Interview with Artist Helen Harris

About Helen

Exploring mixed media art has been my quest in recent years. I am a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art ( University of the Arts). A BFA in Graphic Design introduced me to a career in the commercial arts.Freelance and teaching assignments ranging from coloring books to spot illustrations later evolved to include employment in signage and display.

I was born in upstate New York. My childhood exploration of fields,lakes and mountains inspired my early interest in art. While raising three daughters, my interest in painting was never forgotten. Today I exhibits my mixed media paintings at outdoor shows and galleries in the northeast.

Click here to reach Helen’s Website

 

ARTIST STATEMENT

Fragmented by rock forms,forests and turbulent waters, these multi-layered landscapes,seascapes of mixed media define my work.

Using only calligraphic brush strokes to define detail, the mix of color is splashed through an assortment of watercolor and rice papers,papyrus and fibers.

THE INTERVIEW

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: I work in watercolor,gouache and acrylic with a mixed media of textures. The textures are usually torn papers of rice banana,bark and papyrus and painted watercolor papers.

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

A: I have been painting professionally since 1974.  A BFA in Graphic Design introduced me to a career in the commercial arts.Freelance and teaching assignments ranging from coloring books to spot illustrations later evolved to include employment in signage and display.

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

A: I am a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art ( University of the Arts). The public library and North Light Book Club sustained later years of study.

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

A: I use Kilimanjaro 300lb. watercolor paper (available from Cheap Joe’s). I recommend it for anyone using collage techniques. It is very supportive for collaging techniques as well as providing a superb surface for watercolor,gouache and acrylics and requires no stretching.

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

A: My subject matters are generally landscapes & seascapes with textural elements enhancing the surface.

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

A: I highly recommend the creativity books by Julia Cameron, especially “The Artist’s Way”.  I have found the work of marketing coach Alyson Stanfield helpful in heading an artist in the right direction professionally. Read her book “I’d Rather be in the Studio”

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

A: Walks, bike rides ,car rides..anywhere I see the lay of the land. Early in my studies I made a habit of forming a composition of a scene as I passed by .Blinking as if my eye were a camera and capturing that particular moment, the light,a scene, an object, as I passed. Those images, cataloged in my minds eye are then what I draw upon for my later paintings.

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

A: Gerald Brommer..collage techniques.

Nita Engle..sparkle & light and freedom in watercolor.

Pat Dews…design,collage

Stephen Quiller..acrylic

Don Getz..watercolor/acrylic

Each of these artist have given me an “ah-ha!” moment that advanced my work.

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

A: This link will bring you to  Alyson Stanfield’s marketing site with a free newsletter and information to purchase her book that I recommend to anyone trying to make a living as an artist.

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

A: If you treat every painting or line as precious then you show that you are fearful that you will never create again. Paint,draw ..with abandon,everyday!Have at it..it’s only a piece of paper,not brain surgery!

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Interview with Artist Leslie Tribolet

About Leslie

Leslie Tribolet lives on Kauai with her husband and her animals. She studied at Santa Barbara Art Institute back in the 70’s, but with pencil as her medium of choice. During her battle with both cervical and breast cancer, she decided to try to learn how to paint for something to do. She dabbled in watercolors and loved them, but seemed that everyone on Kauai was painting with watercolors, and that she found to be boring…..

She was introduced to the Genesis Heat Set Paints in 2007, and loved it because of the ease of finishing her work quickly, without having to wait for the paint to dry and it was “different”. These paints are dried with heat, (heat gun or an oven) which speeds up the process and it is great, especially with living in the humid air of Hawaii. She has always been drawn to ethnic faces, so she decided to try her hand at painting them with these paints, and it worked. She hopes that you enjoy looking at them as much as she enjoys painting them.

Visit Leslie’s Website Today…

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: I really only used the new Genesis Paints when I paint now. I will dabble with the watercolors when I get bored with same’ol, same’ol. But really like having the ability to paint really fast and Genesis Heat Set Paints allow me to do that.

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

A: I have been involved with art in some form since I was a kid. I attended the Santa Barbara Art Institute when I was 19 for a year and loved it. I drew with pencil in figure and head drawing classes mostly, but did take a couple of sculpture classes where I really had a blast. Someday I hope to get back into sculpting.

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

A: The only formal training I have had other than the drawing classes at the Institute, is a couple of classes from some local artists here on Kauai. I really am pretty much self taught, learning through trial and error….

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

A: I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn how to paint, to invest in about 6 basic colors of the Genesis Paints. From that you will be able to pretty much make up any color… I would be happy to assist with the information to anyone who wants to know how to start with the Genesis Paints.

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

A: I seem to be drawn (no pun intended) to painting people… maybe it was all those drawing classes of people at the Institute. I just find them to be challenging and fun. I will get bored now and then though, and switch over to plants or whatever I want to explore… no good with animals. Too much hair for me and I admire those who can do it! My style is realism. I like to make my paintings look as close as I can to a picture. A lot of people don’t appreciate that technique, but I do. When I go into a gallery, I immediately go over to the realism paintings.

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

A: I would recommend to anyone wanting to start to paint, to go to artrenewal.org and explore around the gallery. Wonderful paintings from new to very, very old. I learn a lot just by looking at the way someone painted….

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

A: I am inspired by great faces. That is why I like to paint ethnic faces. There is so much more character to an ethnic face. I am not interested in painting some beautiful model with blue eyes and blonde hair…. boring.

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

A: I have always been in-love with Norman Rockwell!

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

A: My website is : http://www.leslietribolet.com

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

A: Advice is to jump in and start painting. I get discouraged when my paintings are in the beginning stages, so I keep in front of me a piece of paper that has this little boy that I painted with photos from the start to finish. The beginning of his painting was awful and I almost gave up. I didn’t, and he turned out to be one of my best paintings in my opinion. I look at that to remind me to KEEP GOING!

