Interview with Minti Mindi

1. Tell us about your shop and your craft.
Currently my shop contains my original paintings, some buttons, and a few reproductions of a few of my paintings. I also offer to do custom digital portraits that I can email to my customers. This allows me to create inexpensive, original art.

I call my paintings Ornaglyphs...which is a word that I made up using mushed up Latin and Greek. Literally translated it means "Bird Print". I tend to use a lot of birds in my paintings (but this is not a rule). The glyph part is more of a reference to the hieroglyphic writing that I use in the comic bubbles. Each painting is a comic panel but instead of using words I use random, abstract symbols that have no meaning. I encourage people to buy several so that they can make a comic strip on their wall...but it's up to them which panels go together, the order and what they mean.

When I work I try to empty my brain as much as possible. I use stream of conscious when I draw each panel. Sometimes some of the panels go together very well. I leave them all open-ended so that the possibilities for arrangements are endless. I use gouache in all of my paintings. I wanted to do as little color mixing as possible so that the palette would stay consistent from painting to painting (however I do mix my own green and orange). Most of my work is small but I do some stuff on canvas and I welcome custom orders on canvas.

2. What inspires you to create?
I think my largest inspiration or motive to create is the need to create a world of my own. We live in a world where we are forced and conditioned to do certain things to be accepted into society. I'm allowed to be weird and crazy in the world I make. I don't have to think about manners or a dress-code. It's also a chance for me to make a living on my own terms, without a boss. I'm not there yet but the hope that this is a possibility keeps me going. Of course I'm also inspired by other artists, music and other people who are independent.

3. What are your passions?
Other than painting and making stuff I love taking looooooooong walks and listening to music, bright colors, keeping things simple, food, and my boyfriend.

4. What's your favorite candy?
dark chocolate and sour gummy worms, or anything that mixes peanut butter and chocolate.

5. Where do you see your shop in 5 years?
I have no idea. I've been doing this particular style of painting for one year now...but who knows I might get bored with it and move on to something else. Or I could have hundreds of Ornaglyphs out there. I would like to get into doing custom portraits because I think it is fun to collaborate with customers.

Thanks Mindy!!