Interview with Dushky: Monsters under the bed

It would be near impossible to write just one post that encompasses the sheer range of projects that Dushky (a.k.a. Andreea Muntean) has tried her hand at. In her own words, she is ‘a young artist from Timişoara who likes challenging all colours, instruments that can leave a mark on paper (and almost any surface) and any fabric that can be transformed into an object.’

These creative adventures often lead her wildly different ends of the creative spectrum, from the explosively colourful mural ‘Octopus House’ for the walls of a printing shop to the ultra-contemporary Skelet-On-SkeletOff collection in bone whites. As she explains ‘my works vary from creatures to creations, thus retaining a distinct duality between naive and edgy’; yet despite being a prolific crafter she still jokingly refers to herself as ‘artistically challenged.’

‘Octopus Wall’ mural for PrintPress printing house in Timişoara

So, where to begin?…

…At the beginning.

I remember being very young when I first had an interest in crafting; my mom taught me the basic cross-stitch patterns. Those quickly turned into something more intricate, when I started painting and sewing my own designs. I had crafting and art classes in pre-school and primary school, and at the same time, took some extra curricular tailoring courses. So I guess I was just that kind of child who always needed to do something with their hands.

Dushky at work at Uman’s Open Sunday event

What made you take the leap from a hobby to starting up a website and selling your products?

I made some ceramic painted pendants for myself in high-school, people asked me to make some for them and soon enough I started selling them at a friend’s shop. Given my artistic side, family and friends always gave me projects, but it wasn’t until I graduated from the university, when I decided to open an on-line shop.

‘Winter Monster with Sweater’ – Winter Wonderland collection

‘Square Fox brooch’ – Dumbrava Minunata collection

There are a lot of really cute characters in your work which have a lot of personality. Do these characters have personalities and stories behind them?

I like to believe that everything I do has a short story behind it, and with my characters I make no exception. When creating them, I always like to make them funny and cute but with slight daring twist. Sometimes they are childish, naive or witty and at other times embarrassing, naughty or a bit slow, but they are always friendly. I find myself laughing after drawing a character and it has this funny expression and its own personality. I often say they are the monsters I would always love to have under my bed.

‘Frankenstein Monster’ toy (part of a range.)

What inspires you in your work? What do you hope to achieve in the future?

The never-ending flow of ideas. Every time I draw or create something, more ideas pop into my head and they just keep coming day by day, that amazes me. I really appreciate my brain and what it makes me do, so I’ll continue feeding it ( J ).

I just hope that I will be lucky enough to do what I love until the day I won’t get to see any of this anymore. By then, I hope, I would have left at least some tiny footprints on this earth. That is my ultimate goal.

‘Sparkly Whale’ – Pesti collection

‘Rainbow Fish’ — Part of the “Pesti Collection’

You make a lot of use of the internet to promote yourself: website/blog/social media/online selling. Do you enjoy interacting this way? How does it compare to selling face to face?

Well, for starters is the obvious advantage, through the internet you can reach a wider range of people, from all over the world. And that gives you a lot of diversity, not only for interactions but for inspiration as well. I admit I like both methods, they have their own qualities and the more you get out there, for people to know you and your work, the better.

‘Crystal Rock’ – Rocky Crystals collection

‘Red Diamond Pendant’ – Diamonds Are Forever collection

You are based in Timisoara. What is the crafts scene like there? Are there many new, inspiring projects happening there?

I have to say it changed pretty drastically in the last couple of years, in the good way, of course. Fairs and crafting events are happening more and more, new communities were founded and handmade shops have opened. I am hoping it will only grow from here because I love seeing people wearing, appreciating and encouraging more and more the hand-made side of things.

SkeletOn-SkeletOff fashion illustrations

SkeletOn-SkeletOff fashion show

Your range of creativity is incredibly diverse: jewellery, home furnishings, accessories, toys not to mention wonderful fashion illustrations and design. How do you keep all these different passions balanced? Is there one particular area that you feel most strongly for or do you go through stages?

They all represent different sides of my personality; sometimes one gets more of my attention than the other, but I wouldn’t want to give any of them up. You can only do so many things in a lifetime and excel in a very few, therefore I consider “art” as my domain and its many forms are just lessons I have to learn.

‘Colourful Tree Pillow’ – Perne collection

‘Mister Hipster Monster Pillow’ – Perne collection

To find out more about Dushky’s products, check out her Breslo shop or you can visit her blog  for regular updates on her projects.