DPW Spotlight Interview: Joanne Grant

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

To enter to win Joanne Grant's painting, "Tabby Cat," go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Joanne's DPW Gallery page:

Joanne Grant is a self-taught artist born and raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and currently living and painting in Buckingham, Pa. Art has been a part of Joanne’s life since early childhood and as a young mother, she began to paint commissioned trompe l’oeil murals while raising her growing family.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I was always doing something artistic for as long as I can remember. I painted murals and did portraits of homes, pets and figures on commission when my kids were small. My kids took art classes with Amanda Layre (a local artist) after school, so I decided to take an adult class with her. I fully intended on drawing in charcoal, but after drawing a landscape in charcoal, she was insistent that I paint over it in pastels. She gave me a box of pastels to borrow. I instantly fell in love and never looked back.

Tabby Cat
(click here to see original image)

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

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

I was home with my kids when they were small while I did commissions. After they grew up, I decided I needed to go back to work. I went to nursing school and worked at our local hospital. I was so busy studying and working that for two years I did no art whatsoever.

But life has a way of bringing you back to your true self. I began to have some health problems and was not feeling well enough to keep up my hectic pace. I left nursing, quit my job and found my way back to my painting. It has been a rough two years where I feel good and paint - and then some time where I just don’t feel up to going to my studio, for months on end. I really am happiest when I am painting and my goal for this year is to not allow any health problems to keep me from my passion.

Rough Surf
(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?

From the first day of being introduced to pastels, I have never done a drawing in charcoal again, except to do a value study underpainting. Even those have been passed over to getting right to the paper with pastels and diving in without an underpainting.

I bought watercolor and oil paints. I even bought watercolor paper and prepared canvas with gesso for oil. I have dabbled in each, but always go right back to pastels. There is such an urgency to create that I find I have very little patience to teach myself something new.

However, I am sure that I would love both those mediums if given the chance. So I hope to at some point this year get to dig deeper in at least one of those to see where it may take me.

All genres of art captivate me. I seem to gravitate to still life. I have done commissioned pastel animal portraits in the past and am moving to doing more of that. After a trip to Europe this past summer, I couldn’t wait to get home to paint urban landscapes. I took 1,600 photos in Europe and hope to use them for references for future paintings.

I love the delicacy of your work. What's helped you cultivate the patience necessary to capture the super-fine details of what you're seeing?

Oh, thanks so much, I’m glad you enjoy it. I think my background in trompe l'oeil murals pushed me to notice the details. I find when I get deep into a subject and see the little details, I lose myself in the painting.

An Apple a Day
(click here to see original image)

It is almost something I have no control over. I sometimes think I will stray from the realism to do something more loosely, but I can’t seem to make it happen… I’m not sure how to do it any other way. It's something I am working on though.

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

Oh procrastination... my daughter tells me I am my own worst enemy. I’m not sure I would call it procrastination as much as distraction. Family, my dog, household chores, and all the errands that need to be done can easily distract me. I feel like I need to have everything done and in its place to free my mind enough to paint.

I find that if I think the night before about what I want to accomplish the next day, then I have a plan, an importance even, which hopefully will in my mind be greater than any chores I have to do. I'm learning that when I do that, I accomplish a lot more in a day.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

Usually I see something that catches my eye. For instance, the other day I noticed the way the sun was reflecting off of a glass-canning jar. It's all I can think about now. I almost can’t wait to explore mason jars, to see what I can do with them. I have a few paintings I'm working on that I almost can’t wait to finish so I can get to those jars!

I like to go to local antique or thrift stores to see what I can find that might be interesting. I look for old things with interesting textures; something that usually has a meaning for me in some way. I know it when I see it.

Captain America
(click here to see original image)

Oh and let's not forget Pastel Journal and other art magazines. I love to look through them to see what other artists are inspired by. I look for ways they handle light and color. That always gets me out of a “I don’t know what to paint” rut.