Interview With Artist Nicole Roy

About Nicole

I live in Ontario, Canada where the scenic views are just spectacular.  Art is a very important factor in my life. I have a small studio/shop in my home where I love to spend most of my time right up to the early hours of the morning.  I anticipate starting new projects and challenges… I thrive on deadlines & working under pressure sometimes…it’s a rush and I love it! I am always welcoming commissions from clients.

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: I work with a variety of mediums, with charcoal being my #1 for people/pet portraits.  I do my landscapes with acrylic paints.  I’ve recently started to dabble with soft pastels, which I find very enjoyable and relaxing.

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

A: I have been drawing since childhood, but didn’t make a fuss over it…when you are young, you think it’s not a big deal and anyone can do this.   I did my first pencil portrait at age 12, it was of Elton John, done from an 8 track tape cover… My parents were amazed by it and both encouraged me to do more, but I didn’t except for horse drawings, since they were my love at that age.  Then in my late 20’s I got back into it slowly, and in my mid 30’s, decided to become a full time artist.

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

A: I am self taught, but I have learned helpful tips & ideas from art books…  Most is from learning by experimenting & trying different techniques to see what worked for me…  Everyday is a learning process and a lot of my smaller works are unplanned & spontaneous.

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

A: I do… For my portraits I absolutely love  “General’s Charcoal” pencils…the 4B Soft and 2B Medium are my favorites.  I love all paper as they have their use from different mediums & technique use…many types of paper as weight, tooth and colors make for interesting drawing sessions and all must be acid free.  For my paintings…any acrylic paints or brushes are fine, but my surfaces are unique! I paint landscapes on leaves, rocks, seashells, along with canvas…There are not many items that I won’t paint on.

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

A: I guess you could say my style is realism…for the portrait area of my work…  My subject matter ranges from people, pets, some wildlife and landscapes that often include sunsets.

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

A: There are so many great art books, but a few that might help new artists are: “The Drawing Bible” by Craig Nelson…there’s a bit of everything in there…  Anything by Jerry Yarnell, whether it be his books or videos…  Bob Ross videos are also relaxing, inspiring and very enjoyable…You have to love that voice of  his…memorable!

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

A: Inspiration is brought on by many things.  Rain is not only an inspiration for me but I find it very  cleansing & motivating…it seems to get my creative juices flowing…  My mood also triggers and reflects ideas and inspires my creativity.

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

A: I am particularly taken by Robert Bateman’s work… I have the utmost admiration for his art as well as Mr. Bateman himself as an artist.  I hold dearly and will forever treasure a personal letter & postcard he wrote to me a few years ago… I read it often for inspiration.

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

A: My website is : http://artbynicole.4t.com

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

A: I would advise beginner artists not to be hesitant to dive right in and practice, practice, and do lots of it…through trial and error is how you will develop your own style & techniques.  Even if it’s just 10 minutes a day, a simple sketch, doodle…it’s so important to draw everyday & practice!!!!

Interview With Artist Julie Blight

Artist Statement

Today we are bombarded with so much ugliness in the world; through my art I try to portray the calming beauty I feel from nature. My passion is painting Realistic Animal Portraits, especially Dogs, Cattle and our vibrant Northern Territory Landscapes, Flora and Fauna.

My favourite medium is Matisse Acrylic Paint and also work in Inks, Wax, Rice Paper and Graphite Pencil.
I attained my Visual Arts Diploma many years ago and have continued my art education with the school of life, through trial and error.  After years of exhibiting, travel teaching nationally and internationally I now enjoy the layback life style of the Territory. I paint under the Nom de Plume “Siani Walsh”.

The photo submitted is of my young Rottweiler Sharny and is called “Who Me”.  To her the world is her play ground she is either going into mischief or coming out of it and has the most expressive face of any dog I have been guardian to. She is an absolute joy to share my life with.

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: Acrylic Paint, Inks, Wax Rice Paper and Graphite Pencil are the Mediums I mainly work with, and will paint on any surface that stays still long enough.

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

A: Art become important to me as a child, living and growing up in the country meant you had to find ways to occupy your free time. Sketching and Water Colour painting of animals and the landscape become my passion.

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

A: My formal training consists of a Visual Arts Diploma, study with Russian Master Artist Slava Letkov and American Artist Sherry Nelson.  I attained my teachers Accreditation and have been a published Artist by Express Publication since 1997. My art education continues with the school of life, through trial and error. After many years of travel teaching Nationally and Internationally I am enjoying the lay back life style of the Northern Territory and only teach two Acrylic Painting courses a year in my home town of Katherine.

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

A: Matisse Derivan products are my favourite art supplies. Matisse is an Australian owned company since 1964 and has been committed to providing the arts community with the worlds finest Professional quality Acrylic colours and Mediums. Their vibrant, exciting colours are formulated on our Australian Flora, Fauna, Sea and Landscape colours.

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

A: Most of my subject matter is Australian Flora, Fauna and Landscapes; my passion is painting Realistic Animal Portraits of Dogs and Cattle. I feel painting is a gift to be shared, the bonus for me is when someone else finds a connection with my work and appreciates it too.

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

A: There are many great books and DVD’s available for the beginner artist. It is just a matter of finding what will suit you as an individual.

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

A: My greatest inspiration to create a painting arises from the peaceful beauty I find around me in Nature. We are confronted from so much ugliness from the World on a daily basis; I feel I have to balance that in my life by portraying the quiet beauty I find in Nature.

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

A: There are many beautiful and varied artists around today, to look at their work and read their Artist Statements can be very uplifting. I wouldn’t say they have influenced the style of my work but I love to read how another artists mind works in regard to their art.

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

A: I have a website www.julieblight.gempton.com which I really must have updated and a www.PictureTrail.com/siani which is up to date.

 

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

A: My advice for beginners is to practice, practice, practice and enjoy to the maximum what you are doing.

