Sunday, October 28, 2007

Amazing Olga!

I have been drooling over this pottery for too long!!! Which gives me just another wonderful reason why i have feel a desire to post about Olga's gorgeous work. Her shoppe is called Ola Design.

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1) How long have you been crafting?

I studied Product Design at Coventry University (in England), during which we did a wide variety of projects, including several hand-made pieces. It was fun, and I always had good results, so I've always been doing something. My serious efforts, however, began only one year ago. I had plenty of time on my hands and my passion for art really took me over.

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2) Did you always craft in this genre?

I started with painting on ceramic and glass and developed my style of fine patterns of flowers and trees with birds and animals gradually. Lately, I felt that I've been limiting myself with ceramic and so I decided to try my hand with canvas painting. I'm enjoying it a lot. There's so much freedom; not to mention the variety of techniques and themes that are just waiting to be applied. I just love it!


3) Who or what inspires you?

There's so much for inspiration around me. I live in a Beautiful part of Canada, with amazing natural landscapes and wildlife, which helps me a lot with new ideas. Art by other artists also helps to expand my horizons. I'm always learning by watching what's going on in the art world. My husband is a great help for me as well. He always gives me good advice and is brutally honest with me. He pushes me forward all the time.

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4) What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

The main thing is learning about the market itself: how, when and where to present my product; trying to understand customers; finding the right way to communicate with customers (language barrier). It wasn't easy. There was a time when I felt frustrated and my confidence began to waver. The Etsy community helped me a lot. People are so responsive; always ready to answer your questions. I don't think my business would have grown any where near as well without Etsy. In fact, it may have stopped before it even started.

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Sigh...how i am jonsin for this gravy boat..which is really funny since i don't even make gravey!!! To look at more of Olga's work, click the links above.

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