Chaletmomma

I love supporting artists so I’m delighted to share Canadian artist Alexandra Swistak with you all.

Welcome Alexandra - Thank you for inviting me. I am so honored to be on your blog.

Please tell the readers a bit about yourself. I’m a contemporary fine artist currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia. I live with my husband, Peter and a young squirrel I rescued named Slasher. I grew up in British Columbia and I say British Columbia because my family was constantly moving. Interestingly enough, I am still moving more than I would like. The wonderful thing about living in different cities is that it sparked an early interest in travel. By my second year of university, I was already very well traveled throughout Europe, Asia, Mexico and the Middle East. I wanted to see as much art and architecture as possible.

Alexandra that’s wonderful being exposed to so many cultures and art! Did you study Art at University? I studied art and education at the University of Victoria. I knew I was going to be a professional painter, but my family convinced me to have a backup plan just in case things didn’t work out. I feel very fortunate for my parent’s guidance even though I didn’t need the backup plan. I also studied law for one year and business, which I am so thankful for because I am constantly using all these skills and knowledge. When I was in university, I realized I was an unusual thinker.

What artist has moved you most by their work? This is simply an impossible question for me. There are far too many renaissance, impressionist and abstract painters that I adore. If I was forced to name one, it may have to be Sofonisba Anguissola. Her portrait paintings are simply exquisite.

I’ve traveled throughout the Middle East, Asia and Europe. I lived and worked around the world, which filled me creatively. I’m still painting from those early ideas and experiences. I’m currently working on a new portrait collection that is part abstract and part realism. I’m really excited about it, but I am a bit behind schedule with it. I always work at least 2 seasons in advance, but life happens. So this new body of work is not as complete as I’d like, but I am slowly working on it and making progress. One of the reasons I’m behind is I chose to devote some time to finding new homes for bees that survived a massive flood in our province. In November, we saw a flood disaster unfold in areas of Abbotsford and Chilliwack that forced evacuations and highway closures. It has destroyed farms, pets, animals and bees. It’s heartbreaking and I am doing what I can to help.

I paint in oils on linen and wood panels. I also paint in gouache which is wonderful to work with because it is so quick drying. Gouache is ideal for creating studies of fleeting thoughts or moods. I enjoy this process immensely. Since the pandemic and supply shortages, I’ve also begun working with acrylics on canvas boards.

“ART IS REMOTE VIEWING.”

— Alexandra Swistak

Why do you paint what you do? I am fascinated with the female gaze and thus portraiture continues to be a very important part of my work. I also enjoy painting nudes, still lifes and landscapes.

I see some works including Whippets why? I lived in a gorgeous cottage in the UK and my neighbours had a lovely whippet named Nancy.

YOUNG WHIPPET IN LANCASHIRE

YOUNG WHIPPET IN NEW FOREST INTERIOR

I schedule small time frames to stay on top of paperwork; otherwise I walk into my studio and start painting. I’ve never experienced a creative block or felt I need to do something to get in the mood to create. I often lose track of time once I begin painting and I do go into long painting sessions. My problem has always been a lack of time and I’m always trying to find more time to paint and experiment.

You have a balance of creativity and hard-work to helm a successful business Alexandra. I’m not surprised you have always been able to work as an artist.

A first on Chaletmomma - the 10 people you’d invite to a dinner party. I love hearing the who and why!

Sofonisba Anguissola (c. 1532 – 16 November 1625) was an Italian Renaissance painter who bravely worked at a time when the profession was less than welcoming for women. I would enjoy dining beside her.
Leonardo da Vinci an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance gets an invite for his incredibly beautiful paintings and inventions. His flying machines would make fascinating dinner conversation.
Piero Della Francesca an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance known for his beautiful handling of textiles. He was also a brilliant mathematician and geometer. With Piero and Leonardo, the conversation could go anywhere.
Jacopo Pontormo an Italian portrait painter was highly skilled. I would enjoy a chat about how he developed as a Mannerist.
Egon Schiele an Austrian painter and protégé of Gustav Klimt. Schiele was a major figurative painter of the early 20th century. The raw sexuality of his portraits is fascinating. Plus he ended up in prison for a time, so perhaps he ticks the audacious box.
Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle class life. We could chat for hours about: Girl with Pearl Earring, Master Pieter van Ruijven, his wife and so much more.
Agatha Christie continues to entertain me with her mysteries, so she is an absolute must for a dinner companion.
Margaret Atwood a Canadian poet, novelist, teacher and inventor. She wrote the Handmaid’s Tale and as dark as it is, I have a few questions about that book.
Gary Corby, an Australian author of historical mysteries set in the world of Classical Greece. I’m very fond of his fictional characters; the detective/agent named Nicolaos and heroine, Diotima. These books are so beautifully written that no dinner party would be complete without Gary Corby and his Diotima.
Hatshepsut The fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt would be a fascinating dinner guest because she ruled as a male pharaoh.