Interview With Artist Cindy Davis

Biography

Cindy Davis’ paintings have been exhibited and sold in Georgia, Florida, California, Colorado, Maryland and Tennessee. She frequently exhibits in Albany, Georgia as well as participating in art events in through the Deep South.   Mrs. Davis is a member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters, the Southern Artists’ League, and the Georgia Artist’s Guild of Albany. She is best known for her large format, abstract acrylic paintings. She owns and manages an internet-based art business, Flint River Gallery, LLC, currently representing 9 southern artists.

 

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: Acrylic and Oil

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

A: I have been painting like a crazy person for about 6 years now. Before that, I painted occasionally on and off for years. I got started painting 2 inch daisies on notebook paper.

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

A: I am self taught, and I rather like it that way. Although I am always reading, learning, and experimenting with ideas gleaned from books, the web, and artist’s that I meet.
I hold a BS in economics from the University of Tennessee.

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

A: I love, love, love Golden Acrylics. My favorite brush is which ever brush happens to be in my hand. It’s not the brush, but the artist, that makes it exceptional.

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

A: I lean toward organic subject matter. By that I mean natural objects and the random lines and compositions found in the woods and fields.

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

A: Too many to list. I would recommend finding a good used book store if you really want to learn something about art, otherwise you might not have enough left over for supplies. Many of my favorite art books are vintage books; no longer in print.

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

A: I am most frequently inspired by small things I see in my everyday life. Everyday, I see something I want to paint. There is the really weird looking shiny, cracked area of a concrete floor where I work. This area is about 5 inches in diameter. The texture and color is intriguing for me. I want to get back there and sketch it so that I can blow it up on a large canvas. You really should see it, there is a lot going on in that small spot.

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

A: I have a small clump of websites.

For my own art, www.CindyDavisArt.com

For my gallery of southern painters,www.FlintRiverGallery.com

For South Georgia ART, www.SouthGaART.com.

I have built and currently manage all three of these websites.

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

A: Listen to advice of others, then when they are finished go and do what you wanted to do in the first place.  I think you learn more if you make your own mistakes.

This advice actually comes from my mother-in-law, Jackie Davis. She is one tough, smart, independent lady all of 5foot nothing. Growing up on a farm in Oklahoma obviously taught her a thing or two about independence…….and kindness.

Anyway, it is good advice for fixin’ trucks or fixin’ paintings.

Artist Spotlite - Interview with Don Sahli

Everybody looks for a label. I would like to be known as a painter one who painted what he saw while wandering around on his journey.

Don Sahli made the decision to become a professional artist at a very early age. By the time he was 17 years old, galleries in Texas and New Mexico were selling his paintings. Sahli has earned his living as a professional artist all his adult life. Presently, his work is represented by galleries in Colorado, North Carolina, New Mexico, Wyoming and Texas.

When I look at a painting, I want it to bring me back to when I was on the scene. I want it to convey the drama and emotion that first captured my attention, the atmosphere, and the soul of the place.

Sahli’s work contains stylistic echoes of the Russian masters, particularly evident in his uninhibited use of color, his stern originality and unique vitality. As the last apprentice to the Russian colorist, Sergei Bongart, Sahli sustains an important artistic legacy, one passed from Ilya Repin, the fountainhead of all modern Russian painting, to Nicolai Fechin, to Peter Kotov, to Sergei Bongart to Don Sahli.

My teacher taught, his teacher taught, and I wanted to keep this tradition alive and give something back.

In 1995, carrying on the legacy of his teacher, Sahli opened Sahli School of Art in Evergreen, Colorado. He lives with his wife, Cindy and their two sons, in their mountain home near the school.

Q - What medium or mediums do you work with?

A - I am an oil painter - on canvas or board - depending on the size of the painting and where I am painting - studio or plein air.

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

A - I have been an artist all my life. I sold my first painting at age 14 or 15. When I was 17, I took my work to a gallery in Taos, NM, the gallery director accepted it and sold my work for several years. I have continued to show in galleries around the country since that time.

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

A - I attended one year at the University of Texas, where as a freshman I signed up for senior level art classes. But the real eye opener for me was when I met my teacher, Sergie Bongart and he invited me to be his apprentice. He taught me in the “old academic way” not how to paint by formula, but how to “see.” The years I spent with him gave me the foundation to be the painter I am today.

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

A - I use a #12 long filbert hog bristle brush.

I like Classic Artists Oil Colors for paint. I buy my panels/boards from SourceTek. I use copal painting medium.

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

A - I was trained in the Russian School of Painting and Art of Painting. This style of painting is about color and the relationships of color. Once you understand the philosophy of Art of Painting, you can paint anything.

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

A - The Art Spirit - by Robert Henri

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

A - Through observation of the environment where I am living, the change of color and light and atmosphere.

Color inspires me… the actual act of painting - inspires me.
Looking at great paintings - what the masters studied inspires me
When a seed sprouts from the ground -this inspires me.

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

A - Of course, Sergei Bongart as my teacher and mentor. He also introduced me to many other historical Russian painters, Fechin, Repin, Levitan, there are too many to name. From a more recent group of painters - Timkov and Fedor Zakharov.

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

A - www.sahlistudio.com
This website describes my journey as a painter and features my work.

www.sahliartofpainting.com
This website describes the philosophy behind Art of Painting and features Interactive Art Instruction DVD Collection.

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

A - LEARN TO DRAW

Paint, Paint, Paint!

Be more interested in being the best painter you can be than selling a painting.

Do not compare yourself with others, only compare yourself with yourself.

Artist Spotlite - Interview With Pamela E. Miller

About Pamela E. Miller Contemporary Art

“By cultivating the beautiful we scatter the seeds of heavenly flowers, as by doing good we cultivate those that belong to humanity” -Robert Heinlein

These are just a few words that I like to live by. I feel that creating art is a way of sharing your soul with others. As you will see in my artwork: sometimes I am very flamboyant and always colorful, sometimes confidant and peaceful, other times angry or chaotic. I think all of my emotions; passions come out in my works. Sometimes I layer it on thick (paint and words) and other times I flirt with the canvas with light feathery strokes. My art reflects my beliefs in love, warmth, generosity, loyalty, and honesty. I’m inspired by science, fantasy, martial arts, architecture, and nature (especially water).

