Interview with Artist Jessie Oleson
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Jessie Oleson in her new Cakespy Shop in downtown Seattle, Washington. But before I go any further, I must divulge that my visit was motivated more by the mother/daughter bond since Jessie happens to be my daughter. But timing is everything because I also got to spend time in her new shop! All this aside, you can find out just what Cakespy is all about by going to www.cakespy.com. This interview is just about her artwork.Part of the plan for my last day in Seattle was for Jessie and I go to a nearby art supply store together since we both needed a few items. As it turns out, Jessie’s store was too busy that day so I told her I could pick up what she needed while I went on alone. It seemed that we both needed pretty much the same things, pencils, black ink pens, some paper and watercolor paints. And though we work in basically the same medium, we varied on the actual materials of choice. Pen tip size, type of paper etc....
So it made me think it would be fun and informative to interview Jessie to see how she comes to create her little confections of art. Here is the interview:
What supplies do you assemble in front of you to create a piece of art like the one pictured here? Feel free to share brands you like.
The materials I always have are my set of Windsor-newton watercolors, a plate (which I use as a palette--it is non porous and perfect for mixing watercolors), mechanical pencils, a pink pearl eraser, black Micron pens in the 005, 03, and 08 sizes, and water for mixing colors. I generally paint on vellum finish Bristol Board--it has a nice tooth to it but not so much that it destroys the tips of my pens (as can happen with watercolor paper). Generally, my work method is to lay down a pencil sketch, which I then ink in, and erase the pencil marks beneath; then I watercolor it in, often waiting for a color to dry before continuing on the painting so that I get fairly clean separation and not too much color bleed. I often work on several paintings at once so that if I am waiting for a color to dry, I can work on another piece!
You went to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Are there any particular classes that you can trace back some of the skills you now apply to your artwork and to being a full time professional illustrator and artist?
Without a doubt my foundation year classes. It was not a typical college freshman experience in that we only had about six classes, but they were pretty intensive--usually three or six hour classes. In particular, Drawing (in which we drew from still lives and from models) and a class called Light, Color, and Design (basically color theory) were great for getting practice in how to draw things and learning how colors and shapes interact to form artwork. I also credit a second-year class simply called "Illustration 1" for giving me a lot of illustration know-how. We would get assignments like having to illustrate a single word and then having the class guess what the word was, based on our illustration. It definitely taught me how to convey a story through illustration.
When you were young, for a long time I thought you were definitely heading toward being a writer. But at some point, artwork became of interest to you. And I know you loved to hang around the kitchen when I was baking...so was there a defining moment when the three interests came together and ultimately led to your CakeSpy creation?
Why yes! Well, for me, writing and drawing were always just things I gravitated toward--even in elementary school I realized early on that these were my "things" -- the things that I could do that I knew I could do, if not necessarily better, than with a certain spark that not everybody had. Baked goods were always really important to me--not only did I love eating them, but I loved the entire experience of going to bakeries. I wondered if it was possible to ever bring these three loves together: writing, illustrating, and baked goods--and well, I think I have done that with my site and business!
Will you name some of the greats whose art influenced you?
I love the artists of The New Yorker -- Saul Steinberg, William Steig, James Thurber--I love their cleverness and ability to say so much with such simple lines. I also love the ornate linework of Aubrey Beardsley.
I also love a lot of groundbreaking New York City artists like Keith Haring and Andy Warhol.
And, of course, Wayne Thiebaud.
I notice that you work from start to finish on the same piece of paper. If something goes wrong along the way, can you share any emergency tips for salvaging the art and still having a good final product?
Well, I always keep opaque white acrylic paint around--it can be used as a sort of "white out" if I mess up a line or get a smudge on the paper. Also, if I am doing a piece that involves using a lot of color, I will try to lay down the light colors first, so that if I need to change a color or anything I can just layer it on top of the lighter color--it is always easier to make something darker than lighter with watercolor! Of course, if my end result will be digital (for instance if I am making the design for a mug or product) I do sometimes make tweaks digitally to "fix" certain things.
What are some of your favorite paints and colors to work with?
For the red and pink on the cupcakes, I use alizarin crimson paint, just more diluted for the pink. That is the color that goes fastest! I also love mars black, sap green, cerulean blue, cadmium yellow, burnt ochre, and occasionally metallic silver!
I saw Chinese white in your paint box. Can you tell me how you use it?
Primarily as an opaque white when details are needed on top of a color--for example, lit windows on a dark cityscape, white piping on top of a pink cake, etc.
Can you share any color mixes you like to use that you may have created yourself?
Well, the perfect pink, as I mentioned before, doesn't come in a tube per se but I find that Alizarin crimson with the right amount of water makes the perfect pink. As for mixes, I insist on doing my own violet colors, because I despise most pre-mixed violet tones, which are way too grape-y for my taste. I mix pretty much equal parts alizarin crimson and ultraviolet blue, more or less depending on how blue or reddish I want it to be (for instance, more red for a queen's cape; more blue for the darkest part of a sunset).
Am I right that all of your artwork is traditional? Or do you work digitally too?
I primarily work traditionally, I have vectorized my images to make products before, but I'd say that is the exception rather than the rule. More frequently though I will use the computer to color correct or to fix mistakes rather than as the medium to create the artwork.
Do you think you could go all digital and still maintain your style?
I think I could maintain the style, but I think part of the charm of my work is the slight imperfections that come with the handmade quality--so while I think the style would remain, some of the charm might be lost. Plus, I like the physical act of painting.
Any feelings about books heading toward digital? Would you buy a Kindle?
I probably wouldn't, but I'd happily accept one as a gift from my cute husband and resident tecchie, Danny.
Lastly, and maybe a little CakeSpy query won't hurt, on a quiet afternoon while working, what is your perfect sweet to have with a cup of coffee, tea or milk?
Birthday cake. With pink frosting, of course.