**collaboration ANNOUNCEMENT WITH Sharon Nullmeyer**

Plans for 2022: This year is going to be extremely exciting because we are house hunting. In terms of work, I am in the process of finalizing contracts for a few key collaborative projects with amazingly talented and kind people. In a pre pandemic world, I would’ve said my focus is to continue making art accessible to people with an internet connection. The world has changed so much now that I worry about delivery services and internet interruptions for long periods of time. It has made me think about other markets and ways of making sure I can get my artwork in the hands of collectors.

BLUE GLOVES

PURPLE GLOVES

I’m currently listening to “Invisible Girl” by Lisa Jewell while painting.

Alexandra thank you very much for saying Yes when I asked to interview you. Follow Alexandra on Instagram and visit her Website.

Please support artists by purchasing work directly from artists!

Til next time friends be well.

Images: Alexandra Swistak all rights reserved.

Today I’m tickled to introduce you all to my sweet and funny friend Michele Strauts. We met through the Instagram and have bonded over a love of chinoiserie, thrifting and especially books! Michele shares her Chicagoland, IL. home with her husband Timmy, Daughters Olivia (8) Victoria (5) and son Theodore (7).

Michele Welcome to the Chalet! Let’s start by talking about Instagram - what year did you start your account? I started my IG account in early 2014 when I was just starting to learn how to crochet. At first I used my IG account to share what I crocheted and to connect with others in the crochet community. I even sold some crocheted items through IG back in the day.

How did you come up with the name Crafting Culture? I came up with my name because I was doing a lot more crafting and creating back in 2014 when I started my account. I don't actually fancy myself a crafter . . . sure I love a creative project now and then, but my account has evolved over time to focus more on thrifting and my home decor. Once in a while I end up crafting something and sharing it on IG. Who knows how my IG account will evolve in the future (maybe a beauty blogger)!

Michele beauty blogger is right up your alley; one of the first times I ever watched your Insta-stories you were giving a make-up tutorial and discussing products. I know many people are surprised when they learn Instagram is a hobby for you - I know I was - especially because your feed is so incredibly inspiring and you’re a host for a terrific hashtag #chinoiseriechicstyle.

Can you tell us a bit about your family growing up. Both Timmy and I have lived in the Chicagoland area our entire lives! We grew up only a few miles from one another (went to rival high schools) but didn’t meet until our early twenties. We lived in Chicago for many years, but after we had our second child, we decided that our third-floor condo wasn’t ideal anymore. In 2015 we started the process of building a home in the same suburb where Timmy grew up. In 2016 we moved into our completed home and had our third child, all within the same week was insanely crazy!

But, that is when I really started to feature my home on Instagram and connected with an amazing décor community online.

You stated you and your husband Timmy started building your home in 2015 can you share a bit more about how you ended up here? I grew up in a 100 year old Tudor home filled with character, so I really always pictured myself living in an older home. After six months of house hunting, we began to realize that older homes didn’t necessarily offer everything that was important to us in a home . . . thus, we started to think about building a home. From start to finish (although nothing is ever really done), it took us about 1.5 years to build our home and it was a surreal time. During the building process, I continually looked for ways to interject character into our new build. I found seven diamond pane leaded windows that were salvaged from an old Chicago home and incorporated them into our new home. I found a 100 year old barn door on Craigslist to use as our pantry door. I found two beautiful vintage fireplace mantels on Craigslist. And I collected over ten thrifted chandeliers to use throughout our home!

I love to ask - Did you decorate your bedroom when you were a child? I remember around the age of 14 that my Mom let me decorate my bedroom. We went to a fabric showroom and I picked out fabric for custom curtains and bedding. I still remember that it was purple, red, and orange (looking back at my choices it was pretty hideous fabric). I also collected mirrors all through my teens and my bedroom walls were filled with interesting and unique mirrors (self-absorbed much)!

What is your favorite space in your house. One of my favorite spaces in our home is our dining room! The room is light and airy, but neutral enough to compliment any table setting that I create in the space. I often view table setting as a creative outlet and I enjoy using the space to showcase my collections of dishes, glassware, and table linens (many of which are thrifted). Plus our dining room is just boring enough that my kids mainly leave the space untouched (another reason why it is my favorite).

Michele your table settings are extraordinary!

Where did you go to college and what did you study? I attended DePaul University in Chicago where I majored in Finance and graduated with honors. I also have a minor in Math and a minor in Economics (numbers have always been my thing). For the past 18 years I have built a career as a Financial Advisor, and in 2010 I took a big leap and opened my own Financial Planning Practice. Today I can celebrate 11 years as a business owner in a heavily male dominated industry.