The Interview

Q - What medium or mediums do you work with?

A – I adore experimenting; if I could start my life over I think I’d devote a little more time to being a mad scientist. With that said my preferred choice of mediums are acrylics (especially metallics, which are my signature), watercolors and mixed-media(could be anything from gels and sculpting mediums to glitter and papers.

Q - How long have you been an artist?

A - My Journey: From the time I could hold a crayon in hand, I was always drawing and painting. As a child, I was always encouraged in the arts and I had a natural affinity to sales. My grandmother and mom love to swap tales of me as a child. Apparently if anyone asked what I was doing my standard relay would be, “I’m making a “insert whatever”. For .25 cents you can have it!” I’m probably one of the first artists to have a gallery show at 3 years old. My parents gave dinner parties and since we had a hallway that extended from the front of our Victorian styled home to the back, I displayed my art there for all the neighbors/friends to see.

During high school I explored with different mediums and devoured books on technique, anatomy etc. I’ve always loved horses and after purchasing one, I began doing horse portraits in earnest. All of the folks at the farm wanted portraits of their horses, which I happily sold them for, I believe $20.0(may have been more..my elephant’s memory seems to have deserted me).

In the beginning of my development, I focused on realism, technical accuracy and traditional studies in portraits, still life and prospective. However, I’ve always loved dramatic, vibrant paintings, experimenting and breaking “rules”. These personality traits lead to bold, colorful creations using a much ‘looser’ style.

I was thrilled when I decided to take the plunge and become a professional artist full time in 2006. However, given my independent nature, I cried the first time my husband had to pay my marketing bill. Now I’m on the long road to winning back my “technology sales” income doing something I couldn’t stop doing if I was paid to. I believe what Ronald E Osborn said ‘Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered you will never grow.’

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

A - I think education is very important. So I’ve always devoured books, magazines and workshops that will help me learn to be better. In the technology industry, I studied sales techniques, technical documentation/skills and quizzed marketing folks on their statistics. I’m like a cat or ferret, curious above all else. I credit my success to having some wonderful mentors and co-workers. However, I believe that it is an artist’s responsibility to NOT follow the art world “rules” when creating. Perhaps there is an “outsider artist” in here somewhere!

Education:

Maryland Institute of Art- Summer School

Howard Community College-Liberal Arts

Capital College-Computer Engineering (before the internet..LOL)

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

A- Two words… Dick Blick!!
Love their quality, prices and service!

I love watercolors and watercolor pencils because they are so easy to “take with you”. A lot of the watercolor works I do are created poolside on a beautiful day.

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

A – Painting and Art includes: Urban Cityscapes, Impressionistic Seascapes, Asian Abstract Expressionism and Fantasy with Surreal/Cubism Influences. I also use ACEOs (Art Cards, Editions & Originals)and SMA(Small Format Art) as my sketch book or paint whatever the heck you feel like resource.

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

A - I love the Artist’s Magazine. I would also recommend the little art instructional books you can purchase in craft stores and on-line.

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

A - I wrote this guide for Ebay Artists…As a painter, our best work is done when we are inspired. But how do we get that inspiration? Here are some of the ways I gain my inspiration. Hope this guide helps you to get over the “creative block “hump” or be even more inspired!

1. Observe the world. I love the water and also big cities. So I can get inspiration by visiting a new vacation spot or city. Where are some of your favorite places to be? Using photos you’ve taken or other’s have given you permission to paint from, create your own happy place..chances are it’s someone else’s too.

2. Hobbies. What do you like to do? Sailing, Golfing, Animals etc can be great inspiration.

3. What are others creating and how can you make their style fit for you? Go to museums, galleries and visit ebay art.

4. Movies and Books. What are your favorites and if you were asked to design for a set or cover what would you paint?

5. Meditate or Think On It. This may sound corny but sometimes just sitting and thinking about your creative dream can bring wonderful new ideas.

6. Just Do It. Sometimes the simple act of putting a brush to paper can inspire you.

Hope you have some wonderful inspiration come your way soon.

Q - Are there any artists that have influenced you?

A - Some of the artists that have influenced me would be Picasso, Kandinsky, and Peter Max. Not sure if it’s true but I heard Peter Max is a “nice guy” and has qualities I strive for, namely: generosity, loyalty and friendliness.

Q - Do you have a website?

A –YES! I’m very excited to announce I just got on the ecommerce bandwagon (read more in my press release). My new site can be visited at: http://www.modernart.com. Please let me know your suggestions for improvements but bear in mind I know little about html and I’m not a wiz at spelling/typing either..haha. What I’m saying is let me know what’s wrong and right with my site but don’t judge me to harshly.

I love fun stuff like cards, mugs & apparel (including plus sizes) so I partnered with Zazzle to offer them here: www.zazzle.com/allyon1*

I love talking about my new stuff, looking at other people’s new stuff, learning new stuff and going to artsy places. Here’s where you can find information on my “super” sales, new artworks, press and artists/art related information I’ve discovered: http://pmillerabstractart.blogspot.com/

Q - Finally, do you have any last words of advice?

A - Follow your heart to happiness and paint what you love.

Feed your creative soul by meeting new people, reading lots of books and taking classes

“By cultivating the beautiful we scatter the seeds of heavenly flowers, as by doing good we cultivate those that belong to humanity”: Robert Heinlein

“To Change One’s Life: Start Immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions” - William James

Artist Spotlite - Interview With Karin Wells

I love the dignity and grand style of classical realism. My work reflects the deep influence of the Old Masters in both method, style and use of light.

THE INTERVIEW

Q - What medium or mediums do you work with?

A - I enjoy working with traditional oil paint on linen canvas. The Old Masters take my breath away and when I look at what they have done with this traditional medium, it gives me endless inspiration to learn more.

