Sunday, February 22, 2009

Artist Spotlight... ELSITA ❤

The winner of the paper cut print by Elsita is BRENDA. Congratulations!


“Anytime I try something new in my art, I get to know a part of me that it is less obvious." - Elsa Mora

Born and raised in Cuba where she graduated from art school, multimedia artist Elsa Mora {Elsita}, learned the most important things she now knows from her mother.
"She always told us that the number one thing that anybody needs is education. The second thing is to find out as soon as possible what you are good at. And the third thing is to make your dreams come true, not by a miracle or good luck but by hard work and discipline."

Heeding her mother's wise advice, Elsita developed
a very successful career as an artist and now lives very happily in Los Angeles with her creative husband Bill {a Hollywood film producer} and their three children.
How Elsita finds time in her busy life to create such beautiful works of art is a mystery to us all, but she manages to create many wonderful things and take care of her Etsy store where she sells super sweet illustration art prints, adorable toys, jewelry, sculpture, the most delicious paper cuts and other handmade gorgeousness.



Spotlight... Elsita ❤



Tell us about You...
My name is Elsa Mora and my nickname is Elsita. I was born and raised in the island of Cuba and I currently live in Los Angeles, CA with my husband Bill and our three children. I am always busy like everybody else and a fun fact about myself (not so fun sometimes) is that I am the worst person on planet Earth finding directions. I remember that during the first week, after I bough my first tiny house in Camaguey, a province of Cuba, I had to go out with the address written on a little paper so on my way back home I could ask people how to get to my own house.


What inspires you?
Anything interesting inspires me, specially things that are new to me, or things that I
have never heard about. My ideas come from some little corner of my brain where there is always a busy mini-me dreaming about the next thing that I would like to make or do. The other me, the taller one (still short, I am 5.2) is always taking care of all the practical things.

Apart from creating things, what do you do for fun?
Honestly, the most fun thing that I have been doing lately is
something like this: I close my eyes and dream about being less busy. It makes me smile, and then I go back to normal.


Do you work at your art/craft full time or do you have another job?
I currently have three jobs, one keeping my Etsy store and having galleries shows, second: full-time Mom and third family therapist. Not the kind of therapist with an office but the one that gets lots of phone calls from relatives asking fo
r emotional support.

What has been your most memorable moment selling your art?
Once when I got commissioned for creating an artwork for some European President. When I got the check I di
dn't want to cash it because I wanted to frame it, but I ended up cashing it because I needed to buy some groceries, I was then living in Havana.

What are your current obsessions?
Tryi
ng not to obsess about anything :)




Any advice for fellow artists...
Don't listen to any advi
ce because that will distract you, just listen more to your inner voice. I think that if you deeply love what you do and if you're willing to share it with everyone out there, then whatever you give is going to come back to you in the form of little hearts.

If you could be any character, who would it be and why?
I would like to be a Moto-Moto fairy, I don't know what that is by my daughter drew one the other day and I really liked it.


Do you think you lived in a past life? If so, where & when?
I would need to ask my friend Tam, she is a palm reader in her spare time.


What are your future business plans?
My plans are to keep going doing everything with lots of heart.


Anything else you'd like to add about yourself or your work, etc….
That it makes me happy when my work makes other people happy :)


Anyone you'd like to mention as a favourite Etsy seller?
My friend Margie, she is terrific. I am going to meet her in person in May. I will fly to Canada in order to meet with her. Yay!!!
Her Etsy store is called knitalatte
. Behind this store there is an extraordinary woman...I have seen her imagination and creativity explode thanks to the energy that she has gotten from the Etsy community. This energy is all over the Internet, making all of the creative people a strong and important force.

Shoppe: Elsita
Blog: www.elsita.typepad.com
PaperCutting Blog



❤ ❤ ❤


This give-a-way is now closed...Congratulations to BRENDA who won the paper cut print by Elsita!





This week's delicious give-a-way is an 8.5"x 11" black and white print of an original paper cut done by Elsita entitled "Secret Anatomy of a Young Girl".
This print is so beautiful in person as the black ink is very concentrated on the paper, which has a nice textured surface. It look almost like velvet. The 285 gm paper used for this print is acid-free and is of an archival professional grade.




To enter...Visit Elsita's shop. Then, come back here to tell us what you favourite item is and why it's your favourite.

For extra entries into this contest...
1}
Get ONE extra entry by following my blog.

2.} Get TWO extra entries by posting a comment on any other post on my blog, not including artist features.

3.}
Get TEN extra entries by doing a mini write up about this blog and contest on your blog. Post here with link to the feature.

❤ ❤ ❤


Most Important Details... I will make sure all extra entries are entered into the give-a-way. All entries are handwritten by me, so I DO check every single entry and comment. The winner's name is drawn randomly by hand. If your favourite piece of item by Elsita is not part of your comment and some sort of viable contact information is not included, your entry will be disqualified. Give-a-way is shipped out via the artist. All entries must be received by 3pm on Sunday, March 1st, 2009 PST. There is a clock on the right side of this blog so that you may check Los Angeles {PST} time. This contest is open to everyone, everywhere.


