Featured Shop: Aga Farell

Enjoy a beautiful interview with Aga Farrell from AgaFarrell .

Lelaine from pebblecreekcandles says:

Which of the pieces in your shop is your favorite?

Aga Farrell from AgaFarrell says:

I don’t really have a favourite piece, I like them all equally. Each photograph has a story behind it and a special personal meaning. It’s all about the moment I take the photo. Places and moods heavily influence my work, so I’m attached to each image in a way, because they trigger a memory.

Lelaine from pebblecreekcandles says:

What is your favorite way to relax? 

Aga Farrell from AgaFarrell says:

Taking photographs is a great way for me to relax. It’s about involving myself with surroundings and appreciating the world around me. I love going for walks with camera in hand and hoping something will just catch my eye. When I get home I brew up a pot of tea, fire up the computer and let myself get a bit lost with tinkering in my editing program. I prefer to work in the quiet of night when the world is sleeping and I can float in the magic atmosphere.
I also love reading books, watching cool TV series and chatting with my grounded husband, hehe!

Molly from JerseysFreshest says:

The pieces in your shop are quite thought provoking, given their surreal qualities. What made you choose to create surreal photographs, rather than classic?

Aga Farrell from AgaFarrell says:

I like to escape from reality as much as I can, so I think the surrealism in my work reflects this trend. I like to portray things the way I see it, not necessarily the way others would see it. I guess disconnecting a bit from my subjects and letting my imagination get busy, allows me to conjure up a vision of what I’d maybe like to see instead of what is actually there. Most importantly I want to bring the beauty out of even the most commonplace object.

Lina E from TheAtticPrincess says:

Hi Aga, I am really interested in the story behind this photo, if you would like to share it with us:

Surreal wall art, Blue Eye photography, Woman and Nature, Fi...

by AgaFarrell

 

Aga Farrell from AgaFarrell says:

I was working on a project with a few of my girl-friends to explore woman’s identification with nature. “World in my Eyes” and “Orchid Fairy” were inspired by this. The aim of our group chat was to look into woman’s connection to Mother Nature. We ended up talking for hours on the subject when we met and I could probably go on and on about this topic!

We tried to focus on woman’s special connection to the Earth and how our bodies health is in harmony with the environment. We also talked about some book’s that centered on how the moon and it’s phases impact our life spiritually and how modern culture pushes us to focus on youth, beauty and career’s. Our conclusion was that we have let ourselves go a bit out of sync with our roots and have lost some balance, so I thought I’d try to illustrate a visual reconnection to nature. 

Lina E from TheAtticPrincess says:

How much photography is influencing your life?

Aga Farrell from AgaFarrell says

Photography influences my life in a number of ways. The biggest impact is something I touched on earlier when I said that I search for beauty in things maybe other’ s wouldn’t notice. Even if I don’t have my camera with me, I still ‘shoot’ with the naked eye and try to bank it in my memory. I try to picture everything I have seen at the end of the day, so the idea of nostalgia or memories are an influence on my everyday life. I think stopping to look through a camera has taught me to stop rushing about and take my time to appreciate things a bit more.

Mighty Treasure Hunting #32 Winner is....

Agata and Anya from TwoCloudsJewelry 

with this unique Treasury!!! 

 

 

'Spring search' by TwoCloudsJewelry

Surreal wall art, Blue ... AgaFarrell $15	1 POUND OF SOAP odds an... amumiinaturals $15	Shabby chic village No.... TheAtticPrince... $35.5	Chic Green With Beige C... morion $15
Loose Cedar for Smudgin... aromacandles $2.5	Sheer silk Ghost top. B... deconstructika $75	Spring green egg warmer... imali $10	Handmade CUTE Eco Frien... loovee $35
Vintage green toque, fo... plot $55	African Print, Handmade... Printerella $17.5	Green leaf pendant neck... ShoShanaArt $23	Live green - beige legg... ZIBtextile $45
A thing of the Past (8x... LIFESHUTTER $15	Woman doll - handmade B... TIMOHANDMADE $37	Large Green Abstract Pa... BrookeHowie $399	Mini Planters set of 5,... WindandWillowH... $34

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Five Happy Picks: Spring Is In The Air

Spring is in the air! Spring is everywhere!

Enjoy!

Here is a wonderful doll that cooks and makes us fall in love!

gift doll, Primitive Doll, hand made doll, Rag Doll, Art Dol...

by AnnaDesigner

  

Oh! How much I want this purse for my spring performances!

Spring Rustic Wedding Clutch Bridesmaid Gift Idea Clutch Pou...

by lolos

Absolutely perfect for my spring home decoration! The colors are fantastic!

 

Home series II, original mixed media art on canvas, spring h...

by TheAtticPrincess

 

 

 

This vintage bird reminds me to bloom everyday!

Spring has Sprung - Vintage Lucite Bird - Mod Decor - Retro ...

by Birdnestsandpaper

 

 

 

Spring is like falling in love and sharing an old good white wine!

Pair of Lily long stemmed wine glasses

by ToastedGlass

Five Happy Picks by Peggy Dot. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Featured Shop: JerseysFreshest

An interview with Molly from JerseysFreshest .