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

A - I guess that there are two answers. First – the short one: I was probably born with the heart and soul of an artist. It has always been what I have wanted…whether I knew it or not.

Secondly, the long answer is a newspaper article by Joni Hullinghorst, reprinted from the Keene Sentinel on 10/17/03 below:

Challenging the odds: Wells settles the ‘nature vs. nurture’ debate “What do you expect? She’s an artist.”

Those were the words Karin Wells’ parents used to dismiss the annual hand-drawn Christmas card from a mentally ill neighbor.

“I never wanted to be an artist,” says Wells, “because in my mind that would have been like wanting to be a streetwalker.”

It’s hard to imagine that a person whose background was otherwise devoid of art could create the extraordinary portraits and landscapes that come out of her Peterborough studio. Her father was a no-nonsense engineer and her mother was a teacher who, when Wells finally ended up in art school, told everyone that her daughter was in secretarial school.

Still, she drew constantly. She disliked school, so she used for her textbooks as drawing paper. “I wrecked many school books,” she confesses.

After high school, Wells tried nursing school but dropped out and ended up drifting from job to job in Rockport, Massachusetts. For fun she would sit on the end of Bearskin Neck and draw tourists on a tablet of writing paper. To her surprise, the tourists happily paid $5 for what she considered mere doodles.

Those $5 doodles earned the enmity of another artist trying to sell legitimate charcoal portraits for $20. Though she doesn’t know for sure, she suspects he reported her. However it happened, one day a cop grabbed her and read her the riot act for working on public property without a license.

“You artists are all alike!” she remembers him yelling at her.

It should have been a traumatic event. Instead it was a spiritual awakening.

“He called me an artist,” she says. “It was like a light bulb went off in my head.”

So when the angry cop dragged the euphoric young artist into the police station, Wells happily paid her fine—weren’t her pockets stuffed with money she’d earned as an artist?—and immediately got on a train for Boston to enroll in art school.

The light bulb may have gone off, but it didn’t illuminate much. It was September. Schools had already started, yet it never occurred to Wells that she might have a problem enrolling late, much less getting accepted at schools where people applied a year in advance. She called the MFA first. They laughed and hung up. Undaunted, she called the New England School of Art and Design.

“The secretary was at lunch,” she says, “so Mr. Cox, who ran the school, happened to answer the phone.”

Instead of laughing and hanging up on the fledgling artist, Cox invited her to the school. Naturally, he wanted to see her portfolio; naturally, Wells had no idea what a portfolio was. He told her there was an entrance exam composed of exercises, such as drawing a cereal box in perspective. Safely cushioned by her cocoon of naïveté, Wells told Cox she would be back in an hour. She went to a coffee shop and completed the entrance exam on her writing tablet. An hour later, she was back on Cox’s doorstep.

“It gets really weird here,” Wells says. “Someone had just dropped out, and by the time I got back, Mr. Cox and arranged a place for me to live, a part time job, and a partial scholarship.”

So there she was, still oblivious to the miracle she had achieved but happily enrolled in a commercial art school, despite the fact that she’d never been in a museum in her life (she burst into tears during her first visit to the MFA) and had no idea of basics, such as the fact that paint came in tubes.

One benefit of her serendipitous good fortune was the focus of a commercial art school on drawing.

“This was the era of abstract impressionism,” she says of the sixties, when the only palatable realism was an Andy Warhol soup can. “Schools like the MFA focused on art rather than craft, but I had to learn to draw. I had life drawing three hours a day, five days a week, for three years.”

Though she is a realist who counts Titian, Vermeer, Rubens and Van Dyke among her teachers, no one appreciates abstraction more than Wells. “Underlying all good art is good abstraction,” she says. “Composition starts with a good abstraction. Then you sneak into the painting and add the realism, then sneak out again.”

She graduated with honors in 1965 and went right to work as a commercial artist. She worked steadily for five or six years, then got married and had two children. Once her children were in school, Wells found a career working with brain-injured children. She didn’t think twice about abandoning her art career, didn’t fret over the loss of it for the next twenty years. Then she found herself a single parent and knew she wanted to make a living from her brush, but she had been out of commercial art for so long that she couldn’t get work. So she became a sign painter.

“I painted a truck for a friend,” she says. “It was beautiful, but I didn’t know anything about the proper paints, so when he went to pressure wash his truck, the paint washed off.”

Back to school, this time to the Butera School of Art. She finished the two-year program in less than a year and, in 1986, again graduated with honors.

“I was a sign painter’s sign painter,” she says. “They knew I could draw, so they’d subcontract to me for, say, a four-foot cheeseburger on the side of a roach coach, and they’d do the lettering.”

She met her current husband, Peter, a retired architect. But while her personal life blossomed, her professional life was failing. A recession hurt her sign-painting career, and she found no work at all after she and Peter moved to Peterborough in 1990.

Wells had always loved painting portraits; as a sign painter, she had once painted a used car dealer’s face on a blimp. She told Peter she wanted to try to make a living, estimating it would probably take her two years to get established.

In October 1992, Wells took a weekend portrait workshop at the Sharon Art Center. That workshop marked the first time in her life Wells had ever sat down to paint on a canvas. Aside from signs, she hadn’t painted or drawn in twenty years.

“I couldn’t believe what I saw coming off the end of my brush,” she says.

She continued studying with Numael Pulido, whom Wells considers the greatest painter she’s ever met, at the New England School of Classical Painting in Greenfield. Despite all the training, she still wasn’t confident enough to undertake commissions. Then an artist friend from Belgium arrived on her doorstep with a plea for Wells to help her finish 22 paintings she had committed to a European exhibition.

More serendipity: Flying back to Europe after a painting frenzy, Wells’ friend happened to be on the same plane as Susan Gibbs. For years Gibbs had been looking for someone to paint a portrait of her son. As soon as she saw Wells’ work, she knew she had found her painter. No matter how much Wells resisted, Gibbs insisted. And so six-year-old Grayson Gibbs became the first formal oil portrait she painted entirely on her own.

