Artist Spotlight - Paula Joerling

You have seen her work in stores!

Tell us a bit about yourself: Did you go to school for art? Are you self taught?
I would say that it's a little bit of both.
Coming from a long line of creative types, I come by my abilities naturally. My grandfather taught me how to paint and my grandmother taught me how to sew and knit. My mother would commandeer my sister and I to make a variety of decorations, gifts and cards for any occasion that arose.
In high school,  art was my favorite subject so when it was time to pick a college, naturally I went to art school. I have a major in photography with a minor in painting from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. 

What inspires you / where do you get inspiration from?
Pretty much anything vintage inspires me. I have a nice collection of vintage wallpaper, fabric and department store catalogs. If I am ever stuck, I head to those to spark something. It never fails.

Do you work in just one medium? Several?
In the past I have been all over the place; do I want to paint, collage, stitch etc. ? It's enough to make a girl's head explode! Lately I have been trying to reel all of this in and have figured out how to combine all of it into something that I am excited about. My most recent work reflects that.
The "being all over the place" has it rewards. I have built up a library of patterns, textures and ephemera that I have painted or collaged and it all comes in handy. That said, my style will change a bit depending on the project. Products are generally aimed at a certain demographic and I will adjust my style to reflect that.

What are you working on now?
For the next couple of  months I will be working on calendars for Lang and Avalanche. I have two titles for 2015 and will have 6 for 2016. For some crazy reason, I love doing calendars. I am also working on two collections for Midwest/CBK. I will post links on my blog and Facebook page when they are available.

Anything else you want to tell everyone?
Lots of people contact me for advice and there are two things that I always say. Both sound corny but are true.

First of all, if you know in your heart that what you are doing is what you want to be doing career wise, then stick with it. Be patient, things will happen for you when they are meant to happen.
Secondly, stay true to who you are and what you do. If you love collage and don't like to paint then for heaven's sake collage away. For years I had people telling me that no one would want certain art because of this or that and I  listened. I tried new things and no one wanted that art. Why? Because my heart wasn't in it. I stopped listening, went back to what got my juices flowing and, viola, success!

Are you an early riser? or night owl?
Early riser, I like to get up and get going.

What is your favorite food?
Air-popped popcorn, I could eat a bucket of it.

EMAIL   paulajstudio@yahoo.com
BLOG     paulajoerling.com
I primarily represent myself  but have some work at Roaring Brook Art
http://www.roaringbrookart.com/gallery/categories.php?cat_id=47
FACEBOOK   Paula Joerling Studio

Do you want to be spotlighted? Send me an email: anntroe@cox.net
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