Standard Goods Featured Artist: Celestine Ocean

Join Standard Goods next Thursday December 14th for a solo art show by Celestine Ocean. She is a multifaceted artist interested in the colorful worlds that exists inside each individual. Her childlike wonder and approach to art making is refreshing. We had the pleasure to chat with her about life and art. Get to know Celestine before the show!, in this interview.
Stop by the shop Thursday evening and hear music from her band Pablo's Legs too!

First off! Take us back to when you first started creating art?

Oh wow, I remember I was about 4 or 5, the first thing I ever colored in was this small cat drawing in a coloring book I had. That was also the same time I learned how to write my name (which is not an easy name to spell for a 5 year old.) I started being attracted to art at a really young age. I loved it. I mainly started with coloring books and then in elementary school I became super interested in making my own artwork. I was also a big fan of writing fictional stories and reading. I read a lot. Once I learned how to read I never stopped.

My childhood was a lot of moving around, at risk of being homeless. It was hard for me to attend school regularly and I wasn't very good at math so I always felt inferior in school settings where highly academic classes were rewarded more than artistic ones. Making artwork freed my mind of what was going on at home and made me feel confident in a school setting which really helped me work hard to finish school and continue my education after high school.

Describe your drawing style in a few words?

Whimsical, quirky, abstract.

Do you have anything you are looking forward to in 2018? What were yo
passionate about this past year?

I currently attend Cornish College of the arts but I am doing a study abroad program through Cornish to attend an art school in Florence, Italy. I'm leaving January 2018 and it is honestly a dream come true. I have always wanted to study and live in Italy. I could not be more happy about it! This past year I was really passionate about keeping up with my filmmaking and I will continue that next year and beyond.

Where did you grow up?

First part of my childhood I grew up on Maui, then I moved to Orcas Island and lived there until I graduated high school and then I moved to Seattle!

If you were an ice cream flavor what would you be?

Ooo. Mint chocolate chip.

What inspires you the most?

People on the street (da ba de da day). My life experiences, past, current and future. My partner Gianni. All my friends and family. Struggling. It's all beautiful and it's all part of the inspiration.

Do you have a mantra you live by?

"I'm just an egg floating in the ocean."

If your life was a movie what would the title be and who would you like to play you?

Oh man. Why is that a hard question! I feel like it would be a documentary and I would film my real life. OR it would be an animated cartoon. As for the title, maybe "The Celestine Prophecy"...

Can you tell us a little about what you will be sharing during your Solo Show at Standard Goods Art walk?

I will be sharing a mix of drawings, paintings, and film work I have done over the past year. Also I will be selling handmade earrings and possibly posters and postcards.

Anything else you'd like to share? :)

I'm excited! Come to the show on December 14th! My band Pablo's Legs is playing. It will be a fun and probably weird time you won't want to miss.