Through the tightly packed, eggnog-sipping crowds at a pre-holiday craft market, Cookie Golden’s booth stood out. In a sea of letterpress, screenprints and upcycled jewelry, Golden’s creations — row after row of brightly painted wooden houses — were something wholly new.
Visitors were enthralled, if a bit confused. Were they for kids to play with? For Christmas displays? Who cares, we’re buying five.
If the creations seem a bit childlike, it’s for good reason: Golden, 33, works full time as an art teacher and admits she’s often envious of her students’ untrained talents.
With more than 100 houses under her belt this year, Golden’s line of painted houses may well be her trademark for the next few years. Not to mention her go-to gift.
“I’m working on a special set of houses for my parents for Christmas,” Golden says.
Let’s hope they don’t read Sync.
Q: Describe your art for people who haven’t seen this line yet.
A: Whimsical. Fun. Bright. The houses range in size from 4 to 15 inches tall. Some are wide and some are thin. They are made from custom cut 3/4-inch blond plywood. Each house is unique in color and design. The fronts of the houses are one color and the sides and back are a different color, usually darker and brighter than the fronts. The faces of the houses are hand-drawn in black with architectural designs like columns, balconies, domes, windows and doorways.
Q: What first inspired you to create the houses? How long ago did you start?
A: I don’t know that there is one specific visual inspiration for the houses. Maybe it is something more conceptual, like more about the idea of home. Happy homes. I started drawing the houses on paper years ago. I really enjoy building them as I go, adding all the details. It is very calming to me to have to create balance and symmetry in the houses. I would work on other things, but would always find myself going back the houses.
Q: Walk me through the process of creating the houses.
A: The process starts with making stencils for the different sized houses. I have this really great guy who custom cuts the wood — about 50 [houses] at a time. I usually work on about 10 houses at once. I like to choose the color combinations first ... I’ll have all these pairs of paint bottles sitting out on the table and then I match the houses to the colors. I paint the fronts of the houses first, making sure to leave the side/back color next to it so I don’t forget what goes with what. By the time I am done with the last of the fronts, the first one is dry, so then I paint the sides and the back of each house. Next, I apply two coats of a high-gloss finish to the fronts. This makes for a smoother surface to draw on. Hours later, the houses are ready for details. I don’t plan out what I’m going to draw on each one. I just do it as I go. I typically start with the roofs and go down. I try to evenly add curvy lines and straight lines and use different architectural features. My favorite part to add is the front door.
Q: They remind me a bit of the Cat’s Meow Village line, with a modern twist. Were you inspired at all by that line?
A: I love that you asked this question! No. The houses are not inspired by this line, or so I thought. In fact ... I had to look it up because I was not familiar with it and as soon as I saw the images I remembered my grandparents having one of Central High School on their desk when I was growing up. I graduated from Central, but, even cooler, so did my grandmother. That’s why they had the miniature school. I guess maybe I pulled the idea somewhere out of my subconscious.
Q: What other art do you do?
A: I love to draw but lately I’ve been focusing almost all of my time on the houses. I get commissions from people for drawings of their pets or other animals. Right now I’m working on a series of trees for someone to give as gifts to her daughters.
Q: What’s your ideal time to paint?
A: Probably in the evening. I don’t know that it is because it is ideal. It’s usually the only time I have to work on art.
Q: What has the response been so far?
A: The response has been great. Inspiring. When I first put them on wood blocks instead of paper, it was on a whim, and I wasn’t really sure how people would react to them. I made 12 from wood that I bought online and took them to an art sale at a friend’s house along with some other things I’d made. People bought them immediately and the people that didn’t get one were bummed they missed out. Everyone has been so complimentary of them. It’s been great. I’ve had several special orders and people that have sought me out to purchase them.
Q: You also work as an art teacher in town. What keeps you motivated?
A: I teach art to kindergartners through eighth graders. The school where I work is really great. The kids that I teach are fantastic. It is a really warm and supportive environment to get to be in every day. Getting to be around kids using their imaginations and creating all day long is really magical. I love that I get to teach them all this super cool stuff every day. And I love their artwork! Sometimes I wish I could draw like them.
Q: How long have you been in Little Rock and what’s it been like to be an artist working in the city?
A: I grew up in Little Rock and have lived here most of my life. Right now is a great time to be an artist living in Little Rock. There are so many people doing things and making things and working to make Little Rock cooler. As far as outlets for selling my artwork, I’m really into the DIY art shows/craft sales that are being hosted at people’s homes, in gardens and at makeshift venues.
Q: Any favorite Little Rock bloggers, designers or artists?
A: John Kushmaul is an inspiration. I love the embroideries that Meggie Green has been working on. I think Miranda Young-Rice’s printmaking skills rule. Donna Uptigrove is a ceramics genius. Lots of people have it going on. I enjoy Hannah Carpenter’s blog, sundrymumsy.com.
Q: You’ve been at several local art events, but where can people go to buy your work regularly?
A: To buy my work, I can be contacted via email, cookiegolden@gmail.com, or on Etsy at etsy.com/shop/cookiegolden.