Best of luck to you, my Pretties!


86 comments:

Anonymous said...

All of her stuff is gorgeous. I love Zen Girl especially.

lesjoujou AT gmail DOT com

Melanie @ Whimsical Creations said...

My favorite is the Girl with Birdies. Her work is beautiful!!

=) melanie
http://melaniescrafts.blogspot.com
melanieadey at hotmail dot com

Sheila Hickmon said...

I really like the Alice in Wonderland print, that has always been my favorite story!!
hawkgirl_16 {at} hotmail {dot} com

Sheila Hickmon said...

IM a follower!
hawkgirl_16 {at} hotmail {dot} com

janil said...

Impossible choice!!!!! I'm Elsita's work fan and I love all her work!
I choose Papercut Print. Tree House, one of my favourites for entering giveaway!
Thanks!

cal_rubies(at)yahoo(dot)es

janil said...

Happy, happy follower!

MOMFOREVERANDEVER said...

Mimi Paper Doll.is sweet

MOMFOREVERANDEVER said...

follower

Unknown said...

I like the pinocchio as I love that movie.

Annie1 said...

I love the Just Be print!

beautiful


Thanks


nancyrobster@gmail.com

Annie1 said...

I follow your blog!


Thanks


nancyrobster@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Elsita's work just makes me smile :) I love her whimisical papercust and illustrations.

My favorite would be "Zen Girl":
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18502972

that one reminds me of living in Vancouver, BC and walking in the woods and seeing mushrooms growing.

My email - eastvanesica at gmail (dot) com

Jessica Doyle said...

And I followed your blog ravenX :)

xoxo

Anonymous said...

Very pretty things. Girl with Birdies is cute. thanks for the contest.

danosor said...

Zen Girl is my favourite.I am a subscriber.

Nanci said...

My favorite is Papercut Print. The Ride. My daughter would love all the animals.

paryjeja said...

I love the Papercut Print. The Ride. I like it because it reminds me of my cats and the detail is amazing.

Unknown said...

I love the Alice in Wonderland cut out print. Gorgeous.

silverbele said...

I like the Zen Girl

toughturtles said...

Zen Girl

cathirushing said...

Alice in Wonderland cut out, she was a fav. when i was a child

Miss Spoken said...

I love both Expecting and The Search. Her work is so feminine and unexpected.
gkstratos@yahoo.com

vibrantfun said...

I like the Papercut Good Bye

Anonymous said...

The Mimi Paper Doll is precious!! The intricate detail put into this beautiful creation makes it a true collector's item! I loved paper dolls as a child and even used to make my own, and I still treasure them! Elsita has a true talent!! Thank you for the contest!
txgigggles@yahoo.com

vboackle said...

i like the zen girl.

PAIGE said...

I just love Zen Girl because it reminds me of ME.

Dawn Parsons Smith said...

Love everything here! Just gorgeous...and once again, thanks for sharing!

Sunnyvale said...

The doll delivery print is nice

Alexandra said...

I love love love the Rain Girl print!

littlesickgirl at gmail dot com

Alexandra said...

I'm a follower on Google reader!

ecky said...

zen girl is definitely my favorite!!

elkesten at yahoo dot com

Nichola said...

I love all of the papercuts and cannot narrow it down to one. Zen girl with the mushroom dress is my favorite print.

noreen said...

Girl with Birdies. Reminds me of my girls with our pet bird

secret cake said...

Elista was one of my first hearts when I joined Etsy, and I hearted that beautiful Alice in Wonderland papercut weeks ago :)

Would love to see it in my daughter's room.

Lovely stuff!!

Thanks for hosting the giveway : )

littlelatina said...

i love the dream print!

Smooshy said...

i like alice in wonderland! it's my favorite story!

Ken said...

I love the The Search print because it's so delicate and inquisitive. Please accept my entry. Thank you.

OliveStreetStudio said...

Favorite is Expecting!!

OliveStreetStudio said...

and I'm a follower...

Mickelle said...

I liked the Girl with Birdies, but I think the Girl with a Magic Fruit. is so sweet, too! Okay, and Alice in Wonderland... incredible!

Christina said...

Christina - xristya@rock.com - I like Cold because I like the floating feeling in it, the scarf and the snowflakes, grounded by the red coat and eerie face with eyes only!

JeansandTs said...

jeansandts@hotmail.com
Oh, how I love the Paper Doll Bunny Girl!! I call my Granddaughter Baby Bunting. I would love to put this on the wall in her room!

noodle and lou said...

ooooh how I adore Elsita!! Beautiful feature Raven:):)
I am always blown away by how prolific Elsa is. Her paper cuts are my current faves...especially Good-bye and Secret Anatomy of a Young Girl:):)

xox...jenn

eyeslikesugar said...

