DPW Spotlight Interview: Pamela Gorecki

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Pamela's painting "Roses and Dahlias" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

Enter to Win Pamela's Giveaway

From Pamela's DPW Gallery Page: 

I live with my sweet husband and a tiny dachshund named Slone in Redondo Beach within the sound of the sea. 

I like to paint everything - but mainly I try and notice the simple world around me. I also garden and am happiest when covered in mud and paint.

If we were all painting the world would be a more joyful place!

On Etsy I am PaintWaterandPaper.  I want my art to be affordable and to share it. 

Roses and Dahlias
(click to view)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing interview

What did you want to be growing up?  

Various things, but I ended up as an Aerospace Engineer because I believed it offered a chance for lifelong learning and I would never be bored.  But I always thought that being an artist would be interesting. 
 
When did your artistic journey begin?  

Probably when I was small. We would often go to museums. I played the piano and sewed. I have always appreciated beauty. As an engineer I always worked on first-of-a-kind things. Without an appreciation for art, craftsmanship, and the craftspeople involved I couldn't have made it.  All the really special engineers I met and worked with were artists. I am also a very visual person - I have to make a diagram of something in order to understand it.  I became more serious about art when I became a hardcore black and white photographer - medium format, darkroom, fine art silver gelatin prints - the whole bit. I learned a tremendous amount about composition, tonal values, and the small things that make a 5% difference in a finished artwork.  
 

Companions in Isolate Mystery
(click to view)

Did you have any long periods without creative expression? 

Yes. I had some years of loss, just like everyone else in life and my Husband and I had retired from work.  How did you get back on the horse?  I had always wanted to paint in watercolor - so I enrolled in a local class.  The class was terrible but painting was wonderful.  I tracked down a teacher at another art center and started classes there and kept painting. I painted everyday for seven years, and have met some good friends along the way. 

Which mediums and genres do you gravitate toward? 

Mediums - translucent watercolor, collage, charcoal. Genres - Anything intimate or thoughtful. Which ones don’t appeal? Mediums - Anything generated on a computer. Genres - Photo-realism, painted from a photograph. I don't get that.

Four Feet Three Inches
(click to view)

What was the process like of pinpointing your personal style or finding your voice?  

I think this is always evolving. I know it is for me because I love to try new things. It is like being surrounded by all of the beauty at Yosemite and needing to take all the standard photographs before you can find the images that are uniquely yours. 

Name an artist (or artists), well-known or not, who you admire. Why?  

I admire Charles Reid and Shirley Trevena. In both of their work there is a high degree of spontaneity and joy that is natural to the medium of watercolor. I also love Sargent for his ability to capture light and Turner. I don't know that the world has caught up to Turner yet.

Estate Sale
(click to view)

If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger, creative self — what would that be? 

It would be to learn how to draw. I actually think everyone should know how to draw, just like everyone should know how to type. 
 
Do you utilize any habits or tricks for winning the distraction and procrastination battle?  

No, this is terrible. Sometimes I just try to do something simple like work on my Etsy store or my DPW gallery; and clean my office. Or, do a pencil sketch of a drawing idea I have. 

Double Delight Roses
(click to view)

 In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you push forward? 

I once heard a TV chef say about pie crust that it is just a small amount of money involved in making pie crust. In other words, get over the fear of ruining the pie crust. So I tell myself that. It is just a piece of paper, and you can use the other side if you have to. 

What are some of your long and short term goals for yourself or your art? 

I want my paintings to keep getting freer/looser and maybe have some more quiet space in them.  Longer term I want to get better at painting outdoors. I would enjoy painting at Plein air conventions - primarily to enjoy nature and camaraderie with fellow artists.

Purple Irises
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally?  

I believe I have genuinely touched the lives of a few people through my paintings - customers on Etsy. And, I have made enough money to pay for my paint and paper and brushes. I have over 300 paintings in peoples homes, adding a little bit of beauty.  That is enough.
 
What is one of your proudest moments in your creative life?  

