The REV It Up List

Blog Stalking: Artist Dina Wakley

Interview by Maria Hammon

I cannot tell you how truly inspiring the art of Dina Wakley is to me, specially considering that I have diligently been stalking her blog for at least two years!  This is one of the reasons I find this interview so exciting! 

Dina, just how and when did you get started in the world of art journaling?

I've always been art-minded and I subscribed to Somerset Studio from the day it was first published. I devoured every issue, but was too chicken to try art myself. I started stamping and my skill level grew. Finally, I bought a blank book and started creating a visual journal. I've kept a regular journal since I was 9 years old, so I'm familiar with the process of putting yourself down onto paper. But with the visual journal I was combining words and paint. My very first art journal was about how I was too insecure to call myself an "artist." The great thing about art journaling is that it's a way to experiment and express yourself and it doesn't have to be "good"...it just has to be honest.

That is one of the many things I love about what you do, it is SO real. Raw. I love it!  What is your favorite art medium?                                     

I love collage and mixed media--acrylic paint and odds and ends and bits of whatever is laying around.

I love it when you say you "slapped a quick page together" and I see this masterpiece (from your current post.) Exactly how do you manage to create your art?  What is your process; does the theme come first?  Or is it the kind of colors?  The concept?  How do you typically start and finish a project?

This is a hard question...I rarely ever have an end product in mind when I start a page. I just start putting down paint and layers and see where it takes me. Often I'm driven by my emotions, or by something that is bothering me. I'll work on a page in my art journal, and as I have extra paint I'll wipe it on pages further back in the journal...I figure one day I'll get to those pages and there will be a little paint or something there to jump start me. I tend to work quickly, too...I don't agonize over the perfect thing to put on the page. I use what is within reach. I guess the process is kind of organic and intuitive. I love to layer...paints, inks, collage elements, etc. I think the layers create visual interest and combined together have meaning. I also love to use letters in my work. I was an English major in college and the written word has always moved me.

How do you manage life, family (with boys!) and the never ending daily chores and still find the time you need to create the beautiful works of art you create?  Come on, share the secrets!

Well, there's no secret. I'm always behind on housework. I figure the dishes can wait.

I love that!  Thank you.  I really needed to hear that today. Specially since my dishes haven't been done yet...this interview is much more important!  If you could pick any place in the world to live, where would it be and why? 

How about Del Mar in a house on the beach...or Lake Tahoe (North shore, Nevada side)...or Tuscany...or in a fun flat in London....oh wait, you said one place, right?

It is quite all right...we can always have more than one favorite place.  There are no rules when dreaming, right?  Now on a sweeter note, what is your favorite candy bar?

Milky Way Midnight...yum...and anything by Cadbury. When we lived in England we got hooked on British chocolate. I still crave Curly Wurlys and Star Bars and Double Deckers!

Where do you create?  Do you have a dedicated space at home? 

I do have a room...it's not really a studio, and it's not decorated nicely. But it's functional and it's mine. Someday I want built-in shelving, a sealed concrete floor, and a utility sink.

Funny you mention a utility sink...that's one of my dreams, too!  Specially because I always find myself splattered in paint!  What do you find most inspiring to you and why?

I find so many things in life inspiring...poetry, art, people who triumph over adversity, hummingbirds outside my window...I think I get inspiration from everything.

Here is one of my favorite pieces created by you last year, have you ever considered selling your art in Etsy or other similar places? 

No...I'm not trying to be self-defeating, but I really don't consider myself at the caliber I would need to be to sell anything. I feel like an infant when it comes to art...I have so much to learn. I look at how far I've come since I first started art journaling, and I'm amazed at the growth.

Where do you see yourself in the future?  Any goals or plans you'd like to share with us?

I just want to keep creating! :)

Etsy Stalking: Artist Linda Solovic (lindasolovic)

Artist Linda Solovic creates masterpieces out of art paper, found paper, found objects, fabric and just about anything she finds interesting or intriguing. And, like most true artists, she excels at multi-tasking! She works on her creations while watching tv and talking to her friends on a cordless headset. We love that (because that is how we work, too.). Lucky for the world, Linda has an etsy shop where you can find prints of her limited edition collages at really good prices.

