We were able to grab a few minutes on the phone with Julia, after notifying her of her winning entry. Julia is a proud, single mom, of Eastwood.

 

DB: Well Julia, congratulations on becoming the "Queen of Coloring" for our Sticks Mulduzi, Winter 2022 Adult Coloring Contest. Your entry is winner takes all!

 

Julia: Thanks, It's very exciting!

 

DB: Can you tell us a little about your artistic background?

 

Julia: I have always loved to paint, draw, quilt, etc. ever since I was my daughter's age of 6. Mostly for or with my family. I've been trained as an architect, so I did a rendering of my grandmother's house, which still hangs on her Living Room wall! 

 

DB: She must be proud to see that every day.

 

Julia: Well I only see the mistakes I made, but I've learned to live with them!

 

DB: Tell us what you used to color the Moose.

 

Julia: The Prismacolor marker set I used (about 100!) was what I found at a yard sale for $20.00

 

DB Wow, lucky markers!   

 

Julia:  Yes, I guess so! Anyway, I love alcohol markers like these because you can do layers of color. Over days I would put one layer down and then finish another day, until I got the saturation or shade I wanted. 

 

DB: Did your work as an architect help you on this project?

 

Julia: Actually, most of my architectural work relies on digital renderings.

But I was lucky because at The University of NM where I studied the whole first year required hand drawing. One thinks a lot more about whether a line goes "here" or "there" when working with Indian ink or Mylar. You learn to love your mistakes or start over from scratch! 

 

DB: When you started on this project what was going on in your life?

 

Julia: The timing was good. It was fun to work on the image because my life was settling down a bit so that I could even enjoy a hot bath in a clawfoot tub. Coloring over several days helped me unwind too, like the Moose!

 

DB: How do you plan to use your prizes?

 

Julia: First off, I am grateful for the prizes. I'll probably use them for myself.

There is a Pyrex piece at the Marketplace I simply must have! Since Santa doesn't bring gifts to single moms, that will be something under the tree for me to unwrap too!

 

DB: Well, we hope you will enjoy every moment of this holiday season. Thank you for sharing your coloring skills in our contest!

 

Julia: You're welcome!  Thank you!