Funkydoodad: an Etsian to get to know

May I introduce you to an Etsian, a friend, and a person I am mentoring into the joys of Etsy? Rhonda Bobinski, selling under her Etsy name of Funkydoodad, was first of all a student of mine when I was a Guidance Counsellor at Red Lake District High School in NW Ontario. After attending University, she returned to Red Lake and joined the teaching staff of the school as its Art Teacher. We worked as colleagues for several years before I retired. In a brief biography, Rhonda writes:






Rhonda Bobinski has had the advantage of growing up in Northern towns across Ontario and Manitoba; picking blueberries under a hot sun, paddling a canoe down a lazy stream, listening to the cry of a lone wolf. It is inevitable that her surroundings are going to influence her artistically.

Rhonda left Red Lake, Ontario, after high school to obtain her Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours Degree, then carried on to receive her Bachelor of Education degree. In between raising her son, and creating nature inspired art, Rhonda also teaches Art at the Red Lake District High School.

Rhonda is a multi-media artist that enjoys integrating several art mediums and techniques into one art piece. She enjoys using lost and forgotten mediums such as coffee and candle wax, but also enjoys going back to a purist perspective and using mediums as they were originally intended.

Rhonda works in a variety of movements, from Abstract collage to Expressionism to Realism as well as a variety of styles such as photography, watercolour, found object colour, jewelry and printmaking.

I hope you will visit Ronda's Etsy shop and see the samples of her work there: www.funkydoodad.etsy.com.

Catherine Gutsche: Mixed Media Artist

Today's featured Etsian is the person that introduced me to Etsy, mixed Media Artist, Catherine Gutsche. It is her work that is in the sidebars of this blog. Extracts from her artist's biography follow:








Catherine Gutsche is an Ottawa mixed media artist and graphic designer with paintings in private collections in Canada, the United States and Europe. She studied Fine Art at York University in Toronto, earning an Honours Bachelor of Fine Art degree with a major in graphic design. She worked for several years as a graphic designer in the downtown Toronto arts market.











Since moving to Ottawa Catherine has made time to return to her beloved roots in painting, enjoying again an intimate relationship with colour and pattern.








Travel has always played an importnat role in Catherine's life, starting at the age of 16 with a trip to China during the period of Mao Tse-Tung. China showed Catherine the importnace of pattern. She was inspired by the Chinese ability to manipulate designs and colours to form intricate repetitions that are flipped or rotated to create masterpieces - often seen on walls, floors, ceilings and household objects. Exposure to the capitals of Europe gave her an appreciation for the masters in all their glory - size, colour and textures - none of which translate in flat books that fit on coffee tables. But it was in Australia that she gained a feel for the impact of colour where Uluru (Ayers Rock) changed from earthy reds to silvery-greys, with streaks of charcoal black algae. Nowhere else in the world are there colours that extend as far as the eye can see.

Enjoy the work of the person that introduced me to Etsy. Click on her work in the sidebars to be taken to her Etsy shop.

LoveTaryn: a talented Etsian.

One of the joys of Etsy is "meeting" many other talented Etsians on line and in chat groups. Recently I came across the beautiful work of Taryn Law in an Etsy chat group. I was so impressed that I asked Taryn to become a featured artist on this blog. As you will see she agreed.

Taryn writes:

My name is Taryn Law. I grew up right outside Chattanooga, Tennessee in a little town called Oolteweh. I moved to South Carolina in 1989 and currently reside in the lovely city of Aiken. I just started going back to school full-time. I am a Communications major with a track in Public relations. I love this field for it embraces my creativity and encourages me to use it to the best of my abilities. I enjoy doing anything that requires me to use my hands. I even find it more enjoyable when I can walk away from a project with a bit of paint, glue and sawdust on my clothes.

In February of this year, I was laid off from my job due to the economic crisis. As crazy as it might sound, it's the BEST thing that's ever happened to me! The job was far from rewarding and required all my time and energy. I never had time for myself or to work on the things I loved most. The day after I became unemployed I got down to working on my Etsy shop! I have always been a huge fan of Etsy but only recntly began selling my basket purses here. (The photographs that accomany this blog show three examples of Taryn's basket purses.) So far I have enjoyed every minute of it! I have met so many wondeful artists and have received so much support and encouraging feedback from so many talented folks.

The idea of the basket purses began a little over a year ago. I am a HUGE fan of the folk artist, Enid Collins. I always loved the basket purses of CaroNan. I collect Enid Collins handbags and had a ton of extra original jewels that I had acquired over the years and decided to make an Enid Collins inspired purse for myself. (See Karen's blog at http://lovetaryn.blogspot.com for her blog 2009/07.) It turned out great! The response was out of this world, and I immediately knew that making these purses was my calling. It was a bit of a merger of the two artists that I so adore. I would certianly never compare my work to theirs, but they have been such a powerful influence on me.


I thought it would be fun to launch character-inspired handbags for the first set of my product line. Each of these characters holds a special place in my heart, one way or the other, and I wanted to pass it along for others to enjoy! (Dorothy's Red Shoes are perhaps an example from this line.) I just launched my collegiate collection and have many more designs coming soon. (See the other two posted examples.) I have so much fun making these handbags for I get to use power tools, sew, paint and you name it. So much is incorporated into the creative process and it is so rewarding to see each of my basket purses come to life.


My creations and my Etsy shop are very special to me. They raised my spirits when I was going through a difficult time of trying to figure things out. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to share my creations with others and offer them one-of-a-kind hand bags that are truly made with LOVE by Taryn."