I know you love to thrift. You mentioned incorporating both salvaged and Craigslist finds into the construction of your home. Can you please share with the readers a bit about how you started thrifting? For as long as I can remember, I have loved thrifting. When I was in high school I would take day trips downtown to thrift with my girlfriends. Back then, I collected vintage clothes and shoes and accessories. Somewhere in my twenties I began to thrift less for clothing and more for furniture and home décor! When I was 24 years old, I remember inheriting a chintz sofa from my Great Grandma and I was so in love with the fabric! I was into Grandmillenial décor before it was even a thing.

CHILDRENS BEDROOMS

I have furnished and decorated all the spaces I have lived in with thrifted pieces. Part of me is drawn to older, traditional pieces and part of me is drawn to getting a good deal! I love finding a beautiful, quality item for less money than if I found something similar at a retail store. Through thrifting I have created a home with a more curated and collected feel! I love having one of a kind items in my home that tell a story or created a memory of how I acquired them.

Your home is uniquely yours and you are spending less for quality. While this is true, I don’t know if its entirely true . . .I recently thrifted amazing vintage drapes for Olivia’s room for $300. I spent $600 having them dry cleaned, $300 on new window hardware, and $200 to have them installed. (And all of our windows have Hunter Douglas window treatments around $1,000 per window). So even though I consider that a deal for two windows, it still may still be more than others are spending on window treatments.

I discovered in my twenties that you often thrift an item for a crazy inexpensive price, but by the time it is restored and in place, that item usually ends up costing a lot more. I thrifted Tori’s Murano chandelier for $500. I paid $200 to have it installed only to find out it needed to be rewired and I needed to replace the light switch it blew out. It cost $900 to have it rewired and another $200 to have it installed again. So after 6 months the chandelier is in place and I love it, but it cost nearly $2,000.

You are incredibly artistic I am in love with the mural you painted in Tori’s bedroom. Have you always painted? Looking back, I spent my entire 20’s building my Financial Planning business (working long hours) and didn’t do anything creative or crafty. Sure, I took an art class in high school and enjoyed it, but that is the extent of my art education. After my first daughter was born in 2013, I decided that I needed a creative hobby to help keep me sane. I self-taught myself how to crochet and fell in love with creating. As a business owner, I don’t always have the time to craft or create but when the Pandemic hit the US in 2020, I found myself with more time and a real need for a creative outlet. I have always longed for hand painted chinoiserie wallpaper and just woke up one morning and decided, why not paint my youngest daughter’s bedroom in a DeGournay inspired style. I went for it with the bare minimum of art supplies we already had at home (including paint brushes from my kid’s IKEA watercolor set). I had no idea what I was doing and didn’t immediately like what I was creating, but I stuck with it and many months later I completed my own hand painted chinoiserie mural on her walls! It’s not perfect, but I impressed myself and that is all that matters!

Tell us the best thing you ever thrifted. Ha! More like the best thing I have thrifted in each room . . . The best part about thrifting is that every item comes with a memory or a story of how you found it, what you paid for it, and sometimes what previous life the item lived. Some of my favorite items are the ones with the best stories.

In my upstairs hallway I thrifted a chandelier that came from a mansion on the Northshore that was owned by a former Playboy Bunny! The chandelier was in very bad condition when I acquired it and was missing half of its crystals. Through Craigslist, I found an electrician who was replacing chandeliers in the Chicago Hilton and selling the crystals from the old chandeliers that they were getting rid of. I worked with him to find the crystals I needed to complete the restoration of my chandelier. I also had to re-thread all of the crystals with new brass pins (a total labor of love). Now, not only is the chandelier beautiful, but it has a little piece of Chicago history, and a lot of love poured into it. It is one of my favorite pieces. If you scroll way back on IG you can see some of the original photos of the chandelier!

Something Michele is known for besides her exceptional tablescapes is her all encompassing holiday decor! I can’t wait to see this years decorations!

Michele I can’t close this piece without touching on READING! It’s something you and I discuss and share recommendations all the time. In the last few years, reading has become a passionate hobby of mine! I am always reading a book or two these days! I’m in two book clubs. Recently I loved “Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Taylor also wrote “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” which I enjoyed last year and even mentions the characters from this book in “Malibu Rising.” I also recently read “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart and really enjoyed it! I am a huge fan of racy romance novels and LOVED “The Idea of You” by Robinne Lee (it is so good)! One of my favorite books of all times is “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah (whom you know because she also wrote “The Nightingale”). I’m currently reading “The Paper Palace” by Miranda Cowley Heller and “Much Ado About You” by Samantha Young.