I love, love, love the Girl and Rabbit print, because I adore bunnies and it reminds me of me. :) Thank you so much for offering this giveaway! eyeslikesugar [at] gmail [dot] com

CathyH said...

Elsita is sooo talented it was difficult to choose. I love Knitting, but the papercuts are amazing too.

jenna said...

This is awesome - so delicate. I like the Bird Mask Papercut Print.

the student said...

I have loved Elsita's "Soul Girl" since I first saw it <3 <3 <3

BandaiBlossom said...

I HEART "MY HEART IS MY HOME".

bandaiblossom(at)hotmail(dot)com

Aik said...

I love the Just Be print.

aikychien@yahoo.com

Aik said...

I'm a follower.

aikychien@yahoo.com

♥ meninheira ♥ said...

I love the Elsita's work, in fact I'm a follower of her blog :)

If I have to choise one, I thinks this: Blue Singer cause is so sweet and it have rememberme the spring :)

meninheira(at)gmail(dot)com

♥ meninheira ♥ said...

I blogged here http://bloguerosconilusion.blogspot.com/2009/02/mas-sorteos.html


meninheira(at)gmail(dot)com

Amanda said...

i love Dreams print because of all the colours and itd make a cute picture in my kids room. i always tell them to dream big

kaylee8 said...

The Papercut Print My Heart is My Home is my favorite one!

Anonymous said...

I adore the Red Riding Hood papercut because it is lovely, and the shape is so sweet... the cutting is magical!

I like to work with paper, and I am in awe of this art.

My name is Elsie, also called Elsinka...I like the name Elsita too!

pumpkinlady430@yahoo.com

elsie said...

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18502972

I LOVE Zen Girl!
I'm already a follower of your blog!
Off to post about your Elsita feature! - (we Cuban girls have to stick together. My old aunties back in Miami still call me Elsita)

elsie said...

http://namaste-elsiee.blogspot.com/

Okie Dokie here's my Elsita blog post!!! this is such a fun giveaway - LOVE IT!!

Catherine said...

Love, love, love the papercut soul girl.

catherineh_78@yahoo.com

yadgirl said...

I like the Los Ojos del Corazon print because it's imaginative.

puffpastryshop said...

Wow what a talented artist and wonderful shop! I love the "I Only Have Eyes for You."

puffpastryshop(at)gmail(dot)com
puffpastry.etsy.com

rosannepm said...

Organic Porcelain Shapes are my favorites from her shop because they would go well in my sea/sailing bathroom
rosans4@comcast.net

Andi said...

I love the Tree House print.

Michelle said...

My favorite is the Papercut Print Rain Girl. Something about the cute little wispy hair is so enduring. Thanks for the chance to win!

Anonymous said...

THE LESSON. It has a lot of interesting elements going on.
sunstraw@aol.com

Unknown said...

Perfume. I can almost smell the flowery scent.

♥ Bri ♥ said...

My Heart is my Home is my favorite, but it was a hard choice. ^.^

missrattyfantastico at gmail dot com

♥ Bri ♥ said...

I am also now a stalker. ;)

missrattyfantastico at gmail dot com

Shanda said...

My favorite is the Dreams Print! Thanks
shan_da(at)hotmail(dot)com

KR said...

I love the My Heart is my Home.

mj.coward[at]gmail.com

Dierdra said...

Alice in Wonderland cut out because it is so well done

Amy said...

Thorns is my favourite.

wendy wallach said...

I like " The Staircase" because it is the kind of picture you can stare at and wonder what the girl being dipicted is thinking, and come up with something different each and every time.

madamerkf at aol dot com

Melanie said...

My favorite is the Mimi Paper Doll...absolutely adorable!

arvard said...

I really like the mini paper doll.

mousemom said...

Zen Girl is my favorite, although I like everything you have shown.

demmi said...

cold is my favorite because it really does look cold con5459(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

Knitting is my favorite. The colors are beautiful. I love knitting. garrettsambo@aol.com

lilyk said...

I love the Knitting print because it's so cute and whimsical!

ms.lilyk@gmail.com

Peggy said...

I love the "HUG",its beautiful,I collect bunnies and I love the little girl giving the bunny a hug. Who doesn't need a hug!
Thanks
matternu@aol.com

Peggy said...

I follow

Kathy P said...

i love the Thorns print..she reminds me of my late daughter ashley

Unknown said...

My favorite is the Organic Porcelain Shapes. I have a very interesting watercolor of sea shells that would be enhanced with these in an interesting bowl beneath it. I think it would be a great designer touch.
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this giveaway!

kwinger said...

I love knitting i collect sheep and this just makes me smile

Anonymous said...

My favorite is the Girl with Birdies.
Stampnsark@aol.com

dani said...

I love red ridinghood. I actually like all the fairytale ones but that is one of my favorites. I do a whole unit of it in my classroom.

Crys said...

I like Drops.