Feature Friday: The Time is Now

Cross Sitch Stag wall art by TheTimeIsNow

Naomi of The Time Is Now offers an eclectic variety of needlepoint, notebooks and papercuts in her shop, all tied together by a cohesive style that encompasses vintage and natural imagery, bright colors and a healthy respect for negative space. I was fortunate enough to interview Naomi about her shop – you can read more below.

Naomi, tell us about yourself!

My name is Naomi, and I live in Israel, but I am so in my own world that I really could have lived anywhere, I think, and come out the same. I recently graduated from the Bazelel Academy of Art & Design with a BA in Visual Communication. I never thought I’d end up an illustrator after studying fashion design for 4 years, but that’s how things go… So you could say that I have been making art a total of 8 years, closing on 9! Wow, almost a decade.

Pemberly by TheTimeIsNow

What is your favorite medium to work in?

My favorite art medium is anything to do with hands-on craft. Though I do have to say nothing beats paper. My shop pretty much showcases my favorite methods of creativity, those that are available to me at least: etchings, embroidery, and papercutting. My favorite things are paper goods, and I recently started making one of a kind notebooks. I think more than anything, I enjoy making screenprints and etchings, because of the physical aspect (much more laborious than what I usually get to do) and the fact that it’s handmade all the way.

What are you currently working on?

Right now I’m really into papercuts, which for me is the epitome of detailed work, something that can hold subtle messages and be purely decorative – beautiful and delicate all the same. I love creating a papercut manually from start to finish – the slowness of it, the repetitive motions, the image emerging from the blank expense… it’s a true work of art to me.

Wanderlust Original Papercut by TheTimeIsNow

What piece in your etsy shop is your favorite?

That’s a hard question! I think if the shop wasn’t mine, I’d buy the Sea Voyage papercut (because I am obsessed with folk tale imagery) and the mini papercut art cards (like I said, I can’t get enough of luxury stationery).

What new projects will we see in the future?

I have decided to try and draw more directly from my fashion background. I did want to be a fashion illustrator when I started out, and so far my fashion illustrations are well received. So you can look forward to “fashionable” illustrations and papercuts in my shop, coming soon!

Custom Cross stitch Sillhouette by TheTimeIsNow

And lastly but not least, what’s your favorite way to spend a leisurely weekend?

I spend my Saturdays catching up online on all my favorite blogs and fanfics. Yes, I am an avid fanfic reader of Lord of the Rings and Supernatural fanfics. I’ve gone over to the dark side. I’m always happy to pull people in, too. But for the last month a lot of my spare time has been devoted to apartment hunting, so message boards and real estate sites are occupying my bookmarks menu. Wish me luck!

Thanks Naomi! Remember to check out Naomi’s  Etsy Shop ~ Stay tuned for more Feature Fridays