Meet Elisabeth Wing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elisabeth Wing.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Since I could hold a pencil, drawing and using my hands to create, fix or rearrange things has been my favorite pastime. Growing up with musical, creative and industrious parents helped fuel my desire to turn my artistic nature into practical skills. When I was browsing majors in college, I was excited to find industrial design, which married my love of sketching and fine art with the bringing an idea to production. I fell in love with the process of brainstorming to solve a problem, sketching my ideas, and then ultimately creating a product from scratch. It was exhilarating to learn woodworking, plastics, welding, 3D modeling and graphic design in the Industrial Design department at BYU, Provo.

When I finished my program, I was a busy mom of three small children (now I have four), and so I needed to be able to work from home part-time. Working as a freelance graphic designer gave me the balance I needed. I created invitations and printable projects mostly but kept itching to do something else. I was just starting to design and sell baby shoes when I heard of a company called Spoonflower, where you could custom print your own designs on fabric! I knew I had to try to print my own fabric and make some baby shoes with it right away. I quickly learned how to create a repeating pattern and I couldn’t stop, it is so fun! When I finish a fabric pattern, it feels like I’ve solved a challenging puzzle and I find a lot of fulfillment in that.

Please tell us about your art.
Around the same time, I found out about printing on fabric I learned that one of my friends had lost her baby girl just after she was born. I was trying to think of what I could send them and had the idea to create a receiving blanket for their family with a repeating illustration of the family to symbolize that families are forever.

Soon after, a relative of mine passed away leaving behind a young wife and three small children. I got to work and sent their family a family fabric quilt as well. Working on that quilt gave me an opportunity to personally celebrate his life and light and work through my own perspective of loss. It felt so good to give them something that would remind his family that they will always be a connection.

While this idea of family fabric came about as a way to comfort those who had experienced loss, it has also been such a fun way to give someone something custom that they definitely don’t already have. People have gifted my products as wedding gifts, bridesmaids’ invitations, holiday presents, baby announcements, etc.! Illustrating families and their favorite things is rewarding and people seem to enjoy my work, so I decided to continue with something that has had an impact and that I find really fun! I truly enjoy working with people to create the perfect gift for their loved ones or for themselves. I also love designing fabric and surface patterns.

I have had a blast thinking of new ways to use my illustrations on fabric. I offer pillow faces, family and friend banners, holiday ornaments, and fine art prints as well. I am largely focusing on my family right now because we just welcomed our own newest addition, so you might not find everything listed available on my website. I hope to start bringing back more products soon, so follow along on Instagram for updates!

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
Social media is a blessing and a curse because you really have to be present to stay relevant, yet it’s such a copyright risk. I’ve seen big companies completely rip off popular artists. The particular artist that I’m thinking of was bold and stood up for herself, calling out the big retailer. She found a lot of support from her fellow makers, which I think she found as a comfort. When finding my own aesthetic, I had to dig deep and try not to let another people’s work influence my own as well. I try to find inspiration from my own background, surroundings, experiences, and dreams instead of copying other people.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Follow my process on Instagram, I take illustration orders on my website and turnaround time is usually 3-4 weeks. My fabric and wallpaper designs can be found at spoonflower.com/profiles/wingmade.

Contact Info:

• Website: wingmade.bigcartel.com
• Phone: 720.951.3027
• Email: liswing@gmail.com
• Instagram: @wingmadeshop
• Other: spoonflower.com/profiles/wingmade

Image Credit:
Jubilee Family Photography, Melissa Maxwell

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