Pinups from a pinup!
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By:
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seagirl
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Mood:
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happy
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Date:
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07/24/2009 06:10:49
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Music:
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None
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I thought I would step out of the spotlight a little this week,
because I'm getting squint wrinkles, and I think I may need a new
prescription for sunglasses.
This month, some others and I want
to spread the word about our favorite online venue, Artfire, and the
great artists within it's virtual walls! Writing about other artists is
an easy thing to do, since I am continually in awe of the remarkable
talent out there. So today, I'm writing about my very talented friend
and prolific portrait artist, Christy DeKoning.
Christy is an
Aussie, transplanted to Canada. I am sure I would be charmed by her
accent, one I can only imagine as we are net buddies. (I don't know if She knows that Americans are particularly taken by an Australians.)
She
has a way, you might have noticed, of capturing the personality of her
subjects, and she has captivated quite an audience worldwide for this
special ability. Let me tell you, I'm speechless! (ok, I must go on)
I've
been following Christy for a couple of years now, since we met on eBay.
Her popularity has been growing at a remarkable pace, as I've witnessed
by visiting her various selling venues..
These pinups are her
newest mini obsession. She does work in all sizes, but quite a bit of
her work is in miniatures, and these dainty gals are ACEOs, which means
they are 2.5"x3'5", small enough that you don't really have an excuse
not to pounce on them; they'll fit anywhere! Try a really large
matt..that's 'hyper' cool (pronounced 'ee-pair) to show off little bits
o' bliss!
Try
sending her your own photo; a cat, a kid, a car, whatever, and she will
capture the sweetest essence in that, too. Custom portraits in
watercolor is her specialty, but her brush is certainly only one weapon
in the arsenal which compliments this amazing talent. She's a singer,
dancer and musician, too! Some people get it all! (we have so much in
common)
I wanted to interview Christy the old fashioned way; a
quiet, inconspicuous lunch. So, I booked a table right in the middle of
the room at New York's Famous Tavern on the Green, next to Dennis
Hopper and Martin Scorsese. Christy couldn't make it, something about
Paris. So, I took the web approach and that worked for her. Here's what
she had to say about Art, life and Artfire.
R:
Christy, it's so great to be able to get in your head! Thanks for
letting me interview you. First off, what role does your art play in
your life?
Christy:
Art is a vital part of my personality - I wouldn't be "me" without it.
I was always happiest as a child with a new pad of paper and fresh
sharp pencils, and I still feel the same rush almost 40 years later
when I walk into an art supply store and see all the goodies. Although
I started drawing portraits at a very early age, I never considered it
as a valid career choice until recently.
R: So, how did you get started then?
Christy:
My art career started in the Performing Arts as a classical ballet
dancer in Australia. When I moved to Canada I studied Makeup Artistry
at the Blanche MacDonald School of Design in Vancouver. While working
as a makeup artist I also played guitar & sang on the Vancouver
music scene during the '90s. It wasn't until I moved to Ontario in 1999
that I finally concentrated my career in Fine Arts as a portrait
artist. I've completed over 300 commissioned portraits worldwide since
then and I learn something new with each new painting - that's what
keeps it fresh and exciting for me.
R: Dang, you are good!
R: So, you live in Chatham, Ontario. What's that like? Christy:
It's in an area of Canada that is named after Kent County, England - we
even have a Thames River. It's nestled between two Great Lakes - Erie
and Huron - so the weather gets very hot and humid in the summer, but
at least the beach isn't too far away. R: You told me your favorite supplier of paint is Daniel Smith. You know I'm from Seattle, you're not trying to butter me up, are you? Christy: Never! They make the most beautiful watercolor paint, and their prices are great! www.danielsmith.comR: You run the gamut in the talent field. Is there some artform you haven't tackled that you fancy? Christy:
Glassblowing. I love colored glass, and it is such fun to paint with
watercolor, but I'd love to learn how to do it myself. My husband isn't
quite ready to surrender his garage to me for a furnace, so this might
be a long-term goal.
R: Well, a man has to have his cave, and you probably already own the rest of the house!
R:
So, since this article is in support of the new bad ass selling venue,
Artfire, tell me what are your goals with your ArtFire studio? Christy:
To help promote it and the ArtFire community so that it becomes THE
place to shop for handmade. I've been promoting ArtFire to my regular
clients by offering new art exclusively on ArtFire first for a few days
before I list it on Etsy. That way they'll know that the "hot" shop is
ArtFire.
R: That's a great way to promote the site. I do look there
first to see your work, which always blows me away, btw. I guess it's
working!
R: It's funny how the inspiration for our art comes to us. Where do you receive yours, in general? Christy:
Sunlight. Or to be more precise, shadows cast in the sunlight. I know
that sounds funny but whenever I'm out in the sun, I get distracted by
the play of light on objects, especially faces, and that inspires me to
paint. R: It really shows in your work! The shadows really bring your portraits to life!
Q: I just have to ask, since I'm also on Artfire, who are your favorite ArtFire artists? Christy: Smellyrhinostudio, KarenFaulkner, AmyLilleyDesigns, IBreak4Glass, AndyFee and Aquariann. R: Good answer!
R: What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists?
Christy: Practice daily; Market yourself wisely; Don't take rejection to heart R: I can't imagine you get much rejection, but I'm glad you can shake it off. Good advice, since I usually hire a hitman. 
R: If you won a thousand dollar craft shopping spree, what would you buy? Christy: Earrings. LOADS of earrings! Art from my favorite sellers; a new tea cozy.
R: I hope your husband is reading this.
R: If you had the opportunity to do something you always wished you could do, what would it be? Christy:
I would be commissioned to paint Johnny Depp. That would pretty much
complete me (to borrow from Children of a Lesser God) R: Maybe Johnny will commission a painting! I'll get on the phone as soon as I'm done here.
R: Why do children want to be astronauts? How do think you could apply this to your career?
Christy:
What on earth does that have to do with the price of bread? I don't
know why children want to do half the things they do, but if I had to
apply it to my career i guess it would be as a great big band aid. R: Wow, that's really profound. I think what you're saying is cover up the boo boo and never look back!
R: What do you do with bad art?
Christy:
Usually I turn it over and use it for testing watercolor glazes and
mixes. Sometimes I'll use bits and pieces to make ACEO cards (I used a
scrap of "cloud" to create my Canadian Landscapes ACEO series, for
example). Occasionally I'll amuse myself by listing it for sale,
because what I consider a dismal embarrassment is sometimes just what
another art collector is looking for.
Q: What food or beverage makes you really creative? Consumables
don't really inspire me, although that said I can't paint without a cup
of Orange Pekoe Tea within easy reach. Music is more important to me:
right now I've been listening to a lot of Lily Allen and the creative
juices have been flowing as fast as her foul language. I love it. R: Isn't it amazing how music stimulates the creative flow?!  R: Does art have to make sense? Christy:
I really hope not. Certainly a lot of my work is realism-based, but the
wonderful part about Art not having any sensibilities is that I can use
any color I want to represent an idea. It's my bold use of color in
portraits that appeals to my client base, so let's hope that I remain
totally insensible.
Christy lives with her husband, two sons, two cats and a backyard full of squirrels (but no mice!).
Christy's
art is in collections all over the world, and her ACEO work has been
featured in ACEO Magazine. You can also view Christy's work at ArtFire,
Flikr, Boundless Gallery and IndiePublic!
For more information on Christy, visit her blog at www.christydekoning.blogspot.com
Hope you enjoyed my visit with Christy!
Have a great day!
Regards,
Rebecca
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