I was in an art store and there were a lot of artsy people in the store, and I realized that I was an Artist, with a capital A. It is something you can't buy. 

Chicago Alley
(click to view)

Thanks, Pamela!

© 2022 Maddie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Sandy Haynes

 Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Sandy's painting "Bluest Skies" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

Enter to Win Sandy's Giveaway

From Sandy's DPW Gallery Page: 

I have been involved with art in one form or another since I was a small child. I always have loved to create, and this lead me into teaching art as a career.

 After retiring from 25 years of high school teaching I have explored many types of painting. Oil has been my favorite, but I also really enjoy acrylic, printmaking, collage, and occasionally watercolor. I painted a series of 75 oil portraits of my students as a farewell to the classroom.  
    

My work in 2020 is mainly Plein air and florals, as well as large and small abstract studies. It is all a joy.  I am selling online as well as in galleries with my new website:
www.sandyhaynesfineart.com

Bluest Skies
(click to view)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing interview

What did you want to be growing up?  

 

I wanted to be an artist, like my mother, while growing up. Our home was where creativity took place, was accepted, encouraged and rewarded. It was a home where art supplies were readily available, as well as supplies to sew. 

When did your artistic journey begin?  

 

I started drawing at a young age. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t creating. It was always a natural thing to do. I loved art in school and really enjoyed the high school art program, although it was fairly limited. I proceeded to get a BS in Art Education and then a Masters of Art in Teaching, and loved the studio classes.

Gwendolyn’s garden
(click to view)

Did you have any long periods without creative expression? How did you get back on the horse?

I am pretty extroverted, and I thoroughly loved the teaching part of my job, getting to know all the wonderful high school students, and encouraging them to love art. I looked at that as my mission. I didn’t have so much time to create my own work, except as demos and examples, but it was so much fun being able to pretty much have free rein to create projects that I found fun and exciting. I taught the Drawing I and II classes, as well as the Art Foundations, plus semester classes of Printmaking and Applied Design (pretty 3-dimensional). I taught the basic Elements and Principles of Art and found lots of ways to implement those lessons with projects. Even when I was raising my children I was able to create in summers and off times work of my own. I put out a print edition of 500 of my montage of Monterey Bay while we lived a year in California, and also created projects and stained glass window designs for a restaurant design firm. I used to take part in outdoor art shows and sell my work, creating paintings on t-shirts, totes, etc., from my artwork. Those times were hectic, but fun too

Which mediums and genres do you gravitate toward? Which ones don’t appeal?

I’ve always loved drawing in pencil, and colored pencil, painting-all types, collage, book making, printmaking, and mixed media. I love rendering subjects from life, but I really enjoy making joyful abstracts too. I had to teach a unit in ceramics, which I much appreciate the talent in others, but I have never thought of myself as much of a potter. I haven’t done much 3-D stuff, but I do love it . The most fun thing I taught in ceramics was the clay whistles that my students created. They were fun to make and teach and the kids loved them.

Loutrece
(click to view)

What was the process like of pinpointing your personal style or finding your voice?  

I finished my teaching career with a project that just kind of “happened”. It started with a project at our school which spotlighted our diverse student population. By the time I quit teaching, our school had 17% Bosnian population, which was one of our strengths. The goal I set for myself was to create 100 portraits of my students in oil, 12" x 12”, but I really had never done oils before, except ONE I did in college. I figured out how to paint them by reading info from Chris Saper and others in books I acquired. (Internet info was just kind of getting started). I took pictures of my students, did a grid of them on the canvas in pencil, then I completed a monochromatic underpainting in Terre verde green (Chris Saper) I let it dry a couple of days, then added the color- in oil. I actually got likenesses… I surprised myself ! I didn’t reach 100, I got 76 of them finished and had a one-man show in a venue in Webster Groves, close to where I grew up. From that point on I was HOOKED on oil painting.

Name an artist (or artists), well-known or not, who you admire. Why?  

