Hannah Dale

Hannah's story of her artwork business is inspirational to me. Hannah has a business called Wrendale Designs UK, it's the kitchen table, cottage industry family business story.  

Studied Art at school, Zoology at College, married to a Farmer, living in the Lincolnshire countryside with her family, Hannah started painting animals, hares, geese, rabbits, dogs etc and the business evolved from that with her Husband and their team now running the business, Hannah is free to create.  I love to hear a good success story.

The great thing about Hannah's work for me is the expression that she paints. Everyone single one of her artworks has that feel, you can almost hear/see what's happening, what the animal is thinking/feeling/doing like Hannah has taken a snapshot of something that's happening rather than painted an animal.

The duck below for example, the work is called 'Crash Landing' and that describes it perfectly. There is a feeling of this landing isn't going well!

I don't think there is a creation from Hannah that doesn't make me feel something or have a narrative going on in my head, yes I give voices to animals lol, you don't? 

Another of my favourites is entitled 'The Pink Ladies' love them, they just know that they're fabulous dahling!

I think Hannah's Zoology range are my favourite, although it's hard to say that when all of her work is incredible.  But the baby Rhino chasing a Butterfly is just magical, Hannah has captured that perfectly.  Her background in studying animal behaviour definitely comes through her artwork.  How gorgeous are these Giraffe, especially the young one.

Hannah's artwork can be found in lots of different formats on her website e.g kitchenware, stationery, prints etc.  Hannah has won awards with her artwork at the Henries Awards on more than one occasion, they are awarded to people within the greeting card industry.

This Parrot strutting his stuff is titled 'Parrot on Parade', perfect title. The horse below is called 'Gloria' I just love her mane and the Penguin giving a happy skip show two examples of Hannah's greeting cards.

I am sure you can see why I love Hannah's work, the humour, the expression and the movement just makes me happy. Hannah is a very talented lady, so let's meet her.

Hello Hannah, tell us a little about you..

My name is Hannah I'm 33 from Melton Ross, near Brigg in North Lincolnshire UK.

Tell us a little about your art and what you do?

My first love is painting animals.  I am a Zoologist by training and I studied animal behaviour.  I used to do a lot of field work as part of my degree and would take a sketch both with me.  I think this is where I first discovered a love of painting animals (although going back through my school sketch books, I think it was probably already there)  I paint mainly in watercolour but occasionally dabble with ink, acrylic or oils.

I love the softness of watercolour and I tend to build up layer upon layer to get the end result.

What is your earliest creative memory?

I have always been creative - I learned to knit and sew at a very early age and was always writing stories.  My mum was a wonderful seamstress and taught me how to embroider and later to sew with a machine.  She bought me my first set of watercolours when I was about eight and I used to paint illustrations to go with my favourite books.

Do you ever suffer from a creative block and if so how do you get yourself out?

I wouldn't say I'm ever short of ideas, I usually have two or three in my head and if I am stuck doing paperwork for a few days I'm itching to get onto the next painting.  I do find it difficult to paint under pressure and if I'm working to a deadline I can spend days working and come up with nothing I'm happy with.  I find the best way is to have a day away from it doing something completely different and come back with a fresh pair of eyes.

Who inspires you?

I am inspired by all kinds of different art, I've always loved the work of Peter Howson and Jenny Saville and more recently I'm intrigued by the work of textile artist Mr Finch.

What is your favourite piece of art that you've created?

I have recently created a series of limited editions and I'm really proud of them, my favourite is a painting of three fox cubs called 'The Afternoon Nap' 

What are your creative ambitions for the future?

I feel very privileged and lucky to be able to make a living from my art and I'd be happy just to keep doing i!  I'd love to become more well known, our ambition when we started Wrendale Designs was to become a household name, we still have a way to go!

How do you silence your inner critic?

I wish I knew the answer to this!  I am never totally happy with what I paint as it never looks quite as good as it does in my head.  I have pieces that I can't even look at because I am not happy with them and no one else can understand it.  I tell myself that the sense of dissatisfacton pushes you on to be better, but it's not a nice feeling to be constantly disappointed about your work.

