Karlee Gould

Introducing our new artist partner, Karlee Gould

“I’m Karlee, from Basingstoke in Hampshire, and I grew up knowing I wanted to do one thing: become an artist.”

“I began young as we all do, and have a similar story to most artists of my generation. I was sketching faces, eyes and hands with pencils, paints, canvases and paper. Then the digital age hit full-swing and I took a 180-turn to all things 0s and 1s.

I fell head over heels for computers and trained in graphic design. This fascinated me because, as much as I loved ‘real’ techniques, I had so much at my fingertips sat at a desk, it felt amazing. So, I put my efforts into digital art at this stage, concentrating on the female form for years, picking up coding and development skills here and there, which carry an artistic technique all of their own.

Everything came full circle after I purchased a wacom tablet, which mimics the real feel of sketching on a computer. Strangely, working with this put me back in touch with traditional art. I began to link the two, and now can’t live without either. They’re symbiotic.”

Discovering a New Technique

“I have an interest in almost all artistic processes and am game to try out a new technique as soon as I’ve heard about it. My long term partner (and now fiancé, Steve) would buy me all sorts of new and exotic art materials to experiment with for Christmas and Birthdays. One very fortunate Christmas, St. Nick (or Steve) got me a beautiful calligraphy quill. A deep, dark blue feather with a heavy pewter dip pen.

Calligraphy in all its forms became an art form I couldn’t leave alone. Old English, traditional copperplate, modern calligraphy and even the text used in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films was something I simply had to work on. I wanted to master that dip pen.

I always had expressive handwriting, so it just felt right. Calligraphy and typography was something I was drawn to almost daily. I became passionate quickly and knew this was something I wanted to integrate into my life as an artist, fully.

With everything I was getting up to, I was gathering a fabulous foothold for my future, but at this point I had no idea what direction I was going. I knew I wanted to get out their on my own and start a business. That was the dream. But where to focus my passions?”

The beginning of Treasure Studios

One serendipitous day, I was asked to help two friends with their wedding stationery. They were wonderful to make and gave me an excellent excuse to use my calligraphic tools to their fullest ability. My friends seemed to love their stationery. After that, other friends and family members began requesting help with their weddings too. Each one I created, I enjoyed immensely. They kept getting better and better. Another friend said to me, ‘you ought to consider trying this as a business’… So I did.

Treasure Studios was born and it’s been a marvellous life ever since.

I work in my conservatory, that is particularly beautiful in the summer, overlooking my little garden, in which plays a little Corgi. I enjoy the pleasure of working with wonderful people, attempting to mirror their own unique spark – their fingerprint as a couple – in their wedding stationery.

Although I continue to adore calligraphy, I love to use watercolour and drawing, to capture nature and create patterns to use in my designs, and utilise my digital side to produce photography and graphical elements for my creations.

Making one-off artworks for couples in love is an incredible job. ”

Our New Artist Partner

We’ll be sharing more of Karlee’s work over the next few months as she reviews a selection of GreatArt products she enjoys for the online magazine. Because her practise is entirely vegan and eco-friendly, all the products reviewed and used by Karlee will be cruelty-free and suitable for use by vegan and vegetarian artists.

You can find all Karlee’s posts published in the GreatArt online magazine by clicking here!

UPDATE 2021

Karlee Gould has moved on in her art to pastures new and is no longer running Treasure Studios. She continues to be creative, but is working on compiling her latest work into a new online home.

For the time being you can view her digital work and contact her here!

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