Happy Friday! Sunday!
There is something undeniably romantic about studying Fine Art in Paris. And when that wisdom is carried to the 7th most romantic city in the world, magic happens. Today's interview is with fine artist painter Artefleur. Her Parisian background mixed with early San Francisco influence creates lively, exciting art with a subtle sophistication. Currently, her work is being featured at the Alliance Française in San Francisco. Enjoy the interview!
1. What is your shop name and URL?
2. To which Etsy Teams do you belong?
I only belong to Sfetsy ;-)
3. Please tell us about the items in your Etsy shop. What do you make? How did you learn your craft? What is involved in your creative process?
I sell paintings and jewelry in my little Etsy shop.
I studied Fine Art and Art History in Paris, France. I mostly do acrylic on canvas, but i'm starting oil again...
My paintings depict scenes of San Francisco History. After showing my work, some of my friends and clients told me how fun it would be to wear my work. I started painting on clothes and making jewelry.
I don't sell my paintings on clothes through Etsy because it's a process in which I need a lot of interaction with the client. But you can find some of my jewelry pieces on Etsy. I make miniature prints of my paintings and I set them in pendants. Each pendant is different and unique, not only because it's one of my paintings, but because each of them have different details in the pendant or in the chain that I make. I like to use all kinds of pieces that I recycle: broken chain, keys, glass beads, buttons and ribbons....
4. Tell us two (or more) other interesting things about you.
I'm from Paris, France. I used to live downtown in the latin quarter and because I studied art for 13 years, I spent a lot of time in museums and art galleries. I'm very influenced by the work of Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt and Frida Kahlo. I like their use of color and the different atmospheres they develop in their artwork. I try to go back to France once a year to refresh my memory and get the inspiration I need to keep on painting.
5. What inspires your creations?
For a few years now, I'm inspired by San Francisco and it's history, the Gold Rush, the 1906 Earthquake, the Barbary Coast, the great white shark and other sea monsters, etc...I moved to the area almost 10 years ago and at that time I didn't speak any english. My husband enrolled me in a free english class for new immigrants. The first class wasn't an english lesson but an earthquake survival course. it was quite a shock. Being from Paris, we don't have earthquakes or Tsunamis over there. I researched the subject and started painting about it. It was a way to learn more about the history and the people of a country I was discovering.
6. If you had to live out the rest of your life as a famous fictional character, who would you be and why?
I would be Scarlett O'hara in "Gone with the Wind". She's strong and resourceful.
7. If you had to be an animal for one week, which animal would you choose to be? And what would you do?
I would be a mermaid. I'd try to let people know about the ocean and how to take care of it.
8. If money were no object for just one day, what would you do?
I'd play all the numbers at the lotteries. I would win of course, then money wouldn't be a problem anymore...(I'll share)
9. If your life was a book, what would be the title and how would your story end?
"San Francisco on Fire" But, at the end everybody would survive and live happily forever...
10. What does buying and selling local handmade mean to you, and how has it affected your life?
I like when it's not made by a machine or someone on the other side of the planet. That it's hand crafted here by someone inspired by things I like too. That it's made by someone who's sharing something with me, his knowledge, his vision, his palette of colors. That we have something in common. It creates links between people, and the handmade object has more value because of that. I like the story behind the object.
11. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your shop or your work?
I like to make all kind of things, transformation is my way in life. I paint on canvas but also on furniture, clothes, hats, shoes, rocks or pots etc...
Painting is a technique that changes the life of the object it's interacting with. Inserting a print of my painting in a pendant gives it another life and in a way touches another life. Art is a way to connect with people and that's what's important for me.
12. Where else can we find out more about you and/or your creations?
you can see my work right now in San Francisco at the Alliance
Française http://www.afsf.com/event-spolidor.shtml until the end of October
Française http://www.afsf.com/event-spolidor.shtml until the end of October
my web site is artefleur.com
on twitter https://twitter.com/Artefleur
you can find some of my prints at Back to the picture on Valencia St http://www.backtothepicture.com/
and my jewelry for kids at Scribble me Happy in San Mateo http://www.scribblemehappy.com/
you can also find my tutorial on you tube http://www.youtube.com/user/artifleur?feature=guide
and my blog http://fleurstudio.blogspot.com/
If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!
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