CAROLINA SETH
Artist Statement
I enjoy being a storyteller and to unveil surprising situations through my art.
I encourage viewers to create their own narratives, where my images are just the starting point to a fantastic voyage. No suitcase or boarding pass necessary.
Artist Bio
Carolina Seth is a published painter and illustrator who works in a surreal narrative style.
As a child growing up in Spain, she was always doing something creative; painting fantasy worlds and doodling on her textbooks, much to her teachers’ dismay.
She effortlessly transitions from creating fun, carefree images to more abstract and complex ones.
She finds inspiration in childhood comics and cartoons, architecture and the world of Antoni Gaudi, natural history, science, fashion, pop culture and everyday life.
Her Asian heritage and fashion background have influenced her unique style, creating sleek, visually elegant imagery, always with an element of mystery and playfulness.
She earned a Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of Madrid, studied Fashion Design and received a certification in Graphic & Web Design from Sessions College for Professional Design in New York City.
Her works have been published in numerous publications including the Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.
She illustrated several children’s books, including Treva Jean Edwardson's woodland fantasy "Froggy Fun" and the U.S. multicultural "Bon Odori Dancer" by Karen Kawamoto McCoy, a book that was a Parent Council Selection. Her artworks are in private collections around the world.
Carolina is a product of living and working in several different countries, and her work reflects a distinctive style with international flair.
The artist currently lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. where she creates from her home studio.
HOLLY BROXSON
Artist bio:
Holly Broxson was born in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. She spent many childhood days playing make believe in her grandmother's yard. Her love of fantasy and books influenced her desire to do art and would first be evident with the little paper books she taped together and illustrated as a small child. Holly studied art, illustration and graphic design in college and worked in the graphic design field after graduating, continuing to create art in her spare time. Her painting style has an organic feel and the focus is mainly feminine figures and faces with a fairy-tale style twist.
Her work has been displayed in several art shows, and sold at festivals and markets.
Holly Currently lives in Colorado where she is constantly brainstorming and creating.
Artist Statement:
I use to play in a backyard that was full of magic. At least, that is how I perceived it. That is where some of my dreams were born, as well as in the story books from my childhood. These things have contributed greatly to the art that I do. I am always taking the inventions of my imagination and attempting to transfer them to whatever substrate I am using. I am inspired by make-believe, the macabre, the light, and even the absurd.
Many works that I do contain feminine subjects and tend to include elements of nature: trees, water, and mountains. It is as if I cannot help but add them to the pieces that I work on. I find these organic elements calming. It feels natural to want to include these majestic wonders in everything.
The style of my art greatly depends on the medium that I am using at the time, as if the medium contributes to how the image will turn out. Some pieces have been described by others as whimsical and other pieces dark. This part does not necessarily depend on the physical medium that I am using. It is rather like I am projecting my current muse onto the piece. Sometimes the inspiration comes from the stuff of myth or from a horror story or even from something that just bounced around in my thoughts for a while.
Currently, I am playing with new mediums and subjects. I have been drawing and painting a number of dryads. It is possible this will be an ongoing theme, given my obsession with trees. I also like to toy with darker characters such as the plague doctors that I have recently become fascinated with. I portray them in a more graphic art style mimicking the look of a comic book or graphic novel. As I have been exposed to the world of comic book art, I am finding that it has influenced at least a few pieces of my art. I am very interested in exploring this further.
Many things in life are mundane. Creating art is the simplest solution for me.
CONNECT WITH HOLLY:
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MAYUMI OGIHARA
Artist’s Statement: I like all sorts of arts and crafts, but I particularly enjoy drawing. I’ve always love the simple beauty of art created using nothing more than a pencil and paper. I work with graphite and coloured pencils, and use some pastel, charcoal and acrylic paint in my drawings.
My style is semi-realistic. Mixing fantastic elements with realism, using my experience and skills of realistic portrait artist, I try to create detailed and emotional art. I’m fortunate to have met many talented artists and have learnt a lot from them. I hope to continue growing as an artist, and will try improving my skills in each drawing I create.
Bio: Mayumi Ogihara is a self-taught pencil artist based in BC, Canada, originally from Japan. Many of her family members have artistic and creative minds, and she has been influenced by their beautiful works ever since she was a child. In 2002 she was hired to draw a portrait for the first time, and worked on about 20 commissioned drawings during three subsequent years. She has begun her art career in 2009, and started to draw fantastic art which is a genre she has always enjoyed.