Blog Stalking: Artist Claudine Hellmuth

I am sure you have read about her before. Or read her blog. Perhaps even been a fan of her books or saw her at the Martha Stewart show last year. And if you haven't done any of these things yet, it is time you get caught up with current times and join all of us who love her work!  Here are a few questions that might help you get to know the wonderful, charismatic, Claudine Hellmuth that we know! 

1. When did you decide you would become an artist? Did you ever have a moment of epiphany about it as a child, or a young adult?

I never really did have a moment where I said "I am going to be an artist" it's always been something that has been present in my life for as long as I can remember. I have always made things and taken art lessons and been creative and except for a brief moment (one day when I was 8) when I thought I wanted to be an archaeologist -- artist has always been what I thought I would be or be doing in some way.

2. What is your favorite part of what you do and why?
I like different parts of what I do for different reasons. Some days I think it's the actual art making that is the most fun. But when things aren't working right in the studio I find the art making stressful and I decide that I like doing the business part best. I find that toggling between business person and artist works well for me because it gives me a break from each!

3. What are your three favorite TV shows and what is what makes you like them?
Pushing Daisies - my favorite and I pray this doesn't get canceled. I love how it is like Amelie +  Big Fish rolled into one. I love how they match colors on that show, all the orange and green. yummy!! And the story is so cute!

Project Runway -- of course!!

Breaking Bad -- this is my new fav, I love the darkness of this show. It must appeal to my moody German side.

I do like a lot of TV and I do not feel guilty about watching it. It's one of the few ways I relax.

4. And I'm sure many people would want to read about (I know I do) how many times did you change outfits the day of your Martha Stewart show? 
Actually only once! I knew I would be wearing jeans and heels on the bottoms because that is my uniform that I wear all the time. So I wore a regular shirt on my way over there with my jeans and heels and then I brought 4 different shirts for the wardrobe guy to pick from. All the others that I brought wouldn't work for one reason or another, too much pattern or the fabric would moire on the camera so we were left at the last shirt which I ended up wearing. It actually wasn't my favorite choice, but oh well. it looked OK. I ran out of time before the show to do proper shirt shopping and there are so many rules with what you can and can not wear on camera, things that don't film well etc. And one shirt I actually wore on TV before -- the Martha wardrobe guy said I couldn't because it would moire. Just when I thought I was figuring it out. it is very confusing.

5. Were you nervous the moments before the show started?  And, what was your BEST memory of that day? 
I was nervous in a crazy way the night before - I knew it was going to be live TV so that is what freaked me out the most. I had to take an Ambien to get to sleep. In the morning when I was getting ready in the hotel i as nervous. And then in the dressing room, But once I was there on the set and it was time, I got really calm. Paul (my husband) got really nervous right before, I could tell because his hands were all sweaty!!!

My best memory of that day.... hmmm. it was sort of like my wedding day. A big blur. I would have to say my best memory was after the segment I got to sit in the audience with Paul and watch the rest of the show being filmed and knowing I had done it and I hadn't messed up and it was OK. Later that day Paul took me canoing on the lake in central park which was so cute and fun!

Roaming the Desert with Photographer Kyle Cassidy

Photographer Kyle Cassidy has been roaming the Mohave Desert with his camera, his ipod, and his thoughts and we are so lucky he did. Kyle created Mojave: A Travel Diary in Words and Images which can be ooohhed and aaaaaahed over and downloaded (for free!) here. The photographs are stunning and full of emotion, as are Kyle's words. Pay attention to both so you don't miss anything!

Kyle Cassidy is an award winning writer, photographer, and graphic designer living in Philadelphia. He is the author of six books, most recently Armed America:
Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes, which was named one of the 100 best books of 2007 by Amazon.com. His Photo-a-Week blog was one of the first photography blogs on the Internet and is viewed by some crazy thousands of people every day.