Hello and welcome to the first of our Meet the Team blog posts!
In these blog posts over the next eight weeks we'll be asking each of the new Creative Expressions Design Team members some questions to find out what techniques they're into right now, what inspires them to create and even what treats they like to snack on whilst getting inky!
So without further ado, this week we would like to introduce DT member Jean Gursoy...
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| DT Member Jean Gursoy |
Question 1. Introduce yourself briefly...
My name is Jean Gursoy, I live in London and am lucky
enough to have a wonderful family who support me in everything I do. I am going through a difficult time in my life
right now as my husband passed away in April, and we were together for forty
years. I am privileged to have been
chosen as a design team member because it is really helping me to cope and do
creative and positive things and learn from other people’s work.
I have a background in the textile industry, but retrained later on as an ESOL teacher, teaching English to foreign
students. Craft is my real passion in life, I don’t see craft as simply a
hobby; it is so therapeutic too and I cannot live without it. If I had to describe myself in a nutshell, I'd say I'm a craftaholic!
2. How did you get into crafting?
I
have always crafted since I was a small child, being an only child, I spent a
lot of time alone so I quickly learnt to amuse myself with an array of pens,
paints, paper and anything else I could get my mum to buy for me. When I was around 14, I unpicked one of
my favourite skirts, cut a pattern from it and sewed all the seams by hand with
tiny, tiny stitches. My grandmother asked
me where I got the sewing machine from and, after I told her I had completed it
by hand, a sewing machine arrived that Christmas. Incidentally, I still love sewing by hand
believe it or not!
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| A Christmas themed birthday card by Jean: made using Spellbinders Nestabilities and Bakers Twine. |
3. How would you describe your style?
I
can be quite eclectic and get interested in different styles; at the moment I
would like to do more Steampunk style projects. On the other hand, I love symmetry and designs that have a Medieval or
Arts and Crafts feel to them too.
4. Where do you draw inspiration from?
I
draw inspiration from everywhere; magazines, books, the internet and YouTube,
other crafters’ blogs, from nature and from my own feelings. I am a fan of Pre-Raphaelite Art, William
Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement.
I also love Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Impressionist Art. I also really like folkart painting and the
intricacy of Ottoman design.
5. What's your favourite technique right now?
I
don’t think I have a favourite technique, although I have to say I enjoy
brayering when creating scenes, using distressing techniques and creating my
own background papers using inks, misters and embossing folders.
There's nothing I like better than to get
myself really messy (the rebel in me!), but I even shock myself and can never
understand how, in the space of five minutes, I can create so much chaos and
disorder! There’s such a plethora of stamping techniques, all interesting in
their own way, and I love to experiment with bleach on dark card, do a little
zentangling (doodling), ripping, tearing and crumpling paper (very
therapeutic).
6. What's your favourite colour?
I
love autumn colours; reds, browns and golds. Also, dare I say it, I
love PINK! Especially with black; sorry
about that.
7. What do you like to snack on whilst crafting?
Well,
the thing is that when I get into my craft room I really have a problem getting
out again! When I do, I am so hungry that I eat anything available that does
not have to be cooked – that’s usually ice cream, cream crackers and Turkish
cheese, olives and my favourite chilly peppers that I eat with all savoury
food. I would ideally like to snack on
shish kebab, but no chance of that.
8. What do you do when you're not crafting?
Spend
time with my lovely family, watch all the wonderful programmes on Turkish
Satellite TV (so I don’t forget my Turkish) and play with my sweet little half
Bengal cat called Elmaz (Diamond).
9. Tell us a random fact about yourself...
I love learning languages! I am fluent in Turkish, Modern Greek and also spent two years studying Spanish with the Open University. The problem is that if you don't use it you lose it and although I can read Spanish and understand it; not having the chance to speak it is a huge drawback.
10. What craft tool could you not live without?
My Grand Calibur!!!
11. If your house was on fire, what's the first thing you would save from your craft room?
My Spellbinders dies, as many as possible. If I could carry them that is!
You can see more of Jean's beautiful creations, including her Creative Expressions DT pieces, on her blog here.
Check back here next Tuesday to read our next Meet the Team post!
