DPW Spotlight Interview: Sue Churchgrant

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. 

To enter to win Sue Churchgrant's painting, "Silver Shadow,"go to go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Sue's DPW Gallery page:

Sue loves the immediacy of small daily paintings. She paints in both watercolor and oil, mostly because she loves the contrast of the media. The small format of daily paintings allows for exciting experimentation with new colors, new subjects and new ideas. 

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I started painting almost 30 years ago during my pediatric residency using a small Prang child watercolor set for a creative distraction or emotional recharge. Later, as a full-time pediatrician, wife and mother, I continued to paint whenever I had a chance and enjoyed painting with my children.

Silver Shadow
(click here to see original image)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the home page announcing Sue's interview.

About 15 years ago, I squeezed more painting time back into my life, upgraded my supplies and learned from wonderful teachers including Motsie Brooks, Joseph Fettingis, Susan Harrison-Tustain, and Ted Nuttall. I also went to every art exhibit possible whenever I visited my children away at school. I remember how different and stunning the scale and vibrancy of Georgia OKeefe's watercolors were in person, compared with the same images in books.

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

My career as a painter started in June 2011 when I stopped practicing medicine and started to paint 8-10 hours a day instead. My career redirection was urgent not only because of my increasing obsession with painting, but also because I have a progressive visual problem and I want to paint for as long as I can see.

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

Goals for my watercolors include: more depth of color, more movement or freedom, and the use of more abstract elements in my compositions. Therefore, I taught myself to paint on silk to learn about color vibrancy. "Painting" with fabric pieces or "art quilting" allows for experimentation with texture and use of line in my designs and introduced me to the art and teaching of Hollis Chatellaine.

Anemone
(click here to see original image)

To "loosen up" my painting style, I decided to learn to paint more impressionistically in oils. However, I completely failed at teaching myself this. Therefore I enrolled in excellent workshops taught by Dreama Tolle Perry and Karin Jurick. I credit Karin with my becoming a "daily" painter.

To date, I love everything that I have tried. All I could wish for was more time to do all of them well. The reality is that I concentrate on watercolor as my primary medium. I am an avid student of oil painting and I continue to "play" with fiber of any description for fun.

Your work ranges from quiet and finely detailed, to bright and impressionistic. What can you tell us about how each piece ends up with its particular style?

I think that each painting for me is first a feeling. That feeling is most easily translated into color, color intensity and color translucency -- all of which then dictate the medium and the style. For example, the rich color bounce on sunlit vegetables or rounded bird breasts both seem to "ask" to be painted in transparent, rich, wet but controlled, watercolor. In contrast, the ripples and melding of colors in beach puddle reflections or the sparkle of the light through jelly jars seems more abstract and "juicier" in my mind and needs to be painted with the richness, the interesting brush marks and the looseness of oil paint.

Reflections: Jam Jars #3
(click here to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you? What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?

Because I am an adult learner, I feel "behind" in my education and my degenerative eyesight may mean I have limited time to paint. As a result, procrastination is not really my issue. Strategies to insure that I make the most of each painting moment: I don't leave my painting space without the "next thing on the easel." As I begin each painting, I remind myself that it is a learning opportunity or an exercise; I console myself that it is only paper (or a canvas that I can wipe); I recognize that some paintings will be only "trash-worthy" (even on both sides of the paper); and I am resolved that "the next one" will be better because I complete this one.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Perhaps because I spent 28 years as a practicing pediatrician, much of my work focuses on the spontaneity of personal moments and the goal of capturing true emotion. For example, in figurative work, I am interested in illustrating the unchecked joy or sadness of a child, the concentration or determination of an adult or the trust, patience or love of a pet.

Windy Tea Party
(click here to see original image)

I am also intrigued by the effect of light either to provide an idea for a painting or to enhance a painting’s message.

How do you keep art "fresh?" What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?

For me, keeping art "fresh" is having a new challenge to solve. Painting a series seems to provide a way to work and rework an idea. Large paintings provide compositional and design challenges and push the technical aspects of executing a painting. Small quick paintings allow for fun playing with colors, different brush or knife marks or styles, sometimes of the same subject, to discover what will (or won't) work.