After retirement, I started daily painting and followed Duane Keiser on the internet, and painting still lifes. I took Carol’s (Carol Marine, of course) workshop in Fish Creek in 2011 and the rest is History ! Love, love, love, all the things I learned from her, and later from Shelby Keefe at her workshop in Ohio in 2015. I watch Bob Burridge’s “Bob Blasts” and love his energy and enthusiasm. He is so generous with his knowledge. I follow lots of great painters on Instagram, Marc Hanson, Scott Christensen, printmaker Jenny McCabe.

Ian Roberts has taught me so much about composition, as well as the teachings of Edgar Payne, and Richard Schmid and John Carlson, and contemporary painter Colley Whisson. I think you need to gather information from seeing the work of other artists, but ultimately you just need to stop taking in new information and START CREATING from your own knowledge and instincts.

Savor the Magic
(click to view)

If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger, creative self — what would that be?  

My advice to my younger creative self is the same one I tried to relay to my students. “ENJOY THE ENTIRE PROCESS”. It is fun to show and sell your work, but if you stop enjoying the process that becomes kind of like work instead of pleasure. It is ALL fun, even cleaning your brushes and experimenting with a new medium, or getting out of your comfort zone by standing in front of others and demonstrating your technique. 

 

Do you utilize any habits or tricks for winning the distraction and procrastination battle?  

The best way to avoid procrastination and distraction is to develop self-discipline in your work. It seems counterproductive for creative people I guess, since creatives do a lot of free association, but discipline will get you to the easel, and that is what you need to do. Some of the most successful artists I know started out as commercial artists and graphic designers, who had a job where they were paid to create every day from 9 to 5 and they would sit and do just that ! The good thing about working for yourself is that you give yourself the assignment… instead of someone else telling you what to create.

 

Light at the End
(click to view)

In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you push forward?

 We all have self doubt, and setbacks, and times when our work doesn’t seem exciting or good. It will get better just keep going, don’t ever give up. Keep enjoying the process and you’ll overcome those dips in your productivity. 

What are some of your long and short term goals for yourself or your art?

I am enamored when I see an artist with a big studio, producing huge paintings and having a big art opening in an exciting art community. I would love to be that artist someday.

Powder Valley Waterfall
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally?  

Success to me is being able to look back at my life and career and feeling that I have shared some of my life experience with others. As an artist I love to show my work at galleries and art shows. I would like to have a big show in a large venue with a series of paintings that I’m proud of. 

 

What is one of your proudest moments in your creative life?

One of my proudest moments was when the local newspaper gave me a 2 full pages article of my work on the portraits I completed when I retired from teaching. It was so awesome to have my story and my paintings out there for all to read and see. An artist usually works in solitude so this was really special.

Portugal stroll
(click to view)

Thanks, Sandy!

© 2022 Maddie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Diane Woodward

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Diane's painting "untitled" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

Enter to Win Diane's Giveaway

From Diane's DPW Gallery Page: 

I’ve always loved to paint and draw from a very early age and my parents encouraged that love by taking me to art (oil painting) lessons for years. 

Then life got in the way and many years went by when I did not paint at all.  Ultimately and finally after retiring, I went back to my first love of art.  

I like painting a wide variety of subject matter—it’s what keeps things interesting.  While I do not paint every day, I paint as often as possible.

untitled
(click to view)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing interview

What did you want to be growing up?  

First a ballerina, then a schoolteacher, then a lawyer.  None of those were in the cards, and I eventually had a 30+ year career in Information technology.

When did your artistic journey begin?  

Apparently, it began pretty early.  My mom used to tell a story that I drew a great likeness of an owl when I was barely able to hold a crayon.  But take that for what it’s worth.  😊

My parents were very supportive of my art and took me to art class (oil painting with Mrs. Libby Smith) for years as a child and teenager. Mrs. Smith taught me the mechanics of oil painting, mixing color and applying paint to canvas.  Her technique was more realistic than what I’m going after now.

Dreamy Wildflowers 
(click to view)

Did you have any long periods without creative expression? How did you get back on the horse?

