Featured Shop: ToastedGlass

An Interview with Monique Low from ToastedGlass



Lelaine :Your shop is very colorful:) What is you favorite color to paint with?

Monique Low :

Hi Lelaine,
Thanks again for picking my treasury and thank you for bringing me in on the team. It's really nice to feel a part of something so supportive and well organised!
I don't really have a favourite colour to paint with. I'm very fickle like that- once I've painted something, I want to move on to the next thing. I guess I just paint what feels right for the time, so today it's pastels, but I do love the lavender and agapanthuscolours.....oh, I just like everything! I do prefer to use opaque colours though, rather than the transparent, stained glass effect. The one design I do, that is transparent (Harlequin) is really lovely, but doesn't come out so well in a photograph, whereas the opaque colours photograph really well. 

Peggy:

I would love to see your studio, where you are creating all these amazing paintings! How would you describe your lab’s “atmosphere” while painting?

Monique Low : When I first started painting to sell, I was working in the kitchen. It's the heart of our home and where I have spent most of my time since having my children. However, as business began to get serious, it became obvious that I needed more space. Thankfully, my family are very supportive and we decided to convert our front room into a studio. This has worked really well, as we were lucky enough to have the space to be able to move things around and now I have lots of space, more light and a window to display what I do. I have lots of shelves to store packaging and plain glass and two, paper screens that I use to hide the untidy bits! 

I like to listen to music or BBC radio when I work and I like my workspace to be tidy. I love to have fresh flowers around because they are an inspiration for me, but I am always sad when they die. Maybe that's why I like to paint so many, so that they live forever!

Peggy: What is the feeling for a successful artist to take a break from “job” in order to raise two wonderful children? Has your inspiration been changed after maternity?

Monique Low : When I fell pregnant with my first child, I just knew that I wanted to be at home and at the time, I thought that would never change, but once both my boys had been at school for a while, things changed. Suddenly, home making seemed less appealing and I felt the urge to paint more and more. I was nervous of entering into business again, but websites like Etsy make it fantastically simple and I have been able to reach a new audience. I think that being part of MAT is going to make a huge difference as well. It is so encouraging to have a team around you.My inspiration has changed in that the shop I ran with my friend had a certain image and we would paint to fit that. Now my style is a reflection of what I like and what I find works. Before, I never painted vases, but now I am selling those predominantly, so you adapt to what your customers want.

Peggy: Do you love painting on other materials, like canvas, wood…?

Monique Low : I have painted on most things, at some point, but I prefer to paint on glass. I tried silk painting, which I loved, but didn't have the proper steamer to fix the colours-maybe I'll diversify if I ever find the time.the principles of silk painting are quite similar in that you use an outliner and then fill in with colour. I like the simplicity of line drawing.

Peggy: I think that my favorite creations of your shop are the cocktail painted glasses! Which cocktail you would make for me and in which glass would you offer it? Please, share with us the recipe! 

Monique Low : I am very pleased with the Strawberry Butterfly cocktail that I invented for my blog to showcase the Butterfly cocktail glasses.

Strawberry Butterfly

Ingredients

1.5 oz vodka

1 oz elderflower liqueur

3 fresh strawberries 

1/2 an orange

Crushed ice

Muddle (gently mash) the strawberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker

Add the spirit, liqueur and juice of 1/2 an orange

Top up to halfway with crushed ice

Shake vigorously

Strain into a chilled martini glass

Enjoy!


Featured Shop by Peggy Dot