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

To better express form in my paintings, I am working on the interplay of warm against cool colors. To make my paintings more technically dynamic, I am working on edges (especially lost edges) and large value shapes in the overall painting designs. In my watercolors, I am working to have the water be important in my painting technique and use it to create texture. In my oil paintings, I am working to paint clean, vibrant colors.

Sunny Peppers
(click here to see original image)

What makes you happiest about your art?

Art provides those of us lucky enough to experience it, a way to see what is immediately in front of us. Until we think about painting, we may not notice the forty plus greens that are in our backyards, the warm and cool reds that shape the apple we are eating, or the soft edges of the distant mountains. Often we take seeing for granted. I feel fortunate to have been given time to “really look” and share what I see. I am extremely grateful that I am an artist. When I paint, I feel complete. When I review the resulting painting, I am challenged to try harder on the next one.

Thanks, Sue! 

©2012 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

DPW Spotlight Artist: Candace Brancik

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. 

To enter to win Candace Brancik's painting, "Pear and Pomegranate," go to go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Candace's DPW Gallery page:

I attended Atlanta College of Art and Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, then worked in a variety of studios and agencies as an art director. After 20+ years in the commercial art field, I retired early from my job to go back to the more fulfilling field of fine art.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I sort of followed in my sister’s footsteps growing up. She was very much into art and so I think that's where I first got my inclination. I just kept going with it. I participated in the advanced placement art program at our high school, earning a few college credits and then went on to study art in college.

Pear and Pomegranate
(click here to see original image)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the home page announcing Candace's interview.

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

Yes, I did. When I was studying in college, and with the encouragement of my dad, I decided to approach art from the commercial end, so as to possibly make a living at it once I got out into the world. So I got my degree in Illustration and went on to work at various jobs doing graphic design and illustration, eventually working my way up to art director for an internal department of a large corporation. 

Although I loved the people I worked with (and of course the paycheck), I realized that I had really strayed off the path of the dream I had started out with. So, after talking it over with my husband, I decided to quit my job to get back on that path. Since that time, I’ve been immersing myself in art. I have joined art organizations and painting groups, experimented with different media and styles, taken classes and workshops and basically worked on honing my skills and finding my voice, so to speak.

The Curious One
(click here to see original image)

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

In collage and in my early career, I used gouache and oil paints for my illustrations. Then, easing myself back into art a few years ago, I mostly worked with charcoal and graphite, doing representational works. Then I ventured into collage, oils, oil glazes and more, trying different combinations. From that, I developed a mixed-media style using charcoal, gesso, and oil glazes. 

At the same time, I started doing figurative works and still life paintings in oil on canvas. I love working in both oil and mixed media, and would like to continue with both. Who knows—perhaps they’ll eventually work themselves into one style!

Your lush, beautiful paintings appear to actually be glowing! How did you learn to convey this particular quality of light against a backdrop of such rich color?

Much of what I know about oil painting, I learned from workshops. Two teachers in particular: Diane Rath (who was once a student of Richard Schmid) and Carol Marine. I learned so much practical information about color and value from Carol and am so thankful to have been able to get into one of her highly popular and always full workshops. Equally, I learned so much from Diane and am so thankful to have taken a workshop from her as, sadly, she passed away last year.

Lazy Daisies
(click here to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you? What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?

I struggle with this constantly! Having a studio in my home is nice, but there are also lots of distractions. 

I try to paint whenever I can, but first thing in the morning usually works the best for me, before I have a chance to get too distracted… and most importantly, before I get on the computer! Once I’ve spent two or three hours painting, I feel a great sense of accomplishment and then can get on with the business of the day.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I get inspiration from walking through a garden or a grocery store or a gallery; from watching my cats as they play or sleep or just sit in the sun; from themed art competitions and shows; just about anywhere. I keep sketchbooks and try to sketch on a regular basis. Then I can flip through past pages if I’m in need of inspiration. And I try to keep a camera close by at all times, as you never know when a great painting op will appear!

Mom's Mouse
(click here to see original image)

How do you keep art "fresh?" What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?

