Thursday, October 2, 2008

in the cafe spotlight: starshinegallery

Featured Etsian: starshinegallery
Shop link: starshinegallery.etsy.com

Hamburger Whimsical Pig Clay Sculpture Art Original (by starshinegallery)

Give us the basics:
My shop can be found at http://starshinegallery.etsy.com where I list light-hearted artworks. I include acrylic paintings on canvas, miniature paintings on paper, sculpted clay figures, larger mixed media folk art characters and sculpted Christmas ornaments. I'm located in a small tourist town just a hop, skip and jump from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

What’s your favourite smell?
I'm surrounded by it now. The smells of autumn, rich and earthy, damp ground, cut grass, burning leaves, pumpkin pie (that's a lot of smells but they all blend into a perfect day).

How long have you been doing your craft?
I've been painting for 30 years and sculpting for over 10 years. I've been creating this and that for as long as I can remember.

Who/What inspires you in your craft?
I suppose I'm inspired by the need to create. It brightens my life and gives me purpose and joy.

Puppy Games Original DOG Art Painting Acrylic Gallery Canvas 12x12 Black White Check (by starshinegallery)

What do you like least about your craft?
The thing I like least about my craft is just trying to get the best photographs I can of them. Like alot of Etsy sellers, I strive to improve my pictures and they are slowly getting better. Etsy is making me a better photographer!

What’s a normal day for you?
A normal day for me is spent in my brick and mortar shop. My husband and I operate an antique shop / art gallery in a tourist town near Niagara Falls, Ontario. We enjoy meeting people from all over the world who come to visit the Falls and then go exploring the surrounding towns. My studio is also here so when the shop is quiet I can create or spend time on Etsy, listing items or visiting the discussion forums.

What advice would you give Etsy sellers just starting out?
I'm not sure that I've been on Etsy long enough to give advice except to say spend your days doing what you love and try to enjoy each moment of the experience.

How do you discover new things on Etsy?
I spend alot of time visiting the Etsy discussion forums and find so many interesting new (and just new to me) shops there. It is a wonderful, friendly and helpful environment full of great people and amazing shops!

Original Santa Claus Christmas Sculpture - Folk Art One of a Kind Mixed Media (by starshinegallery)

2 comments:

Lindsey said...

I'm so envious of her - I'd love to own an antique store.

Taking good pictures can definitely be a challenge. I'm considering building my own lightbox soon.

LiPeony said...

wow i love the doggie and the hambuger animal is really cute.. lolol =D