I can complete relate to that feeling on nothing I've ever done is as good as it is in my head either, but then I don't have your talent.. but like you said it pushes you not to be complacent, I suppose.. keeps you on your toes!

What do you do when you're not being creative?

I have three children under six so I have very little time for anything other than work and family, I enjoy pilates and seeing friends - when I have the time.

You're on a deserted island, you can have three art/craft items what would they be?

A lifetime supply of oil paints, brushes and paper - I would love to be better at painting with oils.

Love that answer, not what you're most comfortable with but the perfect opportunity to hone something you want to improve at.

Finally, where can we find your work Hannah? 

Website: www.wrendaledesigns.co.uk

Twitter: @wrendaledesigns

Facebook: Wrendale Designs

Please go and check out Hannah's art, I defy you to not have a smile on your face by the time you finish.

Hannah, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.  Your story and artwork are inspirational I wish you all the luck in the world and continued success with Wrendale Designs.

Where To Find An Artist's Work Online.

Being an Artist is not an easy route to make your living, as almost any Artist will tell you.  Fulfilling your passion of being an Artist is not the easiest way to pay the bills.

As a creative person your skills lie in creating your art.  But in order to make a living from that Art you also need to become your own PA, PR and a specialist in online and offline Marketing as well as juggling family, working and life in general.  

The purpose of this blog was just to create awareness for Artists and if I can create even the slightest bit of awareness for the amazing work that these Artists do then I'll be happy.

Over the years I've known some incredible Artists who work tirelessly on their art and then nothing happens with it.  It doesn't fulfil it's incredible potential for a number of reasons and that's very sad I think.  When someone has poured their creativity, heart and soul into a piece of art for it to not be seen and appreciated I think that's a shame.

I have a lovely friend who is an Artist and some of the things I've seen her create just blow me away, she has an amazingly creative imagination.  Some of that work has been sold but so much has not been seen by enough people (I will share her work with you at some point because she's truly dedicated to all she does).

So, in this blog post I just wanted to direct you to a few places.  I'm sure most of them you'd have heard of before.  I've included all their links for easy access.  

I love flowers and one of my favourite flowers are Peonies, so what I decided to do was search for Peony on each of these sites and share one thing from one artist.  So let's see what we found..

Etsy - Probably the most well known site where artists and crafters sell their creations.  My favourite thing to do on Etsy is search by colour, especially when not looking for something specific. You can find so many unique things on there.  The great thing about Etsy, artists from all over the world use it.

So my Peony from Etsy was by Blue Shed Studio - this watercolour just captures everything I love about Peonies.  Blue Shed Studio - Marie, is based in Bristol UK.

Saatchi Art Gallery - The largest online Art Gallery.  You can find drawings, photography, paintings, sculptures.  They offer a curator service and have an extensive selection of art that most people would probably never have access to.

The Peony from Saatchi is from the artist Simon Barlow who is from Australia, I love Simon's art I would love one of his huge wall pieces in my home. This isn't the one that's being sold on Saatchi because I couldn't save it so here is another to showcase Simon's work and if you follow the link through Simon's name you'll see the other one that I love on the Saatchi website. I do think this is as beautiful as the one I saw on Saatchi.

Folksy - Is the UK version of Etsy, a smaller site in terms of numbers of people using it but the principal is the same and if you're in the UK it's a great way to support artists and crafters from there (I think it's predominately UK artists that sell on Folksy, I may be wrong but I'm sure it is)

Bristol in the UK features twice on this post randomly anyway....

I found this painting in acrylic on Folksy by Siparia a.k.a Carla James, I love the boldness of something so beautiful

Society6 - This is a fantastic site to get some really unique gifts while supporting Artists.  Art is uploaded and then it can be purchased in many different ways.  It can be chosen as a piece of clothing, an item of home decor, phone or laptop case, mugs and cards (among other things).  If you're looking to busy something for someone or even for yourself Society6 is a great way to start. They often run special deals e.g free postage, % off etc so check it out.

The Peony from Society6 is from Viaina who is from Germany, I love how translucent and light the petals look.