Since my career was not art oriented, many years went by when I did not even pick up a paint brush.  I got back on the horse immediately after I joined my husband in retirement over three years ago.  I knew that I wanted to paint again.  Since then, the things I want to paint just keep piling up!

Which mediums and genres do you gravitate toward? Which ones don’t appeal?

I really like all painting mediums—they all have points to recommend them.  I gravitate toward oil painting simply because that is what I started with and am more familiar with.  About 12 years ago, after seeing Louise Frechette paint an entire pastel painting, I took a pastel class but never seemed to get the hang of it.  I would like to try it again.  Also want to try gouache.

As for genres, I like impressionistic paintings best.  There isn’t a particular genre or medium that does not appeal.  If a painting is unappealing, it is usually the subject matter of the painting.

Angry Birds
(click to view)

What was the process like of pinpointing your personal style or finding your voice?  

Actually, I’m still trying to find my style!  I read somewhere that finding your style was simply a matter of painting more and your style will eventually emerge.  Not sure I’m there yet.

Name an artist (or artists), well-known or not, who you admire. Why?  

There is a long list of amazing artists I admire.  Narrowing that down to one, it would have to be Michele Usibelli because I love her style.  Not long ago she posted on IG an unremarkable, bland reference photo and her interpretation in her painting.  The difference was astounding.  She did not try to recreate the scene in the photo verbatim but she gave her painting the contrast, color and life the photo lacked.  That’s what I would eventually like to be able to do.

StarDust
(click to view)

If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger, creative self — what would that be?  

Make time for art.  Life can take over and business and work intrudes way too often.  I regret that I let so much time pass before picking up a brush again.

Do you utilize any habits or tricks for winning the distraction and procrastination battle?  

Right now, I have something of a schedule and usually try to paint 3-4 days a week.  If I can’t settle down and paint, I’ll rearrange the studio, go through some art books, review reference photos, and just think about what I need or want to do next—the distraction and procrastination.  After so much of this, I usually can decide on what to do next.

Beach Read
(click to view)

In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you push forward?

I talk to myself and remind myself it takes years for artists to reach a stage where they’re satisfied with most of what they paint.  And the fact that everything is not going to be a masterpiece.  Everyone is not going to love my work.  It takes a lot of work and paint and canvases to get where I want to be and I’m not there yet.  But eventually I know I will.  Until then keep painting.

What are some of your long and short term goals for yourself or your art?

Long term I’m working on building a credible body of work that shows improvement and I would like to try for Oil Painters of America at some point probably way out there in the future.  Short term, slow down and be more deliberate and painterly with my brushstrokes.  Work on composition and drawing.  Be deliberate about practice.

Favorite Flannels
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally?  

Having an audience who finds pleasure in my work; self-satisfaction with my paintings; and regular sales would be the icing on the cake.

What is one of your proudest moments in your creative life?  

When I got that first check in the mail from a gallery!   

Red
(click to view)

Thanks, Diane!

© 2022 Maddie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Marie Marfia

 Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Marie's painting "Old Barn and Queen Anne's Lace" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview. 

Enter to Win Marie's Giveaway

From Marie's DPW Gallery Page: 

Hello! I am an artist who likes to paint people, animals, the woods, the beach, wild flowers and skeletons. My medium of choice is soft pastel, although I dabble in acrylics now and then.

Recently I retired from working as a freelance graphic designer, and I'm looking forward to spending more time painting.

I am one of eleven children and grew up in the tiny town of Fennville, Michigan. I was the first girl after seven boys, so, not having a name picked out and my mom being unconscious, Dad and my brothers decided to draw a name out of a hat. Fortunately, Mom woke up in time to name me after her mother, although the boys still called me Mitzi for years afterward.

I live in Ludington, Michigan with my husband, Steve, and our lucky dog, Roger. I walk in the woods and along the beach as often as I can and try to paint every day.

Old Barn and Queen Anne's Lace
(click to view)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing interview

What did you want to be growing up?  

