More from Lesley Riley’s Artist to Artist interview with Cathy Cullis in the January/February 2009 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors.
LR: The loose threads on “Her Heart Was Encouraged” are such a powerful addition to the piece. Do you have any tips for our readers on how to incorporate whimsy into their work and still have it relate to and complement the design?
CC: Loose threads are a feature of nearly all my pieces. I like them because for me they suggest a certain spontaneity and freedom, as if the piece has a life of its own. I would suggest to others that it is a good idea to find ways of making marks that are your own. It’s a bit like leaving a thumbprint in the paint—just makes it apparent that this is a piece that has life. Stop yourself from completing things too quickly, editing out too much. Don’t be slapdash, just follow your own rules and experiment a lot. You know when you get that gut feeling: this is right for me.
LR: You have a wonderful Etsy store full of whimsical and unique items: poetry birds, brooches, collages, as well as dolls and original paintings (cathycullis.etsy.com). Do you sell your work in other places? Are you a working artist or an artist who works (another job)?
CC: Thank you! I recently made the decision to concentrate on my mixed-media stitched works. In addition to my Etsy shop, I sell my work in other places, too. I have sold my work at London craft fairs and sell through a few select galleries, both here in the U.K. and in the U.S. I would like to expand on all of this. I am a working artist, and this for me is a “part-time” business (I have two school-age children). However, it is never really “part-time” as I am always thinking of new ideas, keeping up with interests, and I love to be creative. Working creatively is my passion.
LR: You have a website/blog as well, NovemberMoon.com. With all you have going on—the art and writing, the shop and blog, do you adhere to a schedule in order to get it all done?
CC: I do like to feel organized and always wish to be sending out items quickly to customers and working on fresh ideas all the time. I like the buzz of working but I realize that I need to feed my creativity, so I enjoy taking a break and visiting exhibitions and so on. I really enjoy being part of an online creative community and take an interest in what other people are doing because I sincerely enjoy the work of other artists. I feel inspired by the success and dreams of other artists.
LR: Your studio—do you have a room of your own or is it a space squeezed out of nowhere?
CC: I have a teeny house but I do have a small space that is my workstation for sewing and making: a good-size table with a good window and a wall of inspiration. Storage is always an issue, so I have a minimal selection of supplies and cannot hoard too much.