interview – Page 2 – Castle Foundations

Feature Friday: Illustrator Ann Shen

October 23, 2015October 22, 2015Leave a comment

Happy Feature Friday!

Today we’re featuring the fun and bright illustrations of Ann Shen! We have actually been familiar with Ann’s work for awhile since we always come across her illustrations in different places online. We love how her designs have an aesthetic that makes it easy to recognize her work and we’re so excited to get the chance to learn more about her. From selling her pieces on Etsy and doing freelance projects, to working on her very first book (that will be released next fall!), Ann is one busy creative! Luckily she took the time to answer some of our questions and show us how much she really loves what she does. Read on to brighten up your Friday by seeing her illustrations!

: Tell us a little about yourself.

: Hi! I’m Ann and I’m an illustrator, letterer, and graphic designer based in Los Angeles.

Continue reading “Feature Friday: Illustrator Ann Shen” →

Feature Friday: Caterham Design

October 16, 2015October 16, 2015Leave a comment

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: Artist Ellie Edon

October 9, 2015October 13, 2015Leave a comment

Happy Feature Friday!

Today we’re featuring Ellie Edon of @wastedpaints. We can’t help but be drawn her colorful, fun pieces! A majority of her focus is on animals and it’s so cool that she makes them look completely realistic, while at the same time often using multicolor. She not only creates art because she’s talented at it, but also loves how it makes her feel. Her pieces make us happy so we’re glad that creating them does the same for her! Keep reading to learn more about Ellie and see her amazing works of art!

: Tell us a little about yourself as well as your artistic background.

: I’m Ellie Edon. I am an 18 year old from Yorkshire in England. I’m a socialist, a vegetarian, intersectional feminist, a dog lover and someone who finds peace in making artwork. I find writing about myself difficult as I am still young and developing who I am. I want how I change as a person, and my values, to shine through my artwork someday.

I remember in Year 6 (in England this is around the age of 10/11) I won my first Art contest with the theme being Easter. In fact, I used very very bright colours even then. I also won a blue peter badge with the same work. (This was a big deal!!) I used to have very low self confidence, and found some self-esteem when people complimented my work. This esteem has helped me develop my skills in where I am today, and has made me a much more confident person. I’m still just someone with an Instagram account – still, it’s pretty cool having a following.

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Feature Friday: Singer-Songwriter Lidor Sai

September 25, 2015September 24, 2015Leave a comment

Happy Feature Friday!

We’re always looking for new music to listen to and came across the amazingly talented singer, Lidor Sai. He has a debut EP of original songs coming out in November and on top of that, does some incredible covers which can be heard in different places around Los Angeles (and on his Facebook page!) We love that he’s written more than 50 songs and he’s only 20 years old, showing that you should start pursuing your passion as soon as possible. For today’s feature, Lidor put together a video giving more insight into his music and we’re so excited to share it with you! Make sure to check out his social media accounts as well to listen to his songs, covers, and to stay tuned to his big EP release.

lidorsai.com
facebook.com/lidorleesai
Instagram – @LidorSai
Twitter – @LidorSai
soundcloud.com/lidor-sai
youtube.com/lidorsai

Feature Friday: Singer Corina Seas

September 18, 2015Leave a comment

BY CAILIN BURKE
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Happy Feature Friday!

For today’s feature we’re excited to have electro-pop artist Corina Seas! Her debut EP, Flux, will be out on September 22nd and it’s filled with fun, danceable songs and some of the catchiest lyrics and tunes. After I heard her first single, Crystal Cove, I was singing it for days! In our interview below you can tell how passionate she is about her music and we loved learning more about the behind-the-scenes work in creating Flux, as well as what she’s trying to achieve with her good vibes-inducing music. Again, her EP comes out in just four days and her single Crystal Cove is available on iTunes and SoundCloud now so make sure to show her some support!

: Tell us a little bit about yourself as well as how you got your start in music and how you knew you wanted to pursue a music career.

: I grew up in Florida mostly, but my family is from Honduras and I was very fortunate to get to visit the country frequently. I think going there put the world in perspective for me and really helped develop my sense of empathy, which is the basis for my humanistic approach to life and the meaning of things. That desire to connect with different people and learn new things was a big motivator in my wanting to pursue music professionally. Growing up, my parents were very enthusiastic about music too. They aren’t musicians but they get down better than most and my dad is hilariously passionate when playing the air guitar. So as soon as I could talk, I was running around singing, imitating musicians and making crazy voices and sounds, so it’s always been a part of me.

Pursuing music was something I always felt I needed to do. There was no specific moment when I chose to do music, it was just always my motivation for life and the only thing I felt I could really do and still be happy. The future is remarkably insecure when attempting music, but it’s how I relate to people and how I find myself. I get a high from this that motivates my existence. Music is everything to me.

(keep reading…)

Feature Friday: Jenny Dale Designs

September 4, 2015September 8, 2015Leave a comment

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.

(keep reading…)

Feature Friday: Artist Sian Storey

August 7, 2015August 7, 2015Leave a comment

Happy Feature Friday!

This week we’re featuring artist Sian Storey! Her creative journey is so exciting to follow and she has gained the attention of some major media outlets. We admire the fact that she is always seeking new experiences and ways to grow in her work. It reminds us of the Julia Child’s quote which says, “Find something you’re passionate about and stay tremendously interested in it.” It’s evident that Sian is living that out every day.

: Tell us about yourself and how Sian Storey Art got started.

: Hello! I’m an artist and art teacher in Hampshire, England. Painting is my passion, and I have a First Class Honours degree in Fine Art. As you’ll discover throughout this interview, I’m a versatile and hungry artist, always looking for fresh ways to evolve my art, and interesting new projects to be involved in.

