Margo is joined by Holly Thomas Stein, the artist behind HTS Studios. Holly has been an artist for as long as she can remember, from crayons to computers and everywhere in between. In 30+ years as a self-employed artist, Holly has been a graphic designer, illustrator, metalsmith and mixed media artist as well as owned an art gallery and taught jewelry making. She’s been fortunate to work with amazing international companies creating marketing and advertising campaigns, products and packaging. Her work has been featured in books and magazines and won numerous awards.
Margo and Holly discuss:
-
Feeding interests, trying new things and adding depth to your portfolio
-
Continuing education and always “doing”, never becoming sedentary
-
The original art class her mom took pre-computer days (and getting feedback from artists like Norman Rockwell!)
-
Where she got the idea to license her artwork
-
Pursuing interests even if they’re challenging
-
Creating across a variety of mediums
-
Understanding client needs and expectations
-
Stretching creativity and fueling artistic passions
-
And more!
Currently Holly licenses her art to a variety of manufacturers in the decor, paper, gift and textile markets. She also makes and sells handcrafted jewelry and dabbles in ceramics.
Connect with Holly:
ttps://www.instagram.com/htsstudios/
Patternfield App: Holly Thomas Stein
3 people inspiring Holly:
Sherri Duskey Rinker – A dear friend for a long time and also a NYT bestselling author of many children’s books including the beloved Goodnight, Goodnight, Constuction Site series. She’s whip smart and hilarious. A talented designer. Amazing gourmet cook. I admire her fearless approach, her loving view on things (cue the photos of her in school classrooms talking to little kids) and what seems to be her boundless store of energy. She’s a powerhouse.
Lisa Congdon – I hesitate to mention Lisa because it seems she’s on everyone’s list. But, gosh, she has so many qualities I aspire to: smarts, humility while knowing her sense of place, a strong and forthright advocate for human rights, business savvy, supporter and lifter of artists, artistic talent and the ability to put forth intelligent ideas and discussion while being humble and human. We need more of everything she’s saying and doing.
From a purely aesthetic viewpoint: Ann Wood @woodlucker, Marsha @strangedirt, Wylie Beckert @wyliebeckert and Teagan White @teaganwh…this list could go on and on, but these artists that I’ve found on Instagram always make me stop and look closely at how they’ve approached something and made is beautiful.
