This Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx interview with Kelli Murray (Etsy Shop & Blog) was supposed to appear yesterday, but I’ve been having a bit of computer trouble and wasn’t able to get it up. Today, I’m working on one of Mr. Indie Fixx’s Linuc machines with a wonky-ass keyboard…guess it’s better than nothing. I think my laptop is infected with a bot and I’m probably going to have to reinstall everything….sigh. I love/hate computers.
Anyway, Kelli Murray is an artist and designer whose dreamy illustration, painting and design work is both sweet and melancholy. Her work is obviously inspired by fashion, nature and folk art. Onto the interview and lovely eye candy that is Kelli Murray’s work.
What’s the name of your business, what do create and sell and how did you get your start?
My website and Etsy are just my name. Kelli Murray Art & Design. I create paintings, stationary, illustrations, invitations and prints of my artwork. I graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and currently work as a graphic designer for a small clothing label in San Diego (my 9 to 5). Fashion and graphic design is where I got my start in the arts. But after meeting a few artists and designers who encouraged me to further pursue my talent in illustration and painting, I decided to give it a try. Now, I would consider that my passion, yet still my “side business”.
Share some of your inspirations.
I am inspired by so many things, it’s hard to sit down and just name a few. But I am inspired by all things vintage, folk/indie music, emotion, nature & little animals. I am inspired by many fashion and lifestyle blogs like Stockholm Streetstyle and Fashion Toast; and design sites like ffffound and Pinterest.
Who are 3 of your favorite artists of all times?
What blogs and mags do you read and what shops do you shop at?
Blogs – Fancy Treehouse, Song of Style, sfgirlbybay and those mentioned above.
Mags – Vogue, Nylon, Juxtapoz. And I am a sucker for home decorating mags.
Shops: Anthropologie & Urban Outfitters (my go-to’s). H&M, thrift stores, HOME in Encinitas. Online: Need Supply, Shopbop.
What have you recently been reading, watching and listening to?
Reading – Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy (I am pregnant)!
Watching – Bachelorette (guilty pleasure)
Listening to: Foster the People.
What are your inspirations in your art and life?
My husband, God & family. These are the most important things in my life.
What’s something you’ve learned as an adult that you wish you knew as a kid?
Time is precious. Making the most of everyday and prioritizing what is really important to me.
What’s your creative process like?
I usually have a billion ideas in my head and just have to settle down and hash out ONE. So I begin with a concept or idea. I generally sketch out what is in my head. It depends what I am creating (a t-shirt design, a painting, an illustration ect) for where I go next. If it’s a painting, I determine a size, build a wood canvas (I always paint on wood) and sketch out the design again onto the wood. I decide on a general color palatte and then begins the long process of trial and error with the paints until I end up with something I love….or sometimes something I don’t love and scrap it 🙂 That often happens too! For graphic designs on clothing, which I do a lot of as my job at work, I like to draw elements and scan them into the computer and add color or manipulate it digitally from there. I never really like to create all vector based art. I very much prefer the hand drawn original look of designs versus the computer generated.
