female announcer: On "Studio Space," Lush Newton populates her world with funky, whimsical characters through sculpture and illustration.

Jenna Catsos is the artist behind Pen+Pine.

Her popular graphics adorn everything from mugs, to murals.

"Studio Space" explores Northern California's vibrant art community.

♪♪♪ Lush Newton: One of my favorite things is when folks come in, and they're like, "I don't know why, but I think I wanna try painting.

[laughing] What do I do?

What do I need?

How do I get started?

Is painting okay?"

You know, or whatever.

It's like, "Yeah, this is what you need, and, no, it doesn't have to be good right off the bat."

Kati Texas: Hi, I'm Kati Texas.

Today we are in sunny Blue Lake, California, to talk to Lush Newton.

She's a sculptor and an illustrator, and believe it or not, this is her studio.

Let's go inside.

♪♪♪ Kati: Lush, thanks so much for inviting us into your house today.

Lush: Totally, thanks for comin'.

Welcome to my kitchen.

Kati: So, I'd love to talk first about your sculptures.

Lush: Okay.

Kati: I've always admired your characters.

They always have so much, like, pathos and personality.

Do they have personality for you?

Do they represent something?

Lush: Totally, well, I mean, I don't know if they necessarily represent something, but they definitely have personality, and when you start building them, you know, you start putting all the parts and things together.

They start talkin' to ya, and you can kind of feel, you know, that wily look in their eye or their wiggle tooth or whatever, you know?

It just--they start talkin' to you, and then you just bring 'em to life and color 'em up.

Kati: Do you ever name them?

Lush: There is a giraffe on the bus, whose name is Ginger, and the other giraffe's name is Mitzy.

Kati: Do you make sculptures for any particular reason?

Lush: Well, the main reason is to bring the drawing off of the page.

A while back, I made a giant sculpture, the biggest sculpture I've made, ever, and that's a 16-foot, pink, polka-dotted peg-legged pony for the Arcata Playhouse.

It started out as a small sculpture.

I'd say, it's probably 16 inches tall, maybe, and then it grew somehow, and now it's 16 feet, and it takes a couple people to push it.

Kati: That's what happens if you don't stop feeding it.

Lush: I know, right?

They, just, they just grow.

Kati: Yeah, everybody does a little bit of everything, right?

But how would you describe what you do as an artist?

Lush: Primarily what I do is I make weird, fun drawings on just about any kind of surface, and then I like to bring 'em off of the page and make them take up space in the world, like you're building pets or something.

Kati: Friends.

Lush: Yeah, pets or mascots or, you know, guardians.

Kati: Tell me something about illustration.

What makes a good illustration?

Lush: A good illustration, I would say, the three C's: craft, concept, and composition.

And I know this is old school, but that's how I roll.

Old school seems to be--it's, just, it makes more sense.

It's more immediate, and so then, you just kind of figure out where you need to be.

I really like that drawing.

I'm really excited.

This pen helped me make a really great drawing.

You know, I've just always really liked bears.

Like, my first big fascination with bears was Dancing Bear from "Captain Kangaroo."

So, then, my next bear obsession after Dancing Bear, Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyland, seeing things that had been just a line drawing then actually move and sing, and that was amazing, and that made me really wanna, like, kind of, sculpt and, like, take things off of the page.

So, and, then, you go over here to your trusty glue gun, and then you just kind of start--take your trash.

♪♪♪ Lush: Mix it all up in there, and then you just kind of paint it on, and then you take your paper, and make sure you rip your paper.

Don't cut it because that straight edge, that factory edge, it just doesn't bond as well as a ripped because the rip just, kind of, locks in there.

And then they really start talkin' to ya once you lay the masking tape in.

You can kind of feel, you know, what they're thinkin' or, like, how they laugh or, you know, what kind of music they listen to or whatever, you know?

Like, I know this guy felt really kind of biffie to me, kind of generally stoked on just bein' a bear, kind of biffin' around.

♪♪♪ Lush: There you go.

That's the first steps of makin' a bear, the paint job.

Lush: Well, you know, when I was little, I was brought up on television, you know, "Captain Kangaroo," Dancing Bear, Mr. Green Jeans.

Sundays, you know, "Wonderful World of Disney," "Yogi Bear," "Scooby-Doo."

I probably--yeah, all of that stuff, heh-- Kati: I'm beginning to see the roots.

Lush: Yes, and then, when I was little, I'd say, I first figured out that I was--wanted to be an artist or was an artist when I was two, and my mom would read me Crockett Johnson's "Harold and the Purple Crayon," and I seriously was obsessed with a purple crayon, drawing everywhere, and we're actually sitting at my first studio.