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

Having my studio in my home can definitely make me stale. I need to leave the house every day. I walk my dog through a wooded area every morning without fail. These little adventures wake up my mind… I take notice of how the light hits the trees, the path or even on the pond we pass. I think about what color/technique I would use to convey what I am seeing. Even though most of what I see never makes it into a painting, I find that it is almost as if I am painting in my mind. So invigorating to me!

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

I am trying to make my paintings softer. I hear a lot of artists discussing how realism is not fresh and exciting art to look at and it seems to be my style and what comes naturally for me. But I want to explore adding more to a painting. More feeling and expression. Later this week, I am taking a workshop to help me with that and see if it is something that will work for me.

Max
(click here to see original image)

What makes you happiest about your art?

During everyday, everything I see as I go about my day is analyzed—color, shape, how the light is reflecting, the color of the shadow that is being cast, even the length of a shadow due to where the sun is in the sky. All of these things have been given to me. I am not sure other people see these types of things as I do.

I take this stimulation back into my studio and put it into a painting. When all goes well I lose myself for hours, only to awaken with a finished painting, not sure of how it was done.

It doesn’t get much better than that!!

Thanks, Joanne!

© 2013 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Vincenza Harrity

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

To enter to win Vincenza Harrity's painting, "Barn at Wolf Creek," go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Vincenza's DPW Gallery page:

Formally trained in fashion illustration, Vincenza has always sought to develop her skills as a painter with classes and workshops. For more than 10 years, she has focused on still lifes and en plein air landscapes using oils. Her work has been displayed and sold in galleries and exhibitions throughout Ohio and Kentucky.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I was always interested in art, fashion and painting, even as a child. I have a background in fashion illustration and after raising my children it was time for me to get back to art. I started painting and I haven’t stopped.

Barn at Wolf Creek
(click here to see original image)

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

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

Having moved a few times, I have had to stop and restart. Painting has been a way for me to reach out to the community. I sought out teachers at the art museum and local art clubs. All of those opportunities opened new doors to artists, ideas and growth in my art journey.

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 started painting in oil and pretty much have stayed there. I did have a brief season of painting with acrylic, but found it harder to mix to get the colors I was looking for. For a long time, I painted on stretch canvas, but once I started painting “en plein air,” I went to panels and love it. In time I’d like to try oil pastels.

Autumn Reflects
(click here to see original image)

Your beautiful paintings make me feel like I'm taking a peaceful walk out in the country. What feeling are you hoping to inspire in your viewers?

Thank you, I’m glad it evokes a feeling like that for you. I would say it is my desire that the viewer feels some emotion when they look at my work. I am inspired by the world around me and want to pass that on to the art lover, whether it is a nostalgic, peaceful or moody feeling.

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

I get easily distracted with household chores, going out and playing my ukulele. One of my other passions is cooking, so I can get wrapped up in making dinner or cleaning; I like a neat house. What works for me is a plan! This way everything gets its due, including my art, and I try to keep it all in balance.

Moon Rising Over Route 71
(click here to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

In my travels, I snap a lot of pictures and I get outside to paint as often as possible. Nature inspires my awe. I also spend time visiting museums, looking at what other artists are doing.

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

Due to other commitments in my life, I'm allowed to step back from my work, gain perspective and look at my art with fresh eyes. I also have a wonderful group of artist friends that keep me motivated, making me want to be better.

Afternoon Winter
(click here to see original image)

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

I’m learning to paint softer, with more muted shades and less hard edges. I had an opportunity recently to view some of George Inness’s paintings and was overwhelmed by his ability to paint things in a way that reads like it is there, but in such a subtle way. I’m also thinking about going back to a limited palette, especially when painting plein air, maybe using Prussian blue, instead of Ultramarine.

Spicy Lamb Path
(click here to see original image)

What makes you happiest about your art?

