Interview: Kellie Liskey

Name: Kellie Liskey
Occupation: Artist and Designer
Where you are located: Salem,Oregon

What kind of art/craft do you make?
I have my little fingers into so many mediums. Being a designer by nature I have never really felt at home with just one thing. I have a fine arts degree in sculpture, but have always loved painting and drawing as well. My full time business though, is making decorative pillows.

Where can we purchase your work?
You can purchase my work through my new etsy store www.sofagarden.etsy.com or through www.sofagarden.com


What do you enjoy most about working in this medium?
I enjoy the tactile nature of fabrics. I love the idea of creating art that sits on the sofa not above it. When I started my business ten years ago I approached pillow making from a soft sculpture standpoint. I loved making shaped pillows that were out of the ordinary square format most people were used to seeing at the time. A lot of my designs were more on the novelty side including abstract shapes, and my more pop culture pancakes and eggs, wine bottles, fruits and flowers. I still make some of the designs, but currently revisiting the square pillow format and experimenting with combining different fabrics and stitchwork.

What challenges have you found in your work?
Pricing my work is the most difficult challenge I face. I use high end materials and I take a great deal of time and care in the creation of each pillow. Pricing too low makes people question the quality of the item versus pricing something at a higher value to reflect an artisan made product. I know its really hard for consumers to be able to tell the quality of a product just by a photo online. And photography has always been a challenge for me, and its so very important.


Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in nature, and going to the fabric store. I like to make collages from cut up old magazines, and many times they will lead to new pillow designs. I have a short attention span so many of my designs are limited in quantity to no more than a dozen typically. After sewing the dozen I am usually ready to move onto the next idea. It's a lot of fun for me, and it allows my customers to have something truly unique.



Do you have any new projects in the works?
There are always new projects in the works. Right now I am finishing up an asian inspired collection. I am also getting ready to post a modern collection perfect for back to school apartment/dorm decor which I really like.

Kellie & Jim's home:


My husband and I started collecting images of bearded men and pipes awhile back. The picture above the bed we picked up at a garage sale for $5...we had to save him from the dumpster, and this was the start of the collection

Kitchen nook: I love my Goodform aluminum chair and as you can see I collect old pyrex bowls. Both my husband and I have a love of modern style, but we also love antiques so our decor is a bit of a mishmosh of styles...nothing really goes together, but its stuff we love so we try to make it work together somehow.