This table was in my grandma's house, and when I was two, I told my grandpa, I said, "Hey, can you hold me up?

Show me the barn."

So he picked me up, and I said, "I'm gonna draw you a purple barn."

I'd done it, and they were--you know, and Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa were like, "Okay, it's a barn.

It's a purple--" yes, and so, from that point on, I always had paper and crayons.

So I left the country, went to the big city in Kansas City, and I was there for four years, and I have an illustration and design degree, a BFA, and I got recruited by Disney.

I also worked for Hallmark.

That was an amazing experience.

I learned a lot about other kinds of painting and corporate America and worked with a bunch of different high-caliber artists and, just, had a great experience.

Kati: So, when I met you, you were working at the Art Center-- Lush: Yup.

Kati: --our local little mom and pop art shop.

Lush: Totally.

Kati: And then, of course, now you-- Lush: Now I'm co-owner of the Art Center in Arcata on the Plaza.

I've been behind that counter for comin' on 20 years now.

I made connection with folks and people, being there, that I would never have bumped into anybody like that if I hadn't have been standing behind that counter.

Kati: What do you like about running an art store?

Lush: One of my favorite things is when folks come in, and they're like, "I don't know why, but I think I wanna try painting.

[Kati laughing] I've always wanted to paint, and I feel like I need to do it.

What do I do?

What do I need?

How do I get started?"

"Here's the first step.

Please take it.

Please, you know, you're only gonna mess up if you don't do it."

And then, when they come back and they're like, "Okay, I like this, but I like--this is what I like about painting, but I'm havin' trouble with this part of the painting.

I want it to be more skoogee, or I want more texture.

I need, you know, I want something else.

What?

And I don't know what it is."

And I like talking to folks and trying to figure out what that is or how to help them make it a little smarter without being such a struggle 'cause, you know, art's hard.

It doesn't really get easier over time.

It just gets faster.

Kati: At the art store, not only can you learn and network and meet people, but you're also, like, a teacher and consultant.

Lush: Yeah, or like a art bartender.

That's kind of how I feel sometimes.

Kati: People come in and lament?

Lush: 'Cause they'll come in with this problem, and then, "I need--I need a tube of Naples yellow," you know?

[Kati laughing] "There you go."

And then, that helps me be a better painter too 'cause, you know, you think about how to put that drawing together or how to put that painting together in a little bit smarter way.

I mean, yes, painting is intuitive, but it helps you kind of, hopefully, narrow down which way to go so that you don't have to backtrack so much, but you kind of backtrack anyway.

And so, workin' at the shop, you know, I start to find out about different tools and different kinds of brushes and why you use those brushes and then the consistency of paint to make those brushes work, the right yellow to use.

Like, if you use a warm yellow to make a green, you're gonna get muddy, gunky brown-green, and I don't like that.

I like using a nice, clean yellow so you get a good range of greens.

I love Cadmium Yellow Light.

Kati: Oh, cadmium's-- Lush: And there's--you know, yes, cadmiums are a little harsh, but there's nothing like 'em, and I also really love Naples Yellow to kind of take that edge off.

Kati: I notice you use a lot of cardboard.

Lush: Yes.

Kati: Is there a reason?

Why cardboard?

Lush: Cardboard is everywhere, and it just comes to me.

I'm a cardboard magnet, and I've always loved using cardboard because, like, sometimes, when you get nice stuff, you get locked up, and you can't, like, you can't make a mark on it 'cause it's so nice.

Kati: Like, "I just spent $30 on this piece of paper."

Lush: On the sheet of paper--Ah!

Kati: Right, yeah, okay.

Lush: And so part of the reason cardboard--is it's comfortable, and then I can make it do whatever I want.

Kati: It's ubiquitous.

Lush: Yeah.

Kati: It's free.

Lush: Yeah, exactly.

Kati: It's easy access.

Lush: Easy access, and it's the most perfect mid-tone.

Lush: Cardboard--it's your friend.

I also like working on the smoother side.

You can see how smooth it is.

I mean, they're both smooth, but you can really see--like, if you look close, you can see all the lines from the corrugated business, and when you put paint on it, that really makes those lines apparent, so I always try and do it on the side that's not so apparent.

Lately, I've been really diggin' paint pens, and then this good ole, big ole marker.

Kati: Is there something in the process that does something for you?

