Illustrations by matem-atyka

I've known Misia Schmidt for many years now. She is a very talented artists and illustrator behind matem-atyka. Born and raised in Poland she moved to U.S. in her early twenties. According to Misia is was "one of the best life changers so far!". Misia and her husband Peter lived in different parts of the country like Virginia, Illinois and have recently moved to Los Angeles, CA.



I had a chance to talk to Misia about her life and art.

How did you start?
I grew up reading or rather closely studying comic books. I wasn't as much interested in the words as the pictures themselves. Deciphering the story behind the drawings seemed to be more interesting than having it spelled out. I wanted to be an artist myself, create my own stuff. I did draw a lot during my childhood but then I picked it up again after I moved to the states. In my experience of growing up in Poland, art was never considered something important or even time worthy. I kept hearing I should focus on something more tangible.



I also didn't know anyone with artistic interests, so gradually I stopped (well, almost). Moving to the states changed a lot for me. I was granted such a new, fresh perspective on life, but strangely it allowed me to tap into my true nature again. Attending The School of the Art Institute of Chicago kind of sealed the deal for me.



What are your major sources of inspiration?
For me to paint or draw is not a matter of finding inspiration. There is nothing romantic or inspirational about it. I can't explain how I arrive at my images. I guess it is the way I process my surroundings. It's a way of thinking and communicating. The good thing is I never run out of ideas, I only wish I was able to work faster.

I should say that I do enjoy California more than any other places I've experienced. I'm simply overwhelmed with its abundance of light and nature.

Bright tangerine summer swing earrings

I believe that summer is all about bright and vivid colors. I created my new hand felted earrings of wool in tangerine, carrot and ginger colors. Deep blue beads serve as additional decoration and metal chain let my beads swing freely around the owner's neck. The earrings are of that happy orange color that lifts one's attitudes and helps a person live happily through a day!

Etsy Front Page treasury

I just ran into a post by Katrinshine about Etsy Front Page. Her Cream Leather Earrings were featured on Etsy Front Page yesterday. Congrats to Katrin!

The post made me go and check my recent appearings on the front page. It turns out I was recently featured as well. A totally amazing treasury by Ayca in pale blue, sky and turquoise colors made it to Etsy's main page! The February Line 5 collection absolutely deserves its 30 minutes of fame!

Thank you Ayca for featuring me in your beautiful collection!

My third Esty front page

It's so cool Etsy admins picked my Urban Living treasury to be featured on Etsy front page! It's actually my third Etsy front page treasury and it's all about urban living this time. Things we like and colors we pick living in very busy, efficient and somewhat gloomy city environments.


My fellow Etsy artists I featured in the treasury include: JuliaFelt, BlueberryCream, Manonknits, SweetNumber, yevgenia, herbolution, KAPARA, CityCrochet, Aroundbeads, kpersonboutique, NeroliHandmade, sabinesydney, poaplumbagsjewelry

Handmade bracelets in violet, purple and lavender

I've recently started twining bracelets of 100 percent wool and wire. They turn out to be elegant, stylish and very comfy. Apparently wool has some healing characteristics and is very good for a tired and over worked wrist. It adds softness and nice, unique feel. Bright bracelets will definitely add color to any dress and make our summer colorful and cheerful!

Candy earrings in amber gold

I like sunny bright colors and items! Golden, amber, yellow and orange are my favorites at the moment! I created these earrings of high quality amber colored Czech glass and silver plated wire. Large beads look like candy that shines and glistens in the sun making earrings very pretty. Their simple and minimalist design will go well with bright and vivid summer dresses and will add color to any business casual outfit.

Minimalist blue aquamarine fish earrings

I created this minimalist and elegant fish shape earrings of beautiful blue aquamarine glass cubes. These Czech beads are made of high quality glass and shine and sparkle under the sun. Earrings are very easy to put on and take off. They will match almost any summer dress and will add style and color to business outfits as well.

Blue ZigZag earrings

I like to work with wire. It's so nice to be able to twist and bend it the way you want. When I add bright and shiny glass beads and stones to my twisted creations they turn into either blue zigzag, red fish or red apple earrings! It's amazing how much room for creativity a simple wire can offer!

Blue, yellow and green colors of summer

Green trees, blue rivers and oceans, yellow sand and flowers in bloom are the colors of the summer. While spring is mostly about tender pink, airy white and fresh green colors, summer offers us a completely different palette of bolder blues, yellows and greens.

I've created my bracelets our of wire and wool making them easily adjustable and eco-friendly.

My hand felted necklace in blue

I like simple and elegant urban style living. Men and women wear minimalist yet well designed and crafted outfits. City dwellers are always in a hurry and they like easy and practical items that could be easily put on and taken care of. I created my city style hand felted necklace out of glass and wool. It's actually such a pleasure to create these wool beads using nothing but water and soap. The felting techniques are very eco-friendly. As a result the beads appear virtually from nowhere. That's probably how our ancestors created their durable and practical outfits and jewelry many thousand years ago!