Credit: Elizabeth DeCicco

Welcome to all of the #MNMOtv followers! Today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview is with Twin Cities artist, @staceymaude. Lets get started!

Stacey:    I’m ready.

Welcome! To begin, share with us a little bit about your background. Where you grew up and your interests as a kid.

Stacey:    I was born in a small town in SW MN where I lived til age seven, then moved to Grand Forks, ND with my mom & sister.

I was always a runner and was initially interested in math, science and was going to the school of technology at the

University of Wisconsin, Madison to study engineering.

then, sidetracked by unforeseen stuff and changed plans and decided to go to art school @ MCAD

Interesting. So from engineering, how did you develop an interest in becoming an artist?

Stacey:    I know, complete 180. I just fell in love with the romantic notion of being a painter/artist and couldn’t shake

the desire to pursue it.

What mediums have you used to express yourself through art?

Stacey:    Different mediums before narrowing your interests down to a particular area of focus, like painting & drawing.

I loved painting & drawing, obviously, but also love photography and film/video and editing.

You and your sister, @FreshTartSteph are both in very creative worlds. Did your family nurture and encourage that?

Stacey:    We also have two younger half siblings and we are all creative. Our parents def allowed and

encouraged us to be whatever we wanted to be.

That’s what all parents need to do. So what kind of art projects have you done? Only private, or public ones too?

Stacey:    All sorts. Mostly I paint paintings and then try to get them shown in galleries. My work has been collected by

a lot of private collectors, a few public, like Coffman Union @ the U of MN, Twin Cities and one or two corporate collections.

I’ve painted quite a few murals and done a lot of commissions of all sorts and with my own small painting company

and several larger painting companies have painted a lot of restaurants and public spaces as well.

Congrats on all of your accomplishments! :) What projects are you currently working on, if you’re allowed to share?
Stacey:    I’m allowed. I’ve just finished a commission for two paintings, here’s a pic of one and I am pic.twitter.com/JOMowOyj
working on a series of self-portraits, here is a pic of a detail of one and for my commercial pic.twitter.com/ZPFh44hv

work, I am currently gilding a bedroom wall for @freshtartsteph and painting some cabinets for a kitchen remodel in

south Mpls.

To close @staceymaude, when you’re not being creative, what’s something you enjoy doing that might surprise some people?

Stacey:    Uhm…I like to kite board, surf, cycle, run & on rare occasions ride fast motorcycles.

Joel:    Sounds like a VERY active lifestyle, and a Mom as well. Nice work! Thanks for your time and for sharing on #MNMOtv today.

Stacey:    Thank you!

[Interview conducted on Wednesday Oct 10,2012]

Art can be a difficult subject for people to agree on. Art to one person can be confusing or unappreciated to another. It’s hard to unite people on exactly what art is all of the time. What though if it has elements that allow everyone to understand what it is? Say images of a neighborhood or community, all combined into one piece of art, like a collage.  That’s exactly the type of art that you’ll findGiesla Hoelscher working on and sharing with others.  Get to learn more about her and her art that honors cities and neighborhoods from around the country.

Hello, and welcome to today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview with Twin Cities collage artist, @GieslaAnne. Lets get this started!

Tell us a little bit about your background. Where you grew up and when your interest in art started.

Giesla:    I’m a lifelong MN resident & currently live in St. Paul.

When asked in kindergarten what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said “an artist”!

I never really faltered from that. I studied psychology for a brief period, then interior & graphic design.

Where did you go for your interior and graphic design schooling? What kind of art were you drawn too?

Giesla:    I went to the U of MN. I graduated with an Associate’s in Graphic Design from Globe College (now Globe University).

I appreciate all kinds of art, it’s really hard to pick an absolute favorite. I’m really drawn to modern art.

As far as graphic design, I have a soft spot for vintage design, particular graphics from the 50s and 60s.

When did you start making your own art for selling publicly, and what made you choose collages?

Giesla:    I had a difficult time finding a job after 9/11. There were more layoffs than hiring so I started doing freelance.

I just wasn’t crazy about the work. I started making things by hand at the encouragement of a co-worker at the time.

I started my own business in 2002 & started doing art fairs. The collage work wasn’t the main focus initially.

I started doing collages b/c it was my favorite college project. I chose the local theme b/c I love where I live.

Can you describe some of the pieces that you’ve done to give people an idea of your local themes?

