Meet Plush You! artist: Betty Turbo

I love getting applications for this show and finding new folks to love.  I love the whimsy of Betty Turbo and hope you do too!

Tell my readers a bit about yourself
Hey it's me, your friend Betty Turbo!  I live in Oregon and my studio is painted bright pink.  I hide out in here obsessing over ridiculous tv shows, professional wrestling, wild animals, and FOOD.  

What do you love most about making plush toys?
I'm always interested in cultivating new audiences and introducing people to something they may not have sought out on their own.  I think plush toy culture is really compelling in this way, because it reaches many different types of folks.  Kids learn what makes handmade things more special than mass produced toys.  Adults may be drawn to something that encourages them to play a little more.  Finding a tangible, 3-D object that you are (usually) allowed (encouraged!) to touch can give people a connection to the Art World which they may have felt outside of before.  And as an artist, I really have an opportunity to emphasize FUN and not take myself too seriously, while still being allowed to obsess over the craftsmanship of what I produce. So many possibilities for connection!  

Is this your full time job?
I am thrilled to be a full-time Art Maker.  In addition to plush, I sell art, cards, apparel and home decor items, and I take commissions for illustration and hand-lettering.

What sites do you look at for inspiration?
I try not to spend too much time looking at websites for inspiration, as that tends to suck away entire days!  I do, however, enjoy keeping tabs on my favorite artists and art patrons through social networks and seeing who they like.  

Did you do anything fun for the summer?
I've mostly been working on art!  I have to make a pile of paintings for a show in Portland in October, and one in Seattle in November.  Between that and trying to get a jump on new products to roll out for the holidays, the summer has disappeared!  I have taken a few breaks to drink a zillion cups of coffee & invent some tasty new ice cream recipes, and bake things with the piles of local produce that magically appear... it's like it grows on trees or something...