GeekkiBoutikki was the Miss Eileen’s Etsy Picks for 9/9. The Blue Inductor Earrings won the hearts of many. Here is her interview.
Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, personal stuff)
Hi there, I am Roxanne Gibson from Monterey, California. I am a math student hoping to make the leap into engineering this spring. I like to garden, cook, listen to books on tape, and climb. I am a long time crafter, well for 23. My mom gave me paints, possibly before she should have, and I painted everything in the yard. We used to go dumpster diving when I was little and it was more or less legal; people were not so protective of their trash then. I made things from scrap wood, old door knobs, and window frames. I made things of mud and used overly ripe olives to make purple paints for the sidewalk.
What inspires you? Where do your ideas come from?
My mom’s creativity, my dad’s teachings of skills, my grandmother’s love of art, and my family’s constant support allows me to continue creating and going to school. My mathematics and biology background inspires me and gives me ideas for shapes, materials, and colors. Many of my pieces come from recycled items and the new ones are made in organic shapes and or mathematically structured.
Resistor and Inductor Necklace
Then as now, I try to make all of the gifts I give and sometimes even the boxes I give them in. That has got to be my favorite part; the “oh my gosh where in the world did you find this?!” and to be able to say “I made it for you’” feeling is fantastic. Whether the receiver of the gift wanted what you made or not they always cherish it because as soon as they have it they need it just because it was made by you. I also believe that I should have a story about everything I own, or at least that is one of my goals in life. I want everything to have a story or contain one in it.
What are your favorite materials?
Hand-made furniture, silverware, and stoneware are my current projects.
Lately, I have been working with and creating recycled, or up-cycled items. I like the juxtaposition of the new and the old, the useless and the useful. I never liked plastic until recently, it is cheap, feels unnatural, but its plastic attributes are oh so useful. Plastic is not a substance of poets, it is not precious, but should be, it resists nothing and can be everything. So I celebrate plastic as long as it is already around. Most of my products up at the moment are floppy disk. However, I mostly work with small electronic components but most of them go to craft fairs and swap meets. I have not seen many people take apart a computer and go “oh how gorgeous!” but I would like them to do just that; the pieces and parts just need the proper presentation.
What is your favorite color combination?
My favorite things to work with are little neon blue almost glass looking polystyrene capacitors. Its just about my favorite color and size to work with at the moment though I very much like purples just because of how difficult it is to find the resistors in any such shade.
What inspires you? Where do your ideas come from?
I live in a thriving artist community; Monterey is full of them and each one has a different take on art. Whether I talk to a down-home crafter or the pretentious yellow-streak-of-paint-on- white-canvas artist I always come away with something.
What are your greatest challenges? How do you overcome them?
My greatest challenge is my shop. Before this year I never thought I would sell any art. I am shy in person and have a tough time trying to sell my things; I do much better just making them. I have asked friends and family to help with these sorts of things.
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Thank you GeekkiBoutikki for your interview. My readers and I will continue to watch your art grow.
Great interview!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I love spotlighting new talent on Etsy. GeekkiBoutikki's work is fresh and fun.
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