{the interview series} Ana Raimundo + giveaway!

Hoje entrevisto Ana Raimundo, também conhecida como fric de mentol, uma criadora de personagens deliciosas! Ana é portuguesa e deixa transparecer as tradições do seu país em muito do que cria... a sua criatividade é imensa, plena de frescura e de cor.

E como se não bastasse ficar a conhecê-la um pouco melhor através desta entrevista, a Ana decidiu presentear os meus leitores com uma surpresa: um fantástico giveaway! Leiam até ao fim para descobrir o que podem ganhar e o que terão que fazer para o conseguir... é muito simples e garanto que valerá a pena!

Não se esqueçam de seguir {the interview series} no facebook e de reler todas as entrevistas aqui.
(Por motivos óbvios de extensão e compreensão do texto, tanto pelos entrevistados como pelos potenciais leitores do resto do mundo, a entrevista segue em inglês.)


Today I'm interviewing Ana Raimundo, also known as fric de mentol, a creator of delicious characters! Ana is Portuguese and reveals the traditions of her country in many of her creations... her creativity is immense, full of freshness and color.
And besides letting you know her a little better through this interview, Ana decided to offer my readers a surprise: a fantastic giveaway! Read till the end to find out what you can win and what should you do to win it... it's very simple and I guarantee that it will be worth it!

Don't forget to follow {the interview series} on facebook and to read all the previous interviews here.

Ana Raimundo | fric de mentol
Portugal
blog | shop | facebook

1. Let’s pretend we don’t know each other and I’ve never heard about Ana Raimundo. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm over thirty, I live in Portugal and in relation to arts, my passion, I'm a medium mixer/freelance artist. I like to knit words and play expressions, it's what I use to say to describe myself.

2. You describe yourself as an artist and illustrator. How was this creative passion born and when did you decide you would live for it?
Well, I've been working with that goal. I always had a special taste for drawing and painting everything (including home walls, when a child). My parents had crafts abilities so I grew up surrounded by colorful hand painted stones and funny portraits. And so was born my creative passion. Later on, I pursued the arts way. After University, given the necessity of having a job, a movable one, I decided to make a living of it.

3. fric de mentol is such a funny and unusual name! When was this brand born and why is it called like that?
It was born five years ago, when playing with words. I wanted a graphic name and so Fric de Mentol has no meaning, just a fresh something.

4. You create funny and colorful characters, but you also paint some real people in your work. What inspires you to create them? Would you share your creative process with us?
I have a passion for expressionism, realism, graphism and portraiture, combining them all with my own brush texture.
I usually plan a series about a theme, but sometimes I just paint more intuitively. I pay special attention to the eyes’ expression, they must say something to me, a deep look maybe.
For both situations I start with an image, random images, my self-portraits with compositions and expressions I want to represent but also magazines, family portraits and characters from my sketch books.
I’m an analogical person so everything starts with some fun with a pencil. Then comes the experimental adventure, it’s time to materialize the sketch.

5. I know you are a gocco lover – a Japanese color screenprinting home system, which is endangered. Are you having problems with that? Besides screenprinting, which mediums do you enjoy using to create?
I guess when things are disappearing it’s when they become more interesting, treasured.
Gocco is a really important tool for me, but it’s not easy to get supplies, they’re getting rarer and more expensive.
I like all the mediums, they all offer a challenge which I embrace with all my senses, although right now I’m trying to focus on a certain medium, like screenprinting on fabric.

6. You also create accessories and homewares. How do you manage to always find something new to create? Can I ask you what your favorite is and what’s been your best seller until now?
Usually new ideas come when developing another work and I always choose products that I would keep and use myself.
I have a special love for Le Solitaire and he's definitely my best seller, mostly the sachets.

7. You’re an artist who made exhibits, who was featured in so many inspiring blogs and your creations travel all around the world! What means do you use to promote your work?
Promotion is not my best skill at all. I have a blog and a facebook fan page where I try to keep a diary of everything related, like new works, as well as when I’m featured.

8. What is creating for you: a profession, a passion, a necessity, a life style or a hobby? What else are you passionate about doing?
It’s a bit of each one. Although I live almost for my work, I like to take long walks in the woods, camping, devouring music and cinema, cooking is also an enormous pleasure as well as caressing my lady dog’s belly.