“Susan cried and cried the first time she saw it,” Wells says. “I thought she hated it.”

On the contrary, Gibbs was so moved that the single mother quit her job, moved to Atlanta, and opened the Twinhouse Gallery. About six months ago, Wells began painting landscapes? (something she’d avoided due to an eye problem that limits her depth perception), which Gibbs sells in her Atlanta gallery. Grayson’s portrait also won the first in a long line of awards: a first prize in the 1997 American Society of Portrait Artists Portrait Arts Festival Competition in Montgomery, Alabama, where she also won Best Portfolio, and a special recognition award in the 1998 International Juried Portraits Only Competition sponsored by the Washington (DC) Society of Portrait Artists.

Today Wells is a member of the American Society of Portrait Artists, Portrait Society of America, the Portrait Society of Atlanta, and the Copley Society of Boston. Her portraits glow, not only from her jewel-like technique, but with the personality of her subjects and the personal touches she includes. In “Mother & Daughter,” for example, Wells took down the curtains in the living and dining rooms and incorporated them as drapery in the painting. The daughter is barefoot because the mother, who was in her forties when she learned she was pregnant, and for reasons of health at that time, was mistakenly encouraged to not go through with this pregnancy. Then the mother saw one very clear, tiny foot in a sonogram. How, she wondered, could anything be wrong with a little girl who had such a perfect foot?

“Mother & Daughter“ won the Richard and Mary Schroeder Portrait Award from the Copley Society of Boston in 2002. Her portrait of Zabie Nields won first place in the Portrait Society of America’s 1999 competition, and she won the People’s Choice Award during the 1997 Regional Jurors’ Choice Competition at the Thorne-Sagendorph. It’s an impressive record for someone who only started painting portraits eleven years ago.

“I love what I do,” Wells says. “I don’t just like it, I love it, I love it, I love it.”

It shows.

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

A - I had the great good fortune to study with Numael Pulido. And I copied the paintings of the Old Masters - they were and still are my greatest teachers.

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

A - As a matter of fact, I do indeed have some favorites listed in detail on my blog:

Art Supplies I Love to Use

I list some of my studio essentials that I get from the local hardware store and even my kitchen. Also my Hughes Easel and my amazingly comfy Turtlewood Palette are all listed and pictured with details.

I add items to this section as I think of them.

You can also visit my studio, take a virtual tour and see what I’m using:

Studio Tour

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

A - As to style, I am heavily influenced by the Old Masters and you can see this in my work, my palette and the traditional materials I like to use.

As to subject matter, I am best known as a portrait painter. I also paint still life and sometimes landscapes.

I am always surprised that people do not know how beautiful they are. When I paint a portrait, I really work to show the beauty, personality and character or each person using all the tools I have – lighting, costume & props.

In still life, I like to portray the incredible beauty in simple objects.

I think of myself as a “Classical Idealist” rather than a “Classical Realist.”

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

A - I have a lot of books – most are the collections of the paintings and drawings of the Old Masters. I tend to not collect “How to paint books…” unless they are by someone whose work I greatly admire.

About Painting: “There is more written than is known on this subject (if you get my drift here)/” - And you can quote me on this.

Study the work you love – copy the masterworks you love - and you will be learning your lessons from the best of the best.

I learned most of what I know by copying the paintings by Vermeer. All of his lessons are hiding in plain sight – just waiting to be learned.

Most of us artists learn by seeing and doing – not reading. So if you want to get good - fast - copy and learn. Even the Old Masters copied and learned from each other!

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

A - Hmmmm. I have more paintings in me than I have time to paint them. I carry a sketchbook or at least a pad of paper and scribble ideas.

I mostly work by commission. I like the challenge of having severe constraints, tight deadlines and all of the thorny issues of other people’s expectations. Other than the sometimes unpleasant headaches associated with this manner of working, it challenges me and forces me to find really creative solutions.

Faced with a blank canvas and the “what shall I paint today” attitude is not good for me. I like limitations.

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

A - Vermeer. His work delights my eye, makes my heart pound and fairly takes my breath away.

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

Portrait Gallery: http://www.KarinWells.com

Landscape Gallery: http://www.Oilpnt.com

My Blog: http://www.KarinWells.blogspot.com

My blog is the most fun for me. Watching paint dry is so lonely and blogging is such a fun way to exercise that little used left brain of mine.

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

A - If you want someone to teach you how to paint – only sign up with a teacher whose work you love and admire…and who knows more than you do.

I live in rural New Hampshire and there aren’t a lot of teachers around here. So in order to learn to paint the way I wanted to, I spent two solid years copying the paintings of the Old Masters out of books. When I say two years – I mean it. I put in 40-60 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. I logged in some heavy-duty easel time.

My hairdresser told me that she needed to put in 1500 hours just to get a license to wash my hair. It is funny but I meet an awful lot of artists who aren’t willing to put in this kind of time but somehow expect a good result.

I think hard work over a long time counts more than talent, i.e., perspiration v. inspiration.

Being a full time professional artist is hard work – but I cannot think of any other work I’d rather do.

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Grab a cup of virtual coffee and stop by my Painting Studio to see what’s happening. Also come visit my Portrait & Landscape Galleries.

Artist Spotlite - Interview With Jennifer Young

Jennifer Young is a professional artist from Richmond, Virginia, most known for her vibrant landscape paintings of France, Italy, and the American South. She is inspired by the beauty she observes on her frequent travels, and paints on location as often as possible.

In addition to teaching painting workshops (www.jenniferyoung.com/paintingworkshops.htm) , she exhibits in galleries in the southeastern U.S., as well as in her own gallery and working studio in Richmond. Her paintings have been purchased internationally by both corporate and private collectors. She also maintains her own online gallery (www.jenniferyoung.com) and writes frequently about painting, art tips, travel, and the artist’s life on her blog, “Paintings of France, Italy, and Beyond” (www.jenniferyoung.com/blog.)

