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Meet Etsy Artist: schin

Schin Hern Loong admits that she loves bad puns. "The worse, the better," she jokes. "My guilty pleasure is listening to bad pop music." She also enjoys milk tea and "go(es) out of (her) way to step on crunchy, dry leaves." Nature and Life in general are a huge inspiration to her. "Yesterday I found myself wanting to paint something based on the golden colors of a cute puppy," she explains. "The subject is important to me as I always try to incorporate a story or idea in it. It's my mission that when someone sees a painting of mine, they will form their own story for it." She has been drawing and painting ever since she can remember - and considers Etsy a hobby. "It's not a job when one enjoys it," she says. "Keep the passion in your work." Please check out Etsy her shop: http://schin.etsy.com/, website: http://schin-art.com/, and blog: http://schin-art.blogspot.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artist: DeepCreekStudios

John is a full-time photographer and has been exhibiting fine art prints of his work for over 20 years. He started out as a writer for a newspaper, but was captivated by photography while in college. "When I saw that first B&W print come up in the developer tray I was hooked," he admits. Like many artists, nature's beauty is a huge inspiration to him. He is also interested in architecture - especially rural churches. "I like to imagine the people of a small town coming together to build their church and I find that many of these churches are simple and beautiful, made of wood and made with love," he explains. "I try to show the world as I see it," he says of his craft. Etsy has been a great opportunity for him to reach a wider audience and he is "excited to be a part of that creative community." He advises his fellow artists to "keep to your vision and create work that excites YOU, because that excitement always shows in the work." Please check out his shop: http://deepcreekstudios.etsy.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artist: Corbaecreative

By day Aimee Tuck is a freelance graphic designer working for companies that focus on renewable energy and senior housing. "I’m a gigantic geek at night," she admits, "speaking with earnest about the last Battlestar Galactica episode, but have no idea who played in the last Superbowl." She lives and works out of an old 1917 fixer-upper that she seems to be working on constantly. A large part of her inspiration comes from her "incredibly artistic, talented, and funny husband" as well as the beautiful Pacific Northwest. "Although I primarily work with paper, I’m not limited by it," she says of her craft, "often using beads, yarn, string, metal, and other objects in my creations." She enjoys making things, but the Capricorn in her mandates they be useful. "I love the idea of someone using what I created to communicate – sending a card, writing in their journal, etc." After a 2002 trip to Japan she also began making keepsake boxes. "Even their most mundane store wrappings around a book are just beautiful. I wanted to combine that pleasure of receiving and opening something beautiful with an item that doesn’t get thrown in the trash – that can be reused." A lifelong creative soul, she jokes, "I have vivid memories of learning to sew absolutely horrid doll clothes, of painting a clay dinosaur bright red for a grade school diorama, and an eighth-grade science fair in which I was much more interested in making the display than in the actual experiment." Etsy has been a great opportunity for her to connect with other artists - and customers aside from friends and family. "I love being a part of a world-wide community of so many artisans and crafters, and bore people to tears telling them of the amazing things I’ve found on the Etsy site." Please check out her shop: http://corbaecreative.etsy.com/ and website: http://corbaecreative.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com

Meet Etsy Artist: TheArtisticNewts

North Carolina mosaic artist Elizabeth Newton originally hailed from Augusta, Georgia. Much of her inspiration comes from fairy tales ("especially the lesser know ones with really oddball morals at the end") and her travels to "odd" places. She also has a fascination with renaissance fashion. "No, I don't hang out at Renaissance fairs," she jokingly adds. However she does dabble in many other art forms, including painting and jewelry making. "I love making really large stained glass mosaics just for the wow factor because they are quite impressive in person," she says. Although she's been honing her craft for 5 years, she's been a lifelong artist. "I guess if I can count crayoning on the walls and making my mother insane." While her art is just a hobby right now, she hopes to turn it into her career - if she can get over her shyness and start promoting herself. "I just signed up for my first (craft show) in Thomasville, NC on May 2 and I think I'm already having mini panic attacks about it," she admits. "I actually kind of miss things when they sell and I have to send them off. Please check out her shop: http://TheArtisticNewts.etsy.com and Blog: http://theartisticnewts.blogspot.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com

Meet Etsy Artist: ambaarts

Tarini has been a devotee of the Goddess since high school. "I love Her in Her many forms, but have worshiped Ma Kali for the last 15 years," she explains. "I love to worship Her through painting, puja (traditional Hindu ritualistic worship), and meditation." A 1994 graduate of Laguna college of Art and Design, she admits that watercolors are her favorite medium, although she also enjoys working with clay. Her inspiration comes from the Goddess in her many forms, including nature. "My dreams and spiritual practice inform my art and my art informs my dreams and practice," she says. "I try to immerse myself in the atmosphere/influence of the deity I am painting. " She is also inspired by others who "strive to inspire and uplift through their art and service." Through Etsy she hopes to "bring my (her) and love of the Goddess to people who wouldn’t otherwise see it." Please check out her shop: http://ambaarts.etsy.com/ and blog: http://ambaarts.blogspot.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artist: glasswench