9. Would you share with us a regular day at work?
I’m a night owl, I find the night quieter to work. I almost lose the morning but sometimes I see the sunrise.
I try to organize my day as close as possible of what I’ve planned before. Like I said before, the unexpected may come and we have to be ready for it. I dedicate some time to emails and my shop, also things related with the Portuguese team on etsy. I also spend some hours scratching my sketchbooks and taking/working photos.

10. Would you give us a glimpse of your working space? Describe it and tell us what you love most about it.
My studio moves each year, changing the way things are. I carry a bunch of movable furniture to keep my work safe: shelves, drawers, boxes and tables. It’s a nice quiet and calm working space, with the walls full of this year’s work and some hanged garlands, sometimes invaded by tasty music. I created a spotlight dedicated to shoot the photos of my pieces, where the scenario changes according to the product. I also have the privilege to regard the animal life, from my window I see sheep and a donkey, surrounded by olive trees and oaks.

11. You say you move almost every year… can you tell us why? Where you living now and what was the place where you most enjoyed living?
We were both preparing to have a future as teachers but it would be hard to be near each other, so we thought I was capable of producing items for a way of living. Nowadays, we have to move by the rhythm imposed by the complex teacher’s selection process.
I’m now living inside a natural park, in the middle of Portugal.
Setúbal is in my heart forever because of the Serra da Arrábida.

12. If you could live in any place or historical era of your choice, what would it be? Why?
Oh, interesting! I never thought about it but I would enjoy being a Michelangelo co-worker and living in that time. Because he’s a genius!

13. I admire your ecological concerns, your immense creativity and your positive attitude! I also know that you’re always interested in promote Portuguese artists (you even created Portugal Team on etsy). What are the main problems you face being an artist in our country, Portugal?
Portugal has so many fabulous traditions, not only in arts and crafts, for it is a very old country. However, we are not taking advantage of it; we have a lot of wasted potential. The progressive alienation of people makes them to despise our culture so they don’t appreciate its value. Another aspect is related to the available raw materials. It’s difficult to get the supplies without going abroad.

14. What advices would you give to someone who would also like to become a full time artist?
You should love what you do, be aware that you will have to overcome many obstacles and keep working with full dedication, never giving up.

15. What are your plans for the future? And your most unrealistic dreams?
I always want to improve. If I could, I would hire some members to assist me on my projects and make a lot of collaborations, giving them a full lifetime supersonic power endurance ever seen to extend the business to a greater level.

Now some quick question and answer game so we can find a bit more about you and your tastes! Tell us one:

book: O Papalagui
music: Mudo e Surdo (Paus)
movie: Into The Wild
personality/artist: Luis Filipe Santos (aka corcoise)
color: olive green
object: my mug
animal: donkey
drink: water
food: fruit
season of the year: spring
travel destination: Mali
piece of clothing: socks
secret: there’s not any pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (I’ve been there)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and adding lots of color to this series, Ana!

And now... the big surprise: Ana is incredibly generous and is offering one of her latest creations to one of my readers... it could be you!
You have the chance to win a round dream Le Solitaire - a funky man who loves to sing near the sea... one of my favorite characters ever, now with a beautiful 3D touch.

giveaway time!

This is a mixed media piece: hand screen printed and hand embroidered with cotton threads on linen. It's framed with a wooden hoop and ready to hang by a beautiful and bright hand painted silk yarn, so you can brighten up the walls of your home.
The diameter of the hoop is 8'' (24 cm). Every piece is one of a kind and is titled and signed on the back. This one is evaluated in $60... don't miss the chance to win it!

So... what do you have to do?
+ just leave a comment bellow!
+ you can have an extra chance to win by becoming a facebook fan of {the interview series}...
+ ... and you can have a second extra chance to win by becoming a fric de mentol facebook fan. Just leave a separate comment bellow for each entry, letting me know about it.

The winner will be announced on wednesday next week and contacted by email, so don't forget to leave your name and contact. Good luck!

UPDATE: We had 33 entries in this giveaway and the winner was picked using random.org.
The happy winner is Meagan Ileana! Congratulations!!! I'll be contacting you soon... enjoy your prize!
Thank you so much to all participants! Stay tuned, maybe you'll be lucky next time ;)