My mother. I wanted to have lots and lots of kids, just like she did. I ended up having three, which turned out to be just the right number, lol.

When did your artistic journey begin?  

In kindergarten I learned that if you could draw a horse better than the next person you could make a friend, and also that there were certain things that I was not willing to draw in order to please someone else, i.e., horses with bows on their manes and tails. I thought those were silly things to put on a horse. So I lost a friend, but I liked to think I gained artistic integrity instead, a fair trade, imho.

 

Easy Does It
(click to view)

Did you have any long periods without creative expression? How did you get back on the horse?

When I was working and raising a family, there was very little time to do anything else. I used to draw pictures on my kids’ lunch sacks, ostensibly so they would be able to easily identify them among all the other kids’ sacks, but really, it was just me expressing myself in the only way available to me. A sharpie and a paper bag and five minutes before school was all I had, so I used it as long as the kids would let me.

Which mediums and genres do you gravitate toward? Which ones don’t appeal?

I love pastels, the way they sparkle on paper, and their immediacy. I feel compelled to learn other mediums, so I’ve been practicing with acrylic paint. One of these days, I’ll try oils. Now that I’m retired, I have lots of time to do all the things. I also like building stuff out of cement and clay and cardboard. Whatever is available at the moment works for me. For subject matter, I like to paint landscapes and people and skeletons. Still life is fun, too. Whatever appeals in the moment. I’m a creature of impulse, really.

Morning, Sunshine!
(click to view)

What was the process like of pinpointing your personal style or finding your voice?  

I don’t really think about personal style too much. I figure if I’m painting often enough, and I try to paint every day, my personal style or voice happens all by itself. It can’t help but be present in the marks I’m making and the subject matter I’m choosing.

Name an artist (or artists), well-known or not, who you admire. Why?  

John Singer Sargent for his portraits. Currently, I also follow Karen Margulis, Vianna Szabo, Rita Kirkman, and Gail Sibley. I admire their devotion to craft and try to model their work ethic.

Card Sharp
(click to view)

If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger, creative self — what would that be?  

Don’t think, just do. The more art you make, the happier you’ll feel.

Do you utilize any habits or tricks for winning the distraction and procrastination battle?  

I’m lucky to have a shed to work in. I do my creative work first, everything else comes after that. Turn off alerts while you’re in the zone, and think of this time as a meditation. It’ll set the tone for the rest of your day, I promise.

Running with a Friend
(click to view)

In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you push forward?

Talk to yourself like you are your own best friend. Be encouraging and forgiving and all the things a best friend would be. Do the work even if you don’t feel like it and just let muscle memory take over. Sometimes it’s surprising what happens when you’re not feeling especially creative.

What are some of your long and short term goals for yourself or your art?

I’m mostly just plain curious about how far I can take my creative efforts. What will my art look like in six months? A year? Ten years? Only one way to find out!

Mussed
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally?  

It’d be nice if I sold some stuff, but if I don’t, that’s okay, too. I want to feel like I’ve explored everything I wanted to and success will mean that I got to do that.

What is one of your proudest moments in your creative life?

The first time someone asked me to show my work in public. It was back a number of years ago and my skeleton art was part of a show happening during “The Addams Family Musical” in St. Augustine. I remember watching a man thumb through a bunch of my skeleton prints and laughing out loud. That really made my day.

Orange is My New Black
(click to view)

Thanks, Marie!

© 2022 Maddie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Jerry Brown

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Jerry's painting "Almost" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

Enter to Win Jerry's Giveaway

From Jerry's DPW Gallery Page: 

My name is Jerry Brown.
 
After 52 years as a traveling showman, I hung up the juggling clubs, extinguished the fire-torches, closeted the ukulele, stuffed the bunny back into the hat, and took up serious water color painting, something that I had dreamed of doing for years, but never had the opportunity.
 
When I started painting in July, 2018, I was simply hoping to paint images that were worth looking at, so that I could paint Christmas gifts for my family, but the minute I took up the brush, it was like déjà vu all over again! The perfect fit: so much so that I have continued to devote 3 to 4 hours per day to exploring this wonderful (and sometimes frustrating) medium, winning numerous awards for excellence over the past four years, and working to master watercolor, one painting at a time.