THE INTERVIEW

Q - What medium or mediums do you work with?

A. My primary medium is oil painting, but I love to experiment. Most recently these explorations involve watercolor, pen and ink, & acrylics.

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

A. It sounds so cliche to say I’ve been an artist all my life. But from very early on, I knew I wanted to be an artist. After college I painted part time for a few years while I worked full time. With the great encouragement and support of my husband, I finally took the leap into full-time professional artist over 12 years ago.

Once in the full time arena, I painted nearly daily, but back then my paintings often took about 2 to 3 weeks to complete. I was painting very large, doing lots of layering, and working completely from imagination. My works and processes then were very different than my current work. I plodded along for a while taking the typical route of trying to get my work “discovered”. I entered juried shows, showed in university galleries, art centers, even a museum. It padded the resume but I didn’t feel like it was getting me very far, and certainly didn’t make me any money.

I got so frustrated with my progress, both as a painter and as a professional artist. When my father died I stopped painting altogether for about 6 months. I questioned everything, including my painting. It was a sad, dark time. Then on my birthday following my dad’s death, my husband Dave bought me a plein air easel. I’d always loved the Impressionists and played with painting landscapes here and there, but never seriously explored it before.

Plein air painting changed everything for me. I was hooked on painting the landscape and the direct experience out in nature was so life affirming and exhilarating. During that same period, I stumbled across a self-published book by artist Jack White called “The Mystery of Making It” (www.senkarikstuff.com/books.htm) . It was probably the best practical, real world book I’d read about art marketing, and I used Jack’s advice as a guide to develop my first art marketing plan. A lot has changed since the book was published, but I still think it has great value to anyone getting started trying to market their art, particularly to those who paint representationally.

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

A. Yes, and yes :-). I went to a four year art school, Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. I had a major in Art History Studio, which was essentially only a few credits short of a double major in art history and painting and printmaking. My personal experience at the time was that the school had a good foundation program the first year, but afterwards I found that the painting department was big on concept and light on technique.

The focus was more on abstraction, which probably helped me with composition and design. But for a while after school I had to teach myself how to use my materials, mainly from experimentation and books. Once I started with painting the landscape, I took a few outdoor painting classes to further develop my craft in this genre.
Q - Do you have any favorite art supplies that you would like to recommend?

A. I actually love to experiment with different art supplies and I write a lot about them on my blog. To students in my workshops, I don’t really stress paint brands at this point, because I think every artist should experiment and find what works best for them. Painting is such a primitive activity, and really you need very little in the way of “fancy” supplies to get the job done.

For oils, I do recommend using the best materials you can afford- especially in terms of using professional grade paints and archival supports. Good bristle brushes also help immensely. Unfortunately paint colors aren’t uniform from manufacturer to manufacturer, so I use different paint brands for different colors (often Gamblin, Windsor Newton, sometimes Rembrandt.) I’ve found a wonderful creamy titanium white made by Classic Artist Oils (www.artistoils.com) that is also economical. For plein air painting, I love my Soltek Easel, but EasyL makes wonderful pochade style easels that are good quality and easier on the wallet.

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

A. I like to experiment, but my main subject matter is landscape painting, with some city scapes and still life thrown in. I work often from life and on location (en plein air). As for style, color has always been important to me. Right now I think my work falls somewhere between Impressionism and Realism, though I may use a greater range of values than what I think of as “impressionist” work ( a la Monet), and have a slightly looser style without all of the earth tones that I associate with Realism. It’s so hard to attach an “ism” to someone’s work though, and I find it really only helps to provide a very general description.

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

A. I’m a bibliofile so I’ll stick to books. I write about painting books often on my blog, but off the top of my head, my favorites are “Carlsons Guide to Landscape Painting,” by John F Carlson, “The Composition of Outdoor Painting,” by Edgar Payne, Emile Gruppe’s wonderful but hard to find books on Color, Brushwork, and Oil Painting Techniques, “Alla Prima by Richard Schmid” and Kevin MacPherson’s “Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light and Color“.

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

A. Well, being primarily a landscape painter I’m inspired by nature, and more importantly the effects of light on form and color. I recharge by studying others’ paintings in many styles and genres. Other artists’ works inspire me immensely. While I paint representationally and work both from life and from photos, I use color expressively. I try to see the scene as a starting reference, but I don’t find it interesting to copy a scene. I think it’s the emotion derived from the experience and the essence of the thing that’s important. And it’s the artist’s job to figure out the best way to capture that and communicate it onto the canvas; usually this involves a lot of editing, abbreviating and even rearranging.

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

A. Yes, but having an art history background, it would take me all day to list these! For the purposes of this interview I’ll stick with landscape painting. The usual suspects- the French Impressionists and their friends (mainly Monet, Sisley, Boudin, Morisot, Degas, etc.) for their use of color and their innovation. John Singer Sargent’s somewhere at the top of that list for sure. His drawing, brushwork bravura and ability to capture light are all amazing. I love certain landscape painters who are usually classified as realists too, like Corot & Daubigny for their delicate and subtle approach to the landscape.

As for living artists, I enjoy the works of Kenn Backhaus and John Budicin, both of whom I’ve studied under and long admired for their wonderful (and very different) approach to brushwork, color palettes, and drawing. I also admire and love to look at lots of works by artists who belong to the Plein Air Painters of America for the same reasons.

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

A. I have a website at www.jenniferyoung.com , and an art blog at www.jenniferyoung.com/blog

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

A. Yes, first of all, be happy where you are and eager for more. We all have artistic goals, but know that no matter how long you’ve been at it, there is always something new to learn and always something greater that you will want to accomplish. (Personally I wouldn’t want it any other way!)

When learning from others, take what is useful to you and leave the rest. There is no one “right ” way of going about it, especially when it comes to art, and eventually you will have to take what you’ve learned and make it your own. It’s great to sharpen the saw with classes and the like, but ultimately it comes down to you getting yourself in front of the easel and doing the painting. And lastly, for those working on making your art your profession, there are three things that I’ve found extremely important; commitment, experimentation, and renewal.