Kelli Graves' love affair with stained glass began several years ago, after a shoulder injury prohibited her from becoming a potter. A simple visit to the cathedrals of Paris sparked her interest - and after an Adult Education class in the craft she was "hooked like a trout on the line." Inspiration can come from anywhere. "I love color," she admits, "in general; intense, saturated, rich or subtle, it doesn't matter, color is a visual feast for me." She has a soft spot for patterns as well - especially tapestries, batiks, and henna art. "I love the play of light (I almost called my blog by that name), the way it filters through clouds, sprinkles through the leaves of a tree. The patterns and shifts of light from a coming storm, or approaching thunderhead. The soft, caressing light of dawn, and the brilliant, aggressive light of sundown." Artistic, even as a child, she remembers drawing "big fancy Jessica McClintock dresses." Eventually she moved on to gardening and picture framing - and even jewelry design. She had an interest in glass arts since high school, but never really pursued her love until the fateful trip to Paris. "I became completely obsessed with it," she explains. "It satisfies all my creative needs, from finding or making the pattern, to color and texture selection, to the detail of cutting and forming the puzzle pieces of the glass, to joining it all together, for that final glorious moment when you can lift the completed piece up to the light and discover the true character of what you have been imagining." While her art is just a hobby at this point (she is a skincare therapist by day), she admits that trying to turn it into a business "sucked the majority of the joy out of it." For that reason alone, she has resisted selling her creative works, even to friends and family. Only now is she allowing herself to get her name out there because she has so many ideas for projects - and nowhere to hang them all. "So I make them, enjoy them for a bit, and then offer them for sale to my friends - and now the world at large via Etsy." Please check out her Etsy shop: http://glasswench.etsy.com/ and blog: http://glasswench.wordpress.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artist: MrBenWu

Ben Wu may just be a pen name, but it suits the artist perfectly: a fusion of East Meets West. "I'm a 31 year old white guy in love with all things Asian," he jokes, "and I live in the rural depths of Tennessee, dangling somewhere just southeast of the Bible Belt." He already has three "traditionally" printed books (The Macabre Alphabet, An Ivory Chopstick, and Very Naughty Figs) as well as "some privately printed and bound volumes that I sell exclusively on Etsy or just to friends/fans." He has also done illustration work for several websites, including goreydetails.net and logospilgrim.com. "My first art-love was medieval art," he admits. "Strangely enough that lead me to Aubrey Beardsley. Which lead me to Edward Gorey. That is where the bones of my art technique came from." Around the age of 20 he "fell head over hills in love with China (and Japan to a lesser extent), not just the art, but the culture." He explains, "Chinese art, calligraphy, Peking opera, Chinese classical novels and philosophy all play a part in my life and my art." His love of Asian cultures in showcased beautifully in his intricate drawings. "I rely heavily on cross-hatching," he says of the process, "and I love to fill every inch of the page with something: weird details, hidden names, and faces." He started his artistic pursuits at the tender age of 4 while in the hospital with cancer. "I'd draw dinosaurs on my father's Styrofoam coffee cups," he admits. "From then on, I never stopped doodling on any scrap of paper that I can find." While his art has been a good source of income he is eager to find something outside his own creations. "I have spent the last ten years working on my books and my art in seclusion. Now, I want to get out and reintroduce myself to the world. I've sort of missed it." Etsy has been a great place for him to meet fellow artists - and buy handmade. When asked if he had any advice to share, he joked, "No matter what group of people I'm addressing (be it prostitutes or preachers) my advice is always the same: be persistent. If you don't get any nibbles on your hook, change your bait." Please check him out on Etsy: http://mrbenwu.etsy.com/ and on his website: http://ben-wu.com/. He also has a LiveJournal for his Studio of Little Consequence, which he maintains mostly for friends, but adds, :However if anyone wants to add me (and bear the horrors of my personal ramblings), I will usually add them back." http://jade-teacup.livejournal.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com

Meet Etsy Artist: CanesGalactica

Christine is a 24 year old illustrator, artist, and lover of cosplay. Originally from the Midwest, she moved to Virginia Beach with her 2 cats and 9 tarantulas to be with her husband, who is in the US Navy. She graduated UCM with a degree in illustration, but admits she's more into watercolors and fiber art lately. "Books are very inspirational to me - as are fashion, cosplay (people dressing up as their favorite characters from television, movies, etc.), and sushi," she says. "I LOVE sushi." A lot of her work is also reminiscent of her passion for history, mythology, and whimsical fairy tales. "Nearly anything and everything can inspire me," she explains, "even found objects on the side of the road." She describes her style as "chaotic neutral," a Dungeons and Dragons reference. "That essentially means that most of the time I do art and crafts that make me happy, but I do not enjoy the suffering of others, so if my art or hobbies could help someone in some way, I would help, but I don't specifically go out of my way to make anything and everyone happy," she explains. Strongly bonded to her art, she feels that it is a "projection of a tiny piece of my soul." Etsy has been a great way for her to connect with other artists and "goof off." She recommends everyone "hav(e) fun with your business, not treating it like some giant burden where you have to churn out 'x amount' of a certain product by 'x date.' It's good to set deadlines, but you don't want them to feel like they are overtaking your life or causing you to not enjoy your creative side." Please check her out on Etsy: http://canesgalactica.etsy.com/ and Deviant Art: http://canesgalactica.deviantart.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artist: tashdesigns

The Sri Lankan American artist behind tashdesigns opened shop a mere week ago, but has already caught my eye with this gorgeous Medicine Buddha painted in the Tibetan thangka style. "I just posted my first painting on Etsy a few days ago and I am in the process of adding more." A graduate of UC Berkeley, tashdesigns was born in the US, but "find(s) that it is necessary to be true to your culture." South Asian iconography has been a huge influence - especially Buddha images. "Follow your heart and love your craft and embrace your culture." Please check out this brand-spanking new Etsy shop: http://tashdesigns.etsy.com/

Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/