Artist Spotlight: Louise Williams

At Shimmerz we love our Education team and know that they are some of

the best artists in the industry. We thought that you might want to

get to know these talented ladies a bit better so each month we'll be

interviewing one member of our team. Next up is Louise Williams!

Please tell us about yourself and your style.

I'm graphic designer and mum of two young boys and I work from my home in the beautiful Whangaparaoa Peninsula in Auckland, New Zealand. I've been scrapbooking for about 8 years and in that time have been fortunate enough to be on a number of design teams and have an increasing number of teaching opportunities. My style changes a bit with what I'm working with but it's often a little vintagy, always textural, dimensional and highly detailled. I love hiding little things in my projects that you might not notice the first time around.

Where do you create? Do you have a studio space? A small nook in
the kitchen?

We've only recently moved into a new house and at present am taking up a long wall in our lounge. I hate this arrangement and hope to be in my own scrap space again within a year as it's too hard to keep little fingers out of my stash!

Tell us about your creation process. Where do you find inspiration? Are you messy or tidy? Do you sit down and complete one
project at a time or do you work on multiple projects at once?

I'm a messy scrapper but always clean up between projects. I tend to use what's on hand first and my process varies - sometimes I have a very clear vision of what I want to do, other times I just throw stuff at the paper and see what happens :D I prefer to work on one project at a time but if something needs to dry I might pick up something else to work on, but usually only if deadlines are calling.

What is your favorite Shimmerz product? Why?

I love the Shimmerz Vibez sprays best, but it's a tough choice between those and the Pearlz. I love the way the Pearlz gives good coverage, are easy to paint with and they run if you pile on lots and tilt the page. The Vibez are just gorgeous colours, easy to use and lift a layout by adding interest without overpowering it.

What is your favorite Shimmerz color?

My favourite colour is Sea Monkey, I love the aqua/teal shades in anything but I use this particular colour a lot (particular as most of my pages are boy pages).

How do you choose the color schemes for your projects?

I find my colour tags of Shimmerz indispensible, I made them with some shipping tags and it's a great way of forming a colour scheme or matching the Shimmerz to a photo. I like to pick out one or two colours from a photo or embellishment/paper and then accent it with a third colour that I'll use minimally just to add some pop.

What is your favorite thing to do besides making art?

I like to take photos and have a new camera I need to learn how to use better. I enjoy time with my boys and I do usually enjoy my job - I get a lot of satisfaction out of coding websites believe it or not! lol...

Have you read any good books lately? Which ones?

I love Diana Gabaldon's Cross-stitch series and after reading them all I'm thinking of starting the series for a third time. Sara Donati is also a good read but anything that's a historical romance (not Mills & Boon) is good by me :)

What is your favorite movie?

I don't have one particular favourite but Titanic, Braveheart, Rob Roy and Pretty Woman are all ones I've watched over and over again.

What is your favorite way to de-stress?

Hot bath without my kids bursting in on me! :D

Do you have any funny traditions in your family that you'd like
to share?

Not really, we're funny enough without adding traditions to it!

What, in your mind, is the ultimate luxury?

A whole weekend alone when I can scrap as/when I like, sleep in as long as I like and watch whatever I want on TV. Having two young boys we tend to work after they've gone to bed, get up early and have too much Playhouse Disney on TV so if I ever do get time alone I do appreciate it (although I do miss my family after a few hours)... :D

What is the best piece of art advice you've ever received? The
worst?

The best advice I got was to remember that art is subjective and I'm never going to have everyone like what I do, but as long as I'm happy with it, that's what matters. The worst I got was to try and make my work generic, so that it appealed to the masses. I just do what I do and figure if someone likes it other than my mother, I'm doing ok ;)

What are your art goals for the future?

I'm really loving teaching and would love to travel overseas to do that and my dream is to go to CHA one day!

Could you please share your favorite Shimmerz project with us?
Why is it your favorite?

My favourite project is this layout I did using texture paste and lots of yummy Shimmerz Vibez in Rolling in the Hay and Bed of Roses. I still love the simplicity of it but think all the details add enough dimension and texture to keep it interesting. I love the photo most though :)

If you could give other women one piece of advice what would it
be?

Not to be so hard on themselves. I'm always my own worst critic and it's taken me almost 40 (ahem) years to get to the point where I'm ok with me. Mostly. lol

Please feel free to ask Louise more questions in the comments section!