Art for Little and Big Moments - Artist Tatyana Starikova

Tatyana Starikova and I briefly met at Surtex last May. My first impression was that she really liked to be there and that art licensing was a perfect world for her. This interview will tell you more about her and her lovely work.

The Moon from My Attic: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your art? I was born in Ukraine where I grew up and received an education in Fine Arts. Now I live with my husband and daughter in New York's beautiful Hudson Valley, creating art for licensing and editorial illustration.

I work in a variety of styles — from whimsical art for children to sophisticated florals — bringing my passion for illustration and surface pattern design to products for everyday, holidays and special occasions.

TMFMA: What is exciting about your creative work? Creating art for products is especially rewarding to me, not only because it is beyond exciting to see my designs in stores, but more importantly, it allows me to share the way I see the world, who I am as a person, and at the same time to be a part of their lives when people buy products with my art and bring them home.

When I work on a new design, I imagine who might enjoy it – maybe it will be an image on somebody's favorite coffee mug, a pattern on a tablecloth at a family gathering, or a design on a nurse's scrub that could make a child smile. Thinking about it leads me to many new ideas and gives my art purpose. I believe that art for products is not just for decoration, it’s for celebrating the little and big moments in our lives, for making memories, expressing our taste, and making statements about who we are.

TMFMA: Briefly share with us about your experience in art licensing and any art show you exhibited in. My first steps into art licensing began when I discovered Tara Reed's "ASK Calls" and started to learn more about the industry. In 2013 I took Surtex seminars and walked the show. In order to bring my art and business to the next level, I signed up for Lilla Roger's and Tara Reed's classes which equipped me with knowledge and confidence and brought me to the decision to show at SURTEX.

The upcoming Surtex 2016 will be my third time exhibiting at the show. It's a great place to meet manufactures and art directors face to face and start business relationships. I am happy to say that I have quite a few deals with paper, gift, fabric and tabletop companies since stepping out into the art licensing arena.

I would like to add that I had a great opportunity to meet energetic, wonderful agent Brenda Manley, at My Favorite Designs, who represents some of my work at shows like Printsource and Blueprint.

TMFMA: What's your favorite art style, if any? I enjoy so many art styles, I can't name them all; folk art, children's book illustration, mid century modern, painterly, graphic, bold or delicate, as long it is a great art. I appreciate beautiful lines, interesting or sometimes unusual use of color and strong design.

Recently I discovered iconography. I am taking classes from my 80 years old Russian (French born) amazing artist and teacher Olga Poloukhine, who unlocks ancient egg tempera icon painting secrets of masters like Andrey Rublev. It is quite an experience to make everything from scratch; glue, gesso, paints! It inspired me to create my own Angel collection, that I am currently working on now.

TMFMA: What inspires you? I find my inspiration in almost anything that excites me and I never know where it might come from. Sometimes a quiet walk in nature, travel to a new place or country, taking a class to learn something new, talking to an interesting person of any age, or an unusual color combination could spark a new idea.

TMFMA: Any useful tips that you'd like to share about art and licensing? While staying connected with other artists through social media is very important for support, I would suggest to go deeper and find an artist friend who would be your accountability partner as well. I am lucky to have Marsha Rollinger, who is my friend and colleague.

Even though we live on the opposite costs of the country, we found out that we are very close in spirit. We support each other in our art licensing journey through our weekly phone meetings, emails, and texts to keep each other accountable in our weekly goals, give each other encouragement or kick in a pants when needed, share tips and laughs, and maybe sometimes a tear or two. I highly recommend having an artist friend who "gets it" and is on the same path as you.

TMFMA: What are your future aspirations and goals? The thought of seeing products in stores with my art on them makes me very excited! My goal for 2016 is to get new deals in paper, gift, and tabletop markets.

You can find more about Tatyana's art here:

• Website: http://www.tatyana-starikova.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tatyana-Starikova-IllustrationDesign
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatyana_starikova

Wishing everyone a Happy Holidays!

Painting as a Visual Communication - Fine Art Painter Felice Panagrosso

I know, I know. I've been away for several months. I have been taking care of a couple of important family/personal life events in Europe. Fortunately all is well and I couldn't be any happier!