Giesla:    The artwork is mostly done with my own photography, but I’ve also used vintage postcards & maps in some pieces.

The theme is either a major city or focuses on part of the city, for example, San Francisco or Bourbon Street.

Here in MN, I generally focus on parts of Saint Paul or Minneapolis or areas of MN, like the North Shore.

I’ve had a great deal of requests for MN colleges as they make great gifts & I’m slowly building a collection.

I also like to highlight the greatest parts of the Twin Cities, like the lakes and the arts, for example

When it come to MN and the arts community, is their a good network to connect with, or lots of independent people?

Giesla:    There is an AMAZING arts community here in MN. One of my favorite parts of doing art fairs is connecting w/artists

We also have great organizations like @mnartistsdotorg and @SpringboardArts that do excellent work w/artists.

Great to know about @mnartistsdotorg and @SpringboardArts. Any location offline that people can see your work at?

Giesla:    Absolutely! My favorite independent shops are the Artist Mercantile in St. Paul or Your Art’s Desire in Minnetonka.

If you prefer shopping at a mall, my work is at Deck the Walls in @mallofamerica or their new Rosedale location.

I’ll be at the Rosedale location on October 20th for a signing event from 1-4pm.

Joel:    Thanks so much @GieslaAnne for sharing some of your life and activities on #MNMOtv today. Have a great rest of the week!

Giesla:    Thank you, @JoelECarlson, for having me on #MNMOtv. It was my pleasure!

@JoelECarlson – Hi everybody! It’s time for Twitterview No.2 today, and our guest is @inkblotsart. Lets get this started!

@inkblotsart – I’m doing this via iPhone so I apologize for any delays!

Q – #1    No worries. iWon’t get mad about an iPhone. :) So to start @inkblotsart, tell us where you grew up and where you went to school?

A: I lived in St. Paul until I was 5 then lived most of my childhood in Little Canada, a St. Paul suburb.

I went to Roseville HS for high school, spend 4 years at the U of M and graduated from Globe College (now Globe University).

*Spent 4 years…yay iPhone auto correct. :)

Q – #2    So how did you get to become a digital artist, and please also explain what your art form is?

A: I went to school for graphic design and absolutely love working on computers. I’ve always been somewhat artistic so it was a good fit

Digital art is art created using a computer as your medium. Whether it’s painting, collage, fractals, etc.

I became a digital artist because I was rejected from interior design school. I failed my portfolio review b/c I used too much color!

Q – #3    Failure brought you to a good place! :) So explain what your collages are about and where ppl can see them now.

A: Well I have 3 different facets of work: location collages, mixed media collages and custom work.

The location collages are based on a city, neighborhood, college or event. I go out and take all of the photographs for them.

The mixed media collages are mostly focused around vintage themes & use advertisements from old magazines.

The custom work is collages that are created for individuals or businesses using photos & other items that they provide me with.

Q – #4    You now have a gallery opening up where people can see your work. Where is it, and when does it open?

A: People can find my work at retail stores around town and at art fairs during the summer.

The gallery is called Studio at 795 and is located at 795 Raymond Ave in St. Paul. Right down the street from Keys Restaurant.

The grand opening is tonight!! From 7-10. Live music & cupcakes!!

It’s a collaboration with my boyfriend Karl Johnson, who is a photographer. He’ll be here tonight shooting portraits for $25.

We’ll be open tomorrow from 10-5 for a more family friendly event. Hot cider & cookies & balloons for kids.

Q – #5    Cool! Now to you personally: what are you FAVS – restaurant, store, winter activity, tech gadget & color.

A: Favorite restaurant: Cecil’s Deli. Fave store: toss up between Ikea & West Photo. Fave gadget: my iPhone!

I just learned to snowboard so I can’t say it’s my absolute favorite winter activity just yet, but it’s getting there. :) #jectv

And as my Twitter profile says, I’m a chartreuse fanatic, or any kind of lime-ish green color. My dad now calls it “Giesla green”.

Q – #6    Funny! :) So to end, what is a thought of the day or a mantra that you would like to share with everyone?

A: I have a print behind my desk that says “you’ve gotten this far, keep going.” It reminds me that you have to keep moving forward.

@JoelECarlson – Very good! It was a pleasure to meet you and all the best to you and Karl on your new studio. Thanks for your time.

@inkblotsart – Thanks so much, Joel! It was great chatting with you.

PHOTO – Karl Johnson of Scape Photography – www.scape-photo.com