Featured Artist for July / August
Meet Corrie Kuipers
Corrie and Nene
I am so excited to be able to feature an artist whose been my hero since first meeting her approximately 2-years ago. Of course this has been a cyber-friendship, as Corrie and Nene are in Sneek, Netherlands making getting together for a glass of wine sadly out of the question!
Corrie's success as an artist has been a huge inspiration to me and to many of us at Greeting Card Universe. She is sort of our 'Mother Hen' offering her expertise and time through the new GCU Community Blog. She has been featuring artists at GCU in wonderful interviews and it was time to put her in the spot light, so here we go... I proudly introduce you to The Wonderful World of Corrie Kuipers!
Corrie's success as an artist has been a huge inspiration to me and to many of us at Greeting Card Universe. She is sort of our 'Mother Hen' offering her expertise and time through the new GCU Community Blog. She has been featuring artists at GCU in wonderful interviews and it was time to put her in the spot light, so here we go... I proudly introduce you to The Wonderful World of Corrie Kuipers!
"Life's a beach" - ©Corrie Kuipers
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SOA: Corrie, tell us about yourself and how your artistic journey began.
Corrie: "I’m a self taught artist who came to my calling after my 30th birthday when I felt that holding a regular 9-5 at the local Bank didn’t do it for me. I quit my job and tried all kinds of creative adventures from selling hand painted t-shirts at fairs, to printing and selling humorous fishing greeting cards to local shops, being the lead singer in an acoustic jazz band, and finally arriving at a medium that really suited me - painting with mixed media (acrylics and ink) on MDF (medium density fiber board) or paper."  Owl World -©Corrie Kuipers "In 1996, I rented a small studio in the center of town that was open to the public. People could walk in to see me at work, have a talk or buy my art. I had a couple of shows a year at galleries throughout The Netherlands, and also painted on commission. I knew this was what I wanted to do all along and was happy.
I moved next door to a slightly bigger studio in 1997 that allowed me to live above it, and ended up living and working there for the next 6 years. First alone with my two beloved Cairns Katie and Mo, then – in 1998 – I fell head over heals in love with writer Nene Adams, who left the USA to come and share our lives together." |
 One World One People - ©Corrie Kuipers "I worked from my Mother’s utility room on a collection that would ultimately be good enough to show to a local Art Gallery. The gallery owner saw potential and gave me my first solo show in 1994. The public loved my unique and quirky style, and soon after other galleries started knocking on my door. That’s how it all started."  "Space Cat" - ©Corrie Kuipers |
©Corrie Kuipers
 "Divine Guidance" - ©Corrie Kuipers "After 2003, there was a shift in focus. Painting alone wasn’t paying the bills anymore, the economy was in the toilet and the galleries were getting greedier. We made a battle plan to try and get a piece of the action developing on the Internet. Merchandise was the answer. We started with a Cafépress store, then Zazzle, Redbubble and ultimately Greeting Card Universe. I’m still painting on commission, but to really get the ball rolling with the online ventures I’ve taken a sabbatical from exhibiting. Today the focus remains on illustration." |
"My work’s been published in several newspapers and magazines. I’ve had solo and group exhibitions at wonderful locations, participated in interesting projects and even a book deal. Living the artist life isn’t for the faint hearted. Money is often very tight, and the economy hasn’t always worked in my favor. But once you’ve tasted the total freedom of creating whatever you want, whenever you want, you can’t really give that up. After 6 years of living cheek to jowl in the tiny living space above the studio with my partner and a small menagerie (two dogs, a tropical fish tank, 6 birds and two guinea pigs), it was time to make a decision. The open Atelier was sacrificed in favor of more living space, and we moved to a townhouse in the ‘burbs where we have the luxury of a small garden and room to breathe."  ©Corrie Kuipers |
 "Wok This Way" - ©Corrie Kuipers SOA: What is your background and/or training?
Corrie: "I’m self taught." SOA: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in your career? Corrie: " Be original and stay true to yourself." |
SOA: What drew you to pursue a career as a professional artist in 1994?
Corrie: "Some people know exactly what they want to be when they grow up, I didn’t. I was good in drawing and languages but bad at math, and in those days (I’m talking the 70s here) a girl could get a career as a doctor’s or dental assistant, a receptionist or some other administrative job or study on. I was bright enough but had no discipline to hit the books any longer, so I followed my best friend and chose to go to secretary school. Oh boy, was that the wrong choice! I dropped out halfway and had to look for a job. Because I had no formal education other than the equivalent of a high school diploma, I could only look for an admin job. I got hired at a local bank when I was 18 and toughed it out for 6 years. But I always had a feeling there had to be more to life than just working for the Man. When I got a chance, I quit, and started looking for adventure. It took me awhile to get there but when I finally did, it felt right." |
"Olifant" - ©Corrie Kuipers
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SOA: Describe what medium you work in and your creative process?