Does the making of art have meaning for you or-- Lush: Yeah, the illustration or painting, the end result, like, painting on the cigar boxes or whatever is great, and that's--the end result's fine, but what I really like out of that is pulling a nice line, like hittin', like, the perfect consistency of paint and then dippin' that brush and then rolling it to a point, and then makin' that line.

And then also additive building by wadding up plastic or whatever or paper, and you make all those planes in the face of what you're making, and that's when you start to see them kind of talk to ya.

Those are the total habit-forming moments that I really, really like.

Kati: Well, that's great.

Thank you so much for telling me about that.

Lush: Oh, you're welcome.

Kati: Thank you for inviting me to your very first studio.

Lush: Yes.

Kati: All right, and thank you for joining us today on "Studio Space."

♪♪♪ Rose Nhem: Hi, I'm Rose Nhem.

We are here today to talk with Jenna Catsos, the artist behind the delightful work of Pen+Pine.

We'll find out how she developed her ideas into reality.

Jenna Catsos: I would encourage anybody who loves creating to continue creating.

It doesn't need to be a job.

It doesn't need to make them famous.

It doesn't even need to be something that you share with people.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Rose: Hi, Jenna, thanks for having us today.

Jenna: Yeah, my pleasure.

Rose: What was your inspiration to become an artist?

Jenna: That's a tough question.

I come from a really creative family, and so, from the time I was young, we were always making things, and creativity was just part of life.

It was just something that we did, and when I was in high school, I got really into art, and I decided to study art in college, so I went through college, studied studio art, and just, kind of, continued on, and then there was a stretch of time when I wasn't creating.

Something they don't teach you in college is how to make your living as an artist and how to actually practically apply all the skills that they've taught you, and so I had a tough time transitioning into a functioning adult who also wanted to make things, and when I moved to Humboldt, there was a time when I realized that I just missed making things, and that's when I decided that I wanted to make it a priority and make it a bigger part of my life.

Rose: What was it that veered you into the art scene?

Jenna: Specifically, in Humboldt, there's such an amazing art scene, and it is really part of the everyday life here.

I started going to Arts Alive, and I started meeting people who are more connected, and then I kind of carved out my own art scene if that makes any sense.

I just started surrounding myself with creative people, with makers, with a lot of female makers, and we just kind of supported each other, and I grew this little personal arts community.

Rose: How would you describe your style?

Jenna: I would describe my style as whimsical, natural, and educational.

I often talk about my style as a little bit wonky.

There's something about my drawings that is--you know, my lines aren't quite straight, and that's the way I like it.

There's something very hand-drawn about them.

Rose: What is it that satisfies you about your work?

Jenna: I just love drawing.

I know it sounds cheesy, but there's just something about creating work.

My work is super-functional.

You know, I put it out into the world on objects that can be used and displayed, and there's something so wonderful about seeing my pieces out in the wild.

I still get excited when I see them on someone's car, or, you know, I see someone wearing one of my pins, or a couple of weeks ago, I was telling someone I was an artist, and they were like, "What do you make?"

And I said, "Well, I'm an illustrator.

I draw," and I kind of described what I draw, and then she said, "Oh, like this?"

and pulled her bag out, and it was a bag I made, and I said, "Precisely like that.

That's my bag."

Rose: Mm-hmm, what is the story behind the name of Pen+Pine?

Jenna: Pen+Pine is the first thing I've ever named.

I've had a lot of pets, but I'm the youngest of kids in my family, so I never got to name any of our pets, and then all the pets I've had as an adult came with names when I got them, and so naming my business was this moment of like, "I get to name something.

This is something I get to put a name on," and I wanted something that described what I do and describe, kind of, the aesthetic I'm going for.

There was something about an alliteration that was really appealing, and then I love ampersands and, kind of, that plus sign, and, honestly, I sat down, and I listed a whole bunch of names, and I shared them with a lot of people to see what they thought, and I settled on Pen+Pine, and I have never considered changing it.

It feels very right.

Rose: Right.

Is there an idea or a concept that you'd like to explore but just haven't done yet?

Jenna: There are millions.

[laughing] I have pages and pages of ideas that someday, hopefully, I'll get to, but one that I'd been wanting to do for a long time--and I finally am getting around to--is a coloring book and--like a series of fairly intricate black-and-white illustrations that people can then color, and I have always been drawn to the idea because it's like I get to create something, but then people are invited to add to it and to interact with it in a really interesting way.

And I've drawn some coloring postcards and other things, and, finally, I was like, "Why are you not putting this in a coloring book?"

And so, yeah, I'm gonna start compiling that, and that's an idea that's been in my brain for a really long time, so it feels so good to actually make it happen.