So I decided to resume the publishing of my blog interviews along with some other creative concepts, although I won't be able to publish as much as I used to do before - at least for the next couple of months, but it's a start.

In my next blog post I will share with you some of the art and design I saw while I was in Europe this past summer. Meantime I want to welcome my first guest of this month. He is an American painter, Felice Panagrosso, who has lived and worked in Paris since 2001 but is originally from New Haven, CT where he grew up in an Italian-American family. He returned to the United States for two years in 2006 to receive an MFA from the New York Academy of Art. Previously, Felice attended the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Old Lyme, Connecticut, and Parsons, Paris. He has also studied drawing in Italy with the New York Studio School.

Tell us about yourself:

I've shown at The Forbes Gallery and The Windham Fine Arts Gallery in New York, held two solo shows in Paris and participated in an exposition entitled "A Bi-Cultural Palette: Les Artistes Franco-Américains" at the Mona Bismarck Foundation, also in Paris. My paintings have twice been accepted at the Annual Salon Exposition in the 15th Arrondissement in Paris, in 2009 and 2010, receiving "Mention d’Honneur" in 2009.

Painter Felice Panagrosso

In March and April, 2015, my painting "Rooftops from Atelier" was on exhibit at the Salon Aguado in the Mairie (City Hall) of the 9th Arrondissement of Paris, in support of Paris' bid to have its rooftops included as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. I've also shown my work at Studio 7 Fine Art Gallery in Bernardsville, New Jersey.

I have a monthly blog called "The Art of Felice Panagrosso" (panagrosso.com), where I write about painting, family, and Paris, always including one or more of my paintings.

What brought you to art in the first place?

I should answer this question by telling a story about the first painter I ever met in New Haven, Connecticut. Well, I didn't actually meet him. I saw him when, as a child, I was riding in the backseat of my father's car. There under a highway overpass was a man with a portable easel set up and painting on a canvas. I knew what that was because I had seen painters on television. Was he painting the streets? I didn't think so. Was he painting the cars? No. Was he painting some Grand Vista? Definitely not. Then what was he painting? His easel was set up so that he was facing the concrete highway abutment. It had rained the night before and he was painting, as far as I could tell, the water stains running down the concrete face of the abutment.

I only saw that man a few times after that, and only after a rainstorm. I never learned his name, but he taught me something that day. He was SEEING something that I had not seen. Something I was unaware of before I saw him and his painting. He was appreciating something that I had not appreciated before. He was seeing it and painting it and in the process showing it to me. So, when I see a broken down neon sign selling rubber stamps, the litter in front of some bicycles or even a triangle of sunlight on a patch of concrete, I am moved to paint it.

That's what brought me to painting.

What's exciting about your creative work?

I'm excited by communication, and to me that's what painting is, visual communication. If I am captivated by an image, a configuration of buildings or a stand of trees I trust that someone else in the world will be too. I think that that's why I love to write a monthly blog. The images and words compliment each other. I must add that, in spite of this, I still paint for myself, for my own pleasure and astonishment, and experimentation. Every painting is different and comes from a different place.

Who/What Inspired you?

I am inspired by the work of Les Nabis, a group of Post-Impressionist French Artists including Édouard Vuillard, Maurice Dennis and especially Pierre Bonnard. "Les Nabis" means The Prophets in Hebrew and Arabic. I lived within walking distance of Maurice Dennis' home in Saint Germain-en-Laye where I was able to study first hand much of his work. The Musée Gustave Moreau, perhaps my favorite museum in Paris, is just around the corner from me. Gustave Moreau, a Symbolist, was one of the teachers of Pierre Bonnard.

Tell us about a recent art project/series.

© Felice Panagrosso

My current series is called "Sign Language". These are neon signage from the 40's and 50's, mostly found in the United States but also a few in Europe. For me they evoke a sense of permanence, confidence, and solidity from the past, even in their present decaying state.

They also display an unabashed sense of commercialism and modernity. I try to capture their unique combination of art and technology in my paintings.

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Find out more about Felice Panagrosso's paintings here:

Website: http://panagrosso.com

Facebook Page: The Art of Felice Panagrosso