Sometime ago I received an invite to be part of a project called Lovely Ink. The purpose of the project is to uplift, to awaken wonder, and sprinkle inspiration around the world. I thought it was a good mission to contribute to.
Artist Nicole Piar is the soul behind this inspiring project and has been curating its launch and marketing. All in all, we are ten artists, including myself, Nicole, Cori Dantini, Jessica Swift, Dari Design Studio, Rachael Taylor, Anne Waters, Lizzie McKay, Kat Kalindi Cameron, Anne Bollman, Karma Voce, and Victoria Johnson.
Each month you will receive a lovely illustration from one of the above artists including a poetic quote or snippet of wisdom to inspire you. This "Lovely Ink" will come as both desktop wallpaper and as 8″x10″ High Res Printable Art. This month I was the lucky artist being featured on Nicole's blog and you can download my art for free through the end of April.
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| © Alessandra Colombo - Desktop Wallpaper |
I invited Nicole as my guest to tell us more about her own story as an artist and to share her unique and lovely art:
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| Artist Nicole Piar |
The Moon from My Attic: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your art? I grew up in the forests of New Hampshire and spent a lot of time in solitude. My interior world of dreams and imaginings held just as much weight and depth as the "real" world around me. To this day, I lean into the mystery exploring the borderlands between the subconscious and the conscious where stories, characters, and landscapes emerge and I capture an impression of them in paint and ink. Intuition is my trusted guide, meditation – my key, and faith – the door that opens. My mission is to awaken a sense of wonder, to inspire wild flights of fancy, and to build a bridge between my inner world and yours.
TMFMA: What is exciting about your creative work? It is that moment of wild unknown that I dive into each day as I paint and draw. I might have seen a flicker of an image in my mind that I am trying to coax out or maybe all that's there is the blind faith that something will rise forth out of nothing. Either way, when a painting begins to take shape and I am greeted by a new character or flower or world, I feel the absolute thrill and wonder of a child seeing something for the first time. No matter how many times I experience it, it is always pure magic.
TMFMA: Is there a person or thing that has influenced you in your artistic efforts? Wow! Hard to choose one so here is my abbreviated, off-the-cuff list: forests, wild-free dancing, meditation, nature, the vast night sky, dreams, Paul Klee, Salvador Dali, Amy Sol, Dr. Seuss, Alice in Wonderland, Le Petit Prince, Haruki Murakami, Spike Jonze, Edmund Dulac, momiji dolls, fairy tales, and many, many wonderful books.
TMFMA: What project are you currently working on? I am currently developing a new offering called Soul Print. We all have an inner critic that can sometimes cut us down and diminish our view of ourselves. This can be very painful and actually inhibit our ability to fully express ourselves in the world.
A Soul Print can be an antidote to this feeling of self-negation. First you fill out a playful and profound questionnaire with questions like "What animal do you feel most connected to?" or "Is there a place in the world that you have always felt drawn to?" Then, I enter a deep meditative state and seek out the vision of that inner you, your Soul Print, which I will later translate into a painting. This painting will serve as a faithful reminder of your true radiant beauty and unique spirit. As Lou Reed says, "I'll be your mirror reflect what you are when you don't know … I see you."
TMFMA: Tell us of your experience/interest as an art licensing artist. While licensing is relatively new to me, I have 8 years of experience as a freelance illustrator and surface designer in the gift, paper, home decor, publishing, and apparel sectors. A little over a year ago, I started to build a library of art for licensing. I love infusing people's daily lives with magic and play. Licensing allows for this by providing a home for my art on items like pillows, journals, curtains, cards, clothing, and other home products.
TMFMA: Any important tips and tricks you can share or anything else you'd like to share? Spend at least ten minutes every day experimenting and playing within your craft. As anyone with a career in art knows, so much time is spent on projects with a specific goal in mind. It's so nourishing and inspiring to have freeform time where I just start putting paint down, completely open to whatever comes through. I have learned so much about myself and my art through this practice.
TMFMA: What are your future aspirations and goals? I am currently in the midst of creating a picture book. I am completely enamored with the intersection of story-telling and art so this project is very close to my heart. I can't reveal too many details yet but let me just say that the story is magical, mystical, simple, and sweet. I hope my future is filled with stories and art whether it is in the form of children's books or something I can't quite imagine yet.
Find out more about Nicole Piar:
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