is also great for finding your next inspirational mantra. We are huge fans of creating a space that inspires you, keeps you motivated, uplifts and reminds you of who you really are. Funny that it’s a Monday, as Julie’s prints are definitely the kind that make you jump out of bed, grab that coffee and fearlessly conquer the week ahead! Read on to learn more about Juleco Design and Julie’s journey.

: Tell us a few things about yourself!

: I’m Julie McClements, the designer behind Juleco. I have always been a creative person, doodling since I was no age. You will often find me behind my laptop or with a guitar in my hand. I’m a lover of typography, guitar and singing… (and as you will see in my work, I love monochrome!). I currently live in Bangor, Northern Ireland, with my husband David and work full time as lead designer at a full service digital agency called Eyekiller.

: What made you decide to start your brand, Juleco Prints?

: In my full-time job at Eyekiller my main focus is designing websites for a wide range of clients as well as lead the design team. I really enjoy what I do. However, I was missing the creative freedom I experienced when studying at art college and how I was able to express myself through my work. This made me consider doing something different with my creativity in my free time. I have also been on an ongoing journey with fear and understanding my own worth. Throughout this I have had wonderful friends helping me with wise words and encouragement. Knowing how this helps first hand, I wanted to use what I have learned to encourage other people.

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Feature Friday: Johanna Wilbraham

Happy Feature Friday!

Today’s feature is probably unlike anything you’ve ever seen before! We were truly astounded when we saw the incredible portraits by Johanna Wilbraham, and found out she creates these huge masterpieces by using jars to pour diluted oil paint straight onto the canvas! It’s amazing how something so unplanned and unpredictable can produce such beautiful results! Each portrait she does tells it’s own story and we love how she shows vulnerability and real women throughout her work. To learn a little more about the meaning behind her portraits, as well as her creative process, keep reading!

: Tell us a little about yourself.

: I am a British Artist who has lived in Australia for the last 6 years with my Aussie husband. I currently live in Melbourne where I have a little studio for some very large artworks. I work part time in an Art Gallery alongside my own creative practice. I’m obsessed with painting faces, hanging eclectic figurative artworks around my house in gaudy gold frames, playful folky illustrations and music, candles that smell like cookies, floral dresses, and my dog Fox.

: We love your portraits! How would you describe your current work?

: Thank you! This year I have been challenging myself to paint on a smaller scale than usual. I’m used to working on very large canvases, and it’s quite liberating for me to be working on small 40 x 40 cm boards right now. It also enables me to paint quicker and experiment more. With my technique there is a lot of drying time in between layers, so working small allows me to get the most of my little studio. I can’t quite get away from large works though, so always have a few of these on the go too. I would describe my current work as a group of colourful, expressive and quirky portraits of women in my life. The faces tend to have a sadness and vulnerability to them which is deliberately contrasted with bright, bold colour pairings and the use of flat pattern work.

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Feature Friday: Lily Featherston Design

Happy Feature Friday!

Today we’re talking to the creator behind Lily Featherston Design to hear all about her background and the amazing prints, cards, and other fun products she creates! We think it is amazing that Lily bases all of her work off of subjects she truly loves — which is why you’ll see so many animals and nature based imagery in her designs. She doesn’t just stick to one medium and is always trying out new ways to create prints or even put her designs on new surfaces! We can’t wait to see where her work will take her next, so keep reading to learn more about Lily Featherston Design and get inspired along the way!

: Tell us a little about yourself.

: Hi! I’m a 27 year old artist living in New Hampshire with my boyfriend. I’ve spent most of my life in New Hampshire, but I moved to Portsmouth in 2013, about a year after graduating from college. Portsmouth is a beautiful little city on the coast, and I absolutely love it. When I’m not inside making art, I like to explore the coast and be by the ocean. I like pretty much all things seafood, so I spend a fair amount of time eating as well!

: You’re located in New Hampshire and grew up there. What about your environment has affected your artwork?

: I grew up in a small town, in a house surrounded by forest, so I spent almost all of my time in the woods. My family is very outdoor oriented so we were often hiking and exploring. We had a dog, and right down the road was a small farm, so I loved animals from a young age. When I was around 9 years old I got to take care of a lamb for a week. He had to be bottle fed, and I grew really attached to him. I remember he had the fuzziest little face, and he would clop along after me wherever I went. Sheep have become a common subject of mine, and I really think it stems from that early experience with “lamby” (Very original, I know!)

