Tucked behind black Ikea shelving that holds her ceramic figurines, Andrea Kashanipour sits in a chair and works on a taco truck she’s carving out of clay for her Etsy store.
Kashanipour is very busy these days trying to restock her Etsy, local stores like Pop Cycle, the gift shop at Tohono Chul Park and fulfill orders for clients outside of Tucson. She turned the dining room in her east side home into a home art studio.
Clay wasn’t always the medium Kashanipour worked in. In 2000, she graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in art education.
While in school she took many studio classes. After graduation she moved to Tucson with her husband and taught art in the Tucson Unified and Amphitheater school districts.
On the weekends she would paint abstract pieces in her studio in downtown Tucson. Then in 2010, as a birthday gift to herself, she bought a small kiln and started to make and sell small figurines including javelinas and owls.
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Soon she graduated to larger pieces and historical figures and her professional career took off. Once she felt she could make a living creating art full time, she left teaching.
Kashanipour’s work has caught the attention of interior designers, galleries and the retailer Anthropologie.
She’s been discovered by interior designers, galleries and Anthropologie, an American clothing retailer with over 200 stores worldwide, after constantly promoting herself on her Instagram page. Anthropologie also sells home décor. She says social media has really helped in the resurgence of artisanal crafts.
“Because of social media, you can represent yourself online,” she says “I feel fortunate I got in on this at the ground floor level.”
To see more of her work, follow @artknacky on Instagram.
Kashanipour started making small figurines, including javelinas, in her home after buying a kiln in 2010.
Andrea Kashanipour set up a home art studio where her dining room should be located. She says she used to have a studio in downtown Tucson but decided to move it home so she can be more available to her three kids.
Ceramic figurines sit on a shelf waiting to be glazed by Kashanipour in her home studio.
A T-Rex is one of the many pieces Andrea Kashanipour is working on in her home studio on August 20, 2019. Kashanipour is a former art teacher who made the leap to become a full time professional artist.
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