Artist Name: Jen Renninger

Shop Name and Url: Etsy user name: Pleasebestill www.pleasebestill.etsy.com
Illustration Studio: Still Room Studio www.pleasebestill.com
Website: www.pleasebestill.com
Image blog: www.jenrenninger365.blogspot.com
Inspiration Blog: www.pleasebestill.blogspot.com
City: Tampa, FL, US




Where in your home/apartment is your studio located?
A spare bedroom in our house..

What equipment/tools do you use?
Computer, paint, paper, vellum, all kinds of found stuff- books, paper, magazines, old trays, odd findings. I usually start out with a drawing or collage of some sort and then scan that into the computer to work on it some more.





Do you have an inspiration board, and can you tell us what is inspiring you now?
I do have an inspiration board. It tends to change regularly.. depending on my illustration job. I have one of those large cork boards and I usually break it into sections... I also have an old flat file that I fill with all sorts of objects. Sometimes I just open the drawers for inspiration.

How do you create best (e.g. do you listen to music while you create and if so what?)
This is sort of a funny one. Since I'm home alone a lot, I love to hear other people talking in the background. I download NPR podcasts and listen to them for part of the day, sometimes I'll put the TV on for a while, but then, later in the day as I'm really getting into work I need something that acts as background noise but won't influence what I'm doing too much: SO, I put on cheesy movies { the CORE, School of Rock, Sweet Alabama- those were the first 3 at the top of my DVD pile right now } I wish I could say I listened to something really interesting but no- It's one big cheeese-fest every afternoon!



List (3) of your favorite artists
It's going to be hard to break it down to just 3! although I have many favorites (many are on PoppyTalk HandMade!!!) I'll go with the ones whom I relate to on a gut level.

Kiki Smith
I love her sculptures and installations. They feel like intense dreams... very dark and serious. Years ago, I was in a bad car accident and I as I was healing I spent months looking at her work. Something about it seemed to say- your body might be broken, it's a dark time, but you can come out of it, you are still solid. Now I feel an immediate sort of kinship with her work.

Jim Houser
On the surface his work is the polar opposite of Kiki Smiths. Lighter, bright, almost cheerful in appearance: all that sweet luscious COLOR. But then you lean in and read the words: dark and mysterious and intensely interesting. He reminds me of listening to 'This American life' and reading parts of someones torn up journal at the same time. I know, weird analogy, but it's the first thing that came to mind.

Charles + Ray Eames
If you've never watched any of their movies .. well.. if you get a chance, if you want to be inspired..
They created this incredible world of joy that seemed to come through in everything they made. The DVD of their studio is just amazing. Not for the space.. but for the the world they made together. There are toys that span walls and findings all over the place. If I could emulate a way of living it would be theirs. Art and work and love and life as one collected thing. just beautiful.



If yours isn't, what would be your perfect studio?
A few years ago I had what I thought was my perfect studio. After about 6 years of illustrating at home I started looking for a studio space. For years I'd fantasized about the perfect ..PERFECT.. studio. I had a solid idea of what I wanted: hard wood floors , big windows, an artist community. Well.. I found the space: 1000SF very affordable, hard wood floors, big bright windows in an old cigar factory where lots of artists have studios. I moved in.. LOVED the space, it was ideal, my dream studio. There was only one problem: I was the only commercial artist who kept regular business hours. So no one was around all day. It was so isolating that I moved out after 10 months, without any kind of regret.

Although I miss the space I've learned that the perfect studio is wherever I feel comfortable creating things: my spare bedroom turned studio, the bookstore cafe, the beach or park, the front patio, on vacation.. Just make the process fun and the place doesn't matter.

Thanks Jen!