We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Wendy Costa a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Wendy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

I’ve had a few experiences over 40 years of being an artist that really stand out.
The one I return to often is the hospital story; I was making little clocks at the time, just starting out and in my mid 20’s. I had caught the eye of sales teams and a licensing company in the UK well known for their greeting cards. My bright illustration was a perfect place to showcase my humor and stylized paintings. I love cats and had created a series of cat paintings that were shaped and cut around the art, each clock stood up with an easel. Every piece was handmade and I signed them in limited editions. I got a phone call thanking me and I still remember the message. The woman said her friend was in surgery and she wanted her to wake up feeling loved and smiling, so she bought my ‘kitty circus’ clock and put it on the bedside table in the hospital room. The woman woke up laughing to my painting of the circus of cats. This is my number one memory of my art that stands out.
The second experience was during a show in Lincoln Center in the chaotic heart of NYC. I was doing a busy outdoor show in mid summer and I still can see this beautiful, well-dressed woman looking at my work and piling a collection of several items. She put them in front of me to pay and said to me- ‘you’re everything we fought for-.’ I knew what she meant instantly. She was referring to the feminist movement in the 1960s and 70s. Women like her, slightly older than me, had fought for women’s rights for credit cards, mortgages, businesses, education, equal pay and more. It wasn’t until 1988 in New York State that women were granted business loans without a male cosigner. I didn’t realize that until decades later; my business licensed was filed in 1987. I was a living example of that freedom by sitting there with my own business, no marriage, no mortgage, no children, but a clear shot to my dreams through my art.
The third most striking memory was at the same art fair in NYC, but at a different time- a few years later. A small, shy girl stepped up to me with her hands full of greeting cards with my art. She reminded me of myself at around the age of 6 or 7. Her mother told her ‘tell her– go on tell her-‘ She looked at me with a calm resolute gaze and said “I just won an art contest and I want to be like you one day.’ My heart grew wings. I was looking at my young self and my current self all at once. The image of that carries me through many storms.
I am honored to create art for people to heal from, cheer through, and pull inspiration from.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been drawing as far back as I can remember. My love of art and fashion, stationary, sculpture, & animation is truly the love of my life. I have never found anything as beautiful as art- both in process and completion.
Art for me is a restorative, spiritual practice, and bringing beauty into the world is my full-time passion.
I went to school in the early 1980s for Fine Art, and soon after started my design studio. I still can’t wait to get up in the morning to create.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Art and Fear is a book that I keep on my bed side table. I find this book not only fascinating, but short and succinct in its lessons. The back story on that book is two art professors got together after class over the course of 2 years, discussing how students get stuck in their art practices, and how they can overcome each hurdle.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I sell now almost exclusively on my own site: wendycosta.com after decades of wholesale, It’s wonderful to take my time and design things I really want to see in the world. I love wild, one-of-a-kind pieces, sculpture, animation and recently I’ve done some public art. I have swapped high quantity selling for a slower method. I hand pick stores that I want to work with and create ‘a boutique in a boutique’ where I create displays that match my vision for my brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wendycosta.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendycostastudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendycostastudio/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOT4Ni0PAATv_H3wp6ZDdNQ/featured

Image Credits

photos by wendy costa