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Feature Friday: Ever After Enchanted Decor

Happy Feature Friday!

Today we’re excited to hearing from Rosanna of Ever After Enchanted Decor! She works alongside her husband to create beautiful reclaimed wood decor to really spruce up your home! Their pieces are the perfect way to show what your family is all about or add some inspiration to your walls. We love how passionate Rosanna is about creating pieces that are of amazing quality and bring joy to customers just by looking at them! The way her and her husband transform these pieces of wood, there’s no way they wouldn’t bring joy! We think you guys are going to love what the two of them create and we can’t wait for you to hear their story! Keep on reading to hear more about the brand and see some of the amazing creations Ever After Enchanted Decor offers.

: Tell us a little about yourself!

: Hi, my name is Rosanna, I’m 39 years old and I have two boys, a 6 year old and a 19 year old. My husband and I have always been big dreamers and have wanted to have a business together where we could create beautiful things, express our creativity, and spend more time together. I’ve always wanted the freedom and excitement that come with having my own business. In 2015 I decided to open an Etsy shop. I wasn’t happy at my job and I wanted to start this shop with the hopes that it would grow and that I could do it full time. The company that I worked for was bought out and I ended up being laid off from my corporate job. To me this was the perfect opportunity to put all I had into the business. Our goal is to take this business on the road: travel in our RV, book shows all over the country to bring our décor to people, and have fun doing it. My husband Eric currently has a full time job and is in a punk band with his brother and friends called TLB.

: How did Ever After Enchanted Decor get its start?

: I had the idea for my business when my husband and I were finally able to purchase our home. My goal was to have a home before my oldest son Ethan would leave for college. This did happen! We purchased our home his senior year of high school. I was so happy and I didn’t want to go to the store and buy just anything to fill our home with, I wanted to create beautiful décor that was special and meant something to me. I purchased some pieces from other makers on Etsy that I really loved, but I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for, so I was inspired to create my own pieces. Once I started painting and creating things I just kept finding more inspiration, and one day it just hit me: start a shop that has beautiful décor, inspirational, magical, feminine pieces that are close to my heart.

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Feature Friday: LK Custom Creations

Happy Feature Friday!

headshot Today we’re excited to feature Lizz Klaras of LK Custom Creations! We love how she took her love of painting and turned it into a career — making her work stand out by using glass as her canvas! Her pieces are not only unique works of art, but are also completely usable! She’s truly inspired by her surroundings, creating glassware that has amazing depictions of nature and animals — they’re sure to make a statement in your own collection! Her brand’s story will definitely inspire you in your own creative pursuits, so keep reading to hear more about how she got her start, and to see the gorgeous transformations she gives these glasses and plates!

: Tell us a little about yourself.

: I am a freelance artist from a very small town in Illinois. My husband is in the military so we are currently stationed in Chesapeake, VA and we love it! I have a five year old daughter who is very interested in art and is often found in my studio acting as my assistant.

: How did you get started with LK Custom Creations and hand painting glassware?

: For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a freelance artist but it took a while to figure out exactly what I could create that would be unique. LKCC originally started out as a custom invitation business. I thought that combining my illustration skills with custom invitations would be a great fit. I loved the design process but assembling them became a very daunting task for me. I missed painting so much and I wasn’t about to hand paint hundreds of invitations! I began to look for anything I could produce that could still be custom, yet outside the world of traditional 2D artwork. Once I learned to paint on glass I was hooked! It was usable art and that is what I loved most about it. I started adding glassware designs to my Etsy site and instantly the glass art began to attract customers.

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Feature Friday: ArtDanilo

Happy Feature Friday! Today we’re so excited to feature the work of Danilo Dos Santos of ArtDanilo! We love the central theme behind his art, as it all displays the most beautiful biodiversity of Brazil! Between the colorful birds, turtles, and mammals he draws, you’re able to really see and feel the beauty of his country! Plus – it’s amazing how he uses his work to bring awareness to the importance of nature! His online store is filled with these works of art, so keep reading to see more and hear about how he got his start!