DeviantArt - A great community site for artists.  It allows artists to share and promote their work.  The great thing about DeviantArt is that it was created by artists, they know what it's like to try and get your work out there.  As well as being a supportive community site you can also purchase art as well.

A beautiful Peony drawn in red biro by - ShelleySupernova on DeviantArt

Zippi - Is a relatively new community site for artists to sell their work in a variety of different ways. I love how community sites encourage artists to share ideas and help each other.  You can purchase some great gifts featuring original art from Zippi.

Something slightly different from Zippi.  I chose this Peony Fairy from Helenfaerieart love this, so pretty.

Well that's just a few of the places to find art and handmade items online, there are a lot more.  Check them out because you never know what unique gem you will find. As I mentioned a lot of these sites often offer % off or free delivery so definitely worth a visit.

All of them also have Twitter accounts so you can keep up to date with new featured art and artists. I'll link their Twitter accounts below just click on the names and it'll take you there.

Thank you for reading, I hope that you visit some if not all of the sites above to explore, I guarantee you'll find something (if not 1000's of somethings!) that you'll love, while supporting the talented people showcasing their work.  

All of the Peony art is just beautiful and in different ways and different medium the beauty of that gorgeous flower has been captured by each artist.  Please check out the links to their individual work.

I thought I'd share just one more piece before I finish (I love Peonies so much it was hard to contain myself just to the ones above).
Finally then we have a beautiful Peony crafted from cold Porcelain.... it is just stunning. 

I found it on Etsy and the artists name is Tatyana Kazayeva, she is from Italy and her Etsy shop is Villa Paradiso like every other piece of work I've featured she has captured the femininity and beauty of the Peony perfectly.  I love how thin and delicate each petal looks...beautiful.

Twitter - Etsy  - Saatchi Art Gallery - Folksy - Society6 - DeviantArt - Zippi

The Amazing Work of Maddie Chambers

Occasionally I see work then I'm not able to get hold of the Artist to interview them which is a shame but some of the work is just too good to not share.  I love Maddie's miniature structures so decided to do a little research and show them to you.

I'm sure some of you who spend any amount of time on Pinterest may have seen Maddie's Treehouse. When I first it I was totally enchanted.  The detail this lady goes to is incredible.  I followed the link to her website to find her Bag End (Bilbo's House) creation.  I was blown away and spent ages looking at each picture.

This is the Mouse Tree House based on the Bramley Hedge series that Maddie had read to her as a child.  It is incredible. The patience this lady has just amazes me.  I look at it again and again, it still amazes me that it's not actually a tree (I genuinely thought Maddie had carved it from a small tree stump)

You must visit her website to have a look at the individual room settings.  You can see her whole process on there so you can be inspired..

http://madsmousehouse.wordpress.com/

Maddie has also made a Gingerbread House, you have to see the detail to believe it... just look at the Jammy Dodgers! All the sweets and biscuits are made from Polymer Clay. Maddie made this house inspired by the Hansel and Gretel Witch House.

http://madsgingerbreadhouse.wordpress.com/

Being a Lord of the Rings - Hobbit fan the Bag End house is my absolute favourite.  I loved looking at the rooms and the attention  to detail.  Again click on the link below to Maddie's own site to have a more detailed look.

Maddie's Bag End was in Australia for a while (not sure if it's still there) being used to promote literacy for children.  

Bag End being made.

 Click Here to vist Maddie's pages

If you've never seen Maddie's work before it's a pleasure sharing it with you, be sure to visit her websites and follow.

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Galina Fasovska - Monna Candles

Galina is from the Ukraine but lives in Poland now with her family.

While browsing on Etsy (one of my favourite things to do) I found Galina's Candles. They're no ordinary candles.  

You may have seen some videos of candle carvings, they are so beautiful and Galina's are a perfect example of this very old creative skill.  Galina spent three years learning how to perfect the candles and finding out as much as possible about her craft but she still says she has much to learn.  

I love this close up image, you can see all the layers quite clearly.