Variety. I am not an artist that can focus on one thing for long periods of time. So when I’m not doing still life paintings, I will do figure studies (I belong to a local figure painting group) or nature and animal paintings, or sometimes even abstract experimental pieces. Occasionally, I will take a break from painting altogether and work on knitting or quilting or ceramic tile making… as long as I’m creating something, I’m happy.

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

I’m mostly focusing on technical ability right now (of course that may be a life-long endeavor). When I’m not entirely happy with a painting, I always try to critique it in terms of its elements and what could have been better: composition, drawing, color, value, edges. Each painting may have a different weakness, so I am always working on improving all of these things.

Maine Coon 3
(click here to see original image)

What makes you happiest about your art?

I love creating it and I love sharing it. I love being in a community of artists and getting words of encouragement and advice from people that I respect. 

And I thank God for the desire to create and the ability to follow through.

Thanks, Candace!

© 2012 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Alida Akers

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. 

To enter to win Alida Aker's painting, "Lupines by the Seashore," go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Alida's DPW Gallery page:

I received an undergraduate double major in fine art and education with studio majors in painting and drawing. My graduate studies were in biomedical illustration, which fed my love of detail and the left side of my brain which loves biology and Mother Nature.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

As a child in elementary school I was lucky enough to live in a rural school system that actually had a art teacher. She spread herself over all the elementary schools so we only had art class once a week, but I can remember the excitement on art day. All our supplies were tucked into our own cigar boxes, including the infamous Prang brand crayons and watercolors. The activities were far less complicated than art instruction these days, but it lit a tiny, creative candle.

Lupines by the Seashore
(click here to see original image)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the home page announcing Alida's interview.

In middle school a adult friend gifted me with an acrylic paint set. She was one of those ladies that just seemed to pick the right gift for a child. For the first time I could feel "real" paint moving across a canvas.

Did you have any stops or starts in your painting career?

Of course. Life has a way of circumventing the best of intentions. Our society still in most cases places the greater weight of child rearing responsibilities on the mother. When my daughter was three weeks old, my marriage ended and I took up the rein of single parenthood. After an adjustment period, I adapted my paintings and moved from large canvases to smaller ones and tried to eek out time for painting. I remember meeting one of my college professors at an art exhibit. He asked, "Alida, what happened to the large canvas format?" I chuckled and said, "These days they have to fit on top of the refrigerator!" Child in house.

Persimmons Caught by Snow
(click here to see original image)

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I have always been an art junkie. I remember in college professors telling me to concentrate on one medium or technique and quit wandering around through the vast array of possibilities. My "flower child, hard-headed, didn't sit right with the heart" mentality overtly rejected that theory and I have been experimenting ever since. Because of this, I have become competent in pastel, watercolor, colored pencil, oil, pen and ink, acrylic and mixed media.

We never tap our true depths of creativity. We just need to keep diving into the waters. I look forward to experimenting with acrylic paint on damp, unprimed canvas. It has a very ethereal component.

A Woodland Dawn
(click here to see original image)

About my whimsical paintings… Well these are the Godiva chocolates on my art platter. They are pure whimsy and I can get lost in the little cottages and walking up the flower-lined lanes. My mother was an elementary school teacher and she surrounded her two daughters with colorfully illustrated books. Turning page after page of a book, lost in thought and wonderment, are enchanted moments.

Perhaps it is a nostalgia event, but I adore stepping back into that childhood mindset. I receive emails from customers that warm my heart… they are looking for something childlike and warm hearted and feel they find it in my Storybook Cottage Series. I draw inspiration from vintage storybook and greeting card illustrations and my personal wandering for this series.

What does procrastination look like for you? What techniques work to ensure you have time for your art?

Procrastination was a hulking specter for most of life. Then I took inventory and realized, because I had to make a living with my art I had become production oriented and had lost touch with the gentle creative process that must incubate and stew in the pot.

