Better known to many as the designer “Foxeysquirrel,” Teddi was our Featured Artist in the December 2015 issue of Living the Photo Artistic Life. Long an enthusiastic and much-loved artist and contributor to the AWAKE group, Teddi came through with a great interview for us. Enjoy!
Q: It’s been exciting to watch your style really come together these past couple of years. It’s also be great to see your work as a designer with E-Scape and Scrap flourish the way it has. What do you feel most inspires you as an artist, or inspires your style?
Teddi: For as long as I can remember, I have been able to see art in the world around me. I am inspired by colors, and the variations of rich textures that I see every day. I thoroughly enjoy the once upon a time day dreams of places that can give a viewer a secretive glimpse into the magical world of art that tells a story.
I love nature and draw much of my inspiration there. Just as in nature, where everything seems to be in proper placement — a particular tree, rugged and aged by weather, perfectly placed along a creek’s edge, the way it just belongs there — in the same way I attempt to mimic this naturalness in my artwork. When it comes to layering, each particular element must innately “belong” where I place it or the project just won’t work for me.
The second most fundamental ingredient of inspiration lies in my childhood memories of being read fairy tale stories … And I love incorporating those childhood visualizations into much of my own work. I remember how soothing it felt to conjure up visions of fairies and all the fairy dust sprinkled about in these stories, and I thought it might be a nice touch to add this to the naturalness of what we actually see in nature. For as long as I can remember, I have always been able to visualize art in nature like a story about to be told that begins with “Once upon a time . . .” Perhaps it’s understood that we all have these childhood memories — though the images conjured up may be different, they always seemed whimsically cheerful and very much soothing to the soul.
Q: What does living the photo artistic life mean to you?
Teddi: I love being absorbed in the artistic process. I love the freedom to see where a piece will lead me in telling a unique story without ever saying a word. It’s a joyous experience. When it comes to sitting down to work, I do not have a creative plan for my art . . it just seems to happen when the elements begin to come together, placed in such a way that feels and looks right.
And in the end it’s all about communicating something of who we are as people, as artists. When I think about it, I suppose art and interpersonal relations are quite similar. For instance, when we interact with new acquaintances, it can feel that we are choosing our words very, very carefully, as our goal is to be understood. Yet when we fail to communicate well, I think in some way it’s only partly that our words didn’t come through, and just as much that we failed to convey who we really ARE. Likewise, in art, I think we choose designs, elements, colors, textures, etc. (all of our artistic tools) quite methodically in our hope that our works will be understood. But more important is bringing ourselves to our work. Showing, through our art, who we really are.
Q: How do you approach when you sit down to create a new piece of art?
Teddi: Honestly, I find that my best work happens in the middle of the night when my dog Lexi is peacefully sleeping in my lap. The uninterrupted solitude and quiet allows me to explore my imagination. It allows me to reflect on the masterful details of old world Artists. I feel they speak of a time gone by — one that calls to be reborn again in a new beautiful way for the era we live in now.
And in trying to tap into this, I feel my desk needs to be peaceful and quiet, organized, and uncluttered. I suppose some may prefer some faint background music to bring out the creative juices … but me, all I need is Lexi, lying blissfully on my lap during the wee hours of the night.
But, okay, I must admit … a bowl of peanuts and a Pepsi also rank up there as necessities. Mostly because there are what I term “pause, ponder, and review” moments that will require a handful of nuts and a swig of soda to assist me in determining whether to make changes or adjustments . . . deciding what works, what doesn’t, and whether I have succeeded in some way, giving the viewer a secretive glimpse into my imagination.
Q: You’ve been at this work quite a while. What are the most important things you’ve learned in your journey?
Teddi: When I first started designing, I decided come hell or high water to master Photoshop. That skill set is non-negotiable. I’ve also learned that colors and the composition of elements are limitless . . . yet in spite of that, with time I’ve come to trust that my imagination will lead me to tell my stories through these in precisely the right way. I believe that allowing the ever-unfolding of new ideas is key to growing as an artist.
The most important premise for artists to remember is that, for the most part, there are absolutely no rules that one “must” follow in expressing our artistic selves. It’s not about the technical stuff so much as it is what your heart and soul feels as you are creating. When we allow ourselves to conform to convention, when we stop taking risks, we lose part of our identity through those constraints and restrictions . . . and that is indeed a loss — perhaps the loss of some truly great art that could have been, had the artist been braver. And I wish to be brave.