Retro Rita Interview: Handmade Success with Patti Ballard of PBS Art Studio

Hi all, Retro Rita here.

I'm excited to introduce you to Patti Ballard of PBS Art Studio!

Cindy met Patti at an art festival last year and fell in love with her (such a sweet lady!) and her beautiful, whimsical art.  Here is my interview with Patti...

Retro Rita:   What is the story behind your artistry?

Patti:  I am a self taught artist.  I have dabbled in every form of art and craft including jewelry making and flower arranging.  I have always had an eye for anything artistic. 

Retro Rita:  Have you always painted?

Patti:  I only began to paint about seven years ago watching a show on TV, "Painting with Terry Madden," and fell in love with watercolors, but got frustrated quickly because he made it look easy and I couldn't get my paintings to look like his!  So I started looking for a way to express what I wanted in an easier form.  I found that using a mixed form of mediums worked well for me, and since I have always drawn in pencil, I decided to add anything I could to enhance my pencil drawings.

(Patti's "Wherever Love Takes Me)

Retro Rita:   Share with us, Patti, the decision process you went through to launch your business (what were the considerations ~ career, family, time, etc.?).

Patti:  I got laid off my job in 2007 and decided to turn my passion into a career.  I had no job so I felt I had nothing to lose.  I started working for a company in Orlando that does caricatures at Walt Disney World and on the side I started working with a friend who did murals all around Orlando.  From there, I mainly worked for myself accepting jobs as they came, but doing the caricatures at Disney really got me good at drawing and I began experimenting.  I started selling my watercolor drawings on Etsy and it went well from the beginning so I decided to give it my all.  Last July I actually found a "real" job in retail but decided my heart just wasn't in it.  So this July I went part-time with my retail job and have immersed myself as a full time artist, selling my work online and doing art shows around Florida.  I have found that I can make more money working for myself than working a full time job, and it allows me to spend more time with my family.

(Patti's "Will Work for Peanuts" mixed media painting)

Retro Rita:  What inspires your art?

Patti:  Anything...a dream, a random person dressed a certain way, a song or a children's fairy tale and mostly, my imagination.  Love, happiness, believing in yourself, and all that is wonderful in this life ~ I love sharing these messages through my art.

(Patti's "Fishing for Love" acrylic on canvas)

Retro Rita:  Share with us a bit about the mediums you use in your art.

Patti:  I use anything I can get my grubby hands on..acrylics, watercolors, oils, pencil, charcoal, pastels, paper (my true obsession!)

Retro Rita:  Why should people buy handmade?

Patti:  It's important, especially in this economy.  We have to help our own people survive and prosper instead of buying products that are cheaply made by other countries and helping them get rich and making our people poorer.

(A peek into Patti's art show tent)

Retro Rita:  What handmade possession do you cherish most?

Patti:  A hand-sewn pillow that my favorite Aunt Cecilia made for me when I got married.  She took the time out of her busy schedule to hand make something for me, showing me what I meant to her.  She has since passed and I cherish it even more, imagining her making it and singing while she did (as she used to do).

Retro Rita:  What is your favorite indulgence (activity, food, etc.) to treat yourself?

Patti:  I loooove chocolate!  I love to spend time at home with my family and I love to constantly create new art.

Retro Rita:  What would you do if you won a ba-zillion dollars?

Patti:  I would help my family and then I would travel the country and the world to help children and elderly people.

(Patti's "Leap of Faith" mixed media collage on canvas)

I hope you'll join me in following Patti's blog and liking her facebook page.  You can find more of her art on her website.

Leave Cindy a comment on this blog, or any of her August blog posts and you'll be entered to win a gift certificate to shop for Patti's art ~ how great is this?!  The winner will be drawn randomly on August 31st.  Good luck!