CONNECT WITH MAYUMI:
Website
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MONIKA HOLLOWAY
Monika Holloway was born and grew up in Poland, in a lovely town near the Tatra Mountains. As a child she was always very artistic, living with her head in the clouds - playing classical guitar, drawing and creating fantastical worlds in her imagination. For many years she also studied violin, thinking that this will be her future. But life had different plans for her. In 2005 Monika decided to emigrate to England. Once there, she quickly settled in her day job, got married and focused on her family life.
And then, simply by chance, she discovered fantasy art. First time Monika picked up a paintbrush in Fall 2010 and straight away she realised this is exactly what she wants to do for the rest of her life. Painting became her drug, her biggest addiction. Now, over four years on, she couldn't exist without her fairies, unicorns and all those wonderful creatures who inhibit her soul and her dreams. She doesn't know where the artistic journey will take her but she knows one thing: there is no going back.
Artist's Statement
I'm a self taught fantasy/fairy artist based in Southampton, UK. Im lucky to live on the edge of New Forest National Park, home to wild ponies and incredibly beautiful wildlife.
I work mainly with watercolours and coloured pencils but I really enjoy exploring new mediums - I recently started incorporating pastels into my work and I'm also trying to learn how to paint with oils. Learning new things is very important to me, it motivates me to try harder, to always push myself one step further.
I love creating whimsical fantasy worlds and filling them with creatures who inhibit these places - fairies, unicorns, mermaids and elves. I also enjoy painting fantasy/surreal feminine portraits. My art is about mystery, about the unknown and the undiscovered, about things we dream about but are unable to remember once we wake up.
CONNECT WITH MONIKA:
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SANDRA HULTSVED
Sandra Hultsved is a self-taught artist, born 1989 in Sweden. She creates art to escape the dark reality - a world in decay, of loneliness and melancholy. Like a form of therapy to express her innermost feelings that she could not express in any other way. She mainly uses graphite pencils and ink, creating a unique style of drawing and painting fused together. Nature - particularly the forests of Värmland, where she grew up, is a huge source of inspiration. The forest is her safe haven to which she flees to endure a little bit longer. The same goes for her art.
CONECT WITH SANDRA:
What is Steampunk?
Steampunk is based in an alternate world to our own, where technology is still in the industrial age of steam power. It can be set in the Victorian era, Wild West, or even the future. Some examples would be: instead of digital clocks, you have old fashioned grandfather clocks, with gears and cogs, and all that good stuff; it's a melding of old technology with modern inventions and ideas.
Here are some examples of various 'artists around the web''s imaginings of the Steampunk world:
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| For example, a coal powered airplane. Artwork by Michal Kwolek |
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| Steampunk Laptop by Richard Datamancer Nagy |
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| Such as this Sky Captain. Artwork by Nicholas Kole |
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| Victorian Steam Punk Girl. Artwork by Brigid Ashwood |
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| Angler Fish Submarine. Artwork by Jasmine Becket-Griffith |
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| Poe. Artwork by Jasmine Becket-Griffith |
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| Artwork by Enys Guerrero |
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| Artwork by Brian Kesinger |
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| Artwork by Gwendolyn Basala |
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| Artwork by Meredith Dillman |
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| Artwork by Silvia Sigrid Sillaots |
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| Artwork by Rossana Castellino |
I'll leave you with some inspiring word prompts:
Brass, Aviator, Golden Compass, Clockwork, The Time Machine, Billowing Steam, Pipes, Impossible Machines, Flying Machines, Victorian Steam Couture, Sky Captain.
For more detailed information on the Steampunk genre, check out Wikipedia's Steampunk page
LILY BUTH
Lily Buth is a self taught artist and full time student pursuing degrees in construction and civil engineering. During her free time she enjoys creating portraits with graphite powder and watercolorsWhenever I need to take a break from my intellectual pursuits, I relax with my art. Painting and drawing, for me, is a way to express my happiness and to explore my imagination and creativity.
I believe that passion is the essence of life, and so I try to fill every moment I have with only things that I love. This can take many forms, from flying, to finishing my bucket list, to circumnavigating the globe, to learning about the wonders of fungi, and to having the deep satisfaction of completing a painting.
Through my art I try to express the joy, wonder and beauty that I see all around me. This can be in subtle and soft lines of a face, painting the delicate petals of a flower, or weaving an intricate Celtic knot with my paintbrush.
Visit Lily on Etsy and Facebook:
Etsy
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LINDSAY CHEESEWRIGHT
Lindsay Cheesewright lives in a small country town located in NSW, Australia with her Husband and five young children. Lindsay has had no formal training in the arts and prefers to fly by the seat of her pants, learning as she goes.
Artist Statement:
"I am a dreamer with my head constantly stuck in the clouds.
I create art that reflects this through feminine fantasy themes and surreal surroundings; a place where things are not always what they seem.