I think that when you are an artist whether you paint, write, play an instrument or shoot a camera, we all need to respond to the world around us. I’m happy to be able to express the beauty I see around me, to be part of creation in some small way.

Thanks, Vincenza!

© 2013 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Kim Stenberg

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

To enter to win Kim Stenberg's painting, "Morning After Snowfall," go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Kim's DPW Gallery page:

I received a PhD degree in British history at the University of Minnesota in 1993. Taking art classes turned out to be a life-changing decision and I have been using both sides of my brain ever since. I retired from teaching recently and now paint full time.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I had always admired people who could draw and paint. When I finally had leisure time after receiving my PhD, I checked out Betty Edwards's "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain," tried all the exercises, and realized I could draw! I got hooked. I started taking art classes at The Art League School in Alexandria, VA in 1994. The rest is history.

Morning After Snowfall
(click here to see original image)

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

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

The only time when I didn't paint was when I had my daughter. For a year in 1999, I didn't paint. Obviously, it was tough for me to live without art! After years of hesitation and self doubt, I finally found courage to quit my job as a college professor in 2011. I now paint full time, living my dream.

Glory of Iris
(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 first started out with colored pencil, as it seemed the easiest. It was, however, too time-consuming.  So I switched to watercolor, which many beginners choose somehow, thinking that it is easier than oil but isn't in reality. Anyhow I was successful as a watercolorist, received many awards, and was published in a book and magazines. Eventually, I fell like I hit the wall and decided to try acrylic, first on paper, then on canvas. My then art teacher told me that oil was easier than acrylic for the reason that the latter dries so fast that it makes blending difficult. So at a whim, I tried water-mixable oils about four years ago. That is when I found my true path! I am done exploring, although you never say never again. I have a brand new box of Holbein oil pastels lying around in my studio!  One of these days....

Many of your paintings have this wonderful, sun-washed glow to them. How are you capturing such a beautiful, but elusive quality?

Oh, thanks. As so many artists say, we are in the business of painting light. I can't say honestly how I do it. I guess I go for a subject with a strong sense of light and try to capture it as best as I can. I learned that, in order to paint light, I have to paint rich, luminous darks and mid-tones. Does that make sense?

Bishop's Garden at National Cathedral(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?:

How do I dawdle? Suddenly I feel like cleaning my studio! If I paint everyday, or almost everyday, painting becomes a routine. Then I don't dawdle. Besides, it's now my job. I have to show up.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?:

I usually work from photographs, although I go outside to paint when the weather is too good to stay inside. I have a stack of pictures--mostly landscapes and florals. I go though them from time to time and set aside a pile of let say 10 pictures. When I come to my studio, which is at home, I pick one from the pile.  My decision depends partly on what kind of mood I am in and partly on how much time I have that day because some subjects require more time for drawing.  I don't spend hours trying to figure out what to paint. This also answers the above question of how to avoid procrastination. When you know what to paint and are excited about it, you are less likely to procrastinate.

Happiness of Donuts(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?:

They say that you have to find your brand, your niche. That is a good advice, but I would also argue that one has to have several interests so that you don't get bored or burned out. I paint landscapes, architecture, florals, still lifes, animals, and occasionally figures. I paint en plein air, I paint from life, I paint from photographic references. I paint snow, I paint water; I paint tulips in the garden, I paint peonies in a vase; I paint birds, I paint dogs. I go back and forth. This way, I avoid boredom. Boredom would be the death of a daily painter!

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

Last year I took a still life class for a year, which taught me a lot about composition and color mixing. Through my own experimentation last year, I learned to use more paint in my work. I continue to learn to mix better grays, mid-tones, and clean bright colors. As long as I live, I will be aspiring to become a better painter.

Sunset Over Marshland
(click here to see original image)

What makes you happiest about your art?:

Selling my paintings give me a momentary pleasure. But ultimately, the act of painting makes me happy. I recently came down with shingles over the holidays, which put me out of commission for a couple of weeks. When I started painting again, I still had lingering pain. But while I was painting, I didn't feel any pain. How about that!