Here's Galina getting everything ready to start a candle.  There are lots of videos on You Tube about how this is done.  I won't share any here as none of them are Galina's but they're there to go and have a look at.  Also on Galina's website HERE you will find step by step images.

Carved candles are all started with a wax core that is then dipped between different colour waxes and cool water.  The cool water just cools the outer layer the inside stays warm so that it can be carved without splintering.

Galina uses 'clean' paraffin that doesn't emit smoke, without any fragrance.  Stearic Acid is added to the core so that it's hardness is increased. 100% Cotton Wicks are used for Galina's candles. Then once the Candle Core is complete and hard Galina can begin dipping in the various coloured wax, I think this is the bit that I find fascinating.  So while Galina is dipping the candle in the wax, she must have an idea of how it's going to look at carving, but at this point can only see the last layer of wax.

I love both of the candles above but especially the rainbow one, that is just so pretty. We'll have a look at a few more then we'll meet Galina.

Wedding Candles

The candles are beautiful aren't they..

Galina and I had a few chats via email so let's see what Galina had to say...

Hello Galina.....

Please tell us a little about you..

My name is Galina and I am from Ukraine. Two last years I am living and working in Poland. I do my own business here together with my husband. I am 43 years old and have two daughter 8 and 15 years

Tell us about your art now and what you do

Carved candles is very old technology. It is invented by Old Middle Ages Candle Masters somewhere in Holland and their technology secrets passed down from generation to generation. 

That is why you will not find to many traditional carved candles creators in the world. I have been spent last three years to learn how to carve candles and I have had a lot of trials and errors before I satisfied with the result. 

Even now I am still continue learning some new techniques for wedding unity candles. Every half a year I am renewing my collection. So, every year - new candles in the range.

What is your earliest creative memory?

Maybe you will be surprised but I had never seen myself being an Artist. But everything has changed when I first saw the video about carved candles creation process and I decide to do the same at any cost. And I did it at the end of the day. 

I love how you've taught yourself a whole new skill and built yourself a business doing it - that's highly commendable Galina.

Do you ever suffer from a creative block and if so how do you get yourself out of it?

Yes, it is happening time to time, but I am lucky because my husband is helping me a lot and supporting me when I am suffering with such feeling. He actually was the one who helped me to find the best combination of colours for my favourite candles.

That's lovely that he is so supportive

Who inspires you?

All my family and especially my husband.

What is your favourite piece of work that you've created?

Oh, I love all of my candles that you can see at my Etsy shop. Sometime my clients choose candles, which was not expected become Bestsellers from my point of view. So, the top rated candles are listed in my BESTSELLERS section of my online shop.

What are your creative ambitions for the future?

Now I am creating a new collection for Christmas time. I start in Summer time for being ready to present it for the end of September of 2015. In addition, I am following new trends of colour variation for weddings and in this regards I have several new ideas…and it is continuing…

How do you silence your inner critic?

Most of critic is not inner and is coming from my husband, and we are fixing this critical point together.

What do you do when you're not being creative?

In such situation I am looking for any creative arts …and it is doesn't matter which kind of Art…it’s helping to refresh your mind…

Tell us where we can find your work and your social media sites

www.facebook.com/MonnaCandle

twitter.com/MonnaCandles

monna-candles.com

pinterest.com/monnacandles/

monnacandles.tumblr.com

Thank you for allowing me to share your work Galina, your candles are beautiful.

I wish you lots of success with your Etsy shop.

This, to me, is what this blog is about, finding that one thing that sparks your creativity and makes you think, I'm going to do this, this is 'my thing'.

Jian Chen

Happy August! (I know we all say it but where is this year going!?)   Hope everyone is well.

Up first this month is Jian Chen originally from China now lives in Wales UK.

I found Jian's work on Etsy in her shop (Jian Chen's Fine Art)  when I did the Orca/Dolphin article in July - I featured her beautiful watercolour of Dolphins surfing (above).  I just love this picture it looks like they're having so much fun in their natural habitat.

I love Jian's style of painting.  It's so free and the results are beautiful.  You can find framed and unframed work and prints and some originals in her shop.  

