A peek inside the creative life of Krissi Sandvik

Today's special treat is a chat with artist Krissi Sandvik. She was kind enough to answer a few questions and share some peeks at her work and her studio. (Yay! I love getting to see other artists studios!)

First off, a little backstory. Who are you? What do you make?
I'm Krissi Sandvik. I am a suburban housewife with pink, magenta, purple and sometimes blue hair. I am a white girl with a love of Dia de los Muertos. I love to drive my little car fast on curvy roads and play with lots and lots of makeup. I like glitter and graveyards. I am often obscured by my character, Skelekitty; so much so that some people think I *am* Skelekitty.

What projects are you in the middle of right now that you should probably be working on instead of doing this?
I SHOULD be finishing two custom mats that I am painting to match a couple of my art prints and getting ready to hang an art show. There are also some half-finished mixed-media collage pendants that should be completely finished AND one of my groups, Glitter Bitches Handmade, that needs some blogging done. As far as my 'housewife' duties go, I should probably also be thinking about taking my Jack Russell Terrier for another walk before it rains.

Where do you primarily create?
I have a "studio" off the kitchen in our home. I believe it was designed as a family room, but I've obscured the original ideas with artwork and storage, so you'd practically never know it. My art table sits in the middle of the room with lots of outlets and lighting within a step or two of all my storage & my desk looks out a huge window into our overgrown backyard (mental note: add "gardening" to list of projects I should be doing).

Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in contradictions, pop culture icons, Day of the Dead, gothic and industrial aesthetics, bright colors and humor. My love of animals also comes through very strongly in many of my "muertos" works and in the custom pet portraits I've been painting lately.

Do you have a favorite book/blog/movie/etc you'd like to recommend?
I'm an Anglophile at heart and Withnail and I is one of my favorite movies of all time.

Where can readers see more of your work?
I feel like I'm all over the web!
My website is krissisandvik.com or you can visit Krissi's Art Studio on facebook at www.facebook.com/krissisandvik
Skelekitty is at skelekitty.com and has a fan page on facebook too: www.facebook.com/SkelekittyFans
You can be overwhelmed by photos on Flickr at www.flickr.com/misskrissi (just look for the art collection)
OR
My shop is open on ArtFire at skelekitty.artfire.com



Thanks for giving us a peek into your creative life, Krissi!