Friday Friends - Australian Artists - Art by Jen G

Hello lovely Maddabling readers, I hope this blog post finds you happy and well. It's Good Friday and a time to spend time with family and loved ones. Today it is my pleasure to introduce to you a new Friday Friend and Australian Artist, meet sweet Jen of Art by Jen G. 

Jen is a very talented maker, her mediums of choice are Ceramics and Lampwork. Let me share some of my favourites with you now. Jen makes stunning bead sets, 

to homewares and keepsakes 

and beautiful ready to wear pieces 

Why not let Art by Jen G create something very special for you?
Ok dear readers, it's time for me to hand over the blogging reigns to Jen who will be Introducing Art by Jen G. Have a happy and safe Easter everyone xo♥ 

Introducing Art by Jen G 
When I was in my late teens, our family home was destroyed in the Bushfire of 1980 leaving the surrounding Adelaide Hills with blackened tree trunks and a grey ash ground for what seemed to last forever. It was then that my pre-school love of Bright Bold was rekindled. I'm a Ceramicist and Lamp work Artist: a Trail Runner, a Model and Muse for my husband's Art works and mum of 3 wonderful adult sons. I love to use Bright Bold colours as I create in a home Studio/Shop where I also teach Ceramic and Lamp work classes. 

Who (or what) inspires you to do what you love in your own creative business? The feeling of personal satisfaction is what inspires me in my creative business; to be able to say “I made it myself” is very satisfying. 

Where do you get your inspiration from when you design and paint? For me, inspiration is all around. I get inspired seeing the stars and moon on my early morning runs to the tiniest raindrop caught on a nasturtium leaf to the lines and curves in architecture. What are the five words that people who know you would use to describe you? Positive, cheerful, patient, persistent and kind. 

How did you know when you’ve found your passion for Art + Craft? I knew I had found my passion when I was completely immersed in what I was doing. Time seemed to fleet by. 
Tell us about your very first job and what path have you taken since then? Before I was married, my very first paid job position was a Receptionist for a Home Improvement company. Basically I worked on a switch board, answering and transferring phone calls most of the day but also helped and advised customers as they came in to the display show room. I discovered very early on that being Time Rich is far more important to me than Financially Rich so any paid jobs I take on are simply a way to buy my creative supplies. 

Describe your day in your studio space? A day in my studio space is heaven. It’s a place where time does not exist as I get lost in the creative process. It is rejuvenating to my spirit. 
As an Artist, what is your biggest frustration? My biggest frustration as an artist is that the general public generally underestimate the time and skill required to produce my work.

Tell us about how you prioritise your work. Orders and commissions take precedents. Other than that I really work as my creative mind leads me. 
What was the purpose on starting Art workshop and how has the concept come about? My reason behind starting Art workshops / classes is to allow others to experience the joy and satisfaction of creating something Unique as I do. 

Tell us about how do you connect with other artists, and your customers (i.e. how do you network)? I often connect with other artists via the Internet; however I also have a couple of close artist friends that I sometimes visit. My husband is also an artist, so we are always bouncing ideas off each other. The only jewellery I wear is my own. Because my Handmade Ceramic and Lamp work Beads are Bright, Bold and Designed to be Noticed, I always receive compliments and from there it is easy to hand out my business card. 

What advice can you offer other creative people who are just starting out and following their passions? My advice is that the quicker one can accept that only a very small minority of people really understand and appreciate handmade creations the easier it is to accept that what we do is really for a select market. So believing in your own creative vision is the most important thing. 
What dreams do you still want to achieve or fulfil in your life? My dreams are simply that I want to keep improving and developing as an artist. 

What is your proudest moment so far? My most recent, proudest moment was in January this year. I ran 101 km's nine days after completing a 93 km run. 
Who do you most want to meet and why? I would count it an honour and privilege if I could meet Stephen Fry. From what I have read and have heard him speak, I find his life experiences and thoughts very interesting. 

What is the most important lesson in life that you have learned? Acceptance of others and all forms of life are valuable. 
What book are you reading right now, and do you have a book you would like to recommend? I’m yet to decide on my next book, but recently finished reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. And yes, I would highly recommend it. 

Where do we find you and your products? I work from home in the Adelaide Hills. Here I hold my classes and have a Shop. My work is also available on line and information about my classes and shop can be found here … http://ArtbyJenG.blogspot.com. Once a month I have a stall Fullarton, South Australia.

Friday Friends - Australian Makers - Hellcat Clothing

Hello readers, welcome to another edition of Friday Friends. Roller Derby is something that has become very dear to my heart as Freshmeat skater in a developing league. And today I am super super excited to introduce to you a very special maker. Meet the truly fabulous Helen of Hellcat Clothing! 

I have a pair of the Hellcat Clothing Derby Shorts, they have great cover and are designed for real size women :) They don't ride up and look fantastic on! There are a couple of other items on my Hellcat Clothing wish list and they include a super practical Nautical Anchor A-Line Roller Derby Skort,  

a pair of super cute Ruffle Butt Roller Derby Shorts and

a pair of Magic Star 3/4 Length Leggings.

Readers, I invite you now to read the Hellcat Clothing Chronicle. Have the most fantastic weekend and see you all next week for a new edition of Thursday Thoughts xo♥

Hellcat Clothing Chronicle
Hellcat Clothing is a clothing label run by me, Helen, otherwise know by my roller derby name GoGo Fiasco. I make colourful, crazy, and comfortable active wear and other fun stuff.

Making clothes has been a pretty solid part of my life since my mum taught me to sew. I've always enjoyed created something unique for costume parties, festivals, anytime I could find to dress up. It meant I could wear exactly what I had in my head, no matter how outrageous it was.

