Artist Spotlite – Interview with Monica Vanzant

“My favorite medium is oil and landscapes fascinate me but my personality forces me to continuously stretch my wings and try new things. My subject determines my media. This is why I paint in oils, watercolor and acrylic. I want to experience the entire spectrum of creating art.”

The Lottery Player – A Study of the Artists’s Father Oil on belgian linen, 18 x 22

Q – What medium or mediums do you work with?

A – Oils are my favorite medium but I also use acrylic and watercolor. Oils are more forgiving and I think that’s why I favor them.

Q – How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?

A – I have been painting for ten years. It began as a hobby to relieve the stress from a very demanding job and it turned into so much more. I knew I was in trouble when I started a painting at about seven o’clock one evening after work and then all of a sudden the sun was coming up and I had to be at work in two hours.

Q – Do you have any formal training or are you self taught?

A – I attended two drawing classes at PAFA (Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art) about four years ago because I desperately needed help with my drawing skills. Other than that I am not formerly trained. I learned through any media I could get my hands on including books, videos, on-line demos and claiming a bench at my favorite art museum.

Initially, I would happily slap numerous vats of paint onto a canvas with no knowledge at all of composition, values or the number of hairs applied to my canvas from the cheap .99 brushes I was using. I eventually got tired of my friends asking me “Um…is that a mountain?”

There was always something missing so I decided to buy my first art book and that is when I learned about composition and focal point. Though my paintings were a little better, I was still applying exorbitant amounts of paint to the same areas over and over again because it never “looked right”. So that is when I bought my next book on color theory and learned the importance of values and warm and cool colors.

Finally I realized that if I wanted to paint seriously I had to study seriously and so my self-education began and I have never looked back. Strangely, the more I learn, the harder it gets but it is an agonizing and satisfying journey that I would not give up for anything.

Q – Do you have any favorite art supplies that you would like to recommend?

A – My medium is linseed oil, dammar varnish and turpentine (equal parts). I use Windsor Newton paints most of the time but I am always open to try new things. If I had one suggestion it would be to buy good quality brushes. This really can have an effect on what you are trying to achieve. I think it is important for an artist to experiment to find their own favorites.

Q – Do you work with any specific styles or subject matter?

A – My favorite subject is landscapes. My style depends on what I want to portray with a particular subject. I think that if I continue to try new things that are out of my comfort zone, I can only improve. For instance, my next project is to improve my sketchbook skills. I have seen some artist’s sketchbooks that are beautiful “stand-alone” works of art. That is the next goal I have set for myself.

Q – Can you recommend any books, videos or other resources that will help new artists?

A – Since that is how I learned, I have many suggestions. The following are all videos/DVDs…

I would most definitely start with Ben Stahl ’s video workshop series. He managed to touch on just about every aspect of art including drawing, cleaning brushes, stretching canvas, cutting your mats, painting in oil, acrylic, watercolor, drawing in pen & ink and etching. This man really loved to create art!

Next, I suggest Helen Van Wyk’s DVDs. She had the unique ability to teach the principles of painting that you could use to paint anything and not just what she was showing in her demonstrations.

As you progress, I would suggest Johnnie Liliedahl. She has an extensive collection of instructional videos and DVD’s. She teaches most, if not all, of the techniques of the old masters. In my opinion her media can be a little expensive but it is so informative, I would definitely suggest the investment.

I like these artists for specific subjects – Morgan Weistling (Oil Portraits), Susan Harrison-Tustain (Watercolor Flowers), McCreery Jordan (Acrylic Still Life).

The following are all books. (Some of the artist below may also have videos/DVDs but I strongly suggest the books as they provide excellent reference material.)

Linda Cateura – Oil Painting Secrets from A Master – About the artist David Leffel

Gregg Kreutz – Problem Solving for Oil Painters

Betty Edwards – Drawing on The Right Side of The Brain

Lois Griffel- Painting The Impressionist Landscape

Ralph Mayer – The Artist Handbook

In addition, please visit your art museums. There is a wealth of knowledge just hanging on those walls for us to view. Do not be afraid to get up close and personal. View the brushstrokes, try and figure out the under-painting used, etc. – But don’t touch! I wouldn’t want you to get arrested…

My last suggestion would be to learn some art history. You do not have to become an expert but it can be so interesting learning the detail behind some of our greatest paintings and the backgrounds of the old masters. If you are someone who needs visual stimulation, start with the Sister Wendy Series. In my opinion, she is very knowledgeable and makes the subject fun.

Q – How do you get ideas to create a piece? What inspires you?

A – I could be inspired by a beautiful landscape or a rotting piece of fruit. I really try and find the beauty in everything.

Q – Are there any artists that have influenced you and why?

A – There are many other artists that I admire but these are my favorites…

John Constable, Thomas Moran, Jacob van Ruisdael are my favorite landscape painters. I love the way they captured nature yet never lost the painterly quality of their canvases.

Sargent – He made every brushstroke count and I strive to do this. I am still not there.

Rembrandt & Peder S. Kroyer – Their techniques of painting light were so diverse yet both so effective & memorable.

Vermeer – He painted what “quiet” must look like.

Dean Mitchell – He paints with such feeling that I can actually feel the emotion when viewing his paintings. In my opinion, it takes a special artist to make modern architecture look romantic.

Q – Do you have a website you would like to share?

A – Yes I have two. One, www.simplesite.com/monicavanzant_artlesson shows my on-line art demonstration. The other is www.monicavanzant.com and is the gallery of my paintings and photographs. They are both works in process, but then so am I.

Q – Finally, do you have any last words of advice for beginner artists?

A – Absolutely. Never stop creating, paint everything and as often as possible. Do this and you will continue to grow as an artist. No matter how frustrated you may get, Don’t Give Up! If necessary change your medium and learn something new to get the creative juices flowing again. Every night pick something, anything – a leaf, a branch from a tree, something small from inside your house and complete a small sketch or watercolor of it. Just keep practicing your skill anyway you can. Every painting is not going to be a masterpiece but I can promise you that every painting you complete will bring you one step closer to being the artist you want to be.

Best Wishes to all of you and feel free to e-mail me.

Regards, Monica Vanzant

vanzantart@hotmail.com