We walked in and the wall to our immediate left was was amassed with a dozen painted pin up girls. “Wow,” I turned to her and said. “Right,” my friend said. Then I turned to the red head and said
“Beautiful.” She smiled and said “Thank you.” We then talked about her
inspiration, looked through her portfolio, I snagged a card, sent an email, and
got an interview with Kristen Birdsey, an artist with many talents and inspirations,
but recently discovered her thing for painting pin ups.
Phreedum: Who are
you in 5 words?
KB: A stubborn, ambitious,
and determined individual.
Phreedum: When
did you first become acquainted with art?
KB: I have been
making art all my life. My parents have always encouraged me to pursue whatever
made me happy, and at a young age I found that my talent in visual art was
something that not only made me happy, but it was a talent made me stand out
from the crowd. My mom is an artist as well, although just as a hobby. Growing
up watching her with her watercolors and being given beautifully illustrated
books to read sparked my interest in art. I still remember a few of the books
that made me want to be an illustrator; “I’m as Quick as a Cricket” illustrated
by Don Wood, “Tattercoats” illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain, and still some
of my favorite illustrations from the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”
series, illustrated by Stephen Gammell.
Phreedum: What
piece or collection have you created that you are most proud of?
KB: There are a
few pieces I’m quite proud of, but I think at the moment I’m most proud of my
pin-up series that I created for my senior thesis at Moore College of Art. I didn’t think I
was going to be able to get all 12 pieces done, but somehow I did it. I’m
mostly proud of it because it is a good log of my progression in skill level
even through just a few months. I can see where I’ve improved and where I still
need improvement, and that is what I need to see to become successful in my
work.
Phreedum: Where
do you find inspiration and motivation?
KB: Looking at
other artists’ work is always a great way for me to get motivated. The Spectrum
Fantastic Art books that come out annually are a great resource for me for
inspiration. Although most of the work in there isn’t my style or subject
matter that I typically use, there is always something in there that gives me
some crazy idea to work into my own piece of work.
Phreedum: Talk to
me about what has been a highlight for you so far as an artist?
KB: My senior
year of high school was generally an artistic highlight for me. I won regionals for the Doodle 4 Google
competition and was flown out to the Googleplex in California. I also won the NJ Congressional Art Competition
and had my piece hanging in the capitol building in Washington D.C. for a year.
Of course my most recent artistic highlight has been graduating from Moore
College of Art & Design with a BFA in Illustration.
Phreedum: What
has been one of the biggest lessons you have learned as an artist?
KB: I think the
biggest lesson I have learned as an artist is to never stop making art that
you, as an artist, love. No matter if I’m drawing pin-up girls or customizing
vinyl Munny figures, I can’t stop making my own art or I will get severe
artist’s block. It’s very important for me, especially when I have commissions
to work on, to continue to do my own thing, even if it distracts me from the
other work that I have. If I’m only working on things for clients and not for
myself, I find that my work in general suffers.
Phreedum: How
does your work change the lives of others?
KB: I honestly
don’t expect my work to change anyone’s life. The pin-up work that I do isn’t
just to display naked women, it’s to inspire women to feel good about
themselves and stop being afraid to hide their sexuality. I really don’t know
whether or not it accomplishes that, but it’s interesting to think about.
Phreedum: What
are some of the sacrifices artists make?
KB: I’ve found myself
sacrificing a lot of time- social time, me time, family time, all kinds of
time. No matter what you do, if you have art that needs to be done or if you
get a sudden burst of inspiration, you have to sacrifice time to make art. Yes,
friends will get irritated when you can’t spend time with them, you’ll get
irritated with yourself for not being able to give yourself the time to relax,
and your family will often wonder why they haven’t heard much from you. You
will lose sleep, you will get stressed out, but that’s all part of being an
artist.
Money is another sacrifice. Art supplies cost a ton of money,
and most of the time you won’t know if the money you spend on the supplies will
pay off. I have two retail jobs along with my art career, but I still find
myself short on money because I’m always spending money to make art that may or
may not make money.
Phreedum: What
would you consider your greatest resource?
KB: My greatest
resources are still my teachers and professors from all stages of my education.
Most of them I still keep in contact with, so if I ever have any questions or
need some motivation, they are always glad to talk to me and help me out. I am
very grateful to have such amazing and knowledgeable people to talk to even
after I’m no longer their student.
Phreedum: How
have family and friends shown their support?
KB: My family has
always supported me. I had almost every member of my extended family show up to
my senior show at Moore to support me and celebrate my graduation with me. I am
lucky enough to have a very supportive boyfriend, who is also an artist and
works with me as not only a support but as inspiration as well. My best friend
and her family are also very supportive of me; they come to my events, re-post
my Facebook links regarding my artwork.
Phreedum: What
one piece of advice do you hold on to as you continue to pursue your work as an
illustrator/artist?
KB: I’d have to
say the best piece of advice that I’ve gotten is that networking is one of the
most important things in your success as an illustrator. If no one knows about
you, that’s it. You have to put yourself out there and talk to as many people
as you can, even if you initially think there’s no chance you’ll ever work for
them. You never know who might hook you up with a great job.
Phreedum: What do
you think people just don't get about the work you do?
KB: I don’t know
if people really understand why my pin-up girls are usually, if not always,
topless. I don’t even really know why I draw them that way. Maybe it’s because
clothes are generally a pain to draw and I’d rather draw the figure as is.
Phreedum: Are
there any other art forms you enjoy (i.e. graphic design, abstract painting,
interior design, sewing, etc.)? If so what are they? And why illustration out
of all the various art forms?
KB: I enjoy all
forms of art, but as for art that I actually enjoy making, I’ve been getting
into some sculpture lately. My boyfriend introduced me to kid robot’s Munny World
DIY vinyl toys, so I’ve been customizing a bunch of them. I do however,
incorporate illustration into my customizations with the sketching process and
then the final painting process of the figures.
I was drawn to illustration more than anything else because
I enjoy showing the story that I, or someone else, is trying to tell. I was
never very interested in the interpretive part of art. I’d much rather put
everything out there for the viewer to see and immediately know what is
happening.
Phreedum: What
advice would you give to other artists?
KB: Network as
much as you can with EVERYONE, always use references, and never block out good
critique because you don’t want to change “your style”.
2 comments:
I was Kristen's art teacher throughout elementary school and I can tell you what an extreme talent she was even back then. I know she is going to be successful in all that she does. I love her style of work and I am excited to see what she will produce in the future. Best wishes to you always Kristen!
I was Kristen's art teacher throughout elementary school and I could see what a stand out and extreme telent she was even back then. I have enjoyed watching her grow and develop as an artist and I am excited to see all the wonderful things she is going to do in the future. Keep up the great work Kristen!
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