My art always has the common theme of the feminine, I like to start with the simplest of ideas and allow it to develop as I go. Each piece is a fantastic journey that I travel, with watercolours and coloured pencil as my most treasured companions.
I feel that my current work shows more sophistication and maturity than past works. I have begun to limit my colours now and have been developing a more cohesive look and feel to my work. I am constantly learning from each piece that I complete to help me grow as an artist."
Visit Lindsay's Website
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SASHA FITZGERALD
Sasha grew up on the West Coast of Canada, moving from town to town, from city to suburb to country, for the first twelve years of her life. Through all of the changes, new schools, and general upheavals, one thing remained constant - her love of art. She attended the illustration and design program at Capilano University, and learned many news skills, and met many talented fellow-burgeoning artists. A year later two of her illustrations were published in Jasmine Beckett-Griffith's Vampire Art Now, a beautiful, hard bound coffee table art book. She has also sold her wares at various conventions, including Anime Evolution and MiniComi, as well as at the Granville Island Public Market.
Through her work, she hopes to tell a story, set a mood, and express emotion. With each painting she endeavors to define the ethereal 'feminine', and uncover all of her secrets.
In her free time, she loves to cuddle her black cat Honey, take long walks through the forest, drink peach cider on a hot day, build block worlds in Minecraft, and take photographs of her surroundings.
Follow Sasha:
Website
Blog
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Abandoning the Preciousness
by Stephanie Law
The most important thing about creating art is to create. If you want to be at ease with creativity, you have to immerse yourself in it, and do a little bit every day. Even if that little bit is only to take five minutes while waiting for the bus to come and do a gesture drawing of a man reading his book across the street from you. Or to take the moment to scribble down a thumbnail rough sketch of a concept that occurs to you. Do a little bit each day. Train your brain to think visually.
It can be difficult at first, accustoming yourself to make this small bit of time, because you’ll think:
“I don’t have enough time for it.”
“Art is hard!”
“I’m not good enough yet for that piece I’ve always wanted to do.”
or
“I’m stuck. Artist’ block.”
These are all excuses. Yes art IS hard. Yes, you might not be good enough yet to do that masterwork that you've been dreaming of, but let me let you in on a secret: No artist ever is. Sure, there is satisfaction that comes when the last detail is polished, and your signature scrawled across the bottom corner with its flourishing declaration of “Finis!” Every new painting is a milestone of achievement, hopefully with lessons learned and skills advanced. But if you let yourself rest too long on that satisfaction, then you’re not challenging and pushing yourself onward enough. I like to think that if I still feel a piece I did three years ago is among my best work, then I’m doing something wrong. The best is always going to be among the most recent few, with better ones on the horizon.
That masterwork that you just don’t think you have the skills for yet to tackle? You won’t gain those skills unless you try for it. Take it head on. Make the best attempt you can. Or tackle a small portion or element of it. Maybe it’s dramatic lighting. Maybe it’s multiple figures interacting. Maybe it’s something small like facial expression, or even just how to paint a tree. When you think you have mastered that, move onto the next item on the list, and the next, until you can face the behemoth. It might be you’ll like the result. If you don’t, then figure out what parts didn’t work for you. Don’t just condemn the entirety. Learn to isolate the individual aspects that could be worked on, and then make that your goal of improvement in the next piece.
Preciousness is the enemy of an artist who wants to grow.
1) Precious Time
2) Precious Artwork
To let the Muse work her magic, you have to let go of attachments to those two concepts. Even as a professional who has been drawing and painting every day for almost two decades, I had to learn this lesson recently. I'm not immune to these pitfalls any more than a beginning artist is. I had long ago gotten past the hump of just getting myself to do art every day. That part I took for granted. In fact, after so long, it becomes a necessity — you train yourself to have an artistic outlet, and then it becomes a part of you, as much as breathing and sleeping.
But due to the vagaries of the grand adventure of life, I found my art-time throttled back, and then I fell into the trap that (1) Time was precious.
Because I had little of it to dedicate to creating, it became a commodity, and every moment of it had to matter. Every second sitting at my desk with a pencil or paintbrush in hand had to be momentous because (2) Artwork was precious, and I couldn't waste my time with non-essentials. There was only enough time for masterpieces.
When you fall into that mode of thinking, your brain and your creativity does the only thing it can: It shuts up completely. That kind of pressure is just too much to expect of yourself.
Every work can’t be a masterpiece. Sometimes, you have to just let your subconscious have its way, and let the creativity flow from whatever small outlet it feels inclined to at the moment. Great art doesn’t happen on a time line. And I’m not talking about an individual painting that you finish for a client’s deadline. I’m talking more about the overarching body of artwork, and self-imposed expectations and time limits.
