Spotlight Saturday presents famous Etsy artist Rachel Austin!

Okay, I know every week I'm starting to sound like a record by saying how excited I am for this person and that person to be featured...but I can't help myself.
I'm so excited to be featuring one of my favorite Etsy artists Rachel Austin!! YAY!

You may have seen Rachel's awesome paintings while creating treasuries and you probably have featured some. Well, duh, it's cuz she's so talented and awesome! Not to mention super pretty too, right?

Ms. Austin was so kind to answer questions for me so that I could share with all of you :)

1)  Can you tell me a little about yourself?

I'm a full time artist living in Portland, Oregon with my husband, Jon, and our three year old daughter, Adelaide.  Jon works with me part time and watches Adelaide.  Life gets pretty busy, but we are so blessed to get to spend so much time together.  My studio is in my home, just in the basement, nothing fancy.  It makes me very happy to be able to work at home, but still have a big space to spread out and leave projects when I'm done for the day.  Adelaide is getting to the point now where she'll come down and start painting in a little space I have for her.  She is my tiny budding artist.  

2) When did you start creating art:

I started painting about 10 years ago.  It started off as a hobby, but slowly grew to where it made more sense to be painting full time.  It was one of the best decisions I've made.  I love to paint - it keeps me balanced and inspired.  

3) How do you describe your style?

Simple, bold, happy, quiet, modern, and graphic

4) Where or who do you get your inspiration from?

Quiet moments of beauty.  Maps.  Aerial views of shapes and patterns in the landscape.  Circles.  Seeing color combinations in nature that are so beautiful they make my heart hurt.  

6)  What do you like to do when NOT creating?

I've become obsessed with gardening and plants in general since we bought our house a couple years ago.   I love watching things grow, weeding, planting.  When I'm not working, I'm usually with my family.  We like to have dinner parties, game nights, read big stacks of books, and work on house projects. 

7) What's the best part about running your own shop?

Being flexible in my schedule - sometimes my day doesn't start till 6pm.  Getting to paint as my job is the greatest kind of work for me.  

8)  What do you like about selling on Etsy?

I love how easy it is to set up and the instant access to shoppers and lookers all over the globe.  

9) Any advice you'd like to give other artists/shop owners?

Be very ambitious.  Give yourself deadlines - I book a lot of shows for the year and it keeps me moving and producing new paintings.  If a series or idea isn't working, don't be afraid to move on or work on multiple styles at one time.  

10) Where do you see yourself/your art in 10 years?

I see myself painting and still loving it.  We hope to convert our detached garage into a summer studio - we just added french doors that look out into the garden.  Family, painting, gardening, what more could I ask for?

I love that!!!

Thank you so much Rachel for taking the time to share your talents and studio with us!

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