Tell us more about this design.

It started with an expression I saw on the face of a woman in some magazine. I changed her face a bit and added the flowy hair I love to draw. She seemed interesting and mysterious and so then I added the birds, snakes, etc. She is like a young, hip mother nature of sorts.

Tell us more about Thirsty Fly.

If you mean me personally: I’m Rachel Caldwell from Philadelphia who grew up with a Dad who is a fantastic realism painter (Edward Gordon) and studied graphic design at Kutztown University.

If you mean the screen name name Thirsty Fly: I read a quote once by a man named William Oldys, “Busy, curious, thirsty fly, drink with me and drink as I”. I thought it was a cool thing to say to a fly and it spoke to how I feel about drawing: I’m a graphic designer by trade, but I want to be an illustrator and fine artist full time. With a full-time career as a design director at a financial company, there is never enough time in the day for drawing—let alone painting—so I am always ‘thirsty’ to get back to it and I think about it constantly like any artist.

Where do you look for or find inspiration?

Aside from talking with my Dad about his art, I read a lot of “low brow” illustration magazines and I find inspiration in the work of artists and painters like Lori Earley, Travis Louie, and Michael Hussar. I don’t have any idea how they create things that are so beautiful and haunting all wrapped together. A lot of it is absolutely frightening and then also hilarious (Hussar). Aside from the paintings and other works from these artists, the actual articles and interviews are really great reads about their lives and struggles. I’m not trying to emulate their style per se, but I find them fascinating. For example, when I read that Lori Earley (who does pieces that are 6 feet tall) painted her entire Anima Sola solo show works with four herniated disks, I figured I could muster up the energy to finish up that latest 14” x 17” pen-and-ink drawing I’d been working on.

Currently, who is your favorite ‘t-shirt artist’?

Aled Lewis has the sharp and witty concepts that you can’t believe someone thought of. Alex Solis should be published by now ten times over in the children’s book arena and Brandon Heart is my favorite on the Emptees showcase. God Machine makes some crazy stuff that I enjoy just staring at. Also Enkel (Buko) and Julia Sonmi are talent to the extreme.

Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?

To be more patient. I am an Aries so it is a real problem.

Any links you want to include?

http://thirstyfly.blogspot.com/

Anything else?

Thanks to Tilteed for having such an original tee shop and cool site to hang out at.