There are a lot of animals featured some of which I will share here but she also has non animal subjects too, like this one called 'Evolving'

and this one called 'Not a Word' simple love the teeth and the highlighting on the lips.

I love all of Jian's work but for me it's the animals and how she captures them in their glory but with so much colour.  How can any of her work not make you happy.  She is clearly a very talented lady.

I am the same with Art as with music, I like to listen to happy upbeat music, I can appreciate all forms of Art or Music but give me a happy song or a colourful piece of art and it's rare I'm not hooked (exception photography, I love Black and White photography).  I know that outlook isn't for everyone ( I think I must drive some people nuts ) but it works for me.

These flamingos look so besotted with each other

and this Emu looks totally enthralled with the butterflies

The expression on this Rhino's face while he's looking at the bird is just perfect!

In this piece Jian has used watercolour and chinese ink 

One last picture to see before we hear from Jian herself about her Art.... has to be a marine creature and this Shark is stunning.  You can see it's beauty and grace but you can see what we expect to see from a Shark in that menacing side.

So let's meet Jian.. I ask the same questions nearly everytime I speak/email someone, the reason for that is so that if you're looking to be inspired, if you're going through a block phase, you can see how others get out of that.  That might just be me personally but I find that sometimes when I'm being creative and it's not quite working I can find that an isolated feeling so to know that ... it's ok, everyone has these times and this is how they plough on. can be helpful.

Hello Jian.....Please tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Jian Chen, aka Jenny Chen. I’m originally from China, but now live in the UK

Tell us about your art now and what you do

I paint animals, people, flowers and landscapes, trying to communicate the life force within them

What is your earliest creative memory?  

As a young child in kindergarten, I was fascinated by the night sky – gazing at the stars and the moon. I often imagined some mysterious creatures – like fairies, living there and I would then try to draw these fairies from my imagination.

What is your favourite medium?

Although originally trained in oil painting, at the moment I find I’m drawn to watercolour, because of its flow and the unexpected nature of water.

Do you ever suffer from a creative block and if so how do you get yourself out of it?

I have been fortunate to feel constantly inspired to create, so (as yet) have never experienced any creative block. My creative inspiration comes from banishing the negativities around me and taking my mind away from everyday reality

Who inspires you?

There’s no one special who directly inspires my work, inspiration comes from the positive aspects I try to surround myself with, so I can be inspired by almost anything - colour in nature, chatting with people, seeing an interesting photograph, watching a video …

What is your favourite piece of work that you've created?

I like so many of my artworks: Lion, Wolf, Elephant, Activation, Any Problems, Evolving, Universe in my Heart, Music in my Eyes, Fifth Element … If I had to pick just one it would be ‘Activation’ because it expressed – and continues to communicate, everything in my head at that time.

Activation - 

Even just having had minimal contact with you Jian, I can see from what you've said why this artwork would be special to you, from the galaxy to the spiritual elements in the picture.

 What are your creative ambitions for the future?

I want to open a Fine Art Boutique, where I can exhibit and sell both my original paintings and prints … along with other products that use my painting’s imagery.

How do you silence your inner critic?

I don’t criticise myself; I just let things happen in the continuity of time 

What do you do when you're not being creative?

I like listening to spiritual teaching, getting away from the city by walking in nature and watching amusing light videos

Tell us where we can find your work and your social media sites.

People can find my work on 

Jian Chen’s Watercolour Painting Facebook fan page  
I also have an online Etsy shop: JianChensFINEART
I can be found on Twitter: jianchen1111
I’ve recently started using Instagram - jianchensfineart

 What would be your 3 desert island craft/art items

      A constant supply of high quality watercolour paint, brushes and paper

Finally I'd like to share one of Jian's other favourites... her lion.  Isn't he just beautiful, there is something emotional about this piece of artwork.

That's one of my favourite things about Jian's work, the expression and soul within each subject.

Jian, it's been a pleasure sharing your work.. please do check out Jian's Etsy shop and Facebook page for more stunning examples of her work.

Good luck for the future Jian, your Fine Art Boutique sounds like a great idea, you've so much to share.