Introducing Angela Millar Soul Art on Etsy

Everybody knows that I love Etsy shops, and even more so, I love to showcase Etsy sellers here on my blog. Most recently, I've discovered the shop of an Australian artist named Angela Millar.

Angela's work includes original paintings, travel photographs, greeting cards, and prints. Her art covers a variety of themes that reflect nature, spirituality, and mythology. I like the diversity of her work; as I scrolled through her listings, I was sometimes surprised by an image that I didn't expect. For example, paintings of Ganesh and the Buddha were followed by paintings of a regal flamingo and a smiling mermaid. Angela's image of the Buddha included in this post is called "Young Buddha."

The profile page on Angela's Etsy shop reveals that she took up art less than five years ago when she moved from Sydney to a small seaside town in New South Wales. As another person who loves the sea, I can perceive the influence of the coastal locale in her work in the swirls of color and the feelings she conveys of the natural world.

There's much to like about her work, and my own favorite pieces are the ones that depict animals, such as this beautiful peacock print of a painting called "One Hundred Eyes" which I think would appeal to art lovers of all ages, young children included.

In Angela's own words, "One of my favorite subjects to paint is Buddha, and a favorite medium is acrylic paint, I love using rich and vibrant colors thickly layering them onto the canvas to create interesting textures."

By the way, her artwork has also been published in a coffee table book called Amazing Australian Artists, compiled by ArtMeGallery.com.au. This book is carried by The Art Gallery of NSW, which is a great honor for her. Angela's painting "Blue Buddha" has been used as the cover image of the inspirational book, Wisdom Within: Awakening the Empowered Woman, by L.H. Owens. I suspect that we will be seeing her work published in many more places over the next few years.

Check out https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/AngelaMillarSoulArt and explore her work for yourself! I love that Etsy brings artists all over the world to everyone's doorstep with just a couple of clicks.

Meet Matthew Hatt, Artist

Matthew Hatt is a former sous chef and Canadian outsider artist. His work can be seen hanging in all parts of the world. His art combines different styles and includes words that he thinks encourages the viewer to think. Check out his work on Instagram and Facebook.

1. I really like the textual aspect of your work. Why did you decide to include text in your paintings?

I think great art makes you think, and I starting adding text to create another level in my work. I wanted to create three "truths": my truth in what I am thinking in regards to the text, what the viewer reads into it, and what it actually means.

2. When you create a work, do you have the idea for the text before you start painting, or does the text occur to you as the visual part(s) of the piece comes together?

It all depends on the piece. Sometimes I create the visual first, and sometimes I know exactly what I am going to write before I start the visual. It all depends on the amount of time I can spend working on a piece at the time.

3. How did you find time to create your art when you were working elsewhere--and did you leave your job as a sous chef to be able to focus more your art?

I have always been creative and doodled and things like that. I worked for a sous chef for almost 15 years, but I had to give it up in 2006 when I was hospitalized for a mental illness. The kitchen was too stressful for me to return to. But then my Grandmother required a full time caregiver, and I stepped in. Been doing that ever since. I love it, and it gives me time to paint, when she doesn't need me.

4. What and/or who has influenced you as an artist?

Warhol, Maude Lewis and Basquiat. But mostly life. All the text in my paintings come from real life or some of my delusions.

5. What keeps you motivated to continue to create art?

It's basically an obsession. It's not something I could stop even if I wanted to. They are not all perfect, but it feeds my need to tell my "story."

Thanks, Matthew!

Meet Rashaad of Pro Trade Job Development

Rashaad's achievements have come with struggles and mistakes; they have made him very proud while establishing himself as a father, husband, and business owner. These struggles force him to constantly raise the bar for character and discipline in his personal and professional life. Pro Trade Job Development has grown and transformed tremendously over the years. Learn more by watching the video below.

1. What is your main goal with Pro Trade Job Development, and where are you located?

Pro Trade is a construction training program based out of Milwaukee, WI. Our main focus is returning citizens (ex-offenders), helping them get their lives on track.

2. In addition to helping people gain job skills, how does your program help people build self-esteem and other skills beyond job-related training?

Our focus is personal development, life assessing, association assessments, what inputs are going in you (news, bad music, media), and barrier assessment, as well as job coaching, asset building, and more importantly, community building. Our curriculum is industry recognized, and our students get tools when they train with us because we want them to be ready when they go out seeking job opportunities.

3. Have some of the participants in your training gone on to start their own businesses?

We have had a few individuals start their own painting business or construction business. We try to support them with all the resources and connections we may have or know of.

4. As a business owner yourself, how have you kept yourself motivated, especially when faced with setbacks?

That's a long question, but to sum it up, FAMILY... My wife and my kids are why I can't fail. It's because of them that I have to be the example that demonstrates how your life and future is in your own hands outside of God's purpose for your life. I think of the young black males that don't have many examples of success but many of failures, so I have to do it. I think of the elders that believe there is no hope for 30-year-olds, and I give them a breath of fresh air.

