Illustrations by matem-atyka

I've known Misia Schmidt for many years now. She is a very talented artists and illustrator behind matem-atyka. Born and raised in Poland she moved to U.S. in her early twenties. According to Misia is was "one of the best life changers so far!". Misia and her husband Peter lived in different parts of the country like Virginia, Illinois and have recently moved to Los Angeles, CA.



I had a chance to talk to Misia about her life and art.

How did you start?
I grew up reading or rather closely studying comic books. I wasn't as much interested in the words as the pictures themselves. Deciphering the story behind the drawings seemed to be more interesting than having it spelled out. I wanted to be an artist myself, create my own stuff. I did draw a lot during my childhood but then I picked it up again after I moved to the states. In my experience of growing up in Poland, art was never considered something important or even time worthy. I kept hearing I should focus on something more tangible.



I also didn't know anyone with artistic interests, so gradually I stopped (well, almost). Moving to the states changed a lot for me. I was granted such a new, fresh perspective on life, but strangely it allowed me to tap into my true nature again. Attending The School of the Art Institute of Chicago kind of sealed the deal for me.



What are your major sources of inspiration?
For me to paint or draw is not a matter of finding inspiration. There is nothing romantic or inspirational about it. I can't explain how I arrive at my images. I guess it is the way I process my surroundings. It's a way of thinking and communicating. The good thing is I never run out of ideas, I only wish I was able to work faster.

I should say that I do enjoy California more than any other places I've experienced. I'm simply overwhelmed with its abundance of light and nature.

Art clock by Anna Gaponova

We all put a lot of effort into making our homes look beautiful and cozy. There are so many ways to add color and style to our living room or our kitchen. I’ve recently come across a very talented artists Anna Gaponova from ArtClock. Anna hand paints wall clock to create unique and special art objects.



Q: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Anna and I live in Kharkiv, Ukraine. I’ve always been into drawing and painting. It all started as a hobby but later painting became my profession. My clocks are not just art objects. I paint on wooden plates and turn them into real clock that can serve both as a functional decoration and a piece of art.



Q: How have you come up with an idea of painting on clock?

I’ve painted my first clock two years ago. I had an old vinyl record at hand and decided to turn it into a wall clock. The process of painting and creating new clock-faces turned out to be so exciting that I’ve been making clocks ever since. Within time I substituted vinyl to wood and all my clocks have a wood base now. Since every painting is different and unique I hand cut all wood pieces myself. I don’t want to outsource anything and make sure every part of the clock is done the way it should be done.



Q: What inspires you?

I find my inspiration in folk, native ornaments and decorations of different peoples living all over the world. African, Mexican, Indian patterns and color combinations always serve as a huge source of inspiration for me. Everyday encounters can make me start thinking about a new image for my clocks be it a unique color combination or music accidentally overheard in a street.

My stylized drawings of elephants, turtles and fish serve as symbols of peace, love and happiness. I very much hope these images truly bring positive energy and luck to homes they settle in.

Thank you, Anna!