One Cool Chica: Andrea LeBlond

This week’s One Cool Chica is my dear friend and fellow co-hort in the Creative Dig Workshop: Andrea LeBlond. On top of being someone I completely admire, she is an awesome clay Artist and passionate teacher. Andrea lives and breathes Art…especially the dirty, earthy, tactile kind! Her work is precise and with a great sense of fluidity and style. I know I love a ceramics piece when I ache to hold it in my hands…that’s exactly how I feel about Andrea’s work…I want it to become a part of my day-to-day life.

You know how much I love interviews…so I was extremely giddy when Andrea agreed to a little interview action for today’s One Cool Chica feature!!

Name: Andrea LeBlond

Blog/Website: http://www.terravistastudios.com

Life’s Work: artist and teacher

Q. What part of Creative Dig workshop will you be teaching?

A. I will be teaching how to make a pinch-pot portrait out of clay.

Q. If I am a person who has very little to no experience in working with clay, can I still register for Creative Dig and not feel lost in your workshop?

A. Absolutely, yes! I have taught this project to many complete beginners and they have been able to create pretty amazing results. It doesn’t take much to symbolize the face, sometimes abstraction and simplification works well. If you already have experience working with clay it will be that much more exciting for you to explore the project.

Q. What is the most exciting aspect of being a part of Creative Dig workshop for you?

A. I am so looking forward to working with two other amazing people who are also fantastic teachers. It will be an exciting journey for all of us!

Q. When Creative Dig is all over, what do you hope the Artists that participated will have learned about themselves and their creativity by taking this workshop?

A. I hope they might learn some new techniques to add to their creative repertoire but mostly I hope they learn how human expression is extremely malleable and fragile. The slightest changes of placement and shape can create subtle or dramatic moods. The human face is really the window to the soul.

Q. Creative Dig takes place in your hometown Cleveland, Ohio.. What other fun things could the participants do there if they plan to make a mini-vacay of the trip?

A. There are countless galleries in the area as well as the freshly re-opened Cleveland Museum of Art, which is absolutely fantastic! There also happens to be lots of really great restaurants around, too. I would highly recommend making a stop in University Circle to see the museum and to stroll up to Little Italy to see more galleries and grab some fantastic pizza!

Q. Last, I have to ask: What makes your life Creative?

A. Going to the studio every day makes my life creative. Since I was five years old I have not wanted to be anything else other than an artist. For better or for worse I have dedicated my life to it and can not imagine any other way to live, even if it means occasionally stealing toilet paper! Luckily that hasn’t happened in a while!

Q. What makes your life Juicy?

A. My close friendships make my life jucy. If it weren’t for them I would have one dull life!

Andrea LeBlond is definitely One Cool Chica!!

Come join Andrea, Christine Claire Reed, and myself at Creative Dig Workshop in Cleveland, Ohio on September 26th!! Go HERE for more details and to register!!!!

Peace & Love.