Thursday Jan. 24
Artisan Feature Number 1 : CINDY HOO
Metalwork artist, Jewelry Designer, Lamp- Work Glass Artist
1) Tell me as much or as little about yourself as you feel comfortable with… I live in a small mountain community in Northern California located in the Sierra nevada foothills surrounded by wildlife. A couple of years ago I lost my job as a corporate contract administrator with a major health insurance company due to off shore outsourcing (India). Using my last pay check & severence I purchased everything needed for a lampwork glass and metal fabrication studio ranging from torches,a kiln,rolling mill,drill press to the 4x3 foot redwood stump located in the middle of the shop that I use for forging silver. I also love working with Pottery and got a potters wheel last summer. That's for another day though :0). To sum it all up I took a negative situation and turned it into something not only therapeutic but rewarding. I go to work in my shop every day with my best friend "Simes" (husky/shepherd)at my side listen to good acoustic music while I do "my thing."
2) What inspires you? My inspiration is drawn from nature,the smells of sage brush after a rain, the Red shouldered hawk that flys over our property every day,wind,the Sierras,leaves,trees,the Pacific coast and the colors of wildflowers. Also life situations have been an inspiration. Being happy or sad, I grow from each situation which guides me to even better horizons.
3) How would you describe your craft and style? Asymetrical,rustic and organic.
4) How long have you been creating? I've been creating since I was very small. When I was in elementary school I would take blue,white and green play dough and make heishe beads with a straw then poke holes in them letting them dry then I'd string them and sell them to my friends and neighbors. I also used to get into my dads tackle box and sneak all his tiny swivels and add colorful seed beads to them and made anklets.
5) Is this a job or a hobby? This used to be just for fun but now it's a job that brings pure bliss to my life. Women used to want to buy jewelry right off of me so I started taking orders. Pretty soon I was selling in local boutiques, today my work is represented to shops throughout northern California and Nevada.
6) What are your Etsy goals? My biggest goal is to become successful and financially stable as well as maintain a good reputation.
7) What advice do you have for fellow Etsians My advise is for the new Etsians: "Hang in there"!
Metalwork artist, Jewelry Designer, Lamp- Work Glass Artist
1) Tell me as much or as little about yourself as you feel comfortable with… I live in a small mountain community in Northern California located in the Sierra nevada foothills surrounded by wildlife. A couple of years ago I lost my job as a corporate contract administrator with a major health insurance company due to off shore outsourcing (India). Using my last pay check & severence I purchased everything needed for a lampwork glass and metal fabrication studio ranging from torches,a kiln,rolling mill,drill press to the 4x3 foot redwood stump located in the middle of the shop that I use for forging silver. I also love working with Pottery and got a potters wheel last summer. That's for another day though :0). To sum it all up I took a negative situation and turned it into something not only therapeutic but rewarding. I go to work in my shop every day with my best friend "Simes" (husky/shepherd)at my side listen to good acoustic music while I do "my thing."
2) What inspires you? My inspiration is drawn from nature,the smells of sage brush after a rain, the Red shouldered hawk that flys over our property every day,wind,the Sierras,leaves,trees,the Pacific coast and the colors of wildflowers. Also life situations have been an inspiration. Being happy or sad, I grow from each situation which guides me to even better horizons.
3) How would you describe your craft and style? Asymetrical,rustic and organic.
4) How long have you been creating? I've been creating since I was very small. When I was in elementary school I would take blue,white and green play dough and make heishe beads with a straw then poke holes in them letting them dry then I'd string them and sell them to my friends and neighbors. I also used to get into my dads tackle box and sneak all his tiny swivels and add colorful seed beads to them and made anklets.5) Is this a job or a hobby? This used to be just for fun but now it's a job that brings pure bliss to my life. Women used to want to buy jewelry right off of me so I started taking orders. Pretty soon I was selling in local boutiques, today my work is represented to shops throughout northern California and Nevada.
6) What are your Etsy goals? My biggest goal is to become successful and financially stable as well as maintain a good reputation.
7) What advice do you have for fellow Etsians My advise is for the new Etsians: "Hang in there"!
Such a nice surprise (for an etsyaddict) to find an artisan interview, especially when it's someone like Cindy whose work I haven't seen yet. I'm always curious to see what their work space looks like too, especially those close up shots of a piece in progress. Would love to see where you create all your gorgeous unique jewelry too!
ReplyDeleteooooh good idea! I have posted pics of my studio space before on my blog, early on when I first started the blog. But tonight I will be in the process of working on a piece that I will be entering into a contest: Art Bead Scene Challenge. This month's theme is Ice Storm. I'll take some photos as I am working and post them with the finished product tomorrow or possibly Saturday. :)
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