Corrie: "When I paint, I work in acrylics and ink on MDF (pressed wood fiber) or paper. Usually I set up the background first, then sketch the subject in ink and paint that. Then the details are put in with ink and a very fine pen. Lately, I also substitute the nib for an Indian ink pen (PITT artist pen by Faber Castell). My style is unique, humorous, slightly surreal and very recognizable. Subjects vary widely, from cows and cats to amazons, goddesses, elephants on unicycles, warriors, travelers and much more. When I illustrate I work clean. With that I mean no paints, no ink, just my Wacom tablet and Photoshop. I set up a sketch, then clean it up and color it in. Very basic, really."  Sagittarius - ©Corrie Kuipers |
 ©Corrie Kuipers SOA: How do you bridge the gap between the role of creative and the role of business owner? Corrie: "For me there is no gap. To survive as a professional artist you have to promote yourself and your work otherwise there is no bread on the table. Nobody will do it for you. Both Nene and I are Air signs so we can think up a plan of operation really fast. We work very well as a team." |
"Mermaid" - ©Corrie Kuipers
 ©Corrie Kuipers |
SOA: How old were you when you discovered you had artistic talent? Corrie: "In kindergarten! So I must have been around 4 years old." SOA: To date, what has been the biggest challenge to overcome in your career as a professional artist? Corrie: "To keep the bill collectors from my door! If you want to be rich, don’t become an artist!" |
 I love to paint pigs as well. Here's one I did back in 2006, with the Dutch title "Op stelten" (= on stilts). Find out about her book illustration by clicking the image.
©Corrie Kuipers |
 ©Corrie Kuipers |
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SOA: What might we be surprised to learn about you? Corrie: "That I studied astrology for awhile – birth horoscopes to be exact - and I was really into that. Nowadays you can buy software that calculates everything in a snap, but we had to do it all by hand and it would take a whole weekend. I would draw a horoscope and give a 20 page blueprint of your life to go with it! It still intrigues me a lot but I can’t fit it in with my other work at the moment." SOA: What project is on your easel right now? Corrie: "The easel is bare and dusty. No painting at the moment, just tablet time." |
 ©Corrie Kuipers |
"Tree Huggers" - ©Corrie Kuipers
 "Sunny" - ©Corrie Kuipers |
SOA: Describe a real-life situation that inspired you or made an impact on you as an artist
Corrie: "I worked in a museum in the archeological department for awhile and I was like a kid in a candy store. I absolutely love history, and here I was surrounded by it. I would do all kinds of odd jobs for the department: help select artifacts for exhibitions, catalog soil samples from prehistoric digs, etc. I loved to walk through the museum after closing time, or spend hours in the storage vaults. It was a very special time. There was also a big library with art books and auction catalogs, and I used to love to go there. I think it was there that the spark for art was rekindled." |
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SOA: Name 3 artists whose work you have on your wall now or would like to have hanging in your home.
Corrie: "I’m afraid there’s not much wall space when you live with a writer, it’s mostly books! But I love the look of books on shelves, stacked on furniture and the floor. Not much time to read, but Nene reads for the both of us. If I had more space and loads of money I wouldn’t mind having something Pre-Raphaelite like a Klimnt, Alma Tadema or Rosetti. Yum!" |
 "The Cat's Pajamas" - ©Corrie Kuipers |
 ©Corrie Kuipers |
SOA: What 5 words best describe you? Corrie: Procrastinator, caring, funny, optimistic and sweet (according to Nene) SOA: How many of your personality quirks come to life your art? "Foremost I think my sense of humor. I want to make people smile through my work." |
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SOA: Like many of us, you’ve been selling through POD sites for quite some time now, can you remember the design/product that was your first online sale? Corrie: "I think that was a Cafépress product, a shirt to be exact. But I honestly don’t remember what was on it. The first GCU card I sold was this one, I think." |
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 "Cow-a-Bungee" - ©Corrie Kuipers |
SOA: Of the thousands of wonderful creations you have already, do you have a favorite piece or collection? Corrie: "I have a lot of favorites, but for some reason this bungee cow always takes the lead, he came out exactly as I wanted." |
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I know you want to see more! Here's where you'll find Corrie so you can keep up to date on all her new creations and start collecting! Hard to resist isn't it?
CorrieWeb Card Store CorrieWeb at Zazzle CorrieWeb at CafePress CorrieWeb at RedBubble And be sure to follow The Wonderful World of Corrie Kuipers on Facebook and her Blog! CorrieWeb on Facebook The CorrieWeb Blog |
 ©Corrie Kuipers |
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I want to thank Corrie for sharing her experiences, her artistic journey and for allowing us to get better acquainted with someone so many of us consider a friend! I will continue to look up to this amazing woman and hope that all of you have been equally inspired by her determination to find the path she was meant to follow so you too can achieve the same level of success! |
 The Wonderful World of Corrie Kuipers |
CorrieWeb Greetings
Nearly 9000 Cards to Choose From!
Birthday . Invitations . Congratulations . Thank You
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CorrieWeb for Halloween!
Cards . Invitations . Shirts & Treats!
©Corrie Kuipers
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 ©Corrie Kuipers |
 ©Corrie Kuipers |
Give Corrie Web for Christmas!
I know...December is a long way away...but I couldn't resist!
 ©Corrie Kuipers |
 ©Corrie Kuipers |
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Visit CorrieWeb
for a Huge Selection of Unique Gifts!
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 COW WORLD by ©Corrie Kuipers |
 CRAFTERS WORLD by ©Corrie Kuipers |
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Visit Our Featured Artist Archives!
If you are a first-time visitor, please visit our Featured Artist Archives from previous issues ...We don't want you to miss anything!
Featured Artist Archives
Our Featured Artist section is here to inspire and encourage artists of all mediums and to give art lovers an opportunity to meet some wonderful artists from around the world. For those artists just beginning their adventure in the art world, we hope you find it encouraging to know that most of us struggle to gain the recognition we desire, you are not alone. And for those artists who've spent a lifetime living and breathing art, we hope to inspire you to take a journey, discover a new medium, or simply to play and leave expectations behind!
Until next time, explore your artistic vision!
Until next time, explore your artistic vision!
