2nd Friday Spotlight
Thimsy Whimsy // Katherine Perry | Illustrator
We are so excited that summer is in the air here in Old Town Cornelius because that means that it is time for the kick off of our 2nd Friday Street Festival! Every year, on the 2nd Friday of the month, our community gathers together at Oak Street Mill for a great night out full of live music, food trucks, activities, crafts from local artists and craftsmen, and so much more!
While it is pretty tough to choose a favorite part of these events, I have to say that for me, it is meeting the talented artists and vendors that are represented from all parts of our community and the story that they each have to tell. Which is why we are excited to spotlight one of these Craftsmen (or in this months case, Craftswomen!) each month prior to the event so that you can get to know them. Our spotlight gives you the chance to peek behind the curtains and learn the inspiring stories of the people that make up our vibrant community!
May Spotlight
Artist: Thimsy Whimsy // Katherine Perry | Illustrator
Instagram: @thimsywhimsy
When I first spotted Thimsy Whimsy, I was intrigued by all the beautiful detail in her artwork. Her ability to portray life like images and the use of bold colors drew my eye to them immediately and I was so excited to find out more about the artist behind these images. Plus, she has gorgeous adult coloring books so you know that the crafty side of me was so excited!
So I sat out to find out more. After a little digging, I found out that Katherine, often referred to as Thimsy, has such an inspiring story of overcoming obstacles in her life. From finding solace in her artwork as a form of therapy when faced with health issues, to eventually creating a successful (and pretty!) business from her talents, the journey that has led her to share her art work with us this week is nothing short of amazing.
Check it out her story below!
Thimsy! Tell us about your business and what it is that you do!
Hello! My name is Katherine and I’m an illustrator! I have multiple degrees in art and art history which really help to influence my art style and technical ability. Predominantly, I am a digital artist and use a WACOM Intuous Pen & Touch tablet, Krita, Easy Paint Tool SAI, and Clip Studio Paint to create my pieces! I enjoy drawing people and characters from my favorite books and strive to make my artwork as inclusive as possible.
Tell us your origin story. How did you get started and where do you want to go!
I’ve been creating art since freshman year of high school. After a few rough early experiences in sharing my artwork, it became a purely personal creative outlet. At the age of 18 I started to develop arthritis in my spine and by 23, I had a partial removal of my L3/L4 disc because it had ruptured and crushed my spinal cord. After mostly recovering, I developed Fibromyalgia in 2016. Throughout all that time I used my art as a means to cope with my health issues. But my health deteriorated enough that I wasn’t able to hold down a regular job.
In early 2018, I took a chance on myself and my artwork and began sharing my art with the world. Since then, I have had multiple successful Kickstarter campaigns, self published a coloring book, been featured in numerous monthly subscription boxes, had my artwork used as covers for two fantasy books, and been commissioned to create illustrations for numerous local businesses including Eleven Lakes Brewing and Finfolk Productions. I’m currently working on my second coloring book, collaborating with a Lolita designer to create fabric designs for her dresses and am working towards self publishing a webcomic!
My goal this year is to give back and I’m planning on putting together a project to help pitbull rescues generate more revenue to save more pitbulls and find them their forever homes. So far, I’m just along for the ride and am seizing every opportunity to create that comes my way!
Tell us some that you are excited about our first 2nd Friday of 2019!
I love the great sense of community and togetherness that OTC works towards in Cornelius and the surrounding communities. I always have a blast working the events put on by OTC! There’s always such an eclectic group of vendors!
Thimsy, thank you for sharing your story with us and we can’t wait to see you this week at our first block party of the year!
Be sure to stop by her booth to see her beautiful work on Friday (and before to check out her adult coloring books!) We know we will be popping by to see her work!
“I love connecting with people at events and taking on challenges from my clients. My tagline is “I draw pretty things.” because I draw things and they tend to be pretty to look at!”
I hope you enjoy my art!
Thimsy
