JUNE ARTIST FEATURE : Elise Towle of ArgyleWhale

I am really excited about this month's featured artist Elise from ArgyleWhale - a wonderful store I found on etsy.com and fell in love with. ArgyleWhale has a great collection of prints, paintings, sculptures, journals, and stationary - just to name a few things Elise does! Her style is endearing and adorable. I had a little interview with her the other day and would like to share it with all of you :)


Tell me about yourself as a person, a little background, where you grew up, high school, college, current job, etc.

My name is Elise Towle Snow. I'm living in Salem, Massachusetts right now with my husband and our two bunny pals (Hodge and Yoshimi). I graduated from Montserrat College of Art a couple years ago and now spend my time working at an artisan bakery, a local cafe and on Argyle Whale.

How long have you been in business? Do you sell besides etsy.com?

I started Argyle Whale the moment I got home From my honeymoon this January. Previously, My husband and I shared a business selling clothing on Etsy (Lazer Beanz). That endeavor was really fun and taught us so much about selling but neither of us felt that we wanted to continue working on it. It was growing and had some success but as we went along we realized that we enjoyed clothing design more as a hobby. I wanted a more efficient business that was set up to grow smoothly and I wanted more design freedom. My primary venue right now is Etsy but I'm beginning to court a few other options as well.

What is your favorite thing to create?

Creating anything in any media makes me really happy. I enjoy experimenting with new materials and techniques more than anything and the beginnings of projects are always my favorite part. I also have to admit that I love drawing fat bunnies in peculiar situations.


What is the best thing that your craft does for you personally?

Making things has always been my biggest source of delight. and at this stage in my life, Argyle Whale gives me freedom and a clear goal to aim for. I work two retail jobs that I really like but I know I won't want to be doing forever and Argyle Whale is an endeavor that I hope will grow into something I can sustain myself off of in the future.

What has been your favorite moment as a seller?
My favorite moment is actually occurring right now! I was selected to compete in Etsy's design face-off challenge and I'm going crazy counting up votes in the competition. It's pretty much the most exciting thing that has happened to me in a long while.
What is your favorite way to end your day?

The end of the day is really my favorite part! I usually stay up late working on projects and finish when my husband gets home from work. I make chamomile tea and toast and we snuggle on the couch with the bunnies and watch a movie.


You can find all of Elise's beautiful work (which is for SALE) at her etsy shop at http://argylewhale.etsy.com

I want to thank Elise for letting me have an interview with her! Good luck!