I am not sure when I started following Pippa Goetz on Instagram, I just know recently that I realized that her feed was more than just pretty + inspiration, it was fabulous. Pippa fills her feed with incredible styling mixed in with incredible wit. It was late in the fall that I spotted some pumpkins she had painted and my hand literally did a double take as my fingers scrolled back to her photo so I could read all about them. Fast forward to a post announcing she was selling some hand painted oyster shells and I could not order them fast enough. This was just the tip of the iceberg of her talents beginning to show themselves and I could not have be happier.
The darling Pippa is all that + more as she has cultivated a fabulous following of very interested followers. Every single thing she posts is better than the last and is noticed by so many as her engagement is incredible. I am so thrilled to be able to feature Pippa today and give you even more insight into her life + her amazing talents. As I read through her answers to my questions I learned so many things about her that were new tidbits to me, but not at all surprising. She has been an artist for most of her life, as her talent started as a young child. She spent many years as a event planner, which although I did not know, I can see every single thing she learned in every single one of her posts. I am telling you, this girl has major talent!
I know you will truly enjoy her interview below ...
I have always had a love of art. I think it is genetic, my Grandmother was an amazing artist and one of the first female artists in residence at our local fine arts museum. Both of my parents sketch and paint and some of my fondest memories of growing up were sitting by the fireplace and sketching still life vignettes with my dad. I was never formally trained, and actually never really considered myself a true “artist” but more of a hobbyist until the last few years. Art for me has definitely taken quite a wild ride in the last few years. It started out painting furniture for my boys when they were babies (which they still use!) and then morphed into hand painting charger plates for my tablescapes and parties to coordinate with my china patterns and even licensing some of my artwork to fun companies such as LuluKuku Designs to be used for wall decals. Now I have a full blown studio in our house where my most recent projects are living their lives - oyster shells, champagne bottles, the new trinket dishes and a lot more surprises coming up.
Thanks! It is actually kind of funny how the oyster shells came about! The first batch of shells was actually my personal stash. Every time my husband and I would eat oysters on date night I would always ask to bring the shells home. Lots of side eye wait staff later - I had this collection of shells that was just waiting for a fun project. I had originally planned to do a big mirror or a chandelier but then one day I literally woke up thinking to myself, “I’m going to PAINT them!” lol. Some of my favorite projects start with a wacky revelation like that. I had no idea that they would be such a huge hit, I was actually very nervous launching them! Once the first batch sold out in less than 2 hours I quickly found a supplier and rush shipped a few hundred more to fill orders before Christmas. I can’t believe it but I actually painted over 400 shells in less than 4 weeks! Now I have a garage full of shells ready to be painted.
Funny how something can quickly turn into a business venture!
Do you have a favorite thing to paint?
Hmmmm… that's a good question! Aside from drumming up new ornament designs, painting the champagne bottles has been probably the COOLEST thing I have been painting. Past that I still love to come up with designs for my charger plates. I have a big collection of china that I use for entertaining and I love mixing the patterns and creating new designs to match the party theme or seasons. I am working on folding the charger designs into a line of place mats and tableware which has been really fun!
You painted a bottle of champagne ... tell me all about it!
The bottles sort of came about as a kismet situation. I have a running list of things that I want to paint ... shoes, fun stuff for Easter, linens, and champagne bottles have always been on the top side of this ever growing list. One of my oyster shell clients (who is an absolute LOVE) and who also happens to live up the road reached out to commission me to paint a bottle for her and one of her best friends to celebrate their joint birthday. Sometimes things that you have on your "list" get pushed quickly to the top and the end result is something that makes you so happy you wished you had done it earlier! I currently have 9 more bottles in various stages of production ... partial paints, full paint, the works.
The only kicker is that due to shipping restrictions I can only provide pick up or delivery of alcoholic bottles in Pennsylvania, which isn't stopping me from figuring out a fun way to give my clients outside of PA a piece of the action. I just sent off the custom drawn and painted piece to a dear IG friend. I think that there is something to be said for having something SO detailed and dedicated to everything the recipient loves that is created only with them in mind. Plus they would make a great gift or can be uploaded for a fun Christmas card or stationery, even without the actual bubbles.
OH… I am DEFINITELY a blue and white and pink and green girl to the CORE! lol! It probably shows through a lot in my IG feed - and in every room of my house. I am pretty sure that every single room of our house is designed as a variation or combination of those 4 classics. I think you really can’t go wrong with those colors.
Oh, girl ... I could not agree more!!
Where do you find inspiration?
I think I can probably say that just about ANYthing and everything inspires me. Most of the time it is china patterns or fabulous fabrics but In the spring when my garden starts to bloom that is always a huge inspiration as well. I also get inspired by personalities. Creating commissions for clients lets me dig deep into what that person’s loves and characteristics are and I love being able to surprise them by portraying that in a way that they may not have expected.
What else can you tell me about yourself?
Oh boy… That's a loaded question! :)
I love to write- I started my blog over a year ago so that I could have an outlet for my writing, these days Art seems to have taken up a lot of that time and space but I am looking forward to getting back to it. I had a fabulous career as an event planner for over 10 years! I miss the creative aspect (this my love of tables capes, etc.) but definitely do NOT miss the hours. I still dabble in it but am happy to have something that can be done on my own time rather than take time away from my family. I love to cook- I am actually a formally trained Chef (long ago!). When I decided that I wanted to be an event planner in my early 20’s I knew that the most effective way to provide my clients with full service planning was to be fully trained in every aspect of what it takes to create events. It allowed me the insight to better negotiate menus, catering contracts and such. I loved it. Both experiences led me to New Zealand for the America’s Cup in 2000 where I was part of the team to plan events for competing teams and then I spent a few years after that working on private super yachts and pretty much sailing around the world definitely an amazing experience. Now here I am - a stay at home mom of two boys and painting every day. I would say that this time in my life is by far the happiest thus far!
Yes friends, she also writes a blog, which was a huge surprise for me. It is sooo good and you will want to make sure you spend some time catching up with the posts. I only perused it a little bit, and I plan to go back and read a whole lot more. What I found ... tables, more tables and lots more tables and so much more of her incredible wit. It is sooo good, and I am truly understating it, I promise you!
I hope you have loved meeting Pippa Goetz and have just begun to adore her maybe just a tiny bit of how much I do. She is uber talented, her feed is truly fabulous, and she is just as funny as she can be. The perfect person to follow on Instagram, don't you think?
Happy Wednesday to you all!
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