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Travel Blog

31 Oct
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The Proof: Olga Cuttell

My name is Olga Cuttell and I’m the artist behind the art of Oladesign.  I’m a Russian born Canadian with a family that consists of a very supportive husband and two wonderful kids (15 year old boy and a 4 year old girl).  I’ve been 28 for quite a few years now.  The majority of my art is done using acrylic inks on watercolor paper, though I’ve also worked with standard acrylics on wood and fabric canvases.  The Oladesign project tries to take the paintings I create and shape them into a line of products that will appeal to a wide variety of people. Products range from canvas and paper prints to phone cases, glass pendants (with the art under glass), pocket mirrors (art on the other side), greeting cards and even calendars.

 The Photos
01  Trail: The PoCo trail is a five minute walk from home. The salmon run on the river running parallel is the centre point of a rich ecosystem.
02 By Hand: I love having things I’ve made or improved on in the house. I do pottery as a hobby and Oladesign actually started with me painting on ceramics and lamps.
03 Places: Travel is in my bones. Even discovering interesting places nearby (Osoyoos four hour drive) can tide me over for a while.
04 Moose: This is one way to make my day.
05 Family: It’s all about this.
06 Projects: I love doing commissions and special projects like album covers and snowboards.
07 Books: It never seems as though we have enough time, but we are a family that loves to read.
08 Photography: Painting is my first and greatest love among the arts, but it not the only. I love the power of photography: to capture natural textures and spontaneous moments.

 The Questions

Where do you live?
I live on a quiet street on the North side of PoCo, BC.  My home is at the base of a mountain on the coastal mountain chain.  Where I live is very important to understanding my work and its subject matter.  Nature and the natural world are a prominent part of my daily life here.  Bears fish salmon from a river, not five minutes from my home.  They come into our yard to eat our apples and grapes as they ripen.  Eagles and owls are regular visitors and we just installed a bat-house to help keep down the bugs (and because they dance so beautifully in the light of the setting sun).  The Mother is alive and well here, and it serves as a constant source of inspiration for my work.

What do you do?
As I mentioned above, I’m a painter.  I mostly paint using a technique that is very similar to watercolor, but uses acrylic inks instead of standard watercolor paints.  I was very lucky to find this ink technique very early in my career, and it has served as a perfect medium for translating my feelings and subjects into something visually compelling.  I sometimes use more conventional mediums, but I am always pulled back to my ink/water style.

What are you working on?
Wow! You’re asking me this at my busiest time of year. As I write this, I’m taking a break from painting my fifth snowboard design for Prior Snowboards out of Whistler.  I love working with them and my designs for them have met with enthusiast success.  As well, I’ve just finished a calendar design that has gone to print, and will be released in a week or so.  I have a commission piece, from a private buyer, I have yet to start on.  We’re about to unveil our new line of cellphone cases; a new product that we’re really excited about.  Oh, and I need to get ready for the Christmas markets, while maintaining the websites (Etsy, Facebook, Oladesign, Art of Where, Society 6) and find a school for my daughter, who starts next September.  We’re having Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp for dinner.

Where can people find your work?
My husband and I have been working very hard to improve my online presence. We are trying to encourage our customers to join the Oladesign Facebook Fun Page, http://www.facebook.com/OlgaCuttellArt , where people can get up-to-the-minute updates on new pieces, products, events and promotions.  As well, our product line in available on Etsy at www.oladesign.etsy.com and at my new (and still in development) website: www.oladesign.ca.

Snowboards are available through Prior (don’t forget to tell them we sent you).   You can win free snowboard with my art, check the promotion on our Facebook page.

I also do several art and craft markets leading up to the Christmas season. If you’re in Canada, you can find a complete listing of the events I’m attending this Fall at:

Article source: http://www.whistlerisawesome.com/2012/10/30/the-proof-olga-cuttell/

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