How did I get started? Let’s see… my earliest art memory is painting my Grandad’s gnomes in his garden back in the 1980’s. My Nan still has them 25 years on. So art has always been a big part of my life and was massively encouraged by my friends and family. It’s what I love, and something I will always do.

: You mainly focus on people and birds. What made you decide to stick to these two subject matters?

: I work from found images, and am particularly drawn to colour, pattern and beautiful pictures. I keep scrapbooks of images that I have collected and reference them in my paintings. I also love to travel, and this feeds into my work. Last summer I visited Japan, and have been referencing it in a lot of my work ever since.

The people-based images I choose are often black and white allowing me to explore my own colour schemes. I like the image to feel emotionally charged, like the person depicted has a story to tell. Sometimes it’s my story, or just the way I’m feeling.

I use birds in my work as they are also associated with literature and narrative, and they have many cultural references. I love creating movement in my bird paintings choosing colour to evoke mood, and texture to convey beauty.

And sometimes, I combine both birds and people.

(keep reading…)

Feature Friday: Ballerina Alisa Uzunova

July 3, 2015Leave a comment

Happy Feature Friday!

This week we are excited to feature our first dancer on the site, Alisa Uzunova! Being former ballet dancers ourselves we love a good dance Instagram and particularly love Alisa’s. She is a very talented ballerina who is relentlessly pursuing her dancing dreams. Although being a dedicated ballet dancer is a lot of hard work both physically and mentally, Alisa doesn’t think of ballet as that harsh competitive world many view it as. It is simply her passion and one of her keys to happiness. All the hard work is just another stepping stone to achieving her goals.

: Tell us a little about yourself.

Hi, my name is Alisa Valerieva Uzunova I was born on the 17th of July in a small beautiful city named Veliko Tărnovo in Bulgaria. I knew from a young age of that I wanted to become a ballerina, every where there was music I always used to start dancing and moving on the rhythm. That’s why my mom decided to put me in a ballet class. I remember my first class when I was 4,5 years old. From then on I said to my mom that I want to become a ballerina. And luckily enough when we moved in 2007 to Brussels, Belgium we found new great ballet teachers, to help me live my dreams. From the age of 12-14 I studied at the Royal Ballet School Of Antwerp under Artistique Director Michael Shannon. Because the school was in a different city I had to stay in a boarding school. After 2 years in Antwerp I decided I wanted to do more ballet and moved back to Brussels to train at a privte school, the Brussels International Ballet School where we danced from 10am until 6pm. After that, I studied my academics for about 2 hours a day. That extra training helped me get better for the Vaganova Ballet Academy.

: When and why did you start dancing?

I’ve actually always been dancing. My mom used to tell me that even when I was a baby and couldn’t walk yet. I still tried to move whenever I heard music. At the age of 4 or 5 my mom decided to put me in my first ballet lesson. I remember I was wearing this cute little pink leotard and pink skirt. From then on I knew I wanted to do this all my life. At that age I didn’t really know yet what I was supposed to do to become a ballerina, but somehow knew I would.

(keep reading…)

Feature Friday: Artist Hannah Adamaszek

June 12, 2015June 16, 2015Leave a comment

Happy Feature Friday!

This week we are featuring urban artist, Hannah Adamaszek, who has taken the street art scene by storm. We love her work because it brings a softer touch to street art that’s filled with sharp graphic-like art. A lot of her pieces that were painted on outdoor spaces and walls look like they’ve been done with a paintbrush and canvas! Hannah’s pieces are strikingly beautiful and whether they are gracing the wall of a bustling city street or hanging in your home, they’re sure to make an impression.

: Introduce yourself!

: I’m a UK based urban artist painting bohemian inspired portraits both in the gallery and outside space.

(keep reading…)

Feature Friday: Sculptor Jesse Nusbaum

May 22, 2015June 16, 2015Leave a comment

Happy Feature Friday!

For today’s feature we have sculptor Jesse Nusbaum of Jesse Nusbaum Art! When we first saw his sculptures we were amazed by the complexity, size, and realism of them. Well, actually… we’re still amazed! And how could we not be?! His huge sculptures are so impressive and unlike anything we’ve seen. Jesse is definitely a testament to doing what you love. He was set to be on a completely different career path, but his love of art outweighed everything else and he decided to pursue it. This feature will be sure to inspire you to follow your own passions just like Jesse!

: Tell us a little about yourself.

: I am 25 years old and have lived in Weston, Connecticut my entire life. I have always had a passion for art from the time I could write and draw. My other great passion was sports. I tried all of them on for size. I got my black belt when I was 7 years old and played on local teams and travel teams in soccer, basketball, baseball, and wrestling. I was captain of my wrestling team and baseball team in high school and was selected First Team All-State in baseball in my senior year. I led the conference in home runs, RBIs and stolen bases. On the art side, I won the Best Sculptor Award during my junior year and senior year in high school. My father is an attorney in Westport, Connecticut, and the “plan” was that I would be a political science major, which I was at Muhlenberg College initially, and then I would attend law school, which I did for a total of three weeks at the Charleston School of Law, at which time I immediately realized my passion for art far exceeded any desire to become a lawyer.

After leaving law school in September 2014, I immediately commenced my career as an artist full-time. Two of my husky sculptures are being gifted to Coach Kevin Ollie of the University of Connecticut in recognition of his 2014 National Championship and the second one is being gifted to Coach Geno Auriemma, the Women’s Basketball Coach at the University of Connecticut, who just won their third straight National Championship and Tenth Overall Division 1 Championship, tying a career NCAA record. Upon request, they will be displayed in both of their offices.

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