My Surtex Experience

I think everyone's experience at the Surtex show is individual. Having read and talked to so many others that have already exhibited was a big help as far as expectations go. I have always been there through an agent in the past so this was the first time I exhibited on my own. I had so much fun and was really happy with how everything went. I ended up doing paper banners and was really pleased with them.They were easy to hang and the printer did a fabulous job. I was nervous about having them shipped directly to the hotel and didn't see them until setup. It all worked out. Phew!  I'd made a little dummy of the booth before hand to determine where all the panels were going to go and the design. I used both notebooks and an i-pad for my portfolio.  That worked well for me. I think some clients liked the notebooks better, so it was good having both.Casey Spencer a talented designer helped me in my booth. She was such a great help in many ways including set up and pull down. We also had a lot of fun!

The show had some quiet moments, but the booth in general was pretty busy.
 I did a lot of prep work before the show reaching out to companies that I'd worked with in the past or that were familiar with me to make appointments. I loved connecting directly with the people at companies. It's so nice to put faces with people I've known on the phone or internet for years. I had been told that Tuesday is usually really dead, but I found it as busy for me as the previous days.

Another great thing was getting to meet so many other artists. I had the nicest neighbors to my booth and several artists stopped by to say hello. Great to meet so many of you! I also got to meet several at a get together one of the companies I work with did at an Irish pub Monday evening. I'll be doing interviews with several of them here in the near future.

The most exciting part was the positive reception of the Two Can Art collection that I do with my son, Noah. For those that don't know, Noah is autistic and paints beautiful textures that I then use to create images. This collection is really special to me.
Overall, I had a really exciting and fun time at the show. I am now doing follow up. There are some promising leads that look really good.

Katya Guseva

As an introduction, I first saw Katya's work on her facebook page and loved her beautiful characters. I believe that each of them tells a story. I am so pleased to showcase some of her work here.

How did you become and artist?

Ever since I can remember I has always loved to draw and create things. When I became around 4-5 years old, my mom started to leave me alone in the house... she’d just leave me sheets of paper, colored pencils, plasticine and put on records with my favorıte fairytales. When she came back, she would find me in the same place, busy drawing something. It was my favorite way to pass the time, from then til’ now not much has changed. I still love to draw and sculpt.

Did you go to art School?

Yes, I finished Art School in Siberia, in my home city Tomsk.

Has anyone influenced you in becoming an artist?

I am so thankful to people who love me… to my parents for believing in me. And I am grateful to my husband for his generosity and giving me freedom and opportunity to create and not think about the material side of life.My passion for the art dolls started when while living in Moscow. I went to an exhibition at the Gallery of dolls "Vahtanov: where I was struck by the variety of characters each doll had. They were so different, interesting and at the same time incredibly realistic, comical and absurd. Most importantly  I was amazed that each doll had something magical. Each doll was carrying a small piece of someone's soul.

What inspires you now?

The characters of my dolls are inspired by my childhood memories, impressions of traveling to a different places and meetings with friends. It is a special language which helps me to express my thoughts and my attitude to this life ...

Can you tell us a little about your process?

I am very fond of papier-mache for its  strength and lightness. In the dolls I am using it as a base.  All the subtle details: the face, hands,I  make with self-hardening plastics. I like ‘Paper clay”, but mostly I work with an Italian plastic DAS. I also have a collection of textile dolls. I paint these works with acrylic, pastel, watercolor and oil. At the stage of "dressing up" I use everything that comes my way, wool, fabric, paper, dried flowers, etc. I think the most important tool for each artist is the Fantasy.

What kind of market is your art sold in?

My dolls are "dolls for adults," for those  who in despite of his seriousness, retained his child inside, and the ability to be surprised and enjoy the life. I am organizing my personal exhibition to join international dolls exhibitions all over the world.

Is there a site people can see more of your work?

My website its not ready yet, so mostly all my work its on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/KATYA-Fairy-tales/129125573789241

What do you love best about what you do?

In the making of art dolls I find an opportunity to apply one piece of work completely different skills, techniques and materials. That's the magic of animation that matters, creating an image, which then begins to live it’s own, independent life.I like to be honest with my self when I create something. Never lie if you choose to make art in this life, never pretend. It must always come from the heart. I'm the strictest critic of myself .Unfortunately life is not easy,so if someone looks at my rosy-cheeked doll fatties and forgets for a moment about their affairs and smiles, that is the best compliment for me and my goal has been achieved