Art Star: Did you go to art school?  If so, where did you study?
Hillery Sproatt:  I did. I studied printmaking and book arts at The Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland.

AS: What types of items will you be selling at the bazaar?
HS: I will be selling hand-colored etchings, drawings, embroidered objects and perhaps some very small weavings.

 AS: What materials do you work with?
HS: I keep many scraps for collage. Many drawings soon become pieces of other drawings. I use embroidery thread, linen, many colored yarns, and a small thing of gouache. Colored pencils, a few nicely colored markers, crayons, fine paper, and pva are also staples in my small studio.

AS: How are your items made? Describe your process.
HS: I am an intuitive maker. I find I often just begin and I try to look closely at what is happening in the work. Relationship building is a big part of making anything for me these days. I use my imagination quite a bit.

AS: Are you able to make your work full-time?  If not, what do you do for your day job?
HS: That is something I hope to work towards. Along with making my work and running Specks & Keepings,  I work four days a week as a production assistant at a small textile company, called Unison, based in Chicago. I get to work with many lovely handprinted fabrics, which is a pleasure.

AS: Who are some of your favorite artists?
HS: Cy Twombly and Claes Oldenburg excited me. I am often inspired by children’s drawings, the quilts made by the women of Gees Bend, the flatness of Grandma Moses, and many other wonderful artists I find and share on my blog. So many beautiful things in the world worth seeing.

Horse Mobile by Hillery Sproatt

AS: What are you reading/listening to right now?
HS:  At the moment I am reading At Home by Bill Bryson, which is very good! I am also enjoying watching Treme on HBO. This is one of my very favorite shows.

AS: Where would you like to see yourself and your art/craft business in the next 10 years?
HS: I would like to be able to support myself and to be showcasing the work of many other fine artists through growing the Specks & Keepings shop. I would also like to be designing fabrics for Debby Weiss, the designer of Rebe, to make her wearables from.

“Henri & Hanna” Soft Sculptures by Hillery Sproatt

AS: Are there any bazaar participants that you are excited to check out this year? 
HS: The ceramic mugs by Earth and Wears. Printed Wearables by Red Prairie Press.

Visit Hillery Sproatt at the Art Star Craft Bazaar at Booth #71