: Tell us a few things about yourself!

: I was born in a city that has the name of a plant, Dracena. Here in Brazil we are surrounded by nature on all sides, even our money has drawings of animals. This is my first memory of drawing something, I loved to draw animals from the bills of money and books.

An interesting fact is that before I only drew in black and white, only after I met my beautiful wife Gizele did I start to draw colorful.

: Your illustrations are beautiful! What made you decide to focus on biodiversity and portray it in a minimalistic way?

: Thanks for the compliment! I decided to work on this topic in the first place because it interests me a lot, and also because it is very good for people to know more about the biodiversity where they live.

I decided to make them small because there are 100 drawings per collection and this way I can do more drawings in less time, and it is also a tribute to my wife who helps me a lot with this project, each drawing sheet has 16 cm, the size of her hand.

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Feature Friday: Lauren Lee

Happy Feature Friday!

laurenlee_profile_2016 Today we’re featuring the whimsical works of Lauren Lee, an illustrator who works in advertising by day but creates amazing illustrations every free chance she gets! We are in love with the characters and scenes she creates in her work – honestly we’re crossing our fingers a coffee shop gets her to design their cups, because we’d be there ASAP! Keep reading to hear more about her creative journey and see her fun coffee cup and sketchbook illustrations.

: Tell us a little about yourself.

screen-shot-2016-12-16-at-12-45-47-am : I’m a twenty-two year old designer working in the crazy world of advertising. I use illustration as a way of release. Outside of design, I love animation films, re-reading Harry Potter, and binging title sequences.

casfoundation_ll_03

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Exploring the Cooper Hewitt Museum

BY CAILIN BURKE

We’ve always made it a mission or bucket list item to go to all of the museums in NYC. This has seemed pretty impossible because there are so SO many, but we wanted to check another off the list and headed to the Cooper Hewitt Museum in the Upper East Side. Yes, the one known for the rolling chairs. Social media has also somewhat dubbed it as the “Museum for People Who Don’t Like Museums.” Unfortunately, we DO like museums, so this wouldn’t be on our must-see list, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you want a quick, fun museum day!

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Feature Friday: Caterham Design

Happy Feature Friday!

Today we’re bringing to you Catherine Dawes of Caterham Design! We fell in love with her hand-lettering instantly and think it’s so cool that something as simple as a phrase can be written to look fun, stylish, or even sophisticated. Catherine really does a great job in making sure her typography communicates something. We love how her pieces all have their own feeling or vibe attached to them! She has a lot of great advice to share and we can’t wait for you to keep reading to learn more about her creative journey thus far.

: Tell us a little about who you are.

: Hi! I’m Catherine, a graphic artist from South Africa specializing in hand-lettering and calligraphy. I run my design studio, Caterham Design, from a dusty farm on the edge of the Kalahari; where I drink lots of coffee, eat my fair share of buttery pastries, and create hand-crafted designs for creative, artisan companies and individuals.

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Feature Friday: Jenny Dale Designs

Happy Feature Friday!

We are so excited about today’s feature with Jennifer Stables of Jenny Dale Designs. The characters she creates in her pieces are so adorable and each one has so much life and personality! We love that she takes the creativity to the next level by accompanying each piece with a poem that tells more about the character and makes for a unique addition to each purchase. Although her art is amazing for a child’s room we still think a lot of these would be great on any wall! They would totally add a quirky touch to your desk space or reading nook. You can tell how much of herself Jennifer puts into these pieces and the happiness that her characters bring to so many people. Keep reading to hear about how she got her start and inspiration.

: Tell us a little about yourself.

: I am an artist, an educator, and a mother to two beautiful boys. I have a cat named Stretchy-Cat, I collect rocks, and I love Back to the Future. I grew up in a small prairie town called Bow Island, which has a population of about 1500 people. Currently I live in the town of Okotoks, Alberta, Canada (just south of Calgary, Alberta, Canada). I create artwork primarily for children’s rooms and nurseries and I write poetry to accompany each one. Art has always been a part of my life and I have been painting and drawing for as long as I can remember. I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2001 and my Bachelor of Education in 2005 from the University of Calgary. My artwork is sold worldwide through my business, Jenny Dale Designs, and through Oopsy Daisy Fine Art for Kids.

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