By commitment I mean doing the work you need to do to improve your skills and meet your goals. Largely this involves making the time to show up in front of the easel and painting, but it could also be some form of art-related study.

By experimentation I mean allowing yourself just to play and grow, without worrying about whether the end result will be “good” or “bad”, “sellable” or end up in the trash.

Renewal will be different things to different people, but it has to do with taking care of yourself and your relationships and your “other life” outside of your art.

The challenge is to find a balance and that can really feel like a struggle sometimes, especially when life throws you those lovely curve balls. But when I make an effort to keep all of these things in balance, I reduce my risk of burnout, am more productive and creative, and am just nicer to be around overall! As artist/writer Jack White likes to say, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.“

Artist Spotlite - Interview with Lorraine Vatcher

“When painting I use my own photographs and when working on a canvas, I am recalling the sights, smells and the sounds that were surrounding me at that time. Although the pictures form the basis of the subject, my mind remembers where I was at the time and is able to give the painting a life. My father painted for years and now all his children have his works gracing our walls. We are lucky we are able to daily see the memories he created and Mom’s quilts keep us all warm on cold winter nights so you see that it seemed a natural progression to use a paint brush.”- Lorraine Vatcher

Q. What medium or mediums do you work with?

A. Although I work with oil and watercolour, I prefer acrylics. They are, to me, the most forgiving because if you don’t like something all you have to do is wait until an area is dry (which is only a few minutes) and then paint over the section that you don’t like. You don’t have to use solvents to clean up or to thin the paints and there is a great deal of control in the paint. If you know how to use acrylic paints, they have the same intensity of colour as that of that oil paints. I have had so many people say to me, “You just can’t get that vibrant colour with oils!”. I do but it really comes down to knowing how to use the product.

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

I started painting in 2001. My husband had kindly given me a painting kit for Christmas and my mother-in-law had been asking me for years to paint a picture of her family home (she had a lot more confidence in me than I did). The first picture is hidden in a closet; then I tried the homestead piece. I can definitely say that it is certainly not my best work of art, however, I can say that the bug hit me around that time and I have been painting ever since.

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

A. Although I consider myself more self-taught than trained, I have taken many courses and work-shops with noted artists and I read art instruction books continually. Training by instructors is good and gives a person food for thought because it opens your eyes to different ways to accomplish goals. Plus it gets you out in a circle of artists which gives you even more inspiration. I always feel more spirited after a course, even if I do not adopt the techniques the instructor has shown me. But I would have to say that it is practice which means more than anything. Painting even for fifteen minutes a day will make the world of difference in your painting.

Q. Do you have any favourite art supplies you would recommend?

A. Rather than recommend a brand, I would stress to get yourself artist grade supplies, not student grade. I don’t want to come across as a snob but cheap paints, brushes, and canvasses make cheap paintings. The brushes do not apply paint properly, the paint does not cover properly because it has not got enough pigment in it and the canvas simply does not give you the ground you need to properly paint what you want. There are many name brands out there which can deliver good to excellent artist grade quality. When you go to buy paints and brushes, get only the absolute necessity in good quality rather than oodles of cheap stuff.

Q. Do you work with specific styles or subject matter?

A. My style is definitely realist but my subject is far-ranging. The most important thing I look for is good composition, whether it be in still life, scenery or portraiture. I do not want to get stuck into an area of painting that I have grown tired of and by constantly changing my subject matter, I inject a new energy into whatever the subject is that I am doing at the time.

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

A. Four books I would recommend are: Classic Still Life Painting by Jane Jones, The Art of Perspective: The Ultimate Guide for Artists in Every Medium by Phil Metzger, The 5 Essentials in Every Powerful Painting by Ramon Kelly and Color Harmony in Your Paintings by Margaret Kessler. These four books have so much to offer all painters, new and seasoned.

Don’t forget to frequent the library for all the information you can get. There are not only art instruction books, there are art appreciation and art history.

One other resource is to get together with other painters. I meet every Thursday with a group. We rent a large room with lots of natural light and stay there all day. The phone doesn’t ring for us when we are there and we don’t have to think about anything that may be pressing us at home. We critique each other when asked and are brutal with each other, however, not in a malicious way. Even though we ask for advice, we know our own minds and many times just follow our own instincts but because we are all artists, we get inspiration from each other.

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

A. Ideas are all around, with even the simplest of subjects. Many times we just have to open our eyes.

My camera is my companion at all times and if I see something which captures my imagination, I use it so that I may go back to the images to get all the concrete information required. I take many images in as many different angles of light as I think will assist me. I have been taking photographs since I was in my early teens and back then learned what made a good photograph. Now most of the images I take are for future paintings so I try to arrange them to my own purpose. The inspiration initally is from whatever the subject is, as I see it at that moment. When I compose a picture now, the flash does not go on because I want all the nuances of natural light to touch my subject.

Q. Are there any artists who have inspired you and why?

A. My father never had training but he painted scenery that was special to him. He did inspire me but not because I ever watched him do a painting. I saw the finished product and admired what he was able to achieve. I cannot remember a time when I was not creating something. Because I was always creating clothing, knitting yarn, cross-stitching and embroidering, photographing, etc…, I just figured that one day I would try to do it. That, of course, did not mean that I figured I would be any good at it, just that I would like to give it a try.

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

A. Yes I do; it is http://www.lorrainevatcher.com. If you should decide to do this painting (click here to view the painting) , I would love to hear from you and get a picture of your work. In fact, if you have an opinion at all, I would love to hear.

Q. Finally, do you have any last words of advice for beginners?

A. There is no age restriction on art. If you are reading this, you have not wanted to stop learning. The best advise is to practise and don’t be afraid to take a critique. I know that the pieces we produce are our babies but if you really want to improve, learn to listen to good advise and learn to discard what is not good advise…it takes time.

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