5. Based on your experience, what is your best advice to people who are looking to develop their job skills and/or start their own businesses?

You have to be willing to learn, be willing to take criticism, take all the classes, and read all the books. Become a good student of your craft. Work for a successful company that is doing what you desire to do. Get as many mentors as possible. You must have a balanced life in family, financials, spiritual, and business to deem yourself successful.

Thanks, Rashaad!

Meet Lola Kerecki, Artist

Lola Kerecki is a Canadian contemporary artist living in Toronto. Her subject matter and style varies from realism to impressionist to abstract. Moving from portraits to pets to reproductions and now expanding into different areas is exciting and re-invigorating her. Whatever image strikes or inspires her is her obsession of the moment.

For her next series, she is currently exploring the beauty of the Canadian landscapes and indigenous wildlife but capturing it as impressionist/abstract work. Art is the freedom to express yourself, and her new work which will showcase her latest obsession will be available for sale at the Schomberg Street Gallery on September 14th, 2014 in King City Ontario, more details on her website justlola.ca or http://schombergstreetgallery.ca/. And be sure to follow Lola on Twitter!

1. How did you first become interested in creating art?

I don't think I had a choice, lol. I can't remember when I wasn't drawing or painting as a child. It was completely natural for me. From the moment I picked up a pencil, I found it very comforting and completely normal.

2. How has your style changed/evolved over time?

I think that's the true beauty as an artist. A good artist develops and experiments over time. Doing the same thing over and over is the definition of insanity so it's important to evolve. I'm currently in my experimental stage right now. I'm excited. My style before was realism, but now I enjoy more of an interpretation, the little imperfections and the "messy bits." I'm also exploring more landscapes and wild animals but with my spin on it. A little abstract, cross realism and maybe throw in a splash of graffiti. It's liberating not to label a style. I'm not a fan of labels of any sort.

3. Would you tell us a little more about the work that will be featured in your upcoming show at the Schomberg Street Gallery?

I'd be happy to! I'm painting pretty much as we speak, so hopefully everything will be ready by then, fingers crossed! In addition to some of the oversized abstract portraits I have experimented with as of late, I have some very colorful landscapes: one is fall-based with stunning golds and yellows, and the other is a red smoky forest which is surreal and hopefully my pseudo Graffiti Canada Goose will be finished! All will be posted on my website prior to the September Schomberg Street Gallery, so I hope you check it out.

4. As a Canadian artist, do you feel that where you live and your national/cultural identity influences your work?

To some extent but with technology today we are so connected and exposed to many more things from other countries and cultures that can influence an artist like me. I lived in New York for eight years and that experience definitely influenced me. However, I've always been a very visual person, so any image can trigger a concept for a new series whether I see it in Canada or on my travels or even online through social media.

5. How has Twitter been important for you as an artist, and what is your advice to up and coming artists who want to build their presence online?

Social media is crucial to get your work out there and to be seen. It can bring in many opportunities if used correctly. Aside from having a website, it's simply how people choose to connect nowadays. Everything is public! You can network with other artists. Artists can now communicate directly with their potential clients. You can promote an upcoming show. It gives us a platform for news or announcements in real time.

To use Twitter to its full potential, use hashtags to stand out, like #artisttowatch for example. You can also reach out to more galleries through Twitter. It just makes it so much easier to connect with your target audience. I even landed a dream client through Twitter. I reached out to none other than W. Brett Wilson from the TV show, Dragon's Den, and he commissioned me to do a painting of his dog, Maja. So that worked out quite well. Score!

Thanks, Lola!

Introducing the 50 State Flowers Project of Artist Arlissa Vaughn

Painter Arlissa Vaughn from Murphy, North Carolina has a unique idea for a project to paint each of the 50 officially-designated state flowers of the United States. On November 1, she started a Kickstarter campaign to support the creative project.

Arlissa's Kickstarter also gives art enthusiasts a limited-time opportunity to become a patron and pre-purchase a state flower painting, sketch, or limited-edition signed print. At lower funding levels, donors receive other great premiums like original art posters and calendars. Below is an example of Arlissa's work, depicting the white pine cone and tassle, which interestingly is the state flower of Maine even though it's not a flower at all!

To help get the word out about her project, Arlissa is also sponsoring a contest: anyone who "likes" or "shares" the innovative project on Facebook or signs up to receive exciting email updates will be entered in a free drawing for a chance to win a limited-edition signed art print.

Funding will help Arlissa travel to paint live flower specimens at sites including the North Carolina Arboretum and the New York Botanical Gardens. So far she has located sites for 44 of the flowers and is still on the hunt for the other six, most of which don't grow in the Southeast.

