Tell All Tuesday ~ Featured Artist: Sarah aka Rainbow Gecko Gallery

Helllllo tuesday time! 

That means TAT because, YAY, I had a lovely response to last weeks plea for artists =) but those that have been brave and took the plunge will not keep us in TAT indefinitely though so if you've been sat on the fence now is the time to put yourself forward. 

You have a blinding flashlight of amazing shiny goodness to share, come blind us (metaphorically speaking!) with your awesomeness!! Now enough of my over-dramaticness, onto TAT whoop, enjoy xxx

Tell us a little bit about yourself & what kind of artist you are
Hi I'm Sarah, I now live in a small Tasmanian ( Australia) town with my family, I have a garage sized art shed/studio where I create, and hope to one day teach from, and I am a full time mum.
I would say today that I am a mixed media artist, I have been drawing almost since I could hold a pencil. My great Nanna would stick my drawings up on her kitchen wall and every road trip all I needed was a sketchbook and pencils and I was happy. It has only been in the last year that being a mixed media artist is what I would call myself, when I started my business Rainbow Gecko Gallery I realised that's what I was and I have been creating everyday since. I sew, I paint, I draw, I design jewellery and stationery. I love everything arty and crafty and most of all I love colour. 

What is the biggest challenge you personally face as an artist and how do you overcome it?
My biggest personal challenge as an artist would be getting out into the world as a social butterfly, I suffered migraines in my teens ( still do now ) so I kept close to my friends and didn't go out much. Doing art really helped me to have something to focus on and kept me grounded. I find it hard to meet people now but through my art I have met some crafty local ladies and I have a wonderfully supportive following online and have made some great friends from all around the world. Each day I force myself to get out into the world and talk about my business and my art. I am constantly emailing companies and magazines, doing local markets and events, and participating in online swaps and challenges. Facing my fear with something I was born to do-create. 

 
What do you find easiest / hardest in your art?
I find using colour the easiest in my paintings, I don't restrict myself to colour rules I use the brightest and boldest colours together layering them throughout my painting, bringing it all together with the final detailed layer. The thing I am struggling the most in my art at the moment is overcoming a great background. I use my painting cleaning sheets as collage papers in my artwork and I find it difficult at times to cover them up. So I am exploring new ways of keeping it simple and just allowing the background to shine through. Sometimes I will just doodle over the top with a paint marker or recently I've been exploring different papers for their transparency and incorporating it into the artwork so the background is still visible. 

What do you most wish your art to achieve?
Right now my biggest wish for my art is to let people see it and enjoy it, I make a lot of practical everyday products with my art stationery, stickers, notes and writing paper, even jewellery and tote bags. I have developed a stationery line from my artwork prints and would love for that to be available for everyone, it would be amazing to see people using my products and loving them as much as I do.

Tell us where can we find out more about you & your art?
You can find Rainbow Gecko Gallery everywhere online if you do a google search. I'm on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Flickr, I have an Etsy store and a new blog. I am learning all this internet mumbo jumbo as I go, it's all pretty new to me.

Hi Sarah, thank you for sharing your art and story. And also thank you for sharing the whole being brave and putting yourself out there thing, we all have to face our fears if we want to share what gifts we have been given to share with the world. I face those fears a lot, but it still doesn't mean I don't have those times when I'd prefer not to so thank you for the inspiring reminder to push on. And for anyone else that needs another inspiration to do something scary in terms of sharing your gift I always think of the people that I would not be helping if I did not do whatever it is I am supposed to do -- and that for me that is the whole purpose of why we would do it in the first place is it not? To make the world richer, happier, more inspired, more fulfilled? Whether we're sharing a photo, a business or a message. We all have something to give =)

I'm still looking for TATers!! 

Do you want to join the TAT ranks??

To be featured email me or find all the details here =)