Artist interview with Jan Weiss

Do you have a website or your own blog?

http://www.artprints-online.com/

www.twitter.com/artprintsonline

http://www.artprints-online.blogspot.com/

What inspires you?

Art inspires me. I have been in the industry for 15 years and I can't imagine doing anything else. It's what makes sense to me. I was laid off my job at Art.com in February and chose to take this opportunity to develop my own business. I went live last week and have orders already! In addition to this site I am a licensed and published artist and my extra money earn from this goes to our vacations.

Do you feel you are effective at time management?

Yes I do. Because it's my own business and I know that no money will come in unless I earn it - it makes me very focused and driven. I got this entire business up and running in two months. Two weeks after my lay off I bought my domain name and the Yahoo store template and went to work.

Have you been able to earn a living doing your art at least part time?

Not yet. But between me, my husband and my sales rep I know I will earn a living at this - just too early to tell anything yet.

CSAs

Community shared agriculture.

MV Knits Video

I saw this on Etsy for months ago and loved her story.

studio space

This is my studio / design area. We rehabbed the basement when we moved in.

sketches from last weekend

Preliminary sketches of animals. Observations from my recent visit to the zoo.

Loft Life Magazine

If you like to read about sustainability, good design and a modern lifestyle, this magazine is for you. Reclaimed materials are used in many of the featured designs. For the naysayers that think modern is cold and boring, think again! Modern means form follows function in terms of design practicality and aesthetic. Using natural materials like reclaimed wood will add warmth to a space. Modern doesn't mean life devoid of nature. At this very moment, most households across the country are not buying random junk to fill their homes anymore and they are being choosy about what they will buy. Designing with a purpose is now a part of our culture. You can't turn on any lifestyle show on networks like HGTV or DIY without this concept being beaten into you head. If you are looking to re-design and get inspiration this magazine is for you. Sometimes changing your lifestyle means changing your space in order to feel differently.

I had a conversation with someone from Loft Life Magazine yesterday while on Facebook. Loft Life is trying to gain readership and they certainly deserve it. About a month ago I started noticing this magazine at the local bookstore, but like everyone, I'm counting my pennies and passed it up. After viewing their magazine online and seeing what the magazine is about, I will be an avid subscriber. In a week I look forward to receiving a copy in the mail. I will pass up my other design magazines for this one.

Recycled Chairs

After


Before


I was driving down a street near home where I spotted chairs that were the right size and shape for my kitchen being discarded on someones lawn in our neighborhood. I remembered that I had some fabric that I got at a fantastic discount at a local store a year ago and that is when it came to me to reupholster the chairs. I bought some almond colored paint from Lowes. I bought batting for quilting at a local craft store and I already had a staple gun that I use for building canvas stretchers for painting. With all that I was able go from shabby to chic in a week. The chairs took much longer than anticipated to paint. Plan to spend at least 5 hours in total on just painting. The chairs were from the 60's and in poor condition. Comments and questions welcome.