Thanks, Kim!

© 2013 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Krista Eaton

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

To enter to win Krista Eaton's painting, "Bursting Forth II," go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Krista's DPW Gallery page:

Krista studied at Emily Carr and the Federation of Canadian Artists and is currently at the Scottsdale Artist's School. She's had numerous solo exhibitions and has sold to many Canadian and international collectors.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I started painting when I was a little kid - then I stopped and didn't paint through my teenage years. After I got married, I was encouraged by my husband to take a painting class that was held in the back of a art supply store. That got me going.

Bursting Forth II
(click here to see original image)

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

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

I have stopped only when I gave birth to my two children. And I started as soon as I could - as soon as they were having naps that lasted.

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 experimented with a few genres, but mostly they have been a steady progression, I have always known what I like and what I have wanted to paint.

Waiting for News
(click here to see original image)

I have no idea how you can even see such fine details in the flowers you paint, much less recapture them on canvas. How do you do it?

Well, from my experience the best and easiest way is to go out and buy yourself a bouquet of flowers, set them up, then paint what you see. We have ideas in our heads of what a flower looks like - the best way is to look at them as shapes. You need to have good lighting as well, that would be the most important thing after buying the flowers.

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

I have a very busy life between my husband’s busy schedule and my two little ones, so I just have to paint through the chaos. I have sometimes set up an easel on my kitchen counter! I set my alarm clock some days so I can get something done before the kids wake up. Then as soon as they go to bed, I paint till I crash.


I am a little bit of a workaholic. My advice to moms that paint is: paint first, laundry and dishes later.

New Beginning
(click here to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I go with what grabs me and I always have ideas in my head all the time; painting or not painting. When I'm playing with my son at the park, I am always on the side, thinking of ideas. It doesn't stop for me, I think I dream of paintings.

Winter's Morning
(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? 

I guess I try new things, I look at what other artists are doing. I gather information and learn at the Scottsdale Artist's School. I keeping learning, and studying. It's hard to burn out when you keep learning. That also keeps my art fresh.

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

I feel I'm learning that like all things you do in life, you start out thinking you can do it and then you realize, once your eyes are open, it's a huge journey. So I feel that a strong hold on the fundamentals, like everything else in life, is so important. Basic, but so crucial. I'm excited about that, because I love challenges.

A Time of Peace
(click here to see original image)

What makes you happiest about your art?

I'm happiest when I'm able make something that I am surprised by. It makes me happy, because most days I am happily surprised. Plus, I just love paint.

Thanks, Krista!

© 2013 Jennifer Newcomb Marine

DPW Spotlight Interview: Nancy Medina

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

To enter to win Nancy Medina's painting, "Blue Monday Lilies," go to go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Nancy's DPW Gallery page:

Nancy is an award-winning artist and art instructor for the Dallas Arboretum whose oil paintings are in homes and private collections around the world. Nancy studied art history and illustration at the University of London and oil painting and color theory at Texas A&M University.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I drew in pencil and charcoal my entire childhood, and used to get in trouble in school for drawing in the margins of my homework. My new year's resolution when I turned 30 was to put down the pencils and start working in color. I took some private lessons in oil and watercolor. I went back to college that year and took color theory and art history and studied overseas one summer at King's College in London with the art class there, traveling around and learning about the old estates, art collections, and visiting the museums.

Blue Monday Lilies
(click here to see original image)

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

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

I stopped painting for a few years when I was in my mid-30s, but never a day went by that I wasn't thinking about it. I worked during the day as a magazine editor (and still do), but the art was something I carried with me constantly, this need to paint, to pick up a brush, to draw. I could never set those thoughts aside. I picked up the brushes again in my early 40s, but this time I focused primarily on oils.

