Culture? introducing Brett Michelle Manning-Rouch...

..We are so lucky that we have the talented Brett Michelle Manning-Rouch as the feature for today. Brett`s work has a lot of texture, and they have a fascinating sense of privacy combined with the "look over here"-factor. Brett has answered some questions for us, so keep on reading. And by the way; Brett is a girl. Here it is, your daily shot at art with Brett Michelle Manning-Rouch:

-Can you tell the readers a little bit about yourself, name, what country you live in, age etc?---My name is Brett Michelle Manning-Rouch. Most know me as Brett Manning. I am 24 years old and I live in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. I like all kinds of things such as cats, sweater weather, old shoes, nice paper, sharing, and soft things.

-What inspired you to start being creative?---I always have been I guess, so I don't remember a definitive moment when I started creating. I t was always encouraged too.

-Is making art your fulltime job, and if not, what else do you do?---More like a part-time job. I was a full-time artist for a while, but I realized I was getting lazier and lazier. Working from home allows for that. So now, I work at Busy Beaver Button Co. several hours a day, then come home and have lots of time to create. Having the other job is kind of a motivation to come home and work.

-Have you gone to art school, if yes where did you go and what did you study?---I have a Bachelors Degree in Fashion Design from The Illinois Institute of Art- Chicago.

-Where do you find inspiration?---Just by living

-Do you have a favorite artist and if so who and why?---Lots. Egon Schiele has a always had a place in my heart, right next to Beatrix Potter. I also admire so many current artists like Tara Dougans, J. Lynn Larson, Kris Knight, Maren Celest, Alice McMahon White, Meyoko, and Hope Gangloff.

-Where can my readers see your work?--- if you want to see it in person, I have work in Chicago at several places, mostly boutique-type stores (Lenny & Me, Surplus of Options, Kokorokoko) but here are a couple links...
Website: www.brettisagirl.com
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brettisagirl/
Tumblr: http://brettisagirl.tumblr.com/