I started playing roller derby in 2008 and it wasn't long before my love of making outfits made it's way to my roller derby uniforms (or boutfits as we called them). Individuality was nurtured in this sport where you could completely be yourself and wear just about whatever you wanted.

As time went on and roller derby turned into a bit more of a serious sport, I started craving functionality. I found it really difficult to find clothes that were comfortable, would stand up to the rough and tumble of the sport, but still meant that I could express at least a little bit of individuality. So I started making more sporty clothes.

Pretty soon friends and teammates were asking me to make their outfits too, and before I knew it I was on Etsy selling roller derby shorts all over the world. Now I make a range of clothes for roller derby, although they are used for so many other things from circus performers to pole dancers to martial artists and wrestlers.

Etsy has been amazing and a really important part of setting up my business. The seller community is so helpful, and Etsy shoppers love anything a little left of centre. It's also helped me gets my products seen outside of Australia, with a lot of customers in both the United States and Europe.

My two mantras are functionality and individuality. If active wear isn't comfortable there's no point to it. But my favourite thing about creating is that every pair of shorts is different. My pieces are custom made to the idea that exists in my customer's head, and helping that become a reality that they can wear is pretty special.

 

Other than full custom made designs I also have lots of pre-designed products, but I still like to let the customer have full choice of colour combos, using different fabrics and textures to match their team colours, personality, or taste.

My day to day inspiration are the derby girls. They are such an imaginative and creative group of women, and the ideas they have for their uniforms are as varied and clever as their roller derby names. I bounce off my customers and together we come up with all sorts of crazy things. I am also inspired by colour, texture, sparkly things, combinations of fabrics, and how visual combinations, colours and shapes, can make you feel different things. 

Readers would you like to see more? Here is how you can connect: 

Buy fantastic things on Etsy here: 
www.hellcatclothing.etsy.com
Follow Hellcat Clothing on Facebook here: 

www.facebook.com/hellcatclothing
or email for info at: 
sales at hellcatclothing dot com

Divine Desert - Wednesday Wishes

Inspiration for the Wednesday Wishes post today is 

Divine Desert. 

Enjoy xo♥

Hanging Glass Succulent Terrarium Orb with Flat Bottom; Dirty Pink Desert from limetreebower

Silk Embroidery Thread for Needlework, Embroidery, Stumpwork hand dyed in Desert Dawn from SpiralDyed

Desert Gypsy Slouch Pant from BareSoulDesign

modern art glass plate 8x13 inches Namib Desert from jensstudio

Wool rug cactus brooch from alittlevintagestore

Friday Friends - Australian Artists - Isobel Von Finklestein

Happy Friday gorgeous ones, the weekend is almost here! I am super excited this week to introduce a new Friday Friend and Australian Artist, meet the super talented Isobel Von Finklestein! 

I adore the work of Isobel Von Finklestein and reckon you will too. It's a little bit cheeky, a little bit naughty and a whole lot of fun. Here are some of my favourites :) 

I invite you now to explore The Wonder of Isobel Von Finklestein. Have a wonderful weekend everyone xo Happy Reading ♥

The Wonder of Isobel Von Finklestein
Who: Isobel Von Finklestein – The Von Finklestein Studio

How and When? As all artists say, in the womb! I graduated from Certificate 4 in Visual art in 2003 and briefly started my Bachelor degree in Visual art at Uni S.A but found myself broke as and decided to go back to work ( finishing that course is on my list of goals). I airbrushed plaster statues for a few years.

I started working seriously towards my art career about seven years ago. My husband introduced me to the Kustom Kulture/ Lowbrow world and I knew I had found my art ‘home’. It was everything I loved but now had a name for it. Before that, I was much more of a surrealist and tended to hide most of my work in private journals.

What inspires you ?  Hmm… so many things! I’m a daydreamer, a lot of work just pops into my head and I’ll paint it there first before ever picking up a pencil.

Other artists inspire me -the Old school pinup gods; Gil Elvgren, Petty, Bill Ward. I also love Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali, Gustav Klimt. From the modern era – Keith Weesner, Sylvia Ji, Tara Mcpherson, OneQ, Tyson Macadoo… so many more!

Tell me about your creative side, how did you get started? I’ve just always drawn, it’s just what I ‘do’. There was no starting point, that I can remember. I just ‘have’ to create, it’s like breathing to me.

What mediums do you work with - do you have a favourite ? I work with graphite, Ink (nib), Copic Markers and sometimes guache and watercolour for drawings. I mainly use oils for painting but have recently dabbled with acrylics and Uni Posca paint pens. I also use the digital art programs, Photoshop and more recently, Manga Studio. My favourite is oil painting – I don’t get to do enough of it!

Do you have a favourite technique? Gosh, if you were to ask me one favourite technique it would be scumbling - painting with a dry brush to create shading, it’s satisfying, somehow. But I probably have a number of favourites.

What kind of things do you create ? Drawings, paintings, I carve wooden sugar skulls and paint shoes occasionally. I also do digital art. I mainly draw girls for some reason. I do like drawing men – my husband has featured in a few paintings but not as himself. Skeletons and cats come up a lot too

Do you have a favourite piece? My favourite is the painting that I have just completed ‘Halloween Happy hour’ That bar is always moving.

What are your future plans/dreams/aspirations ? I would love to take my art overseas – Japan and America are on the list. I’ve recently decided to start doing shows again after a couple of years off. I’ve recently decided that I want to do more painting, it’s what makes me happiest and it’s challenging.

Do you have any exhibitions or markets coming up? I’m having a stall at Adelaide’s Kustom Kulture Weekend which starts this Friday night! I also plan to go to the Goanna Run in Mildura and possibly one or both Greazefests.
Want to see more? You can connect through: vonfinklesteinstudio.com

This will link you to so many awesome things including social media, gallery, original art, t-shirts and stores, contact details and blog.