Peppermint Sailor

Hello again

Hi people, it's been awhile, I know, and thank you for reading this blog after a year! I needed a break but now I'm back with a new blog, it is in Spanish, so if you are interested in reading it or looking at the illustrations and pictures, you are more than welcome to stop by.

see you there!

love,

penelope.

Magazine-paper-collage

Hi people, today I want to talk to you a little bit about this collage. We started it in 2007 while living in Venezuela, as a result of Pedro's personal artwork based in the subject of the Venezuelan beauty pageants which are very popular over there. You can see his previous paintings about the "Miss Venezuela" here. The technique consists in, cutting the solid colors of magazine's impressions, and pasting them with crystal clear tape on the main support that already has the composition printed in it. After it was done, we put a coat of varnish to protect it .What I can tell you is that it's a lot of work, especially when making a large size format like this one (56" X 64"), but we really like the results and we enjoy the process while working together.

Currently, this collage is on sell  in OZ Modern, a local shop that focuses on 20th century modern furnishing, art and objects. We have bought super cool furniture there. If you are in San Antonio-Texas, and are interested in this kind of aesthetic, this is a great place to visit.

This collage was the first one, we have made 3 more in large format and now we are starting to create others in medium size. I'll be sharing them soon!

<3 Penelope.

Road trip to Corpus Christi,Tx.

Hi, we are back home! here are some pictures of our road trip to Corpus Christi. The first part of our vacations. We really love the ocean that's why we chose to go to that destination. We really enjoyed the weather, the view and the seafood :) La Poppy was so excited, she wanted to be inside the water all day long.

We had a great time here, it's always very inspiring to go out from your daily routine and see other things, breath a different kind of air. Now we are charged to continue working on our projects.

Thank you so much for peeking :) wait to see the second part of our vacations!

<3 Penelope.

family vacations!

Hi!! this is a quick post to say hello.

We are so happy right now spending time together and relaxing as much as possible. We'll be back to real life tomorrow... so wait to see more pictures about our roadtrip to Corpus Christi and our stay in Down Town San Antonio. For now I'm sharing with you this iphone pictures. How is your week going?

<3 Penelope

The Interview III // Reigrüche Studio

Hello friends! it makes me so happy to have creative and talented guests participating in the blog such as Alejandra, the person behind Reigrüche Studio. She is a Fine Artist, Metalsmith, Designer, cat lover, and a proud owner  of a garden snail named Jolene (awesome!)

Please, tell us the story behind Reigrüche Studio. How did all start. I studied studio art and metalsmithing in college-- I was always painting portraits and making jewelry for family and friends as gifts.  I decided to start my own business when family members, friends, and strangers insisted that I sell my work (and too many people were asking for business cards I didn't have). A few years after receiving my BFA in Painting, I continued my graduate studies as an art educator while managing my growing business... until life decided that this is what I was meant to do full time.

What is the meaning of Reigrüche? It's a combination of three family names and how I sign all of my artwork-- just a little tribute to the different cultures/countries that make up my family. 

What inspires you to create your pieces?  Everywhere! From observing the women in my family, friends, fellow artists, books, to the internet-- I'm constantly fascinated by colors, patterns, notebook sketches, food, cultures, photographs, history, and everyday objects… the world, past and present, is a never-ending source of inspiration.  Ideas beget ideas.

What is your favorite part of being an indie studio artist? I love knowing that incredible things are possible if you work hard and dream big—do not let fear and doubt prevent you from being anything short of awesome.  Creating things that bring joy to others is my favorite part because it's not only about the physical item  you create, but the intangible meaning it imparts. 

What is your less favorite part of being an indie studio artist? Being an introvert-- although I am confident and assertive as a professional, I wish I was the best marketing/advertising person alive.  Fortunately, our handmade/indie biz/blogging community is a wonderful place for one to strengthen these skills!

How is a typical day in your life as an artist? I don't get up terribly early (unless I have somewhere to go) because as a nocturnal/non-morning person, I prefer to work on pieces without distractions into the wee hours of the morning.  I love to check all my e-mails, social networking sites, and blogs first as I go about my daily morning  routine.  My afternoons are typically spent doing any combination of the following: packaging and shipping orders, working on the production of pieces, working on custom orders, preparing inventory for upcoming shows, photographing, editing, listing, blogging, designing, answering e-mails, painting commissioned paintings, restocking supplies, reorganizing, sketching, brainstorming, research, marketing/advertising... Add to this household chores, attending to family, pets, spending time with friends, relatives, exercise-- one can easily become a workaholic but it's very important to always try to achieve a healthy balance in your life as best you can.  I can honestly say I am never bored.