The problem was not so much procrastination as setting the bar too high for myself. If I need to produce five paintings in a week and only managed four, I fed myself a dose of failure. Artists must STOP this. I also have had health issues this last year that have forced me to slow down. My "to do" list only gets nibbled away at now rather than bulldozed, but perhaps this is the way it should have been all along. We need to keep on task, but in a way that allows the positive side of the creative process through.

Pears on Vintage Linen
(click here to see original image)

To squeeze in more creative time I have learned to be an early riser. I have a bird feeder right outside the window I face when painting. Some mornings I am painting before the birds arrive. The tiny feathered creatures keep me grounded and are an absolute joy to watch. If you enjoy the surroundings where you work you are more likely to spend time there.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings? Avoiding burnout?

Since I work in landscapes, still life, botanicals and whimsical themes, I truly never run out of ideas. I take photos out in the country near my home, peruse photo sites online (careful to never copy... just use the visual as a jumping off point), turn the pages of vintage storybooks and allow my mind to wader off into an idea. If the landscape cup is looking a bit empty then that day I work on something else. I encourage artists to climb out of their boxes. If they are only doing landscapes they may learn much by trying another genre. There is still that delicate balance between "what will sell easily" for simple budget purposes. I try to keep ideas fresh even when completing similar pieces. Burnout occurs with me only with housework.

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

You must cultivate your profession. Internally and externally. The world will not come to you... that only happens in movies. Moving pieces to Daily Paintworks was an example of my stretching out to new venues. It has been a very positive move.

Cottage in the Wood
(click here to see original image)

What makes you happiest about your work?

Spending time on the ruffle of a hollyhock blossom, putting myself in a position where surprises happen and hearing just kind words from folk that have purchased my work.

Thanks, Alida!

© 2012 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Steven Allen Boggs

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. 

To enter to win Steven Allen Bogg's painting, "Pemequid Point, Maine," go to go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing his interview.

From Steven's DPW Gallery page:

Steve Boggs lives in Tennessee and studied at the Nashville School of Art. He has a masters degree from Cumberland University. For over 25 years he has used classically inspired imagery in an attempt to hold on to a single moment in time.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

As far back as I can remember I was always drawing, but I started painting in 1983. My mother and father in-law were both accomplished watercolorists so I started painting as I got to know them. Around 1984, something just clicked with me concerning art and painting. My in-laws had a lot of art books and I remember looking through 'Wyeth At Kuerners' probably a thousand times. That book had a big impact on me and the way that I looked at art and made me want to really learn to paint.

Pemequid Point, Maine
(click here to see original image)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the home page announcing Steven's interview.

I started seriously working with my in-laws and taking life drawing classes at the Nashville School of Art in 1984 and continued them for probably three years. Sometime in the middle of trying to get educated on how to paint I flew to Pennsylvania and went to the Brandywine Museum. And I can honestly say that I still remember the gallery and wall that 'The Kuerners' was hanging on. That painting did it for me. I had no idea how anyone could ever paint something that incredible, but I went home knowing that painting would be a permanent part of my life.

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

Only once. I slowed down for two years and started and ran a small website development company with a business partner. Other than that I have painted constantly for well over twenty-five years.

Radishes
(click here to see original image)

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I've painted in watercolor, gouache, acrylic, egg tempera, and oils.

I painted in watercolor for probably ten years. I love the medium, but I never felt that I was as consistent with it as I wanted to be. I finally realized that what I was trying to do really required a combination of watercolor and an opaque medium like gouache. So for me it made sense to switch to oils, which I did around 1995.

I had kind of a turning point with oils when I saw a painting by Gregg Kreutz and realized what he was doing with his darks to create the foundation for the painting. That really helped me to start painting oils in a more logical way. I ended up taking a workshop that he was giving in Scottsdale.

I drew with pencil and graphite a lot early on. But with my oil paintings, I always start with a brush drawing because it is so much faster. One of my goals is to at some point start creating pencil drawings again in addition to my oil paintings.

Your work has such a beautiful refined, classical feel. What's your selection process for settling upon particular compositions or subjects?

I'm really glad that you asked this. For me, it is predominately about light and shapes. And I firmly believe that composition is the single most important element in painting. I certainly don't nail the composition as well as I should every time, but it is always the first and foremost thing on my mind before I start painting.

