February is the month of our 9th Annual Unglued: Craft Fest and leading up to it there’s a variety of ways you can meet the 2019 makers on our dedicated Fest Instagram, live Facebook videos, and below you get to meet Mandel of Art by Mandel! Mark those calendars for Feb 22 & 23 and look forward to checking out Mandel’s boutique floral nursery of paintings on the first floor of the Plains Art Museum!
Tell us a bit about yourself:
Hello! I am an Painter, Illustrator and Architect living in Minneapolis, MN. Before moving to Minneapolis two years ago I lived in Fargo/Moorhead for 12 years. In my free time I love creating art and exploring Minnesota with my husband Grant and our dog Morgan.
Describe your handmade business:
My paintings are acrylic paint with a paint pen for outlines and accents. The prints I create are often high resolution images of my paintings but sometimes they are illustrations made with pens and Prisma color markers. In addition to my paintings and prints I am also passionate about street art. I have illustrations on electrical boxes in Moorhead and Minneapolis, and in 2016 I completed a mural on Junkyard Brewery in Moorhead.
What is one of your most favorite items you have made?
I really love my series of small 6″ x 6″ paintings; they are so much fun to create and can sometimes lead to great ideas for larger paintings.
Tell us more about what you are doing for the Fest!
For this year’s Unglued Craft Fest I have decide to focus on my floral art. I will have small floral paintings and a variety of floral prints. I want my booth to feel like a boutique floral nursery. I love the feeling you get when you walk into a floral nursery and your surrounded by beautiful flowers, greenery, and cute pots. I really want people to have a similar experience at my booth.
What is your favorite flower?
That is a really tough decision but Hydrangeas are the first flower that comes to mind. I love their color palette and I love how full they can get.
What are your most essential tools?
My most essential tools are paint and brushes. More specifically I use a lot of white paint, I mix almost all my colors with white.
What is a word that best describes you?
Idealistic. In my day to day life I can definitely be idealistic and I think it comes across in my art. I always strive to have my paintings be reflections of beauty that I see in the world.
What advice would you have given yourself 5 years ago?
Don’t worry about certain “rules” that go along with painting. Just create art you love and more than likely there are people that love it too.
Website/Etsy you’d want us to share:
Thanks so much Mandel!! We cannot WAIT to see your work on Feb 22 & 23!!