Win an Animal Art Print by Le Canot Rouge!

Here's a little treat for one of my lucky readers! Laura from Le Canot Rouge is giving away one of her lovely prints. All you have to do is make sure you are a "follower" of the blog and answer the very easy question at the bottom by leaving a comment (clue click on the link above to find this out!). As a special treat I have managed to include a little interview with Laura... happy reading :)

Where do you take your inspiration from?

Ooh - a filing cabinet in my head. Each drawer holds ideas from inspiring artists, authors, places and things I've come across over the years:
~ Henry David Thoreau, with his book Walden; Or, Life In The Woods was/is huge for me;
~ the Canadian artists known as the Group of Seven - love them;
~ Algonquin Park: Canada's first provincial park, established in 1893 and spanning 7653 sq.km;
~ Marshall McLuhan, simply for the quote, " The medium is the message." I thought it was just as important to focus on the material of the note cards/prints as it was the idea of the handwritten note itself (they are printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper, wrapped with 100% post consumer recycled gift wrap and tied with a 100% recycled ribbon made from plastic water bottles, with 10% of the purchase price to animal welfare causes). I wanted them to offer both environmental and animals-welfare support, not simply the thoughts in the note itself (though those are surely lovely, too!);

What is your favourite animal? (if you can pick just one!)

Oh, impossible!! I've got four pairs of eyes here glaring at me if I don't answer 'dog', but also love every other four-legged, two-legged, winged, finned, scaled, or otherwise beating-hearted creature. I do love the underdogs of the animal kingdom, though...I love finding the charm in the stinky, the scary, the scaly, the slimy.

Who is your favourite artist/illustrator fellow Etsy seller?

I'd have to say Mandy Budan over at budanART (budanart.etsy.com) is topping my list these days. A fellow Canadian, she so beautifully captures the landscape I love. I am especially loving (read: wanting ;-) ) 'In a Pine Forest'. The colours are so energizing, the forest so lush!

Where do you work from?

Right now, I am working from home in Florida (a Snowbird a few decades too young ;-) ), but I dream of getting back to the cottage in the woods sometime really soon! Nothing like those autumn smells and crackling fires! This pic is the dining room table - ideal because it has a perfect view into the backyard, allowing me to keep an eye on my four dogs as they scamper around outside while I work. Give me a pad of paper and a pencil, though, and I'll plunk down just about anywhere....

And finally, Laura generously does something very sweet and generous with 10% of her purchase price, not just her profits... what is it?

Ensure you are already a follower of the blog and leave a comment with the answer below to win one of Laura's beautiful prints (your choice...but I want the duck!) Good luck ;)