the moon from my attic: Diversity of Materials to Create Art

A couple of potential good contracts surfaced this week out of the blue and I am happy to further explore them, although it might take a while to close the deals.

A talented artist who has been rather successful at licensing has been closing good deals through her agent in Israel. Her name is Gal Ben Aharon and I am pleased to feature her through our globally read blog.

The Moon from My Attic: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your art? I am a mother of three children and live in Israel in a charming little village. My studio is an old house full of atmosphere with a lot of treasures and surprises. I studied graphic design and illustration and now I have my own studio and my own brand called Gal Designs. I am a multidisciplinary designer who combines graphics, illustration, fashion & textile design, and accessories designs. My style is feminine, nostalgic, happy and optimistic.

TMFMA: What is exciting about your creative work? What is exciting is the diversity of materials in my work. I use paper, fabrics, old tablecloths, lace and other threads and material that I combine to generate the unique diversity in my creations.

Over the years I have collected and gathered a variety of materials and old objects that are dear to me and I use them in my work. I love to combine textures and colors.

TMFMA: What inspires you? I get a lot of inspiration from old lace, embroideries, old tablecloths, folklore and old collections, of second hand shops (vintage) and markets where I wander around and absorb all the sights.

TMFMA: What project are you currently working on? I am currently working on a new collection for 2014.

TMFMA: Tell us of your experience as an art licensing artist. I am well established in Israel in licensing. My designs in this area are divided into two series:

1. One called the name of my brand: Gal Designs, which is more typical of my attraction and connection to the world of textile and fashion; in it I combine old table cloths, lace, embroidery and different textures.

2. The second series," Lovely," is more naïve and it incorporates my illustrations, colorful graphic elements of happiness and simple and clean designs, especially for paper and home products.

The first series is more characteristic of my connection to the textile and fashion environment and incorporates materials and illustrations from the sewing world.

The second series is characterized by bright colors and happy, simple graphic elements like flowers, hearts and butterflies. Both series are licensed successfully in variety of products such as notebooks, diaries, calendars, festive table decorations, placemats and more ...

In addition to my brands that I license and clothes that I design from them, I use a digital print design that is printed on fabrics and creates a special look with unique colors and richness to the clothing.

TMFMA: Any important tips and tricks you can share or anything else you'd like to share? Yes, do not be afraid of color! When I was in India a few years ago I saw how the Indians used bold colors, creating exciting combinations in clothing, jewelry and even architecture. I realized how much we in Western society subdue and oppress the use of color. Color combinations can be gentle or bold. For me also combinations of flowers/stripes/tiles can be combined. There's never too much!

TMFMA: What are your future aspirations and goals? I strive to increase the variety of products with my designs and am eager to expand my licenses in bedding, sleepwear and houseware categories.

I would like to be known in the world and expand my licensing business worldwide and not only in Israel. For this reason I work with Ginja Licensing that represents me in the licensing world. We are looking for agents internationally and retailers to cooperate with them and expand our business.