AugustaWynde Designs is the creator of fun and whimsical garden art and home decor, using all kinds of kiln-fired clay and kiln-formed glass in virtually every color of the rainbow!
What is your favorite piece of work you've created?
"They're all really my favorites, how can I possibly choose just one? My most favorites are possibly the more sentimental pieces, pieces I've made for special occasions and memorials."
What are you currently working on? "In addition to my bird, butterfly, and bee feeders, I'm creating a series of glass and ceramic art masks. the masks depict how we all wear masks depending on who the world expects us to be. Underneath those masks is who we truly are. So many people never have the courage to take off their masks and just be who they are."
What are your goals for the future? Both artistically and in life.
"My biggest goal for myself as an artist is to find a nice piece of land with a beautiful view and build a studio to work in. My biggest life goal is to raise my children to be happy, healthy, and successful; who know their wings and aren't afraid to fly."
What is your strongest memory of your childhood?
"...Going fishing with my dad. My dad was the youngest of seven children, and his mom was widowed when he was seven, so he never got to do things like fishing and camping with his dad. My dad made it a goal to do everything with us that he never got to do with his own dad."
Do you have any other interesting hobbies or maybe a fun story about an experience involving your artwork?
"I love to raise plants and garden with my children. We have a garden in our field made up of discarded tires that I've cut, painted, and assembled to look like various insects and animals. Within that garden, is a pyramid of cheerfully painted tires with different types of strawberries growing inside, as well as some with flowers and vegetables too. The neighbors gave us some odd looks in the beginning but now people drive by just to look!"
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
"Let's see...there's a lot! My first "real" job was selling shoes in the mall at a fancy, full-service men's shoe store. I've sold everything from women's clothes to pretzel's to pewter figurines in the mall, managed a bagel shop, was a banker for six or seven years, and worked in a coffee shop. My most recent career was offering credit cards to shoppers and a large outdoors store. Fortunately, which may seem weird, I suffered a brain stem injury when my four-year-old was born and wasn't able to go back to work at the store. I accidentally became a fulltime artist and it's been an enormous blessing, I may never have had the courage to take the leap on my own, but here I am!"
Favorites!
Color: Turquoise
Season: Spring, just as the world gets ready to burst into bloom!
Movie: Singin' in the Rain
Board Game: Any game I can play with my kids. Right now, it's Chutes 'n Ladders.
Best cup of coffee: The first one in the morning!
Ice cream: Death by chocolate.
What's the best piece of advice you've been given?
"My dad was a big Zig Ziglar fan; He used to tell me "FIDO" all the time, "Forget it, Drive on." You can't change the past, all you can do is move forward.