Beauty and talent go hand in hand! Meet Rachel and you will agree...Rachel Shockey Studio is a wonderful Etsy shop specializing in fantastic original oil paintings, charcoal drawings and prints.
Rachel found Etsy after her sister told her she was buying a headdress for her wedding from a seller who sold on the site.Once she browsed Etsy, this artist knew it was the place for her! Rachel stated she loves the sense of community on Etsy and enjoys building relationships with people.
Rachel started her Etsy shop in the summer of 2009 and she feels it's slowly been a work in progress.
"There are a lot of fine artists on Etsy, so it's hard to stand out in the midst of thousands of beautiful pieces. However, my floral pieces are the most recognizable because they focus on the center of flowers and their colors are very bold. I also have a Literary Figures Series which focuses on scenes and portraits from literary classics such as, The Lord of the RIngs, Chronicles of Narnia, Great Expectations, etc. I think these unique pieces stand out from the vast ocean of beautiful art sold on Etsy." When asked what inspires Rachel she replied, "I make no effort to hide the fact that I am a Christian, so for me, a lot of my inspiration comes from God. I see His beautiful handiwork in all of creation, especially in flowers and people. My love of literature also plays a large part in my work, which is why I have the Literary Figures Series." The Literary Figures Series is the top-selling item(s) in her shop. Rachel thinks they're popular because people connect with stories and seeing their favorite book, or character, come to life in a painting is something very enjoyable to look upon. A painting or print of your favorite story can be a delightful thing to have in your home.
Rachel describes her creative process in creating her art...
"I read extensively, travel a lot, take pictures of anything I find beautiful, and seek God in prayer...to inspire. All of these things contribute to my creative process. I envision things in my mind all the time and have to quickly jot down my thoughts and sketch. My studio wall is full of ideas for future paintings!"Rachel shares a story behind behind one of her products that she specially enjoyed working on:"Back in 2010 my husband was still pursuing his dream of playing professional baseball, so I had to work. I had a terrible corporate job that was taking up all of my time, and was draining me emotionally because I had a type-A, micro-managing boss. I was working upwards of 60 hrs a week and had no time to do the things I wanted to, like paint. I couldn't sleep, I wasn't eating well, and I was beginning to have anxiety attacks. I wanted to leave my job so badly but felt obligated to keep working, to pay the bills while my husband worked hard on the baseball field (it's a hard life on the road). Therefore, I started searching for a new job, in my limited spare-time. I had several interviews with one company that wanted me to do design and copyright work, which was right up my alley, but they couldn't offer the job to me until the new year. When the new year rolled around, I decided to take a leap-of faith and quit my job (my husband was very supportive). At the same time I quit, the job role at the other company was being written up for me, and I was intending to take the position (even though what I really wanted to do was paint). However, God has a way of working things out in miraculous ways. My husband's season wasn't going as well as he hoped, the teams were running out of money and were trading players constantly. After being traded back and forth all season, he decided to call it quits and came home, he was tired of the baseball life (this happened to be the same week I quit my job). That same week, my husband received a call from a very prominent investment firm in Tampa Bay, FL. They wanted to fly him down for an interview. He was offered the position three days later! It was a miracle! During the two weeks between quiting my job and moving back to Tampa, FL, I was painting. I wasted no time and went straight to my easel, the day after I quit my corporate job. It was during that time I painted, "Pink Peony", which is listed in my Etsy shop as a print. The "Pink Peony" reminds me every day of what God did to bring my husband and I through a very tough time, and bring peace into my life. The "Pink Peony" was the first painting in my Up Close With Flora Series, and every time I paint a new flower I am grateful for the opporunity to do what I love."
Rachel Shockey's blog is found at: www.rachelshockeystudio.blogspot.com.
Her words of wisdom for readers who are considering opening a shop on Etsy are:"Make sure your body of work is cohesive. For me, I love to paint a variety of different subjects, but I strive to keep my style and colors the same. If you can, have a lot of listings, and list often. Also, the best piece of advice I can give is research what other successful artists (in your field of work) are doing. Etsy has a great sense of community and other sellers are usually pretty helpful if you ask them questions."
