Thursday, August 23, 2007

Three Generations of Etsy!

I have never been a blogger before and I am not much of a writer, but I feel compelled to get involved here. When I write I usually have a difficult time staying on track and tend to ramble quite a bit. I will do my best to make this a posting succinct so that it does not put you to sleep. My name is Thom and I am a member of MoE (Somehow this sounds like something that you would expect to hear in a twelve step program) Please feel free to say whatever it is that the audience says at this point!


I asked Deb what kind of stuff she wanted us to write about for this blog and she suggested we keep it to discussions about art and Etsy, so here we go. There are three generations of my family with Etsy shops right now, and I think that may be kind of unique, so let me introduce some of my family members to you. My father is PapaZozo of PapaZozo.etsy.com and my daughter is CK of ck1sizzle.etsy.com; stick me in the middle there, tnkerr.etsy.com, and you have the three generations that I mentioned earlier in this mad diatribe of a blog posting.


PapaZozo has had his work exhibited publicly so many times and in so many places that I doubt even he could name them all. His work has shown and sold all over the USA and internationally. He has been featured in newspapers and periodicals and shown in galleries as well as private shows. He is a former art professor who has worked throughout the southwest, paints China in vivid colors and metallic gold. His works include individual pieces as well as entire place settings and painted tile furniture. For some reason he does not seem to be too popular on Etsy! Not sure why, he has made a living from art for more than 60 years and you can’t do this without an abundance of talent.


My daughter is a working single mom with an infallible eye for color and composition, she is a talented seamstress and crafter – most of her Etsy shop offerings will reflect and reinforce this. In addition to being a single mom she has a full time day job and fits in her art as circumstances allow. She cannot pass the physical for membership in MoE but she is definitely a friend of MoE and always seeks out and supports MoE treasuries, contributing in her own small, yet significant and ‘anonymous’ way.


My work has been influenced by so many sources that it seems inconsistent, even to me. When I was a child I worked in clay, acrylic and oil paints, wood, paper and other traditional media, finally settling on wood. Until recently, I worked exclusively in wood - making furniture, toys, sculptures, and the occasional assorted other things. Over the last year or so I have been experimenting with tile and china painting. My father is, after all, an authority on these things so I began paying more attention to how he did them and then I took it up myself. I already had the tools and materials so, why not?


I come from a family of artists, even though a lot of us are in denial about it. Both of my parents are artists and art was just part of growing up. My mother was a painter, a potter and a weaver. She is not active in art now due to health issues. My father, mentioned above, is a painter (primarily working in porcelain art these days - he is still an active artist). Both were art educators and for a time my dad had a gallery that featured / promoted artists from Central America and the Southwestern US.


My wife is also a talented potter (with no Etsy shop), and my other daughter seems unable to settle on a single form of artistic expression, continuously experimenting in whatever medium is convenient and accessible at the time. I am leaving out the siblings and siblings in law because it would become way too confusing for you, dear reader, and perhaps they can be the subjects of subsequent posts…or perhaps not!

We are a somewhat dysfunctional extended family filled with a lot of talented, pseudo-talented, and untalented individuals. We are China Painters, Ceramicists, Furniture Makers, Mosaic Artists, Gardeners, Upholsterers, Tailors, and Sculptors (just to scratch the surface). In general terms, it is safe to say that we are not musicians! We are Adventurers and Couch Potatoes. We are widely dispersed sometimes and sometimes in close geographic proximity. We are like many other families. We are unique. Yet we are just like most of your families. “A Little Bit of Everything”


Isn’t life grand? The photos associated with this posting are representative of work attributable to me and my immediate family. Hope you enjoy and please visit our Etsy shops.


3 comments:

Stephana Designs said...

I wish my family were as creative as yours...just me and Rachel,Stephana Jr.,well,one of the boys is sorta creative,just in a strange way.

Sara Millis said...

I love that you are all so creative - thank you for sharing! Sara x

Andy Mathis said...

I think China painting is one of those lost arts. I wasn't aware of it until a few years ago, when I met a little elderly lady that lived down the road.