[laughing] Rose: Or putting it all together so, that way, it can be a nice compendium of art and coloring.

Jenna: Yeah.

I love that idea of artwork as something accessible, and it's not super-precious.

It's not something that you put on a wall and never touch.

Rose: So what's the subject that you're thinking of putting into your coloring books?

Jenna: It's a lot of the same.

[laughing] I definitely have been exploring a certain set of subjects lately, a lot of florals, a lot of nature.

I'm really inspired by this place and the Pacific Northwest, the things that make this place so special, and at the same time, I'm always thinking about ways to make my artwork and my products something that would have a broader appeal to people who don't live in Humboldt County, and so it's a real, kind of, back-and-forth that I'm constantly doing, but I am definitely gonna do some wildflowers and some pollinators and probably some seasonal illustrations that, kind of, try to capture the different times of the year.

And I was actually just asking people for ideas, and there's a lot of awesome ideas like Beachwalk and some sort of, like, Big Foot search-and-find situation.

So, yeah, a really--not a big departure from my other work, playing off at similar themes and really trying to, kind of, capture this area but also make it something that everyone from anywhere could really appreciate.

Rose: So what is it about your work that brings you joy?

Jenna: Honestly, so many things about it, but I think that there's something really fun about being able to communicate something new through work.

♪♪♪ Rose: So is this something that you're really interested in, nature and greenery and fruits?

Jenna: Absolutely.

I get most of my inspiration from my garden.

I think it's just the matter of being out here in the garden all the time, and I love to draw things that are in season.

That's always kind of what inspires me, and so right now, we're seeing a lot of raspberries and blackberries, a lot of California poppies.

We're lucky to live in a place where there's almost always something blooming too, so there's always something to be inspired by in the garden.

Rose: I've also noticed that medium that you're currently using.

Have you always worked with an iPad or digitally?

Jenna: I have only been working on the iPad for about two years.

When I first started drawing, I was just using pens and paper, and one of the reasons I actually started drawing is because it was cheap, and it didn't take a lot of space, and at that point in my life, those were important things, and I switched over to the iPad about two years ago, and, honestly, I was really reluctant to switch over.

I didn't think it would capture the same feeling of drawing, and there's something about the feel that's really important for creating, but I was so pleasantly surprised, and it makes my life so much easier, and I can draw on-the-go, and I can draw in my lap if I need to, and like this piece that I'm working on, I was able to sketch.

I can make layers.

I can darken and lighten things and make changes after the fact, and I find that it just really ignited my creativity in a way that I absolutely didn't expect.

Rose: Ah, because you actually can change certain aspects of the artwork while you're working on it.

Jenna: Yeah, you can try things.

It's not as big of a commitment to, like, try a new color, and I think being adventurous in creating is often really hard because it's, you know, "Oh, what if I don't like it?

What if it comes out--what if I ruin it?"

And so you need to play it safe, and so this really allows me to take chances and to try stuff, and I find that it just really helps my process a lot.

♪♪♪ Jenna: The fact that I have been able to carve out this life for myself where I get to do something that I love, the flexibility of drawing, the way it can happen anywhere, anytime, the way it helps me communicate and get ideas that are kind of bouncing around in my head, out, that is really enjoyable.

Almost every aspect of it I enjoy.

Rose: Is there someone in the art community or someone in your life that inspired you to do art?

Jenna: Locally, I have a great community of artists, and we really inspire each other and lift each other up.

One of those people is Mir de Silva, and she is just a great power for helping me continue, and I feel like, being an artist, it's an interesting occupation, and it's super-challenging.

You often, you work alone, and so building that community of other people who've had similar challenges and have worked through them and people that you can tap into when things are tough has been really beneficial, and Humboldt has an incredible community for something like that.

Rose: Do you have anything to say for a young artist getting into the scene?

Jenna: I took a very roundabout way to get where I am.

I often hear from folks, like, "Oh, I wish I was creative."

You just have to keep doing it, and I think that we live in a time where a lot of what people do is for fame or fortune, and I think it's a great reminder that you can just do something for joy, and you can do it for yourself, and so creating doesn't need to be this massive thing.

It can just be, kind of, a private practice, and so that's what I'd wanna encourage.

Rose: Jenna, thank you so much for allowing us in your space and showing us the process of your work.

Jenna: Yeah, I'm so glad that you could come out and see how I create this work in this space.

Rose: And thank you for joining us on "Studio Space."

♪♪♪ Kati: To learn more about these artists, go to StudioSpace.tv.

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