Interviewing Denille of Denille E.O. Designs!

I’ve owed Denille this interview for quite a while and what with one thing and another have only got round to it now. My apologies!

Denille runs Denille E.O. Designs, featuring awesome painted wooden pendants, jewelry, and art.

Some of her pendants are sold solo, ready to be strung from a chain of your choice and worn; others she makes into bookmarks, purse clips, and even wine charms.

I interviewed her a while ago, and here’s what she had to say:

Why wood?

I experimented with different materials for the pendants, but had the best outcome with wood. I just like the effect on wood created by the transfer process I use.

Tell me about the experimentation — I’m especially interested in the way you think about your process and the materials you use.

When I first decided I wanted to “make” stuff to sell, I didn’t yet know what that would be so I just played with all kinds of materials. For example, I experimented with clay, fabric, thread, different papers, lots of paint, pretty much anything you can find at a craft store. Finally, I started messing with wood, and it looked the best with my transfer process.

It just felt right…does that make sense??

So you decided to make things before you knew what you were going to make — the complete opposite of how I got started! Have you always been the creative sort? Were you the kid with finger paintings all over the fridge at home? The nook with popsicle sticks and Elmer’s Glue?

I have always been creative, but didn’t realize that I wanted to pursue art until my senior year in High school when I was forced to take an Art Appreciation class. That was the year we got a new teacher and she decided that each era we learned about, we’d also have to create something. I LOVED it, and have been “artsy” ever since! I even decided to get my degree in Fine Arts. :o)

What got you started?

I LOVE making stuff…it’s just a lot of fun for me. And I’ve always wanted to have the ability to work from home so when we start a family, I can be here with the kiddos. I know people who are able to make a good income creating and selling their products online.

So, a year ago I decided to take out the crafts stuffed in a drawer and started making random items. I believe you have to enjoy making whatever you’re selling, and be proud of it. After a LOT of experimentation, I realized I enjoyed combining digital design with paint, and then taking those art pieces and turning them into modern pendants. Not everyone wants to buy art because it can get expensive. But how neat is it to be able to wear art?!?! That’s essentially what I’ve done: I’ve taken my art and made it more affordable and “wear-able”.

And most importantly, I truly enjoy the entire process! And of course, people can still just buy the art if they’d like to.

How long have you been doing this, and how has your business grown in that time? How do you envision it, say, five years from now??

Well, technically, I’ve been doing art for a LONG time, but officially making and selling products since June of 2007, so about a year. I’d love to just see denille e.o. designs continue to grow and morph into whatever it needs to be. It started out as one thing, and has already changed according to both my needs and others’. I don’t know where it will be in five years, but I’m excited to see it, whatever it may be!

Have you ever considered going full-time with your shop? Or do you want to stay with teaching art and website design as well? How do you balance the three?

I love all the things that I do, and it helps me not get bored, so I’ll probably continue doing at least 2 or more things along with making items for my shop. :o)

How do you decide what you’re in the mood to play with today — paint, stones, or wood?

The products I enjoy making the most right now are the wood pendants and bookmarks. I’ve got the process down to an “art”. However, I really like creating the designs for the pendants, too.

I decide to paint on a very random basis. Sometimes I’ll get inspiration during the day or in the middle of the night, and I HAVE to paint that ideas at that precise moment. It’s fun!

Where do you find your inspiration, your ideas?

Gosh…there’s SO much out there. Other artists, magazines, photos, and just everyday life. I see things I like everywhere, and sometimes they are cool enough that I need to go draw or paint, or just make a simple little design for a pendant or bookmark. :o)

I’ve seen a lot of artists and writers talk about particular brands of journals being the ‘right’ one for carrying around for just such inspirations — do you carry a journal? Sketch on napkins? Write on the back of your hand? I used to keep a Palm Pilot by the bed for jotting down writing ideas in the middle of the night…do you have any equivalent?

I do have a journal that I use for sketching and collecting, but if I don’t happen to have that the moment inspiration strikes, I usually jot a little note down of what I was thinking to help me remember. Lost ideas are the worst!

Denille has a blog as well — you may remember that she interviewed me for it quite some time ago! She makes some truly lovely things and I hope you take some time to check out her work.