Featured Artist: Sara from SaraWen Art & Perfumery

Please welcome Sara from SaraWen on Etsy!


What is your craft? How long have you been doing it?

Well, I actually started in the creative field as an illustrator and portrait artist. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to make a living on, and I never got past that tall hurdle into 'successful artist'. That to me meant being able to support myself completely through my work without taking the odd day jobs!

For about three years I became frustrated and stopped drawing completely! Then in the summer of 2010, a life-changing event happened for me in the death of my father. One month later, my dear cat and friend had also gone on. That forced me to think about my life and what I needed to do to be happy. In one of the last conversations I had with my dad, he told me I should never stop creating and to keep trying.

After that I began exploring my creative avenues. I've always loved scents - aside from being a perfume-a-holic I used to make my own air fresheners and moisturizing oils. I have a pretty good nose, so I began experimenting with various oils for my own line of perfumes. Then early this year I felt it was time to open my perfume shop. My background knowledge of art, design, and perfumery (I worked in the beauty industry for a few years) definitely helped!


How are you inspired by a Victorian aesthetic?

My love and interest in history is a huge factor! I've adored the Victorian age ever since I read "Great Expectations" as a teenager! From there I delved into the whole era, and became especially interested in British Victoriana. It's fascinating to see how the clothing and hair had changed in a few decades, most interestingly that shift into the Edwardian era! It's a world I could get lost in.

What are some of your favorite shops on Etsy?

Wow, there are so many! I started at Etsy as a buyer so I have dozens of favorite shops! But here are a few ...

'Mystical Scents' (www.etsy.com/shop/MisticalAcScents) - great shop for organic skin creams, as well as organic dried botanicals.

'The Morbid the Merrier' (www.etsy.com/shop/themorbidthemerrier) - a perfumery specializing in darker or gothic scents. I seriously think I'm addicted to this shop! I love my own creations but I'm also a fan of other perfume artisans!

'Moonsteam Alchemy' (www.etsy.com/shop/MoonsteamAlchemy) - lips balms galore! Probably the creamiest and tastiest balms I've ever tried, plus she has a very Victorian/Steampunk theme to her shop!

Do you have a blog, or anything else you would like to share?

Yes, indeed! My Blog is: www.sarawenperfumeart.blogspot.com, and my shop at Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/SaraWen

I'd like to give a big thank-you to my first several customers, both inside and outside of Etsy! Your wonderful reviews and kind words are what keeps me going, and makes me happy that you enjoy my creations!

Featured artist: Lynda from Diva Designs

Please welcome our featured artist, Lynda, from Diva Designs!
What is your craft? How long have you been doing it?

I have worked in a variety of artistic mediums for the past 40 years, from needle and textile arts to floral design, photography, and even furniture making.

I still dried floral potpourri, topiaries and pomanders. I practice tatting lace edging for pillow cases and handkerchiefs, to keep my hand in it so I will not forget how. Tatting is something I am extremely proud to be able to do, as it is a dying art that not many people today know about, and it carries on a family tradition as well. My Great-Grandmother and my Grandmother both tatted, and an elderly cousin on my mother’s side taught me. Tatting is also very Victorian!

However, the majority of my time now is devoted to one medium, polymer clay. My life changed forever three years ago when I discovered polymer clay after seeing a polymer artist create a faux leather covered box on HGTV. Polymer is an extraordinary medium. The color combinations and design possibilities are almost endless. It can be made to mimic glass, metal, gemstones, stone, wood, marble, virtually any textured surface.
I use polymer clay to create one-of-a-kind, polymer pendants, brooches, artisan focal beads, earrings and necklaces, which I enhance with semi-precious gemstones and metals, and Swarovski crystal. I am primarily known for my image transfer work and my faux work. Recently, I began teaching my method of image transfer and mica shift through tutorials I write and sell in my Etsy shop.

How are you inspired by a Victorian aesthetic?

I have been a huge fan of the Victorian era since I was 12, when I discovered a copy of Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel, Mary Barton in the local library. At the time, the town library was housed in a Gingerbread-trimmed Victorian home with beautiful mahogany staircases and bay windows. I spent a lot of time there soaking up the atmosphere and being inspired by the Victorian author collection. I read every Gaskell novel I could find. Her novel North and South remains my all-time favorite.

I was also influenced and inspired by the graphics of Thomas Nash’s political illustrations, and especially his illustrations of Santa Claus, which inspired me to create Christmas ornaments every year with a Victorian theme. 2010’s holiday collection is definitely Victorian! They all feature vintage Victorian Christmas images and lots of antique brass. My favorite digital images are vintage botanicals and fabrics from the era. They always inspire me to create.

I became more and more fascinated with the Industrial Revolution, the changing role of women in English society; the strict code of conduct and etiquette, the architecture of the period, the clothing and ornamentation.

What are some of your favorite shops on Etsy?

My favorite Etsy shops are the ones which sell vintage digital images, Vintaj brass and other antique brass beads and jewelry components, and other Victorian-inspired jewelry designers:

http://www.piddix.etsy.com
http://www.sabinesydney.etsy.com
http://www.magpiemine.etsy.com
http://www.lythastudios.etsy.com
http://www.artfulmarket.etsy.com
http://www.laurelsteven.etsy.com
http://www.laurabeestudios.etsy.com

Do you have a blog, or anything else you would like to share?

My blog is http://www.divadesigns.blogspot.com. I also have a Flickr photo stream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/25473906@N02/ ; and I am a member of the International Polymer Clay Association, Voila! ( http://www.voila.eu.com ), CraftEdu ( http://www.crafted.com ), and The Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy ( http://www.pcagoe.com ).