Inspirational quotes through collages – Interview with Stanka Vukelic

The mix of philosophy and art, of dada movement and Marc Chagall’s style are all brought together in only one shop. Lady Art Talk is the magic of inspirational art that reminds you of who you are, it reminds you to live life, to love and to be free. What does it take to inspire people, to bring a little shade of hope in their homes? Stanka Vukelic from Slovenia, the owner and the artist of the shop told me how she does it.
 

„I always had a passion for changing things into something else, and collage opened up a new possibility to express this motion” – Stanka Vukelic 

 

Stanka wasn’t an artist all her life. She was a business owner who employed up to 12 people, selling jewelry. Two and a half years ago she decided to shift her life around and to start making collages.

„At one point, I decided that I needed to do something new in my life – which I eventually did. Today I work only with my husband which gives me a much greater freedom to do what I really love to do!”

Who is the person behind LadyArtTalk?
 

Design, the manufacturing of different things, the redesigning of clothes from old materials – this was always a part of my life. Since I can remember, I was always painting and coloring anything I could get into my hands.
Later, as a teen, I collected articles and images from various magazines, to use those ideas for revamping old furniture and clothes. However, university education and my profession brought me to entirely different areas like economy and sociology. A part of me was still waiting for the opportunity to create, and when I took the decision to do what I like most, everything became clear, and the next steps followed naturally.

Where did you get the idea for your business and when did you get started?
 

About 18 months ago, I decided to do something new. While surfing on the Internet, I discovered lots of videos related to the work I do now – instantaneously I knew that this is what I wanted to do. Etsy popped up as 'the' place for selling my work.

How did you come up with your brand name?
 

This wasn't easy at all! Of course I wanted to have something unique – but somehow most of the good names were taken. However, I understood that my main audiences are women, so I wanted to include the word 'lady'. The words 'art' and 'talk' describe my direction and philosophy. And after a couple of hours of brainstorming with my husband, I came down to this sequence, which I think reflects very well what I do.
 

How did you start this passion for collages?
 

I always had a passion for changing things into something else, and collage opened up a new possibility to express this motion. The fact that I could add 'objects' to my paintings was a complete new idea for me. Since until then, a painting was a painting, a collage was a collage, a drawing was a drawing, and so on. But now I have the opportunity to combine everything into one work. And it still excites me as much as on the first day!

What does it take to make one collage?

I never really know! It depends on how smooth everything goes. Sometimes I have an idea which materializes quickly, sometimes it emerges slowly. Quick means 'a few hours', slow means 'even weeks'. Sometimes I start with the background and I built the story on that basis; sometimes I start with a drawing and develop a collage around it. Another time, I have a quote which I want to use, so I take that as an inspiration for the rest of the painting. In fact, there is no fixed concept – which I like very much! It gives me my freedom to express myself differently every time. The materials vary from old book pages, musical sheets, paper or fabric lace, buttons, stamps, postcards to magazine pages and stencils. The colors are mostly acrylic, although I also use watersoluble ink pencils, and graphite pencils. All my work is made on canvas – some on wood panel.

How do people get in touch with you? 

The best way to find me is on Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/LadyArtTalk ; however, currently, I am working on two print shops for selling reproductions of my work; of which one is on Fine Art America: www.stanka-vukelic.artistwebsites.com , the other at Etsy’s. In addition to that, I’m having great fun publishing articles on me and my husband’s website www.organictalks.com , where I can go into topics which I usually don’t cover with my paintings like delicious food recipes and photography!

You can find me also on:
Twitter: twitter.com/StankaVukelic
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ladyarttalk/
Google plus: plus.google.com/u/1/+StankaVukeli%C4%87/posts

Are you participating or managing any other project you would like to talk about?
 

 Yes, I do have a project 'on the side' which is a website which I have great fun editing together with my husband. Every week I present a new recipe for raw food – vegan dishes, but also many other posts; covering creativity and art, health and food, alternative news & views, the perception of reality, permaculture, and, of course – photography (made by myself).

I see a lot of people starting their business online. What do you think makes you stand out from the crowd?

I'm convinced that everyone who has an urge to express oneself through arts, doesn't need to do anything, in particular, to stand out from the crowd. If you do what you 'gotta' do – you are expressing your uniqueness naturally without really doing anything. But of course, there is a practical side to it, like promoting yourself on social media or through smaller advertisement campaigns. Will I stand out eventually? Who knows – time will show!