Blog Love // Down and Out Chic

Thank you to Down and Out Chic for showing some blog love for VEDA and Sandra Dieckmann! We love the wish list they put together - beautiful oranges and blues - I especially love the "nudie mug" by Fishs Eddy

Featured Artist : Sandra Dieckmann // Part 2

If you missed our Featured Artist: Sandra Dieckmann // Part 1 catch up quick because we've got even more hand drawn goodness to share.  When I first laid eyes on her "White Bison" illustration I was drawn to it's sadness and warmth - such delicate line work and emotional presence... It stuck with me for some time until I was finally compelled to contact her about our new gallery. 

"White Bison" 

Big surprise - "Sani" (as her friends would say) is as awesome as her illustrations. She spoke with me a bit about the significance of the white bison illustration, part of a larger project - a book titled "TUKOTA", which has currently no release date in sight. NO RELEASE DATE?! How could the book who's illustrations visit my dreams so often be back-burnered with no plans for a release? I quickly understood why as she described her intentions.

"The Tukota book is a personal project that I'm taking my time with. I feel like a lot of illustrator/ illustrations are rushed by feeling like they constantly have to keep people interested. I wanted to enjoy doing something for myself amongst all the other work. Experiment a bit and that."

Whatever it is she's experimenting with, it's working out well for her - the work she's done already on the book is really fabulous - with all the texture and line quality of her other beautiful pieces, but with a personal emotional intensity thats breathes life to her subjects like never before. 

Tukota - Illuminated Type

In this industry of crank-it-out artwork licensed to heartless conglomerates, packaged and sold in mass to naive consumers, it's rare to find people making art for art-sake. Sandra Dieckmann is one of those few honorable creatives still yearning to share something personal through her work. When pencil meets paper anything can happen, but when a person tunes into the deepest parts of their being to express the things we find it hard to talk about, it becomes more than a drawing, takes on a life more important than marks on a paper. It makes people feel - have a gut reaction - and contemplate what that feeling means to them and their life... This is the definition of true artistry. 

Sandra's TOKOTA project has all the potential to be a commercial mega-success, but for now, she's in no rush - as popular as ever - Sandra Dieckmann is balancing Commercial Illustration and Graphic Design with some self exploration and late night sketching sessions, and what's been seen of her Tukota work to date is drool worthy. 

Tukota - White Bison eye study

“The eyes of an animal and the way they move, observation of all living things somehow hold so much truth about worldly balance and the sensitivities we ignore too often these days. I don’t trust people who don’t love animals very easily.”

Tukota - White Bison sketch

So what exactly will Sandra's bison story reveal? "It's not written in stone. It has as such no planned narrative ... I'm letting myself flow from thought to thought and from image to image. In essence it is in memory of my mom who died of cancer. It was her favourite animal and I'm enjoying finding out more and more about the native american legend of the white bison while thinking of her. I'm really beginning to love that creature. Currently watching some beautiful documentaries on bison ;-)" 

"White Bison" fine art print available at www.vedaart.com

Luckily Sandra is a fan of what's going on here art VEDA ART (did i mention she's super cool?!) and she knows how much we appreciate her albino apparition the white buffalo - Soooo, While we all wait with baited breath to see the finished Tukota book,  Sandra has decided to release a print from her "White Bison" series to be sold on www.vedaart.com - WOOHOO! and it's available for only $35 in our online store go check it out!  

N.E.E.T. Advert // Summer 2011

Check out this pretty little web mag - N.E.E.T. Magazine - a wonderful source of inspiration and visual candy - Eclectic Street Fashion, DIY Projects, and Grassroots Creativity. Look out for our funky new advert in the June 2011 issue showing off some of our fabulous new artists (clockwise from the left) Sandra Dieckmann, Bug Under Glass, Jennifer Parks, Sanya Glisic, Diana Sudyka and John Delucca, all prints are available for purchase at www.vedaart.com

Featured Artist : Sandra Dieckmann // Part 1

"Tomorrow Bear"

A freelance illustrator living and working in east London, Sandra Dieckmann's work mainly evolves around nature and wildlife. She's currently working on illustrations for her upcoming white bison book "TUKOTA" (more on that project in Part 2 of Sandra's feature) and we are beyond pleased to be featuring her fabulous work on VEDAart.com 

"Sweet Dreams" Sleeping ... the lovely Ursus Arctus.

 Sandra was born in ‘83, in the tiny rural village of Oldenburg, Germany in a very creative environment. “My father has always been very artistic. He is a free spirit and loves building, painting, making things. My father’s dad left his family very early when he was little. He is a known artist but I have never met him.” so it seems her talent is in part the result of several generations of creative thinking.

“My head is full of stories and creatures and conversations. I can’t be any other Way. Sometimes I think it is the way I was allowed to be free without fear so early on that ignited this dreaminess. I explored the woods, spent loads of time reading, drawing, and just making things... I think I just never stopped.”

"Furry Faces" Zine

Sandra (“Sani”) Moved to London on a whim in 2002 (at 19) in search of new adventures and further education. “I started early on with a Baccalaureta in Art in Germany. After a brief Stint studying Textiles and Fashion Design upon moving to London, she finally completed a BA in graphic information design and illustration at Westminster University (with a first class honors and distinction might I add). 

"Half Human" (Pretty lips - looks a bit like Sani herself)

Now she’s completely at home in east London with her boycat ‘little crumb’, and flat mates.“I soon realized that i wanted to make images and use my Hands and not program or work on layouts all day. I don't mind doing it a bit but I need to let the pictures flow out of my head into my images. It's like breathing. I just need to and I have been doing it as long as I can think back.”  Sandra doesn’t just talk the talk about animal love; she walks the walk – working part time at the RSPCA. “With the charity job I get to meet all types of people in east London and it's nice to be in the centre of the community here.”

"Polar Bear" Ballad Of  'Nanny Floff' Magazine Cover Art

Where do you find inspiration?

Everything around me. The green trees, the streets, people’s faces, the sky and London life. Rubbish on the floor and stains on the asphalt, things that no one else has time to look at any more. Anything by david attenborough. Nature books, touching and watching and talking to animals. The natural world and the lack of it. Often Inspiration here comes from simply watching people and conversations that I have with strangers and friends. It's nice to playfully explain ideas and joke about things and sometimes the best ideas grow out of that. Drawing is my escape.

"Grizzly"

 Who would love to work for or collaborate with?
Anyone that is honest, driven, open that has time for the world and not just themselves.
People with open eyes. People that make eye contact and that aren't scared to tell a long story. People that can say 'not so good' when asked 'how are you?’ - I love this about Sandra, guts and honesty, reminds me of my dear friend (and fellow German girl) Sarah Spinks…this kind of outlook is as old-timey as it is refreshing…

"Fox & Scarf" (work in Progress)

Sandra's illustrations are just so dreamy - I love the texture and care she puts into each drawing as well as the way she compiles color, geometry, and pure heart to create a layering of thoughts and emotions.

"Wolf Mask"

"Heroes are Hard to Find"- Celebratory self initiated illustration.

Greeting Card sponsored and created in collaboration with the Culture Vulture in Leeds.

Ballad Of 'Nanny Floff' Magazine submission theme 'Don't forget to write'.