I hope you find something to treasure.

Almost
(click to view)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing interview

What did you want to be growing up?

I have always been involved in creative arts: music, theater, and, most recently, visual art.
 
When did your artistic journey begin?  

Like I said, I have always been involved in creative arts. I spent 52 years as a traveling variety entertainer, performing music, magic, juggling, fire-eating, stilt-walking, and working with trained animals, at venues all over the United States. My obsession with watercolor and visual arts started when my showman business got ‘retired’ by Covid-19 and all of my shows got cancelled I had just begun to dabble in watercolor when Covid hit, and I started devoting 3 -4 hours per day in studio, painting.

Lititz Springs Park
(click to view)

 
Did you have any long periods without creative expression? How did you get back on the horse?

Never had a period without creative expression since I was making my living as a professional performing artist, but I had always wanted to do something visual, but never really had the chance while I was busy making a living. Why I decided to take up watercolor at the age of 74, I really don’t know, but, as it turned out, it was a very fortuitous choice. From the minute I picked up a brush, it felt like I had always painted.

Which mediums and genres do you gravitate toward? Which ones don’t appeal?

I chose watercolor for some unknown reason, but I’m awfully glad I did. I am enthralled by the medium and love experimenting with what water and pigment and gravity can do together.

Giverny Pond
(click to view)

What was the process like of pinpointing your personal style or finding your voice?  

I couldn’t tell you. I am still very much in the early stages of exploring, but I am obsessed with watercolor, and devoted to my daily studio time

Name an artist (or artists), well-known or not, who you admire. Why?  

When I decided to take up watercolor, and new absolutely nothing about it, I, of course, turned to my good friend Google and stumbled upon painters who were demonstrating on YouTube, so that’s how I started, with artists like Tim Wilmot, Gary Tucker, Vladislav Yeliseyev, and Joseph Zbukvic: all excellent artists whom I admire greatly.

Incoming
(click to view)

If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger, creative self — what would that be?  

Easy:  Paint!
 
Do you utilize any habits or tricks for winning the distraction and procrastination battle?  

I am so passionate about my work, and thankful, at my age, to have something that gets me up in the morning, I have no difficulty focusing on my work. My studio time is ‘sacred’ to me, and I do my best to make sure that nothing intrudes or keeps me away.

 

Extra Virgin
(click to view)

In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you push forward?

When I have a failed painting, and am convinced that I can’t paint, I just remember one of my mentors saying, “It’s only paper.”

What are some of your long and short term goals for yourself or your art?

Long term and short term are identical: Master the medium.

D.C. Escape
(click to view)

What does success mean to you personally?  

Well, I am still pretty much awed by the ‘validation’ of my work when people seek to own my paintings.
 
What is one of your proudest moments in your creative life?

Being invited, at the age of 78, to be featured as an emerging artist at a well known local gallery. (short list, huh?)

Campus Reign
(click to view)

Thanks, Jerry!

© 2022 Maddie Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Laurie Leehane

 Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Laurie's painting "Cottage Memories" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

Enter to Win Laurie's Giveaway

From Laurie's DPW Gallery Page: 

I was born in St. John’s Newfoundland. I have lived in places across Canada, finally settling back in my native city, St. John's Newfoundland, in 2002. My passion for drawing streets and houses as a child has carried into my professional career. Collections of my art can be found with the City of St. John’s and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador as well as publication in The Newfoundland Quarterly and “City seen: Artist’s Views of St. John’s”.
I recently moved back to the coastal community of Eastport here in Newfoundland. It has been a big change but I am enjoying beach combing and the quietness of it all.