Make time for the little stuff. For the gesture drawings at the bus stop. For the scribbled thumbnails in your pocket sketchbook when random inspiration strikes at inopportune moments. For the doodles on napkins at a cafe, or in the margins of meeting notes at your day job or class.
Sleep researchers speculate that REM sleep and dreams are necessary for the brain to process the events of a day, work out problems, and experiment. That’s what all the non-masterpiece artworks that you create are. They’re never a waste of time, no matter how small. They are the myriad visual dreams made of paint and ink and paper that make a safe space for your creativity to reach for greater heights.
This article was re-posted with permission from Stephanie Law.
The most important thing about creating art is to create. If you want to be at ease with creativity, you have to immerse yourself in it, and do a little bit every day. Even if that little bit is only to take five minutes while waiting for the bus to come and do a gesture drawing of a man reading his book across the street from you. Or to take the moment to scribble down a thumbnail rough sketch of a concept that occurs to you. Do a little bit each day. Train your brain to think visually.
It can be difficult at first, accustoming yourself to make this small bit of time, because you’ll think:
“I don’t have enough time for it.”
“Art is hard!”
“I’m not good enough yet for that piece I’ve always wanted to do.”
or
“I’m stuck. Artist’ block.”
These are all excuses. Yes art IS hard. Yes, you might not be good enough yet to do that masterwork that you've been dreaming of, but let me let you in on a secret: No artist ever is. Sure, there is satisfaction that comes when the last detail is polished, and your signature scrawled across the bottom corner with its flourishing declaration of “Finis!” Every new painting is a milestone of achievement, hopefully with lessons learned and skills advanced. But if you let yourself rest too long on that satisfaction, then you’re not challenging and pushing yourself onward enough. I like to think that if I still feel a piece I did three years ago is among my best work, then I’m doing something wrong. The best is always going to be among the most recent few, with better ones on the horizon.
That masterwork that you just don’t think you have the skills for yet to tackle? You won’t gain those skills unless you try for it. Take it head on. Make the best attempt you can. Or tackle a small portion or element of it. Maybe it’s dramatic lighting. Maybe it’s multiple figures interacting. Maybe it’s something small like facial expression, or even just how to paint a tree. When you think you have mastered that, move onto the next item on the list, and the next, until you can face the behemoth. It might be you’ll like the result. If you don’t, then figure out what parts didn’t work for you. Don’t just condemn the entirety. Learn to isolate the individual aspects that could be worked on, and then make that your goal of improvement in the next piece.
Preciousness is the enemy of an artist who wants to grow.
1) Precious Time
2) Precious Artwork
To let the Muse work her magic, you have to let go of attachments to those two concepts. Even as a professional who has been drawing and painting every day for almost two decades, I had to learn this lesson recently. I'm not immune to these pitfalls any more than a beginning artist is. I had long ago gotten past the hump of just getting myself to do art every day. That part I took for granted. In fact, after so long, it becomes a necessity — you train yourself to have an artistic outlet, and then it becomes a part of you, as much as breathing and sleeping.
But due to the vagaries of the grand adventure of life, I found my art-time throttled back, and then I fell into the trap that (1) Time was precious.
Because I had little of it to dedicate to creating, it became a commodity, and every moment of it had to matter. Every second sitting at my desk with a pencil or paintbrush in hand had to be momentous because (2) Artwork was precious, and I couldn't waste my time with non-essentials. There was only enough time for masterpieces.
When you fall into that mode of thinking, your brain and your creativity does the only thing it can: It shuts up completely. That kind of pressure is just too much to expect of yourself.
Every work can’t be a masterpiece. Sometimes, you have to just let your subconscious have its way, and let the creativity flow from whatever small outlet it feels inclined to at the moment. Great art doesn’t happen on a time line. And I’m not talking about an individual painting that you finish for a client’s deadline. I’m talking more about the overarching body of artwork, and self-imposed expectations and time limits.
Make time for the little stuff. For the gesture drawings at the bus stop. For the scribbled thumbnails in your pocket sketchbook when random inspiration strikes at inopportune moments. For the doodles on napkins at a cafe, or in the margins of meeting notes at your day job or class.
Sleep researchers speculate that REM sleep and dreams are necessary for the brain to process the events of a day, work out problems, and experiment. That’s what all the non-masterpiece artworks that you create are. They’re never a waste of time, no matter how small. They are the myriad visual dreams made of paint and ink and paper that make a safe space for your creativity to reach for greater heights.
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Make sure to check out Stephanie's gorgeous artwork on her website, as well as her blog where the original article was posted.This article was re-posted with permission from Stephanie Law.