Carol Ann Bamberger, 28, is a young artist and illustrator. Bamberger owns an online shop, called Harpie Lily, where she can be as silly as she wants through her artwork. Residing in DFW, Bamberger creates soft and playful art for anyone to enjoy. Bamberger recently showed her artwork at the Women of Wonder Con on March 7, as a third-time participant. This year she also participated as a panelist in “Cultural Impact and Diversity in Art” and in “What Makes an Artist.”
In her panels, she shared the stage with a few other artists talking about what it’s like being a woman in the artist world. In a male-dominated world, Bamberger and other artists feel they had to work harder to become recognized as women artists.
Photos provided by Carol Ann Bamberger
Read our Interview with Bamberger
A little bit about Bamberger
When did you decide to become an artist? How long?
I have been drawing for quite a while, but I have to say that creativity and drive really began whenever I was in fourth grade. Growing up watching Saturday morning cartoons really inspired me to draw things that were fun and awkward. That’s how I connected with some of my best friends as well. I was a shy kid so having that outlet really helped a lot. For me to really say “I’m going to be this” would be towards the end of high school since I could not imagine myself anywhere else.
What type of art do you make? Do you have a favorite type of art?
I would consider myself an illustrator so my work seems really silly looking and simple most of the time! I base my art on humor and food! I work digitally for a lot of my work, but I am very fond of drawing on paper with ink and markers when I have free time outside of my business.
My favorite type of art is conceptual art and visual development. I think it is so interesting to see how other artists break down ideas. It’s usually the rough draft for a lot of stuff in popular media, especially in video games. I think it’s very important to see that art can be very rough and sketchy and that it should be celebrated as part of the process!
Where do you look for inspiration? Do you have someone that inspires you?
My inspiration is driven by food, fashion, and art history! I absolutely love looking through art books that I have collected from college that ranges from drawings and oil paintings. I also have a huge list of artists I follow on social media as well. Couture fashion and mythology are definitely my sweet spots for inspiration.
Education
You went to the University of North Texas, what experience did you get from going to school there?
My experience at UNT was very individually driven in terms of education and technique. I was part of the Drawing and Painting program. So a lot of our practice had to be open for technique and exploring ideas that could emphasize personal expression. It can be very overwhelming because you were in charge of your own supplies and had to pump out work every 2 weeks, and balancing that with other courses was very humbling. It was great for me to be able to talk to professors who were able to make it into gallery spaces. The painting was definitely one of my favorite things to do during college.
Have you become a better artist since then?
I definitely felt I have become a better artist since my days at UNT! Having all that time to actually work on art, despite some of it being for homework, really makes you improve and appreciate the history that art has as well. Being in the college space also gives you the opportunity to collaborate with other artists as well. I was very fortunate to earn some great friends during my time there.
What advice would you give future students that are going to school for art?
Be prepared to take criticism on your work and be open to try a lot of new things as well. You’re also going to be humbled on time management because it’s not just art you’ll be working on. So balancing your education and studio will feel like a struggle at times. Also, don’t be shy to talk to your professors!
Women of Wonder Con
What’s it like to be a panelist and an artist at the same convention?
It’s very nerve-racking! I feel that my public speaking is not very good, so I feel very nervous a lot of the time. I also love being behind the table for my booth too. So they are very different experiences in terms of how I view myself. I am very happy to have the opportunity to be both.
Have you partaken in any other conventions as well? If so, which ones were there?
I’ve done quite a bit of cons around Texas and slowly branching out to out of state ones as well! I’ve been at A-kon in Dallas, Anime Weekend Atlanta, and Ohayoucon in Columbus just from last year alone, and it’s very hard to keep up sometimes!
Just for fun
What would be your favorite fandom of all time and why?
My favorite fandom is Devil May Cry! The story is so silly when you look at it all in chronological order since there are five games to go through, but the characters are such a treat. I have made a lot of friends through that fandom. Just this past year as well since the newest game came out! It revived my enjoyment of drawing fan art for a little bit since I don’t do it very often.
Check out more of Carol Ann’s work on her online shop Harpie Lily. You can also catch up with Carol Ann on Instagram!
Read more of Grace’s articles here.
Learn more about other artists here.
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Featured image credit: Graphics by Carol Ann Bamberger
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