Special warning! I was lucky enough to get some correspondence with great Aimee StewartNo! No! If you knew the riddle, you’d know the truth!
These are the questions I ask and the answers I get. Please enjoy and thank you.
WThe hat helped you start making puzzles?
I’ve always liked puzzles. I grew up getting used to my mother taking out the table every winter so we could work for months in the middle of Washington State. But I never imagined I’d become a puzzle artist! That’s all that happens after I get art on the market like card congratulations and the like for a while. MGL The possibility of detecting my artwork and liking it and seeing the potential of the puzzle industry. My artwork is already available for bright, vivid colors… but I’m creating art, not the detailed puzzle art that you see today. I signed with MGL and they accepted me, giving me the confidence to actually reach out and tell stories with details in my work. It really clicks with me. I’m a creator of growth, and I have a huge patience in designing. What you see today is the peak of all that.
DYou do all the art or have a team of artists?
I used to laugh and wonder if people thought I had a team, because I was so happy! But no – this is all me, and I’m very proud of that. I like to think of it as my supernatural power! I live and breathe art. What you see is the real puzzle is just the tip of the iceberg. When I didn’t create the art of puzzles, I was creating my own artwork for its absolute pleasure, the occasional committees, and the traditional art at my studio. I rarely watch TV. I love to read, but it takes a lot of time not to focus on art. And if I travel, explore, go shopping, or anything else that takes me out of the studio… I’m thinking about art. I’m creating projects in my head. I’m going to go around an antique store for hours, and it looks like I’m out in the open… but what I’m doing is working with the current artwork in my head, so when I get back to the studio, I’m overwhelmed with inspiration and the fire that I need to create. What I have is an amazing support network of friends and family, as well as a talented husband, who shares my passion for this industry. We came up with an idea from each other, and we had a shared studio just to make stock photos and art pictures. It makes it extremely convenient and fun. I’m an art generator, I can go and go… That’s what I feel best to do and connect with people who like the result is my fuel keeps doing what I do!
HDo you take pictures, photographs, computers?
Everything I created for the puzzle was done on a computer, but it was a combination of visual and digital elements, drawing hands and drawing, and everything in between. I mainly worked on something called the Cintiq 24 HD pencil performance, a giant electronic board that I could draw on using art shows such as the Aldo Creation Cloud. I have an iPad that I can use on going, and then always have the notebook and so to sketch the idea in. My biggest goal is that once I’ve finished, you don’t think about how many elements go into a work of art that moves you through the process of creation, and into the story that it’s telling.
What is your inspiration for the art of puzzles and it has changed over time?
My puzzle art has turned to more illusions… But it evolved over time, and now it’s all about common experience and memorialism. And when I say “notalgia”, I mean primarily my generation… But there’s a lot of ideas about memorials! I also enjoy creating things related to human passion and interests. There are numerous beautiful things to study and gather out there, many fascinating topics to invest in time. If I can capture the passions in art, it makes me very happy! I still create fictional art, but mostly for myself, but who knows, maybe it will appear in the future as a puzzle art for those who prefer less detail.
Is your artwork published in other forms besides riddles, and if so, which form?
My artwork can be found as patch maps (specially designed through Heaven and Earth), Kim Gang, art, gift, card and office, as well as my latest work designing for fabric companies!
Did you and Lars Stewart ever work together on puzzles or artwork? If not, do you think about it?
In addition to dreaming up the idea of coffee, and occasionally helping each other take pictures (somebody needs to eat more…open all the candy…he’s not cooperating. We criticize each other’s work before it gets sent to our agents, because we know that we can be honest with each other, that’s a huge help. Will we sleep together someday? Never say never!
Do you have a riddle or an artwork that you have created? If so, who and why?
That changes a lot every year. I’ve got one I’ve just done that hasn’t been released yet that I love! But I think I will always have a weakness in my heart for “Fairytale Fantasia” – my first image. He has launched everything, and he will always keep a certain miracle for me.
Have you ever regretted having an image published after this event?
Not as much regret as I wish I could have the skills that I have now. But I think every artist feels that way. I look back at the first people and appreciate that I’ve become an artist.
Do you like puzzles? Do you have a favorite brand?
I love puzzles! And I love it when my family puts puzzles together, it helps me refine the way I create and provide a better experience for the puzzle fans. I actually collected classical puzzles, especially from the late 60s and early 70s when astronomical designs and Mods were complete. The welcome of the Americans reveals true treasures! I’m a big fan of Peter Max, so collecting the Peter Max puzzle I can find in nature is one of my favorites. I’m sure that his art-testers will see where I get colour love from!
How do you see your work grow and how does it grow in the first place?
All I hope is that I continue to grow as an artist. That I have always tried to learn new ways to work, new techniques, new technologies — and most importantly, to continue to bind my heart and passion into it as I continue. That’s the key. The technical aspect of what I do is not a big mystery… the real key to making it sing is that I pour my heart, dreams and optimism on it to hope that when someone touches one of my riddles, they can feel it. I want it to be more than just a good picture… I want it to lift them up, inspire them, become a shared experience of happiness. It is the most satisfying thing for me as an artist, and I hope to keep that development and development going into the future.