Pretty Things Spotlight: * Madelaine *

Update:
The winner of the Madelaine print give-a-way is BEBEMIQUI...Congratulations!

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If you were to visit Madelaine in her home in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, she would probably be painting, sleeping in a pile of leaves, making a blood red cherry pie or off taking photographs of some obscure images with the camera that never leaves her person.

The photographic images of Madelaine are hauntingly beautiful. Unforgettable and sometimes disturbing imagery that stays with you, remaining in your consciousness and touching your very soul with the quiet story that each tells, if only by way of a whisper, a memory....

"I am very fond of red leaves, old suitcases and a boy named Critter. I like to walk in circles around people, find buried treasure and refer to myself in the third person."

Spotlight: Madelaine

★ Tell us about you... My name is Madelaine and I am 17 years old. I was born in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), but now reside in the very small town of Thomas, in West Virginia. I have three brothers and one sister - I'm in the middle. I have bright red (dyed) hair and have for almost two years. I have a messy bedroom and I collect matchbooks (and matchboxes). I am very passionate about bread making, and my latest hobby is sewing dresses that actually fit me. I have been attending college part-time for two years, and will likely officially start college full-time this fall. My boyfriend's name is Christopher (often shortened to Critter) and our one-year anniversary is today (the 27th)!


★ What inspires you? I am inspired by words. In songs, poetry, conversations, stories, or written on walls. Words inspire me immensely and once a particularly strong word or sentence grabs a hold of me, I can't stop thinking about it and writing it on margins of paper or on stick notes until I am able to express it somehow (photography, collage, painting or digital art). My favourite band is easily the Avett Brothers (their newer work is the best). Almost every other photograph was inspired by something from their songs. I like to look at books, websites and magazines, too (I subscribe to Domino and Martha Stewart Living). My favourite book is actually 13 books: The Series of Unfortunate Events.

★ Apart from creating things, what do you do for fun? I do cook a lot. I like to go on adventures in the woods, resulting in a lot of leaves/flowers or photographs. Pretty much everything I do results in a new creation on some level. Oh, I do watch TV....not productive at all.

★ What has been your most memorable moment selling your art? I'm not sure if there is a precise moment, but I really enjoy selling custom sizes to people, because I get to hear about their plans for it. Plus, after they order such a large size, I get to see it printed out larger than I would ever print on my own. I also really enjoy getting photos of my prints in people's homes. It's very exciting.

★ Any advice for fellow artists... Yes, my dear photographers, always carry your camera with you. You'll keep regretting it if you don't. Always trust your heart - if it tells you to trip the shutter, then trip the shutter!

★ If you were a super heroine, who would you be and why? I sometimes dress up a super hero(ine). I've adopted the name Captain Obvious because my brother calls me that a lot. My costume includes just-past-the-knee leggings (brown with orange polka dots), a black shirt and and a black cape. Plus a black mask that covers around the eyes.

★ Tell us more… Although my Etsy shop has a good bit of my work (mostly my most popular work), there are a lot of images that are simply not there. You can check out my other work on deviantART.

Shop: http://madelaine.etsy.com
Blog: http://hellomadelaine.blogspot.com
Deviant Art: http://donotattempt.deviantart.com

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Enter this week's give-a-way!

Oh my! Madelaine is graciously giving away one of her stunning photographic images...This week's give-a-way is 5" x 7" print of YOUR choice from her shoppe!

How to enter:

Take a peek into Madelaine's shoppe and comment here on what your 2 most favourite images are from all of her stunning photography. If you should be the winner of this week's drawing, Miss Madelaine will send you your first pick... or 2nd fave should your first pick be currently out of stock.

Most Important Details: If your favourite images are not part of your comment or some sort of viable contact information is not included, your entry will be disqualified. This contest is open to everyone. Winner has 3 days to contact me with their address. Give-a-way is shipped out via the artist. The winner's name will be drawn from a hat...the good ole' fashioned way to do things. One entry per person. All entries must be received by midnight of Saturday, May 3rd, 2008, PST.

Best of luck to you, my Pretties!