... i'm so honoured to have Shell's wonderful talent on
my blog. when i first started out on Etsy, her beautiful work and Etsy store immediately took
my eye and i've been a fan ever since. her generous advice and
encouragement has helped me persevere in my own 'artistic journey'. now, over to Shell...
Thanks for inviting me to be part of your beautiful feature, Deborah ~ I
adore your delightfully feminine and pretty work, and your constant
support is very much appreciated.
Well, as for my story? For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved
drawing. My mum used to make little sketch books for me and I’d vanish
into them for hours. I especially loved drawing images I’d seen –
Snoopy and Woodstock were favourites for quite some time – and I clearly
remember drawing the label from a can of peas. {For a school project.
I must apologise to the tinned produce of the world that I haven’t felt
compelled to draw it since.}
For the past few years, my unrequited love for Paris has become the main
focus of my work, illustrating her beautiful shopfronts, vignettes and
street scenes by hand, with pigment ink pen and watercolours. {Some of
these are available as prints in my Etsy store.} Most Fridays you’ll
find a French themed post on my blog, Shell Sherree: Armchair Travels and the Art of Whimsy. And being just one t-shirt and mug away from
being a Crazy Cat Lady {and proud of it}, you’ll often find a fluffy
feline or two tucked into my illustrations.
I’m very blessed to have
several talented photographer friends, who are incredibly generous souls
and provide me with plenty of inspiration for my work, given that my
illustrative travels are mostly of the armchair variety at this point in
time. Venice is another recurring theme ~ years ago, I spent a couple
of days wandering to her magical light {and utterly lost ~ both
literally and figuratively} and I’ve been smitten ever since. I'm a bit
of a homebody {and find it hard to tear myself away from my scrumptious
black British shorthair, Ella} so interior decor, fashion and lifestyle
books, magazines, blogs – and Ella! – are daily sources of inspiration.
{And don’t get me started on Pinterest.}
My ideal day is to arrive in my studio nestled into the top of my
A-frame timber home amongst the trees by 8:30am with a homemade flat
white coffee in my favourite aqua and gold cup. {And I’m usually late!}
I catch up on emails and the blogo/Twitter/Facebook/Pinterest-sphere,
then browse my inspiration files until something leaps out. On goes my
Josh Groban playlist {or some jazz}, then Ella and I disappear into the
little ink and watercolour world I’m creating.
After that, I might put
on a few of the many hats a self-employed person wears, attend to my Etsy store, work on a blog post, do some client work, more emails, touch
base with my wonderful online pals, and somewhere in amongst it, coffee
with my gorgeous family or friends.
That would be a jam-packed day, but
add some piano practice, dark chocolate and macarons and it would be
pretty much perfect to me! And whether my day looks like this or is a
muddle of curveballs and paper jams instead, I give thanks constantly
for the blessings I'm given. Wishing you a life touched by whimsy and a
beautiful week...
~ inspirational friends ~