Five years ago, I began painting every day. Two years ago, the Dallas Arboretum asked me to teach for their adult education program. Today I teach floral oil painting around the U.S. I never would have known how much I would enjoy teaching if it had not been for Joy Ijams at the Dallas Arboretum, teaching has truly become my new passion.

Shall We Dance Poppies
(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 worked in acrylics in college, and have also painted in watercolor and extensively in oils. I was growing a bit frustrated with the extremely realistic, traditional painting style, beginning to feel like I was clocking in to work when I went in the studio. I longed to get off the realism treadmill and push color. So I set aside the brushes and picked up the palette knife.

I painted exclusively in palette knife in oils for two years to loosen my style and break out of that rigid mold. When I went back to the brushes, it was a bit scary to re-learn the brush, but now I think I've found the middle ground I wanted - a loose, fast approach to impressionism with the bright colors I love. In the future I would really like to take some collage mixed-media classes, and also work in pastels, too - I love texture!

Farmyard Drama
(click here to see original image)

It would be wonderful to live in the world you've created by paint, with a profusion of flowers and peaceful scenes from simpler times. Where do you find the inspiration for your subject matter?

I grew up on an organic farm in East Texas long before organic was in style. My three sisters and I had chores every day we had to take care of after school, and my summers were spent barefoot and relatively secluded with my sisters to play with, with trips to the library every week, and with animals and farm life. My parents planted flowers every 10th row of crops to attract the insects off the vegetables - I grew up looking up at 10 foot sunflower stalks in the garden and seeing cactus flowers bloom wild in the woods. I would not trade my childhood for anything, it really shaped the way I see the world and my love for color and the simple gifts of nature.

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

I work as the director of a medical magazine for emergency doctors by day, and every evening when I get home from work I follow a strict routine. My husband and I don't have children, we have four very spoiled pugs, so once I have the house clean and the fatties fed (that's the pugs, not my husband), I go straight to the studio. I do not sit down or I would not get up. I paint every day. The closest thing to procrastination in my studio is to give myself the luxury of painting a floral when I have a commission waiting. This forces me to paint faster and be more prolific, plus it satisfies the muses.

Parasol Sunflower
(click here to see original image)

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?

I have a mental list of about 100 things I want to paint jiggling about in my brain at all times. I have a huge inventory of photographs from my travels, especially of flowers and cottage gardens from Southern California, so I shuffle these around from time to time with a fresh approach each time I re-visit a favorite subject. I keep fresh flowers in the studio for my still life setups. I never can get past the flowers in the grocery store, I forget to buy bread and milk, but I always remember the flowers. It's a good thing my husband does all the grocery shopping and cooking, or else we'd be living on M&Ms and potato chips.

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

Working from real flowers is a great way to keep my work "in the moment." It's not really about color so much as it is about light, time of day, and the subtle nuance of the flower. There are no two flowers exactly alike in the world, they are like snowflakes. If you are looking at real flowers, you have the opportunity to capture something unique about that flower that no other artist may have ever seen. Capturing the imperfections in florals is also very important.

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

I love the push and pull of color, the way light transforms and completely changes a subject, and of experimenting with different approaches.  I like painting the same scene on different types of surfaces, or with different cool and warm mixtures, and comparing the two to see what I have learned. And I am constant student of color. I have an entire wall in my studio with post-it notes, my recipes for colors and combinations for particular flowers. These are the notes for my future book!

Sun Swept Cottage Path
(click here to see original image)

I am also learning that there are times when I lead the art, and times when the art moves out in front of me, teaching me something new. I've learned that when the muses sing, to stop whatever I am doing and obey them, or I will lose that spark. I've also learned I love seeing my students' faces light up when they finish their paintings, and hear that they are excited to have a new approach to painting and can hardly wait to get home and paint again on their own.

What makes you happiest about your art?

I love color, it makes me happy, and art lets me make that color happen!

Thanks, Nancy! 

© 2013 Jennifer Newcomb Marine