Hey guys, Say hello to a fellow indie artist, Jackie Cress! I love interviewing other fellow artists and getting to know them so I’m super happy to have Jackie here today.
Lets get to know her:
1. Who are you? Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Santa Cruz Ca. As far as I can remember I’ve had a deep passion for art. I always knew I was going to pursue the art world but wasn’t exactly sure how. After attending a Jr college for a couple of years I began to get restless. I wanted to chase my dream so I enrolled in the Art Institute of Orange County and studied Industrial Design. I learned so many different aspects of art and design by attending several Los Angeles design expos. These shows opened up my mind to all kinds of ideas from product, furniture and fine art design. After I graduated in 2009 with my Bachelors of Science I found my self very lost. I knew what I wanted to do but I wasn’t sure how to get there. In a gap between jobs I decided to move back to my home town where I could clear my head and figure what my next step was. The only logical thing to do was exactly what I’ve always wanted to do…….become an Artist. I began to get involved in the Santa Cruz art community by joining in different kinds of art shows. I am currently trying to expand my art to different cities. Who knows what’s next but I am happy doing it.
2.What is your favorite type of crafting?
Aside from my artwork I have taken up all sorts of crafts. So far I have been most successful at painting rocks. Originally I painted them just to hold my art work down during the outdoor art shows but they became so popular that people started requesting them. I started painting different kinds of insects like ladybugs and bees but by far the most popular have been the colorful painted fish and sea life. They are currently being sold in the office of Whisper Charters which is an ecological company that conducts boat tours of Elkorn Slough in Moss Landing ca. I also have been crafting a lot of interior displays such as paper roses, dahlias, animals and have been attempting yarn lanterns.
3.Explain a little bit about your process.
For a while my colors of choice for my art have been black and white. Mostly because I was scared to death of color. I had no idea what to do with color. After looking at the different types of art, the big, bold, colorful abstract and contemporary art designs are what really stood out to me. I realized not to take color so seriously and to have fun with it while incorporating it with the realism in my art. Most of my art work consists of watercolor and acrylic paints brushed on as the background in an abstract kind of way. After my paper dries I add my characters either in charcoal, graphite or colored pencil. I like to incorporate those two styles together.
4.What is one thing you have you learned from your business?
The most important thing for any artist to know is not to over critique your own work. I am sure everyone has their insecurities about their work but I realized the that often the things I like the least people like the most. This is the most valuable lesson any artist can learn.
5.What inspires you?
Everything inspires me. I get excited when there is an Art Show because I am inspired by every body’s work. It’s fun to see what is going on in the minds of other artist, designers and crafters. My favorite Artist is Shag (Josh Agle). He does a lot of 60’s modern art which happens to be one of my favorite eras for design. I am also very influenced by the pop culture and music of the 20’s and 30’s which you can find a extensively in my art.
6.A fun question- What is your favorite food?
My guilty pleasure is cupcakes but for real food I would have to say Greek. I could eat it 24/7.
7.And lastly, where can we find you on the web? (links to your shop, blog, etc
The best places to look at my work and find out where my current exhibition are is jackiecress.com or my business facebook page.
I would highly recommend taking a quick peek at Jackie’s gallery! Her work is so lovely and it is fun seeing it all together there!
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