I really like playing with shapes whenever I can. I love trying to echo squares and rectangles off of each other or contrasting circular shapes against squares. I'm also a firm believer that classic triangle compositions where the tallest object is on the left and the light is from the right will never let you down.

Using light as effectively as I can is also important. For me, painting chiaroscuro where objects emerge from and are surrounded by shadow is the most fun.  And it works well for a lot of painting styles. You can create both brushy and detailed paintings using this technique and they are equally as effective, I think. Having said that, this year I've switched gears a bit and have done quite a few paintings with more natural light. The goal is to teach myself to be able to create some drama in the painting without relying on heavy shadow.

If I'm landscape painting, I typically look for subjects where I can put some weight, such as trees, rocks, etc. on one side of the painting and open up the middle of the canvas. Of course it really helps to be onsite at the right time to get good morning or afternoon sunlight.

Geraniums
(click here to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you? What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?

Usually if I don't paint everyday, it's because of  one of two reasons. The first is if a painting isn't going well and I get stuck trying to decide to continue with it or start again. The second is if a painting is going well and I get a bit nervous over whether I'm going to lose what I've got by continuing with it, particularly with portraits because they are less forgiving than still life or landscapes.

If I just cannot get myself going, I always feel that I can stretch a canvas, tone a panel, or set up a still life without mentally committing to starting the painting. Usually by the time I finish doing those things I'm back in painting mode. And it is probably a little strange, but what will always get me back in the groove is contact with some other form of art. If I spend a little time listening to music by an artist that I really admire, or watch a movie with really great cinematography, or watch a YouTube documentary about an artist, it will always put me back into painting mode.

As far as time for painting goes, I'll have to be honest and say that if you are a painter you have to be somewhat selfish with your time. Everything about art is time consuming. I'm fortunate in that my wife has been very understanding over the years, probably because she was raised by two artists. If something happens and I just can't paint when I need to, I try to make sure that I set aside a Saturday afternoon, or I'll work very late at night.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Most of the ideas for my paintings come from just looking around and trying to remain curious about things. When I'm driving I am continually turning around and pulling off of the road when I see something that catches my eye.

Where I live in middle Tennessee doesn't have an ocean or giant rocky mountains, but there is a lot of 'country' around here and I always try to keep my eyes open for ideas. A lot of times its not just wide open farms or fields, but little areas around a creek, or a group of trees in sun and shadow, etc. I did a painting several years ago that looks like it is in the middle of nowhere, but it is a hill with a tree line that is wedged between a by-pass and an exit ramp. I think that you can find really great things to paint almost anywhere if you make yourself look close enough.

For still life painting, the best subjects for me to use are the ones that I just see when I'm not thinking about painting. Sometimes something will catch my eye and I'll twist it around in my mind trying to figure out how to use it in a composition. I've been known to spend a ridiculous amount of time in the produce section of a grocery store staring at something like a pineapple trying to figure out how I could set up a composition with it.

Baseball Glove
(click here to see original image)

What is really great is when one subject leads you to another. I painted a pair of my old work boots a week or so ago and because of the leather in them a friend of mine recommended that I do a baseball glove. Both paintings had a real connection to each other.

How do you keep art "fresh?" What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?

I think that switching between still life, landscapes, and portraits really helps. If I create a series of still life paintings it helps to do a couple of landscapes or a portrait to break things up. You have to think differently about each one so you can really refresh your mind and still be productive.

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?

I'm reconnecting with portrait painting which is exciting and demanding. And I'm really studying hard on lighting as it relates to portraits and still life. At the first of the year I'm going to try some things that are new to me with three point lighting. I'm really excited about that.

Griffin
(click here to see original image)

What makes you happiest about your art?

Being able to grow with it. Painting is such an incredible endeavor. I really love everything about it. I believe the daily challenge of painting is a great teacher of perseverance, and that being exposed to criticism and compliments is a great catalyst for personal growth. I also think that other artists are really cool for what they do. I even like the smell of oil paint.

Thanks, Steven!

© 2012 Jennifer Newcomb Marine