Recently, I was shopping on Etsy (coolest site for handmade goods ever, if you didn’t know) and I came across this artist. Well, actually I came across this art.

I was SO excited. This stuff is SO different. I mean, where can you find art that looks like this? It’s one of kind! Here. Check another:

Fun, right? So, I asked Erin if I could have a little chat with her. It was only then that I found out she was HILARIOUS too. Check out my interview below.

Amber: So, I stumbled upon your site and was blown away! you have some amazing art! How did I not find you sooner?

Erin: I managed to shake the tracking device you slipped into my bra that one day at Hooter’s!, But really, it’s probably because I’m just very poor at promoting myself.

Amber: Seriously though, Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? Is art your primary job?

Erin: I’m 30 and a half with all the maturity of a middle school brat, born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA and still reside there with my boyfriend of nine years, Henry, and our nearly 4-year-old son, Riley. I hate cream soda and football. I love wine and hockey. — Much to Henry’s chagrin, art is currently my primary job. He sends me job postings on the daily. Although I recently scored some work-at-home data entry gig. But if you’ll remember back to one paragragh ago, I have an almost-4-year-old. So that’s going about as well as you’d imagine.

Amber: How did you get started? Have you had lessons or did you teach yourself?

Erin: I have always been into art. For a long time, as a teen, all I wanted was to go to the Academy of Art College in San Fran. Yeah, that didn’t work out quite so well, so I ended up giving the good old Art Institute in Pittsburgh a shot. I never went back after orientation.

–For most of my twenties, I wasn’t doing anything more than doodling my name on restaurant place mats. But in 2007, I did this thing called Blogathon, where you stay up for 24-hours and blog for charity. The people in my life need bribes, I’m not stupid. So to get them to sponsor me, I was all, “Yo, if you sponsor me fo x-amount, I’ll PAINT YOU A PICTURE. Holla!” I ended up having to paint 20+ pictures on 6×8 canvas board and it made me remember how much I loved art. The main thing I do is writing, but sometimes that’s really like a demon for me, and I will get stressed out to the point where I’m on the brink of mental breakdowns. But art is so soothing and calming. I don’t care that it isn’t perfect or if I’m untrained. It makes me able to breathe again and that’s why I continute to do it.

Amber: What’s your favorite type of art that you do? Mine’s the bathroom markers!

Erin: The bathroom markers are very fun and rewarding for me, because they’re so popular. I never thought they would be! “Holy Shitter” is my favorite, because I love any opportunity to flash my sacrilege card. —- My favorite art is anything that allows me to paint with my fingers! A lot of the bird paintings I do are quite literally finger-painted. It makes me feel like a pre-schooler again and that is a good way to feel sometimes. Except for the temper tantrum part.

Amber: What made you want to get into this type of art? I mean monsterriffic.

Erin: It was a happy accident! I was painting something two years ago, just something abstract (which I a professionally suck at, but for some reason I was giving it the good old college try), and I noticed that it looked like a silhouette of a monster. So I outlined it, gave it eyes and some gnashing teeth, then wrote a story for it. That’s what started the story-pairings too.

Amber: Is there anything that inspires you?

Erin: Books, music. I’ve written entire stories around one liners from songs. Horror movies. The macabre. Dreams/nightmares. The images I see in the ceiling.

Amber: When I paint, I listen to music, is there anything you do when you paint?

Erin: If it’s late at night or I’m home alone, the music gets turned on. But mostly, I’m in the kitchen (my accidental studio; the sink is my easel) painting to the sounds of cats fighting and the grating soundtrack of the Fresh Beat Band. Have you seen that show on Nickelodeon? If not, don’t go looking for it. It is OBNOXIOUS and there’s this red-haired girl (Marina, and she can choke on one – and I’ll tell her that if I ever see her) who pisses me off so badly with her facial smirks that I’ve considered cutting letters off a bag of cat litter and sending her hate mail, ransom-style.

Amber: Team Conan or Team Leno? Team Edward or Team Jacob?

Erin: Conan 4 lyfe! I was always afraid of Leno’s chin when I was little. And even then, I knew he wasn’t funny. I grew up watching Letterman, but started watching Conan in high school. I remember thinking I was so hardcore for staying up on school nights, watching it in my room. But he’s just always been the shit. I don’t like dumb humor, and he’s certainly not dumb. —I’m going to go with Team Jacob. I’m a little on the Twilight-fence. When the books first came out, I was like, “Wow these are decent.” But I can’t stand hype and I can’t stand Bella. And that can make it tough, when you hate the main character!—-I’ve currently jumped vampire-ship and am now consorting with the angels. Angels are totally the new vampires. (At least that’s what the teen fiction section at the book store tells me.)

Amber: Favorite thing to do when you’re not painting?

Erin: Writing, depending on my mindset. Sometimes that can be more for punishment than pleasure. Also: Eating sushi. Watching hockey (mostly the Penguins, but I’ll watch any team, any league.) Forcing my friends to do photoshoots. Hanging in the cemetery. Going for drives. Making mix CDs. Reading. Roller skating! Being an asshole.

Amber: Favorite band(s) I know, it’s hard to pick one

Erin: The Cure will always be my #1! It’d only take you a minute to figure that out if you ever came to my house. I have framed pictures of Robert Smith all over the place. Other bands I would go out of my way to see if they came to or near town: Chiodos, Cold, Circa Survive, Thrice, Xiu Xiu.—Lady Gaga. Yes, Lady Gaga. If I don’t get to see her this year, I might die. Her performances are literally what the inside of my head looks like! Namely, her “Paparazzi” performance at the VMAs.

Amber: Anything else you’d like to share with whatever world?

Erin: I think this is a fab site and I appreciate the chance to be featured on it! —Also – don’t jump into a pile of leaves while holding a wet lolly. You’ll just have to trust me on that one.

Check out Erin on Twitter

Also check out her Etsy Store and Blog!