When I was preparing my post on Etsy pouncing this past week I stumbled across an interesting shop called Eclectable showcasing the work of Michaella Ruffino. The bottlecaps in particular caught my eye because Jonah loves collecting them whenever he steps foot outside our door.

Remember I mentioned that good photography is essential to selling your creations online? Not a problem here -- Eclectable has fabulous photography! In fact I like some of her photos as much as the actual objects themselves!

Plus, she gutted the face of an old watch and filled it with little treasures:

So I had to meet this person... and here she is!

Michaella, tell us a little about yourself and your shop, Eclectable.

I live in the beautiful hill country of Texas. My horse, Prince Albert and I compete in Dressage. It is a very elegant sport and I really love it. I like to read, eat healthy, and be with friends and family.

Eclectable offers lots of fun bottlecap art, bottlecap art jewelry, and vintage/unique jewelry. I use pieces and parts of vintage jewelry (like the gutted vintage watch) to create my own unique jewelry.

I love the gutted watch idea – what inspired it? And where do you find your inspiration for your other pieces?

I was shopping at my local junk store and I found a couple of watches with no faces. They caught my eye and my mom said, "Whoa, Michaella, you could take these and put in junk and resin!"

Where do I get my inspiration from? Mostly, if I am surrounded by found and vintage objects and supplies then the inspiration just comes. It's really fun! My first inspiration for the bottlecaps came the summer of my sophmore year in highschool at The Attic Gallery in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The stingy and determined highschooler that I was, I asked the lady what "the shiny stuff was (resin)" and went home and made some of my own. Vintage odds and ends also really inspire me!

So where do you find the raw materials?

I buy the resin (Easy Cast) from Hobby Lobby/Michaels and I get the vintage and found objects from thirft and junk stores -- I treasure hunt. As for the bottlecaps...at first I went to my local Taqueria and asked them if they could collect their Coke bottlecaps for me for a while, and they did. I was pretty surprised. Also, my best friend is always finding me rare bottlecaps and giving them to me in bulk! As for the vintage bottlecaps, my pastor gave me a huge, HUGE batch from Canton, and when those are gone I'll buy my vintage bottlecaps from Etsy. Now that I'm picking up my production pace again (thanks to Etsy), I've been buying a lot of my supplies from other shops on the site.

What is your approach to creating art – do you assemble it together in your head before your start? Or work with and through the medium and see where it takes you?

Sometimes I'll get an idea/inspiration and I'll write it down or sketch it. And sometimes I work with what I have and let it take me through to the finish, I do not create it in my mind first.

Overall, once I touch my supplies, the end product is always different from the start...which is fun!

Also, I have created several custom bottlecaps. People send me pictures and ask me to make them into necklaces or bracelets.

Michaella’s workspace

What are your plans for the future - for both Eclectable and your life in general?

I’d like to become a history teacher - I already teach art at an educational co-op and that's a lot of fun! I'm excited to see where the Lord takes my life.

For Eclectable, all I will say is that I have a pretty neat piece coming out as soon as my supplies come in... Come check it out in a couple of weeks!

Thanks Michaella! I look forward to seeing more of your creations at Eclectable!

Previous artist interviews.

I first began corresponding with David Zalben after he gently chastised me for only including part of his sculpture poem in my first Poem In Your Pocket Day post. In fact, his comment was itself a poem:

“I would have like to read the entire poem,

to know the complete story.”

And later he explained further:

“I wrote it as a story of meditation...

and the last part is part of it.”

While we may have differing philosophies of art, I did enjoy visiting his studio as his creations span a wide range of subjects and mediums. Zalben creates sculpture, painting, photography, as well as advertising out of his studio at Art Center / South Florida on Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road.

"Just Trying to Be Myself"

oil on polaroid tin, 4 1/2 x 5 1/2"

A strong design element is evident in a lot of your work, particularly the wire sculptures. What is your approach to creating art – do you assemble it together in your head before your start? Or work with and through the medium and see where it takes you?

I have to have a clear idea of the image that I want to make. When I get the idea, I have to problem solve - that is, with one line of wire I try to minimally create the image. Sometimes the more complicated ones I have to draw out before continuing, but most of the time, I can go on instinct. If it is a series piece, then each time that I work it, it changes by being simplified, or more complicated. It all depends on how I feel in that moment.

Out of all the ad campaigns you've been involved with, what was you favorite?

I'd say is was an International Crown Royal campaign in which I created 5 different sets in studio to recreate a specific atmosphere. The pictures incorporated many of the aspects of image making that I had worked hard on, such as selective focus, perspective, angles, color and contrast. Those ads were a culmination of all that I envisioned.

What music do you listen to – if any – while you work?

I like to go stretches in silence. But when I do put on the tunes, I have an eclectic taste. Music effects my mood and definitely my art work. For writing poetry, painting, or bending wire, I like Bob Dylan.

Or it could be BRMC, or Travis or Wilco ...all rather melancholy rhythms. I once offered my collection of music to a host for her party. She turned and said, “Nothing personal, David, but your music is really depressing.”

What’s your shoe size and favorite pairs?

Flip flops size 7

Closed shoe (rarely wear) size 8

Puma's, uumm, I'd say 7.5

In addition to creating art yourself, you also teach black and white photography at Art Center / South Florida…

I teach photography because it is an wonderful medium to help people find their voice or give balance to there life. Actually, I feel odd thinking of myself as a teacher because I learn as much as my students. My class is an exchange of ideas and bonding as friends. The courses are only six weeks, yet several of my students have been with me for two years and running.

I am impressed with the level of talent that my students possess. I really want them to achieve their goals, and so I do what I can to assist them. I get profound pleasure in seeing people grow and be happy.

"Mustafa"    2008

annealed wire sculpture  13 x 12 x 10"

You’ve described your art as storytelling – would you elaborate on this idea, please?

All my art work is a story. My paintings are a manifestation of people that I love or admire, or it is a commentary on issues and events that I feel strongly about. With wire I create iconic still-lifes that represent universal feelings, such as innocence, sensuality, beauty, humor and happiness. Generally, I do not create work that is one dimensional…. the greater challenge is to create something that communicates all emotions. None of us are just one thing, but are many things.

What are your current projects?

I am working on a series of paintings of women that I know. And I am always physically creating or thinking about new wireworks or poetry ideas.

Zalben is also in the process of creating a web site, but in the meantime you can contact him through Art Center / South Florida.

And by the way, the title of the poem mentioned at the beginning of the post is "Ode To Papaya," and here is the complete text:

Meditate

And let it resonate

Like a bell under a spell

Transcend

And let it bend

Like a ride

Under a tide

React

And let it act

Like a tree

Under a tree

Zalben says, “It is in homage to my beloved dog Papaya (who passed away) and what she taught me.”

Thank you, David Zalben, for the interview and I look forward to experiencing more of your artwork!