Lelaine says:

Hi Molly, I am dying to know! Are those you're tattoo'd fingers in your product picks.

Of all your beautiful cards, which is your personal favorite? 

Molly from JerseysFreshest says:

Yes, that is, in fact my finger...and yes, it's real. The tattoo is my engagement and wedding rings. My husband has a band tattooed on him too...till death or laser surgery do we part :)

My favorite is always changing, but right now, aside from this crazy collage piece I am working on, my favorite is the this abstract garden set.

  

ABSTRACT GARDEN Card Set (Set of 6)

I really love the juxtaposition of simplicity and complexity. 

That really comes through for me in these cards. 

Plus, this design has been the inspiration for several 

new ideas that are currently in progress, so I have to love it.

Lina E says: 

Hi Molly, tell us a bit of your daily routine and what inspires you. 

Molly from JerseysFreshest says

Daily Routine:

I must admit--I am terrible at routines...But, while my daughter is in school I’m forced to conform. Wake-up is between 7 and 7:30. The first thing that must happen is coffee---am not awake, until I take that first sip. Then, I can conquer the before school needs of my daughter--breakfast, hair, making lunch. I get her off to school, and am back home by 9am, ready to start the creative part of my day. I typically work on new ideas from 9-3. Then it’s time to switch back to my mama role. When my daughter comes home, we either do an activity together or go outside (when it’s warm enough...i hate cold)...Sometimes, she’ll just want to paint by herself, so I get a little bonus work time :). By 5 pm, I am in the kitchen whipping something up for dinner...This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours, depending on what I’ve decided to get myself into. Although, during the school year, I try to minimize the time spent in the kitchen. By 8:30, It’s bedtime for my daughter. We hop into her bed to read for about 30 minutes (an hour if we get in there early). Once that’s all done, I either create more or just veg-out with my husband. Just writing all of this structure gives me the creeps!

Talk to me in the summer, and you’ll se what I mean--we wake up later, pack several bags of toys/activities and food that can survive the heat and head outside to the nice big park right outside our apartment by 10am....we typically don’t come home until dinner time....and that dinner time is a late one in the summer.

To sum up our ideal: we fly by the seat of our pants!

My Inspiration:

this is a hard one to focus, because I am inspired by so much, and work on more than just cards as a maker...but for me it all comes together. I will try to give a general idea about what inspires me; getting too specific will make a list a mile long.

I am inspired by systems, which is connected to my ideas about simplicity and complexity--for example: a flower, when looked at by a passer-by, is this simple, super-recognizable form....But, if that passerby stops, and examines the flower he/she will notice that the parts that make up the whole flower are not so simple. Then, go a step farther and look at the parts of a flower under a microscope and ohhhh boy, have you got yourself some beautiful complexity. Really, this idea is the same for almost everything around us. I enjoy that to truly understand and enjoy my surroundings I have to slow down, and even stop, to see why I am instantly attracted to a form that looks so simple.

Another thing that I am inspired by is visual trickery, either man-made or natural....this sounds strange and I will try to explain, again, through example. I was driving up the NJ Turnpike (crazy major highway) one day, and something caught my eye. I thought what I was looking at were clouds, in the distance, low on the horizon. I was amazed by their density and forms. Pretty quickly, however, I realized I was looking at huge barrels of Hess oil or gasoline...It was this industrial field of manmade clouds. I have had other encounters such as this, and they often lead to art-making and poetry.

I also have this crazy attraction to trees---you should see our apartment--there are branches everywhere. I even wrapped one in yarn and sewed it to our recliner. The branches that make it into our home have very interesting organic lines, twisting and curving much like the human form....this inspiration is seen more in my paintings, which are not for sale on etsy, but do help brighten our home :)

Lastly, and still connected, in some way to all of the above....I am inspired by anything that moves me to utilize most, if not all, of my senses. Any experience that pushes me to truly understand it. Go lay in a field, and try it...close your eyes at first, feel the way your immediate surroundings make contact with various parts of your body, breathe deeply, and listen...try to hear the smallest bugs, after a bit, when you feel that you have absorbed all that you can, open your eyes, but do not look generally, look for specifics that make up all that is around you...There’s this book, that explains this part of what inspires me: Art as Experience by John Dewey.

Peggy says: I am so moved with your wonderful interview, Molly! I feel that you are a deeply sophisticated person that gets in touch with all levels of life. Your description reminds me the shaman’s travels. Please share with us your “truth” from this connection.

Molly from JerseysFreshest says

This is a tough one.  I would say that the one, main “truth” I have discovered through my connectedness is this:

There is a difference between existing and truly living--to truly live I feel one has to “look” beyond the face value of an experience...think of it as a form of meditation.  This is beneficial to life in general and to my art-making--I create the most authentic art when I utilize experiences that I have allowed myself to become completely immersed in....and then there’s the added bonus of the art-making experience itself--I find myself in a state of intellectual rapture when making my most authentic works of art.

Peggy says:  Thank you so much, Molly for this wonderful interview!