Arlissa is an internationally-recognized acrylic painter, known for her calming atmospheric effects and unusual use of texture. She paints in a contemporary style with vivid color reminiscent of the Expressionist era, and is available for live events and custom portrait painting. Her work has been exhibited across the USA and as far away as Taiwan, and can be found in both corporate and private collections. She holds a BFA degree from East Carolina University's School of Art & Design and has been a professional working artist since 2005.

Reproductions and Original Paintings from Artisoo

Artisoo works with professional artists to offer a wide variety of hand-painted oil reproductions on canvas of the Old World masters. Customers can also purchase custom paintings from talented artists.

Have you always admired a certain painting by Da Vinci or another old master and wished you could have the painting in your home? With the help of Artisoo, you can have a reproduction painted for you in oils on canvas by an artist who will work to meet your specific requirements. Do you need a specific size? Do you want a certain type of frame? Artisoo will customize your order.

The people at Artisoo pride themselves on offering quality artwork for affordable prices, available through an easy online ordering process. Monet, Klimt, Van Gogh... Few of us can afford the originals, but we can all afford reproductions from Artisoo!

Meet Robert Goldsberry, Artist

Robert Goldsberry is a Colorado-based visual artist. He has been painting and drawing for over 30 years in different mediums and styles. His current work involves painting in a realist style, doing still lifes with various objects and designs. Find samples of his work at robertgoldsberry.com.

Below is a painting called Always.

And here is another recent painting called Treaty.

1. What do you most enjoy about working in a realist style, and what are the challenges of working on realist paintings?

Throughout my career, I've typically done a little of everything. What I enjoy most is the challenge of it. The attempt to make it realistic is an ongoing pursuit and quite challenging. I enjoy watching the work evolve and change over time. What is important to me is the feeling it creates. If I'm working toward a realistic work, I want it to be the best I can make it look. Same goes for any other style. I work hard to achieve what I'm trying to do with these paintings.

2. What inspired you to focus on still lifes for the series of paintings you're currently working on?

My inspiration for working on still lifes comes from the simplicity I find in assembling the objects I wish to interpret. Stills are a time-honored tradition and one I've not worked at until ten years ago (my first still life was a drawing I did in college). Painters think in terms of weight, value, variations on color and composition. The process of doing the painting is always intriguing and captivating. Painting is magic in that sense. What is inspiring is the finished piece looking like the painting you imagined it would be. It does not always work out that way. Many good ideas are never fulfilled because of hesitation to push on.

3. How do you choose the arrangement of objects for a particular painting?

I'm not sure that I choose the objects to paint, but that they choose me instead. I make up every painting I do. I'm always looking for another piece of the puzzle, an object or thing that will enhance the work and make it a balanced effort. At times I will reference an object to make sure I'm doing it as close to what it is supposed to be, but most all time spent is envisioning the image I'm trying to produce and just doing it from memory. Arrangement is nothing more than, "What will I think of next, and what looks good with that?". I never really know what is next. I've just finished two paintings that I painted at the same time. Now I'm feeling lost as to what to do next. But that lost feeling does not last very long because when something strikes a chord, and I think to myself, that will look good on canvas, it usually does.

4. What are some other styles and media you've worked in as an artist, in addition to realist painting?

I've worked in many styles and media, from crayons to trowels and sticks, abstracts, surreal, real, to impressionism. I would like to try sculpting someday. I think the clay would be interesting and fun. But painting on canvas and with a brush has stuck with me for all these years. I've been known to produce vivid abstracts, which at times blend and morph into abstract/surrealism, or straight up surrealism, or to realism, and at one point, some super realism. Painting is an evolving process for me. At one point I painted strictly abstract imagery for 17 years. And then while working a horse ranch in Evergreen Co., I dropped the abstracts and started working on paintings of horses and equine portraiture. The best part was my influence and subject matter were all around me.

Again, painting is an evolving process. In the beginning stages, components of a painting come from the objects and their inherent beauty, and during the process, things can quickly change to more abstract and conceptual ideas. I love doing the abstracts as a way of releasing tension, energy, and emotion, all depicted by color and technique. Also, if I have a period of time in which I have not sat at the easel much, I find that working in an abstract style loosens me up to more vigorous detailed work. Kind of like getting paint on myself, it gets me involved and motivated and messy.

5. How do your surroundings living in Colorado influence your work?

I'm from Colorado and have lived all over including the deserts of southern Arizona. I've found no direct connection between my work and my surroundings. I don't paint in plein aire much because I'm usually a studio turtle and love to hibernate there. On location requires another painter to say let's go there and paint. What I do paint in plein aire usually ends up in the studio to be completed. My all-time favorite artist is Vincent Van Gogh, and I paint nothing like him, yet find inspiration in his work, style of painting, and his life story. He never liked painting indoors and that's okay. One day maybe I'll get that urge to paint in the wind, rain, and blasting sun like he did, but not just yet.