Statement:

I think of my work as a unique and personal interpretation of the Newfoundland landscape that captures the characteristics and spirit of the land and the people. It is essential in my work for me to have an emotional reaction to a situation or place. My work generally contains a narrative of abandonment, mystery and longing. It isn't what is said that holds my attention but what is NOT said. I aim to create work that deeply touches a viewer’s memory of a moment and to have them connect with the essential feeling I wish to convey in the painting. I believe there is a magical time for everything whether it is the time of day when the light strikes the homesteads and sheds I investigate, or when the landscape is speaking in dreams. Everyone and everything has a moment. I’d like to think I am documenting time and space.

Cottage Memories
(click to view)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing interview

What did you want to be growing up? 

        When I became a teenager I wanted to be a psychologist and then I wanted to be a writer. I loved creating and as an only child had an imaginative mind.

 

When did your artistic journey begin? 

I entered College at 18 in a commercial art program that lasted three months because I ran out of money. I ended up taking Fine Arts in college in Ontario, Canada at age 22 and that is where my journey really started. After two years there I started University in hopes of being an art therapist. That fell apart as well because of life circumstances. At age 30 or so I met an older woman artist near me who became a sort of mentor and I started filling my days with painting and being part of local shows. When I moved back to Newfoundland I was picked up by a gallery. 

 

Making Plans
(click to view)

Did you have any long periods without creative expression? How did you get back on the horse?

I often lose my mojo and feel very disinterested in working. I live with chronic pain from fibromyalgia and spinal disease so it can be easy for me to lapse into months of having no inspiration or energy. It has gotten harder as I get older. I can’t say how I get back on the horse. It just happens generally to my surprise. I can be in terrible pain and yet some creative spark will ignite and I will push through it to get the job done. Lately I have been very busy working on smalls for my DPW gallery and I feel excited about getting to my studio. I feel blessed when this occurs.

Which mediums and genres do you gravitate toward? Which ones don’t appeal?

I use acrylics for my small works and for the underpainting of my gallery art. I love oils and my large pieces are almost always oil. Streetscapes and coastal depictions are generally my gallery art and my smalls can vary greatly. I love crows and also I have done a vast amount of pet portraits. The last few years I have gravitated to landscapes.

Stacey's Cove Twillingate
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What was the process like of pinpointing your personal style or finding your voice? 

Thirty years of painting and I am still learning and developing so I guess that has been the process. Hard work, many fails and tears and wanting to go to bed for a week is how I have developed. I found what identifies my work about fifteen years ago when my gallery took me on. I gravitate to light and shadow and time of day. The drama in the scene. 

Name an artist (or artists), well-known or not, who you admire. Why? 

I always loved Edward Hopper’s paintings and David Blackwood’s lithographs. Hopper’s light always attracted me and Blackwood’s dark and tragic scenes. As I have gotten older there are so many I really admire and find inspiration with. 

Theodore
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If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger, creative self — what would that be?

I would have told myself to enjoy the process more. To have fun. 

  

Do you utilize any habits or tricks for winning the distraction and procrastination battle? 

I don’t think I win the distraction and procrastination battle. HA! I have a sign in my studio “Habit is our biggest competitor” I keep that in mind. I spend all of my time in my studio. I may not always produce but I do practice what my mentor friend told me years ago, which is to do at the least an hour every day doing something related to art. I do find walks on the beach helpful for getting me more into the art spirit. 

Stormy Day in Powell's Cove
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In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you push forward?

I reach out to my family and my artist friends for reassurance at times of doubt. I push forward by being stubborn I guess. To prove to myself I CAN do this. 

What are some of your long and short term goals for yourself or your art? 

My goals are to get my pain under control and produce large bodies of work. I would love to be able to have another show at the gallery with many large pieces. I am always wanting to get better at what I do.

Siblings
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What does success mean to you personally?

Success for me is producing work that I really love and am proud of. If someone is moved by my work or better yet, wants to buy it, that is fulfilling.

 

What is one of your proudest moments in your creative life?

It’s hard to say which that is. Winning top prize in the Art’s and Letter’s Awards was special and when the Government procures my work, that always pleases me.

Evening Walk on Freshwater road
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Thanks, Laurie!

© 2022 Maddie Marine