Focus On... Art Garden! {And A Giveaway!}

Art Garden is a beautiful shop that makes you feel peaceful just browsing - imagine how you'd feel if you saw one of these beauties everyday! Lupen, the lovely lady behind Art Garden, has lavishly offered to permanently loan you one of her beautiful prints! Okay, that was my strange and slightly sad attempt at alliteration - but basically, you could win your very own print from Art Garden!

Tell me some basic info about yourself.

My name is Lupen, I grew up in Portland Oregon . When I was 20 I moved to Lopez Island in Washington state , a very small Island only 14 miles long at the longest distance. I lived there for 15 years, gardening , farming , crafting , collecting seaweed , kayaking and sleeping under the stars on summer nights . My husband and I left the Northwest a few years ago for sunnier skies however .... and we are now living in a small town in northern California , there's alot I miss about the Island , but I don't miss the 9 months of winter :) 

{ceres cactus flower}

What kind of mediums do you use and why? 
I am a self taught artist experimenting with lots of different mediums. My main mediums seem to be colored pencil, ink and acrylic paint. I got my first set of 'Prismacolor' pencils when I was in grade school and been in love with them ever since, I like that they are so portable to take out into the field to draw plants. I also like the bold colors of acrylics and use them mostly for doing large pieces. 

{botanica exotica}

What made you decide to sell on etsy? 

I stumbled upon Etsy a few years ago ..... and I knew right away I wanted to join and be a part of the community. I was already selling my art at farmers markets and craft fairs and this seemed like a great venue for my work. I was so happy to find a place with so much creativity and handmade goods.

{hollyhock - my fave!}

Where do you get your inspiration? 

Alot from nature and my garden . I love the macro close up world of plants and seed pods , vintage photographs , and different color combinations I may see throughout my day , can inspire my pieces . Reading Hafiz and Rumi poetry inspires me with some of my figure drawings.

{buttercup}

What is your favorite music to craft by? 

I usually have my music on shuffle, which is wide variety of things like French music , Hawaiian , Carla Bruni, Micheal Franti, Habib Koite, Celtic , and some of my old favorites like the Cure and the Pogues.

{dressing up to do the laundry}

When it's cold outside... 

I love to go out for long walks.

{mandala print - sri yantra}

When I'm hungry... 

It seems like I'm always hungry :) snacking and cups of tea are part of my day between meals to keep me going

{green hellebore sketch}

When I need a boost... 

I like to spend time outside, it seems to give me the the boost I need usually , I also meditate , and I will look through my sketchbooks for ideas if I'm not feeling the creative flow and see where I can pick it up again.

 {mustard and bloom}

I wish I was/were... 

more confident and had less self doubt .

{rainbow om}

If I could give one gift to everyone I know, it would be... 

unconditional self love 

{centered in peace}

If I could have coffee with anyone, it would be... 

All my girlfriends I miss and love dearly on Lopez Island.

{dogwood branches}

If you were an animal, what would you be? 

I would be a river otter, because they get to enjoy the water and the land, and eat as much fresh seaweed as they want.

{coral tree}

What's your favorite piece of your own? 

My 'Vision of home' Painting is my favorite piece , I painted this a few years ago when we were living on Maui ( we were there for a couple years before we moved to California ) and not really realizing it until a while after we moved in to our house here in California ... it is the house in the painting most things about it..it is so weird ! ..minus the red walls. The vision of home really worked.... 

{saraswati - lotus goddess}

What are your favorite blogs/websites right now?

http://www.geninne.com/

http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/

{lotus}

You can find Art Garden

on her blog, 

on etsy!

Lupen has offered to giveaway one 5x7 print of your choice to a lucky winner!

{dusty rose}

- To be eligible for entry, you must be a follower of my blog through google friend connect or through your preferred RSS reader. -

- Make sure you leave me a way to contact you if you win. -

- Please leave separate comments for each entry. - 

First entry (mandatory):

- Visit Art Garden, select your favorite item and tell me about it.

Extra entries (optional):

- Follow the Art Garden blog.

- Sign up for the Kate and Oli mailing list.

- Follow me on Twitter, tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link.

- Add my button to your blog.

- Like Kate and Oli on Facebook.

- Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link. 

Fine print: Giveaway begins when it is posted and ends at 11:59pm pacific standard time February 11, 2010. A winner will be selected by a random number generator on February 12, 2010 and will be emailed promptly.