The place for writers:
Upload your writing in minutes, receive peer feedback from other writers, poets, authors, then get your work published out there in the real world. Learn how other writers are doing it. |
|
Ahna White
You are here: Edit Red >> Ahna White
 |
|
|
An Interview with Ahna - All Questions Composed by Her Friends and Etsy Members
Tell us about yourself.
-----------------------------
Basics: I'm 38, Capricorn, happily married, no kids, lots of pets, and enjoy gardening. I'm a very caring person, I like to give to others. I'm also a very shy, reserved and a quiet person but my close friends would disagree with that. But it can take a great deal for me to speak my mind, it's something I've had to learn to do. I'm a very serious person, to serious at times, yes I am trying to learn how to relax. I'm a workaholic and I love to keep busy at all times, did I mention I'm learning how to relax? Well, luckily I do love to laugh!
Describe your art style.
------------------------------
I like color, vivid and dark colors. I like art that stands out and says “look at me”. I'm always looking for words to describe my style but I really haven't found any that are right on the mark. I guess my style is gothic in nature, I like skulls, roses and crosses but those could also be categorized as biker. Yet I have a collection of more delicate work, more organic and pretty. Not sure what to call that either. I also consider myself to be a hippy... a hippy-goth best describes me. So, my art could be considered that I guess. Maybe bohemian?
I hope when people look at my work, they do notice that it is dramatic and that I pay close attention to detail. It's the little things that sets my work apart from the rest. And that my personality is in my work, I'm not just assembling things but putting a little part of me into it.
Does your art have meaning? to who and why?
------------------------------------
Some of the comments people have given about my work are: dramatic, beautiful, incredible, amazing and one woman said when she opened her package, she could feel all sorts of good vibes. I think that comment is the best.
To me, my art represents certain times of my life which is special. And I love the fact that art is forever, my pieces will live on after I'm gone. :)
Where did you learn to do what you do?
------------------------------------------------------
Art is just in me. I am very blessed to have the skills I do but I'm also prone to artist block. There has been times when I can't create at all. But back to the question. When I was young, my grandfather (Opa) sat with me and taught me to draw boats on the ocean, he's also the one who first put a camera into my hands. My Father also would sit with me and color in coloring books, I learned about shading. And Mom taught me the art of cooking.
I was always taking some sort of art class be-it music, dance or beginning art and did well in all of them. After high school I was going to pursue a career in photography, I call it my first love. I've been a student at the California College or Arts in Crafts in Oakland, Ca. as well as The Academy of Arts in San Francisco and Cabrillo College in Aptos, Ca. I never did graduate due to some unfortunate circumstances. But, the best classes I ever took were stained glass at an adult education night course and my beginning jewelry class I just finished in April 06 which opened my eyes to a whole new world of art. I don't understand it but me and jewelry got along very well. After only 9 classes I pretty much dropped the class and started creating at home. I missed the last two months of class yet Teacher gave me an A. And I've also recently learned to make my own cabochons. The photography back ground, along with a few classes about color and light, really helped with stained glass. That's another medium that I get along with. You can really see my love of vivid colors in my glass pieces.
How long do some of your pieces take to construct?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, a necklace can take the better part of day. A cabochon can take up to an hour, making the bezel and plate can take about an hour and then there'™s the bead work which can take an hour or even two if I know exactly which beads I'm using. But something like stained glass... I have pieces that take a week to make.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's really a hard question for me. I'm lucky that the art just comes out of me. But if I had to answer, I find that other artists inspire me. Sometimes I'll be chatting with a friend and she'll show me her latest design or even new beads and I'll feel the need to create. Another friend and I love to bounce idea's and techniques off each other which is a great motivator. Also, I’m way up in the mountains of Northern California, very quiet and serene. I'm a city girl at heart and it did take me about two years to adjust living out here in isolation but now I love it. It's so peaceful up here which really helps a person look inward and for me that means creating.
How long have you been creating art?
---------------------------------------------------
Pretty much my whole life... photography since I was a teen, stained glass for over 10 years and jewelry since April of 06.
What other art/craft form would you like to learn?
-----------------------------------------------------------
I know how to do basic sewing but that is one area I'd like to improve. I'd also like to take more jewelry classes!!
Is there a reason you do so many different art forms?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sure is, I get bored very easily and like new art challenges and different ways to express myself.
What role does your husband play in your business?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I do everything. Credit I'll give Jimi is for some of his drawings that I turned into jewelry/glass and credit for supporting me while I do my thing. He's an amazing illustrator.
How did you come up with the name Ahna for your shops?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I started out as Shattered Glass, back when I was only making stained glass but now I do so much more so the name just didn't fit. I was going to use my screen name tchroses but thought people wouldn't remember that as easily as Ahna so I went with that.
Ok, what does tchroses mean?
---------------------------------------------
It's part of a song title (I Touch Roses), a very special song.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Your goals?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filthy rich making designer jewelry. Ok, seriously... filthy rich making designer jewelry, stained glass and candles and cabochons and mineral makeup...
What is your favorite piece you've created?
-------------------------------------------------------------
Wow, hard question. I put so much time, effort and love into my work that sometimes I find it hard to sell them. Each one is special to me. One of my favorites is a faerie stained glass I did. The pattern isn't mine, unfortunately, but I love what I did with the colors and patterns of glass. She's the bottom left on this page: http://shatteredglass.biz/fantasy.html
But my favorite project was with the band Love and Rockets! I made their logo into glass and presented each member with one of their own as a gift. They put the stained glass on stage with them which was a total honor for me!
What gives you the greatest satisfaction?
--------------------------------
Definitely finishing a piece, very satisfying to sit back and look at my hard work. Then selling a piece. To know that someone likes my work enough to buy it is the greatest compliment of all.
What other positions have you held that inspired/despired you? (is that a word? well, this is hypothetical, so I deem it a word!)
---------------------------------------------------------
I've worked for both of my parents and anyone who has worked for a parent knows it's the hardest job of all. For Mom I slaved at her restaurant, everything from waiting tables, cooking and dishes... all for just tips! Ya Mom, you ripped me off. Ooooh, still have some hostility in me. For Dad, I was his rock for over ten years for his water treatment company. I was his bookkeeper, his errand girl and I did all of his advertising and brochures (which was fun for me to be creative). Both of these jobs have inspired me to succeed with my own business because I never want to go back to those positions again. *LOL*
Do you have a regular job? Craft fairs: love them or hate them?
------------------------------------------------
Well, I don't have a job because I have agoraphobia and fibromyalgia. My art business is my job right now.
Hate craft fairs because I haven't found the right town for my work. And the agoraphobia makes it three times as hard on me. I've done a few but sold little. My focus now is online selling.
What is the first piece of art you made that you felt ecstatic about? and why?
--------------------------------------------------------
Gotta be my first stained glass... it came out better than I expected and the class loved it. It was such a long process that I just felt to satisfied having completed it!
Where can we find your art?
---------------------
Main website/portfolio:
http://ArtCreated.com
|
|
| TouchRosesAhna has 3 readers |
| Meet all TouchRosesAhna's readers |
|
|
|
| | Advertising - Terms & Conditions - Short Story Submissions - Contact - Writing Competitions - Writing Links - Book Promotion - Sky-Tribe.com - alanemmins.com |
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
Member short stories, poems, comments and other contributions are owned by the poster.
Copyright 2003 - 2007 Edit Red I/S | | |
(0) items
