The other day Diane Irby of
GoodMourningGlory.etsy.com kindly pointed out another terrific Etsy shop,
Curioddities. Diane has a
(sometimes tongue in cheek) taste for the darkside and I always enjoy her picks - so off I went. I ended up taking home some fabulous finds from Clara Boo's
Curioddities shop, including a print of this cute little fellow:
And a portrait print on canvas paper of one of my favorite sci-fi celebrities:
And this cool pocket mirror:
If you hang around here much you know I'm a bit of an ART-o-holic. Thanks to this artist's great pieces and reasonable prices I felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store.... Then Clara Boo mentioned that she had the time to pop by for a bit of Q&A ... and was happy to sponsor the new Thursday Giveaway - woohoo!
Prize info is at the end of this post, but I hope you will stick around for our chat. By the way, you can click on any of the photo captions for details. Now let me stop yammering & introduce you to the wonderful Clara Boo:
When did you first become interested in art? & "the dark side"?
CB: Being an only child growing up drawing kept me occupied. I was always encouraged as a child to draw. I grew up in Scotland so I was always surrounded by history. And of course all history has it's dark side. Why I am drawn to the dark side is a question I find hard to answer. I have a curious side to me and it's always just been more interesting to me.
What are your favorite materials & why?
CB: I like to sew or construct things, so I like to work with a lot of different textiles. I studied stop-motion animation at Art School so I enjoy working with puppets and sets. I mostly use left over fabrics, buttons, ribbon etc Whatever I think could lend itself to what it is I am working on.
Where do you find inspiration?
CB: I find inspiration in people, places and the past. Visiting new places always sparks new ideas.
Do you listen to anything while creating?
CB: I can't listen to music while I work. It's very distracting to me. I do enjoy listening to NPR on the radio however. I like to feel as though I am absorbing information while I work. However when I am not working I like to listen to my collection of 78's that I play on my Victrola.
How long have you been selling your art? I see that you've been on Etsy since '06 - any thoughts on the recent changes?
CB: I have been selling art since 2006. I began selling on my website and at Horror and craft conventions. Etsy is an excellent tool for new artists to sell their items. The only thing that has changed is the volume of sellers on Etsy now. I feel it's harder to sell now that there are so many shops to compete with. I do love the new Circle option they have on Etsy now. It brings together buyers and sellers with similar tastes.
What are your 3 favorite etsy shops?
CB: I have so many favourite shops on Etsy I think it would be unfair to whittle it down to three. They are also so many undiscovered stores that I have still yet to visit. There are so many amazing sellers on there.
What is the last book/movie you read/watched?
CB: The last movie I watched was "The kings Speech". A wonderful movie. I like Period films. I also like to read biographies and books on social history. I just read Frankenstein: A Cultural History by Susan Tyler Hitchcock. An interesting read for any classic horror fan.
What do you like to do when you are not creating?
CB: When I am not stuck indoors I enjoy picking through the local flea market, buying antiques, hiking, visiting old places and having new experiences. I also enjoy the company of my Partner and Pets. I just returned from a trip to Europe. It was very inspiring. Edinburgh and Paris and very beautiful places rich in history and culture.
If you could have any superpower what would it be?
CB: I am not a huge fan of super hero's But if I had to pick a power I would wish to be invisible. I always thought "the invisible man" was a fascinating movie. Imagine the things you could do without being seen.
Would you use your power for good or evil?
CB: I am sure I would use my talent for my own selfish needs but I wouldn't do anything too naughty.
Isn't this lady just grand?! Victrolas, Frankenstein and flea markets ...sigh... I think I am having a wee-geeky-art-crush moment here.... okay, back to business. As I mentioned earlier our generous guest is sponsoring the newest Thursday Giveaway. (Lucky you -this is one of those drawings I wish I could enter)
On 4/7 one random winner will be selected from everyone who comments on my blog in the next 2 weeks. Leave a message before 1 am (EST) on April 7 and your name goes into the hat. Easy peasy.
What does that lucky winner get? Winner's choice of 1 item (priced at $20 or less) from
Curioddities.etsy.com. With free shipping worldwide. How cool is that?
Thanks for popping by today. After you leave a comment, for more Curriodities goodness check out these links:
If you can't wait for the random drawing (or find some must-have pretty): Clara is having a fantastic sale over at her Etsy Currioddities shop. Purchase before April 1st and enter the Coupon Code "Madness" to get 40% off everything in the store.
And thank you, Clara Boo, for sharing your wondrous world with us today!