Thanks, Robert!

Meet ONYN, East London Artist Group

ONYN are a creative collective in East London, England. ONYN formed in July of 2012 and since then have been prolific in their painting output. In the last six months they have sold over 2,000 original canvas paintings worldwide. Find samples of their work at www.onyn.com and on their Facebook page. ONYN create original, unique paintings on canvas; they are not adverse to using technology (it has its place), but believe there is currently nothing better to beat talent, paint, and a brush!

1. What are the materials you use to create your artwork (from the photos, it looks like canvas panels and acrylic paint, and I'm curious to know if you make and paint your own frames)?

Yes, currently at ONYN we paint exclusively on linen canvas panels with acrylic paints plus some pencil and inks for good measure. As for our frames, it's another "Yes." We have a basic ethos of creating unique, high quality objects for a reasonable price. We make our own frames out of ethically sourced, natural solid wood and decorate them with the same paints we use in our images.

2. How many people are in your collective, and what inspires you to work together?

As a loose creative group, our numbers change depending on internal and external forces; we're somewhere between four and eight creative souls at present. As for what inspires us to work together, I guess it's that we push each other to try new things, and therefore ONYN is greater than the sum of its parts.

3. How do you come up with the subjects for your paintings, and what would you say are some common themes that come up in your work?

We create images that makes us smile and feel good. A lot of our paintings are on www.onyn.com. We don't purposely repeat themes; however, certain images seem to reappear from time to time. Sometimes we are asked for a specific animal, character, or situation, and we're always happy to meet a challenge.

4. Do you do most of your sales locally in London, or do you travel to shows in other cities--and countries?

Since we started last year we have focused on East London shows, as it's where we are based and the area attracts a lot of international people who appreciate art. ONYN paintings seem to be popular throughout the world with particular interest to date from Italy, Spain, South Korea, Japan, and the USA. We're always looking for opportunities to expand our range and reach! To keep up to date with news and show dates, be sure to "like" us on our Facebook page: www.fb.com/Love.ONYN.

5. How can people who admire your work online contact you to buy a particular piece--and do you ever accept custom orders?

To meet the demand (especially from international customers), we have decided to launch an ONYN eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/ONYN-Whimsical-Unique-Art-Paintings. People will be able to buy original, unique ONYN art with or without our painted frames, and have them delivered direct to their door. As for commissions, we love to meet a challenge and our creativity doesn't stop at canvas paintings. Ideas and requests can be emailed to: art@onyn.com.

Thanks, ONYN!

Meet Paris Styles, Artist and Designer

Paris Styles is a fashion model turned artist/designer. She creates original wall art and hand-painted vases, bowls, and tableware. She works with the goal of making affordable art for your home. Her objects have been described as "museum-quality," and she loves the idea of sharing high quality art objects with the average person. For samples of her work, see the website for Paris Styles Designs as well as her Etsy shop.

1. Since you work in different media (from 2D to 3D), what would you say are some qualities that unify your art and make it uniquely yours?

Regardless if I'm working on a painting or an original piece of home decor, I begin each project the same way and that is with a desire to create a unique piece of art that is an expression of who I am. Each piece I create has its own story to tell. Sometimes I know the story before I begin, and other times the story is told as I'm painting or isn't revealed to me until the final brushstroke. What is common to all and unique to all is that I tell the story in my own special way. I don't know if my art has a "signature" that distinguishes each piece as uniquely mine. I'm known for my dotting work and my faux finishes, though.

2. How does your background in the fashion world influence you as a visual artist?

Having an eye for fashion allows me, I believe, a deeper understanding of what styles, colors, patterns and textures complement one another. Like putting together a great outfit, a great piece of art has different components that need to blend well together. I know I have a good eye for that.

3. How (and why) do you incorporate found/recycled materials in your work?

It's important to me not to be wasteful in my life. I believe in any aspect of life you use what you have to the best of your ability. And I love bringing new life to old objects. What someone else might think is useless, I look at it and try to see a new purpose. I like doing makeovers!

4. Who are some artists you admire and who help to motivate you to create your own work?

I have to say that I don't really "study" art. I can name artists that I like, ones that everyone knows, but I can't drop a laundry list of impressive names and tell you that this person or this work influenced me. It didn't work for me that way. What motivates me is life and everything you see in it. When you think about it, I guess you can say that the artist I admire most... is God.

5. What tips can you suggest for someone who is wanting to bring more art into his or her home and needs to be mindful of keeping to a modest budget?

Art is affordable for almost everyone. I would suggest that people check out online sites like Etsy.com. I have a shop there. Also, visit your local art festivals or a locally owned gallery. Art really is everywhere.

Thanks, Paris!