when i was 23 i bought a one way ticket to london and ended up living there for almost two yrs. previously, it had never occurred to me to set out on this adventure and had i actually sat down and planned that trip out, i don't think i ever would have done it. sometimes i think these sorts of fly by the seat of your pants adventures are the best experiences one can have in a life time. often times, if we think out the master plan it tends to be pretty intimidating.
kelly lynn jones opened little paper planes in 2005 to sell her own wares on line and in her own words: "it kind of just snowballed from there and essentially has become my "day job"." little paper planes is a great online shop that carries all sorts of wonderful things which not only showcases kelly's great work but an enormous amount of other talented peeps artwork, prints, jewelry, clothes and accessories. i am always impressed w/ kelly's pics on lpp, always one step ahead w/ her finger forever on the art pulse.
kelly was sweet enough to take a moment from this busy holiday season to answer a couple questions i had for her.
when did you start little paper planes and why? can you explain a little bit about your drive behind it?
i started LPP in 2005. it started as a place for me to sell things i make. at the time i was silkscreening a bunch of t-shirts and tote bags for some stores, one was an online store called Morning Craft which initially gave me the idea to have something online. since i had just graduated from art school, i had a bunch of friends who also were making all sorts of stuff so i decided to ask them to sell on the site as well.
is it everything you have hoped for?
well, since i didn't have any goals for the site everything has been a surprise. the response i have received from my customers and artists has been amazing. i feel honored to help other artists support themselves by selling their prints, books or whatever amazing things they make. for an artist, not having a "real job" is the goal, so you can just focus on your art. recently i have started to have goals for the site in 2008.
as in terms of online print galleries you are a little ahead of the game, how do you feel about the print websites that are popping up? do you have any favorites? also, what are your feelings about the abundance of prints that are now so affordable to peeps?
i think its great that art is becoming more accessible especially for young people that may not be able to afford pieces in a gallery setting. i think that artists though should be careful with over saturating themselves and having the same work at a variety of different sites. the work needs to stay in editions, which keeps it special and holds it's value. i really love tiny showcase, poketo, the beholder, poppytalk handmade, parklife store, and 20x200.com.
what are some of your favorite things in little paper planes right now?
the lithos by marci washington, the etchings by veronica press, healing crystal print by ryan jacob smith, game print by alyson fox, bear print by drew beckmeyer.
marci washington.
veronica press.
drew beckmeyer.
you're an artist yourself, what inspires you? what is your favorite medium? where do you work?
i am interested in urban sprawl and how industry and development affects the environment as well as how it affects a community as a whole. i love all kinds of buildings and structures and am obsessed with drawing houses.i use acrylic, pencil, and house paint on wood panels or paper.i work in my studio at home.
what's the best experience you have had as an artist?
just being blessed to have the gift of being creative is amazing to me. i never have a moment where i am bored or uninspired.
what are you working on at the moment? do you have any thing special in the works?
right now i am in the middle of grad applications so that is kind of time consuming. i have some shows coming up in here in LA, SF, and Sweden in 2008, and for LPP i am having the whole site redesigned, so that will be exciting as well as starting up a section for LPP exclusive prints and books with artists.
who are some of your favorite artists? any newbees you have your eye on that you can share w/ us?
laura owens, luc tuymans, frances stark, dan graham, matt green, kelly mclane, simon evans, jockum nordstrom and i could keep going.
what are some of your favorite blogs? what keeps you interested?
design sponge, poppytalk, bloesem, new-art blog, dear ada, jeana sohn, daily serving, the-flog, rubin recommends, shannon loves sabbath, sfgirlbybay, paintersNYC, and the list goes on.
I will be honest and I dont read the blogs everyday but I add new ones all the time to my google reader and try to keep updated throughout the week. I love reading my friends though I also love all the design ones which gives me great ideas as well as new artists to contact to sell on LPP.
what do you want for christmas?
some gift cards on amazon so i can buy some art books, some clothes (ha i am a girl) a really nice printer, an external monitor and keyboard....should i keep going? haha.
book mark little paper planes and kelly's blog, she's always got great stuff and it's always flying off the proverbial shelves. be sure to check out kelly's personal website, as well, where her art is showcased.
