Creative Time Is That Much Sweeter
about: MICHELLE KNOWLEN
My background started in the realm of graphic design while I learned and explored painting on the side as a way to express my creativity and further develop my visual ideas. However, in 2007 I created Eggman Studios, an independent art business to share my artwork with the public and I haven’t looked back since. At night my world comes alive with half-empty tubes of paint, piles of natural history books, boxes of tattered laces and torn newspapers, and creatures with Victorian maidens spewing forth from coffee-stained sketchbook pages.
Where are you located?
I live in a small town across from Seattle, WA in Puget Sound.
What do you do when you are not painting?
I love going to antique stores to find new (old) treasures and spend a lot of time hanging out at coffee shops. I also just recently got a little part-time day job to earn some extra cash and keep myself out of hermitude.
What drove you to become an artist?
I’ve always wanted to be an artist and don’t really remember a time when I didn’t draw or do something artistic. But it wasn’t until after college that I decided to really take it seriously and begin marketing my art.
Tell us about your unique painting style and the creative process behind it?
I’m greatly inspired by the natural world, the Victorian era, Baroque paintings, curiosity cabinets, Surrealism, and a bunch of other etceteras. They all tend to mash together in my work in some shape or form. I start the art-making process by immersing myself in source material, be it taking trips to the beach or library, visiting a natural history museum and the aquarium, or plunging through my old cabinet card photo collection. When I get a spark, out comes the sketchbook and some serious sketching sessions begin. I do a lot of sketching and planning before whipping out the brushes. By the time I start painting, I pretty much know exactly what to paint and how I’ll go about it.
If you were not an artist, what would be the alternative career path you choose?
I would love to work in a natural history museum. Most definitely.
How do you promote yourself?
Honestly, I’m not all that great at promotion. It’s something I continue to try to be better at. But I do think in this day and age, being internet savvy is not only a benefit for an artist–it’s a *must*. Keeping a blog, joining social networking sites, emailing galleries, participating in giveaways, etc have all greatly helped me get on my feet and get my artwork out there. Also, showing and selling my work on a site like Etsy.com has been wonderful. It’s enabled me to become a global artist and not just a local one.
What’s your way(s) to balancing work and life?
I’m still trying to figure that out! My work is my life, pretty much. The two are incredibly intertwined. I must say though, that I’m a huge fan of the “to do” list. Without having lists for things that I need to do and/or want to do…nothing would get done. I’d be too overwhelmed.
Could you share any insight for people just entering the profession?
Even though I’m an artist, I spend a lot of my time on the business end of being an artist. I suppose it just sort of comes with the territory–you have to wear a lot of hats. If I could, I’d paint all day and all night forever and ever….but that’s just not realistic. I probably spend more time taking care of little things like marketing, promoting, gallery submissions, photo editing, scanning paintings, making prints, shipping, etcetera than I actually do painting. But that’s just the way it goes. It just means that the creative time is that much sweeter.
Who is the person that you look up to in the professional world? Why so?
There are so many “small-time” indie artists/designers that have made it big that are huge inspirations for me due to their business savviness (Emily Martin of Black Apple fame is a good example of that). And there are many professional “big-time” artists that I admire greatly for their painting skills (Mark Ryden and Colette Calascione are a couple).
What music are you listening lately?
This varies greatly depending on my mood, but lately Grizzly Bear and Band of Horses have been in serious rotation on the ipod.
Name 3 your favorite books.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, Watership Down by Richard Adams, and I can’t possibly leave out The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.
What do you like the smell of?, i.e. coffee brewing, morning grass, etc. Why so?
Pencil shavings, fir trees, old musty books, and campfires. They all remind me of home and my childhood.
If you have online portfolio (website/awards/credits/client’s showcase), what is the URL?
Blog: http://eggmanstudios.blogspot.com
Shop: http://eggmanstudios.etsy.com
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