Featured Artist | Katie Thierjung

We're elated to bring you items from Katie Thierjung along with this month's Carolina Moon kits! Katie is a designer, student, artist, and photographer (and party enthusiast!!) who has a flair for bold, vibrant colors and fun designs that spread joy and a sense of whimsy. You may have noticed her work last month in the Bee Happy Stamp Set, and this month she's had her hand in stamp design and an adorable card set. Keep an eye out for her designs in the future, and take some time to get to know more about her workspace, creative inspiration, and more in this post! Find more of Katie's work on Instagram, Facebook, and flickr.

How long have you been working with Studio Calico?

:: I have been working with Studio Calico since February of this year!

Pictured is card from Creative Team member Lisa Spangler (@sideoats) using the Cityscape Stamp set that Katie designed for the Carolina Moon kits!

Can you tell us about your creative process? What mediums do you work with, what inspires you?

:: I would love to say that it's super simple and that I go through the same process every time, but it's honestly never the same! I tend to go through phases with the mediums that I use and the subjects of my work. For a week or two I'll do nothing but hand letter words + quotes with ink, and the next week I'll be painting flowers using acrylics/watercolors, or I'll be drawing patterns in my sketchbook with my brush pen! My style is constantly evolving as I discover new sources of inspiration and new mediums. Usually, with traditional mediums, I will sketch out a couple of preliminary ideas/styles before I grab my brushes or whatever I'm using, and then I'll put on some music and get lost in my art world. Other times I'll just wing it and see where my art takes me!

My main source of inspiration is COLOR. Color is found everywhere, and at times I think people underestimate it's beautiful power. For me, the brighter + more prismatic the color, the better and the happier it is! I am always looking for new ways to incorporate color in my art + photos.

As for my current inspirations, I'll make a small list of the things I'm crushing on right now: Palm Springs, donuts, pineapples, flamingos, glitter, confetti, and anything gold!

Katie designed these cute 3x3 cards too - we must be crushing on donuts and Palm Springs too!

Here is a list of my ALL-TIME favorite artists + inspirations: Brittney Lee, Liana Hee, Mary Blair, Studio DIY, Oh Joy!, and of course the lovely ladies at A Beautiful Mess! I mean seriously, Emma + Elsie are some of the most creative women out there, and they really know what's going on, you go girls! (Love, your #1 fan!)

Would you mind giving us a peek into your creative space?

:: Of course! My art studio is currently my room, so I'm making it work and taking advantage of the space that I do have! Across from my room I have an art supply cubby on my wall, and it is filled with all of my favorite acrylic paints, pens, washi tapes, confetti, & my collection of Fossil tins from when I worked at one of their stores!

I like to display my supplies and have them ready for me to use whenever I need them! My inspiration walls are full of vibrant colors and fun phrases (along with bright washi tape, of course!) because I tend to find them to be the most influential with my work.

We’d love to see more of your art! Could you share a couple of your favorite projects?

:: Of course! You can see a couple of my past pieces on my inspiration walls (the Leslie Knope quote + abstract painting).

The big camera print pictured is from a printmaking class I took 2 years ago. This was the very first project I ever did in that class, and once it was finished, I fell in love with the medium completely!

The second art piece is a paint doodle I made last summer. I guess that I have a thing for vintage cameras! The cameras are painted with gouache, and this piece was the first time I ever tried using that medium. I also love painting on a bigger scale, and I have recently gotten into painting mini murals in my studio using just rolls of kraft paper + acrylic paint! I even painted one specifically for this feature! As you all can see, my style is definitely more bold, bright, abstract, and colorful!

Where can we find more of your work?

:: You can find more of my work on my Instagram (@theuncommonplace)! My Instagram is currently my online portfolio, so I post nearly every one of my projects on there. Also, be ready for LOTS of color, it's definitely my most favorite thing! Oh, and donuts, I tend to post a lot of those!

I also have a Facebook page for my art!

-Katie Thierjung