 

How do you promote your work in such a competitive field? I am constantly reminding myself that it is my job to be the best 'me' I can be-- only you can be the best 'you' in the world.  I remember these words from my painting professor... if you put your energy into developing something that is uniquely yours-  whether it's a specific variation or unique take on something classic, or something made entirely by your own hand that is hard or even impossible for anyone else to replicate, you will find that your work will have a better chance of standing out from the crowd.  If everyone made the same things, life would be boring!  Also, taking the time to take great pictures helps if you are promoting your work online-- even if you don't have a fancy camera, there are many good tutorials out there-- you can do wonders by taking pictures in daylight.  Also, adding to this, my advice in the question below :)

What advice do you give to anyone who wants to start its own indie business? Read, read read! Research. Join a local group or organization of like-minded people with common interests and goals-- having a strong support system is incredibly beneficial.  Etsy is also a wonderful place to start selling and connecting with a diverse community of experienced entrepreneurs and creative newbies alike.  Participate in forums, join street teams, sign up for craft fairs, hows.  Ask questions (no one was born knowing it all).  Take an online course or two.  The important part is taking that first step forward-- the first of many persistent baby steps.  Be yourself-- discover and continue to develop your own unique style... even if your are not sure what that is yet, everyone has something special to share with the world. Strive for excellent customer service and communication skills.  Follow your gut, learn from mistakes, and never ever give up!

 

Personal easy-fun questions:

-Color: Blue-green. 

-Artist: John Singer Sargent, Riusuke Fukahori, Frida Kahlo, Shahzia Sikander, just to name a few...

-Musician: George Abdo and His Flames of Araby Orchestra. 

-Song: Pies Descalzos (Suenos Blancos) by Shakira. 

-Day of the week: Tuesday. 

-Season: Autumn/Winter. 

-Food: Indian, Asian, South American.

Thank you so much Alejandra, I learned a lot  from you after reading this interview, it's so good to have you here at the blog and you are so welcome to participate at anytime. I wish you the best of luck in your studio, business and life.

 

Thinking about this blog

Hello guys, this past days I've been thinking about the blog, and how hard are things at the beginning. It's like the Big Bang where everything is taking its place, but it takes a little bit of time and changes along the way to finally settle as it should be. For example, I'm a very colorful person, as you can see, but I have to try to desaturate-me a little bit for the sake of the design of the blog, and the viewers (try not to overwhelm you with images, colors, lines, etc.) That means that changes may be coming soon. Also, having to blog in English sometimes stops me, I know -practice makes perfect- so what I need to do is to write more and more to become a better English blogger. That's why I wanted to thank you all for reading my blog, and for being with me in this starting point where I'm at right now. I appreciate a lot each of you who come to Peppermint Sailor, even if the number is small, for me it's really huge.

Thank you for reading :)

<3 Penelope

Family Love <3

Hi, just sharing some iphone pictures of  the weekend. I feel so grateful to have these people in my life. <3

Have a great week!

Penelope.

Painting at the studio // Jill Munro

This week I've been showing some of the portraits I've done of women whose styles inspire me from the blogging community. Elsie Larson (blog)  Coury Combs (blog), and today I'm posting the portraits of Jill Munro. 

I love Jill's style, it's so hippie and cute at the same time.

This is what her pictures inspired me to do:

Thank you for looking! have a great weekend.

<3 Penelope.

The Influence // Coury Combs

When I saw this beautiful girl from Fancy Treehouse I knew I had to paint her. Her style is so soft and delicate; you can see a lot of pastels, bright light and windy sunny weather in her pictures.  So, This is what I came up to using  pictures from her blog:

Thank you for looking!

<3 Penelope.

P.S. If you are interested in custom portraits, please feel free to contact me: penelope@paperseastudio.com :)

The Life // McNay Art museum>>Andy Warhol exhibition

Last Sunday we went to the McNay Art Museum to see the current Andy Warhol exhibition. We really loved the large number of artworks in different medias they have, and especially the contrast between the stereotypical advertising image, which is some kind of "perfection", the glory of famous people, and the tragedy of real life.

Going with a two-year-old toddler to a museum, is kind of challenging if it isn't during her naptime at the stroller. So we had to take turns, so we both could enjoy the exhibition. Pedro had the longest turn, because he usually sketches the artworks, I take notes about references or influences I see.

Pedro drew sketches of a video about a screen test that Warhol did to different people of that time. It was like portraits with little movement, some of them blinked, other smoked a cigar... unfortunately, neither of us watched Dali's part, I was really expectant of his behavior in that video.

The pencil lines are Poppy's intervetions to the sketches; oh, and the dress she is wearing, was mine when I was her age. Nene bought it to me when she was living in Paris back in 1982.

Thanks for looking!!

<3 Penelope.