Today I am so happy to have Candace Tornay-Gonzalez here answering a few interview questions! Candace is an artist from California, although now she lives in Washington, creating her gorgeous art! Let’s get to know her:
Who are you? Where are you from?
? My name is Candace Tornay-Gonzalez and I am from California. A little farming town… Hollister (not the clothes)!!! I now live in the beautiful state of Washington in another little town… called Gold Bar… I live at the base of the Cascade Mountains… It is heaven!?
Are you an Indie Artist/Do you sell you handmade items?
?Yes I do… I spend my summers doing out door Shows… Festivals and Farmers Markets.?
When/why did you decide to sell your work?
? ?I think I have always leaned towards selling things that I made… I started at a young age… 😉 I am a teacher and having summers off… I needed a second income… and this fit the bill…
What does the term “Indie” mean to you?
? To me… it is all about being an individual… Not doing what everyone else is doing… I hear it all the time about my work… People have never seen Mosaics done quite like mine!?
What is your favorite type of crafting?
? Well… for the last 15 years it has been Mosaics… But I use to also make Folk Art Dolls… which I sold at shows and I had a “rep” that sold my dolls to local stores. I love to sew… make jewelry… to paint (I have a plan that involves painting? but that is some time down the road…
Explain a little bit about your process.
?OK… I call my Mosaics “Functional” as they are just not for looking at! They all have a purpose… First I look for the “Base”… Frames… shelves… furniture; tables… stools… trays… interesting looking containers… vases… bird houses… bird baths… I love to use vintage items as well… silver… and such… ?I also do a lot of special orders…
What does your workspace look like?
? Well for the last 5 years it has been in my home office… which is a BIG mess!!! But I do have plans to build onto the side of my house… I tell people that I live in my studio now… All my stuff seems to seep into the rest of the house… Yikes… my kitchen and dining room are always full of projects waiting to be grouted or packed up!
What is one thing you have you learned from your business?
? For me… being connected to the customers… I could and have sold on line… but it is not the same as when someone that comes into my booth and tells me what they think of my work… I love their “ohhs and ahhs”?… It keeps me going… And they give me great ideas as well… I have lots of returning customers… and that means a lot to me!
What inspires you?
? Just about everything… 😉 I love going into the thrift stores and searching the shelves… Sometimes in one visit I will find all I need for one project! Other times I take everything home and lay it out on the floor and just look at it… sometimes for weeks… And most times… it comes to me… What I should make! ;-)?
A fun question- What is your favorite food?
? Favorite Food… easy… Red Meat… ;-)?
And lastly, where can we find you on the web?
I have a Face Book page: www.facebook.com/BellaLunaMosaicsAndGardenArt?ref=hl My business is called “Bella Luna Mosaics and Garden Art”…
Thanks for answering our questions, Candace! Your mosaics are lovely!
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